["A surge in strength? Could it be due to a sudden absorption of a large amount of Honkai Energy? But the Honkai Energy within the laboratory has already been isolated; how could the Experimental Subject possibly absorb any?"
"Now is not the time for such thoughts. The Experimental Subject has already escaped the laboratory. Once he absorbs enough Honkai Energy, no one knows what kind of mutation he will undergo."
"We must recover him immediately!"
For a time, no one in the conference room could sit still. They shattered the closed windows and leapt out one after another with a series of whooshes.
At this moment, although the Experimental Subject had run out, he had not yet caused significant panic. After all, his size was manageable, and his strength was not particularly high; he didn't know ninjutsu or anything of the sort and could only charge around recklessly. Fortunately, the laboratory was located in a relatively remote part of New Konoha. Although he caused considerable destruction, no one had been injured yet.
Boom!
People on the streets at the edge of New Konoha heard only a massive explosion, followed by the sound of something collapsing. Simultaneously, those with sharp eyes saw wooden planks flying through the air.
"What's happening? Could it be an enemy invasion?"
"Invading New Konoha? Do they not know that the First Hokage has been resurrected?"
"Who knows?"
Although the resident population of New Konoha could not yet be compared to Old Konoha, there were many who had moved to New Konoha because of the reputation of the God of Shinobi. Currently, pedestrians had already walked out onto the main street, looking curiously toward the direction of the commotion in the distance. Of course, looking from afar was enough; they didn't dare get too close.
"Hey, you lot! It's dangerous there, hurry to the shelters!"
At that moment, a team of Anbu wearing animal masks landed on the utility poles, speaking down to the civilians below from their high vantage point.
"Shelters?"
Upon hearing those words, everyone instinctively felt that something was wrong. It seemed, probably, likely that New Konoha really was being invaded. Consequently, these people stopped watching the spectacle and ran toward the shelters as fast as their legs could carry them, fearing that if they ran too slowly, they would encounter danger.
Seeing that the civilians had headed to the shelters, these Anbu members looked at the distant commotion that still hadn't ceased, feeling privately anxious. Had their orders not been to evacuate civilians and blockade the surrounding area, they would have joined the battle long ago.
"But having said that, is it really an enemy invasion?"
Even though they were Anbu, most members—aside from a few—did not know what was happening. Quite a few had even been patrolling other areas and were reassigned on short notice.
"Quick, quick, quick! Iron Chains, Earth Release Barriers—hurry!"
At this moment, amidst a patch of ruins, a group of masked Anbu gripped Iron Chains, using every ounce of their strength to desperately pull back a Xenomorph-like Monster.
This monster was over three meters tall. Half of its body was abnormally small, while the other half was abnormally large—especially that arm and the claws upon it, which looked as though five long blades had been inserted into them; one look was enough to tell they were immensely powerful. Its body no longer possessed the appearance of a head; or rather, due to the mutation, the head had shrunk into its chest, leaving only a single, massive, crimson eye on the chest. Its lower body had mutated into four limbs resembling those of a scorpion.
Although its lower body appeared very slender compared to its bloated torso, making one doubt if it could support such a massive frame, the strain on the people pulling the monster with Iron Chains showed that these four limbs, though slender in appearance, possessed significant strength.
"Roar—"
Just then, the monster, which was wrestling with the group of Anbu, suddenly felt the ground seemingly vanish. Its four legs stepped into empty air, and half of its body sank into the earth. The monster let out a hiss, its two claws—one large and one small—constantly battering the ground, seemingly trying to climb out of the earth that had turned into a swamp.
But with nowhere to exert force within the swamp, it only sank deeper and deeper, until finally its entire body was submerged underground. Several Anbu held the Iron Chains still bound to the monster, ready to pull it out at any time.
Suddenly, one of the Iron Chains pulled taut. Then, the Anbu holding that chain felt a massive force surge toward him, as if the monster was gripping the chain within the swamp.
"Not good! It's trying to pull itself out using the iron chains!"
"Drop the chains, quick!"
The Anbu did not dare hesitate, dropping the Iron Chains into the swamp one by one, leaving the monster within with nothing to grasp. Eventually, aside from a few bubbles surfacing, there was no further movement from the monster. Everything seemed to have ended.]
Onoki: "As expected, Earth Release is the most suitable for dealing with such monsters. Just by creating a swamp, you can bury these monsters underground. No matter how great their ability, they cannot break free from the shackles of the earth!"
A: "Well said. But then, how do you intend to deal with those Honkai Beasts that can fly?"
Onoki: "..."
["How is the situation?"
By now, everyone from Senju Hashirama to Tsunade, along with Jiraiya and Orochimaru, had arrived. As for why one of the five Hokage was missing, we don't dare speak of it, and we don't dare ask.
"Your subordinates have restricted it underground with Earth Release, but the specific status is still unclear."
Senju Tobirama looked at the swamp on the ground and nodded. "Mhm, you have done well. You did not allow this Experimental Subject to cause casualties."
"It was our duty, sir."
Orochimaru walked to the edge of the swamp, looking at the calm surface while pondering a question.
"How exactly did it come into contact with Honkai Energy? Although we injected a small amount of Honkai Energy to ensure the surgery went smoothly, it shouldn't have mutated to this extent. Truly interesting." Orochimaru licked his lips, showing an expression of great interest.
"The people in the laboratory are trustworthy; there couldn't be a spy," Senju Tobirama said, walking to Orochimaru's side.
"Then someone must have entered the laboratory through a method we don't know about."
"But the laboratory's Barrier was jointly set by me, Kushina, and Grandma Mito. It's impossible for someone to pass through the Barrier silently..." Minato Namikaze's voice suddenly trailed off. He suddenly thought of several people who could pass through the Barrier silently.
"Those who can pass through the laboratory's Barrier... as far as I know, there are only a few."
"The First Herrscher, the Second Herrscher, and..."
"That fellow who appeared that night, claiming to be Uchiha Madara!"
"Currently, all three are possibilities. But the Second Herrscher has never left the Snowfield. If it were the First Herrscher, and she wanted to deal with Konoha, she wouldn't cause such a small commotion. Which means..."
"Then what is his purpose? He couldn't just want to cause a tiny bit of chaos... Not good! It's a diversion!"
Senju Tobirama instantly realized that the enemy's target was not New Konoha, but the laboratory!]