There was no need for Hiruzen Sarutobi to give the order—Konoha's ninja had already rushed toward Satori.
But no matter what kind of attacks they used—even ambushes from blind spots—Satori effortlessly evaded them all.
On the contrary, with nothing but its raw physical power, it inflicted heavy casualties. Its enormous claws could pierce through human bodies and punch through solid walls with ease.
"What the hell is this monster?!" A Konoha ninja turned pale, his voice trembling with fear.
But no one had an answer. Not even Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage.
After all, Satori was unlike any tailed beast. It had been sealed away inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss for so long that the entire shinobi world had forgotten its existence.
Even the Grass Ninja, who had long guarded the box, had no understanding of what was inside.
With Satori's sudden appearance, chaos erupted throughout the village. It was obvious the Chūnin Exams could no longer continue. What had been a peaceful village just moments ago now descended into utter panic.
Hiruzen stood high above, taking it all in, his face grim. He didn't know who had unleashed this creature on Konoha, but the priority now was clear: it had to be dealt with—fast.
Casting a quick glance toward the surrounding shinobi from Kumogakure and Sunagakure—who were now surrounded by a group of Konoha jōnin—Hiruzen threw off his Hokage robes, revealing his combat gear underneath.
"There's been an incident. I suggest you all stay where you are," he warned the Cloud and Sand ninja coldly.
Then he issued commands to the rest of Konoha's forces: evacuate civilians immediately and ensure the safety of the Daimyō and the nobles.
With that, he charged off with a squad of jōnin to confront Satori.
Summoning Jutsu! With a puff of smoke, a white-furred monkey wearing a Leaf headband and a fur-lined coat appeared in front of everyone.
Monkey King: Enma! This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's personal summon—his most powerful, with an indestructible body.
Back in the original timeline, during the Konoha Crush, even Orochimaru had called Enma the strongest summoning beast.
"Enma, transform into the Adamantine Staff."
Without hesitation, Enma transformed into a long, unbreakable staff. Gripping it firmly, Hiruzen immediately extended the staff toward Satori.
In the blink of an eye, the Adamantine Staff stretched dozens of meters, its tip aimed straight at the monster.
He was trying to knock Satori out of the village, hoping to minimize collateral damage from the battle to come. But Satori, as if it had eyes on its back, flapped its wings and soared into the air to avoid the attack.
Hiruzen's expression darkened further.
He had already noticed this—the creature seemed capable of anticipating attacks before they even landed.
It had only been in combat for a short time, yet not a single attack had connected. And it could fly—a rare ability among chakra-based life forms.
Even for someone as experienced as the Third Hokage, this was proving to be an extremely difficult enemy.
As Satori soared high above, it suddenly spread its massive black wings wide—and unleashed a storm of black feathers.
The feathers rained down like a hail of senbon needles, their sharp tips easily penetrating flesh.
Many who couldn't dodge in time were struck. Some were riddled with so many feathers they looked like human pincushions—only far more gruesome, with blood pouring from every wound.
"All forces—attack together!" Hiruzen had finally closed in on Satori with his squad of jōnin.
He hoped that through sheer numbers and relentless assault, they could force Satori out of Konoha. Against the combined might of several jōnin—and the Hokage himself—Satori had no choice but to retreat outside the village.
But how to actually defeat it remained a pressing question. None of their attacks connected, yet every one of Satori's required immediate evasion.
This kind of oppressive battle left the jōnin questioning their very purpose.
Even Hiruzen's face was marked with tension. He didn't believe any technique in the shinobi world was truly without a weakness. The problem was, they knew nothing about the enemy.
With no intelligence, not even the Hokage could formulate a clear strategy.
Boom! Suddenly, a ninja's body swelled rapidly into a towering giant—almost matching Satori in size. It was a jōnin from the Akimichi Clan, specialists in Expansion Jutsu.
The Akimichi frequently teamed up with the Nara and Yamanaka clans to form the famous "Ino–Shika–Chō" trio known throughout the shinobi world.
The moment he transformed, the Akimichi jōnin charged at Satori—but even this was easily dodged.
"I can't control it at all." The speaker was a Yamanaka jōnin, a master of mind-based techniques.
He had tried to use the Mind Body Switch Technique on Satori, but was instantly overwhelmed by the creature's malicious spiritual energy.
The jutsu broke, and he was left injured.
"It's flying too high—my shadow can't reach it." The Nara jōnin shook his head, frustrated.
His clan's Shadow Manipulation Jutsu specialized in immobilization and assassination—but only when the target was grounded.
Buzz! A dark swarm of insects blotted out the sky, emerging from the body of an Aburame Clan jōnin.
Hiruzen's eyes lit up with hope. The insects could fly—and large-scale attacks might finally put pressure on the monster.
Boom!
In response to the insect assault, Satori conjured a red chakra orb. With just a single blast, it vaporized a large number of the insects.
Yet some of the kikaichū survived and pressed on, closing in. But just as they prepared to strike, a sudden shockwave of chakra surged out from Satori.
All the insects were instantly annihilated.
"Mere bugs." For the first time, Satori spoke.
Everyone froze. The creature could talk?
"You can speak? Then why attack Konoha?" Hiruzen asked the most urgent question.
But the only response was another incoming red chakra orb from Satori.
---
Meanwhile, at Root Headquarters—
Danzo had already received word of the chaos in the village. But instead of sending help, he ordered all Root operatives to return to base immediately.
"No one is to leave," he commanded.
His reasoning? "We must preserve our strength."
If Konoha suffered devastating losses in this attack, someone would need to remain strong enough to retaliate against other villages that might try to take advantage.
Any other shinobi might question such a decision—but Root was different.
Danzo had indoctrinated them from a young age. To them, his word was absolute—even above the Hokage's. If Danzo ordered them to assassinate the Hokage, they would do it without hesitation.
Once Root was secure, Danzo made his way to Orochimaru's laboratory. It wasn't located within the village but at a carefully hidden site some distance outside Konoha.
Highly secretive—naturally. After all, Hiruzen Sarutobi had long since forbidden Wood Release human experimentation.
"Danzo, of all times… why are you here instead of dealing with the monster attacking Konoha?"
Though confined to his lab, Orochimaru was well aware of what was happening in the village—his intelligence network had not failed him.