As he spoke, he raised a shadow-covered hand and gently pointed a long finger at the pale figure. His low, hoarse voice carried unquestionable authority.
"Then from now on, you will be called 'Fierce Eye'. You are 'Espada's Fourth."
Naming was like granting a true name to one's creation. As his words fell, power flowed through his finger into Fierce Eye's body, and its massive form shuddered.
The number "4" slowly appeared on its cheek. The hatred in its eyes sank deeper, replaced by a clearer, more human awareness.
"…Yes," it said hoarsely in a human voice, lowering its head. "My lord."
Their voices were not loud, yet they cut through the rain and reached every Konoha Ninja present. Great Hollow, Fierce Eye, Espada, each term stirred unease as the once-rampaging monster now knelt like a tamed beast.
"Completely destroying Konoha is one of your Arrancar obsessions, and I should not interfere," 'Shadow' continued, lifting his gaze. He looked toward Shisui Uchiha's Susanoo and spoke softly.
"I am someone who protects his own."
A sharp warning flared in Shisui Uchiha's mind, and an unprecedented sense of lethal danger surged. He instinctively tried to control Susanoo to attack.
Yet while everyone's attention was on 'Shadow' and Fierce Eye, a graceful figure appeared behind Shisui Uchiha like a phantom. 'Shadow''s voice sounded at the same time.
"Espada's First, Uzumaki."
There was no warning and no buildup. Black chains crawled up Uzumaki's slender arm as it raised it casually.
Like sweeping trash off a table, it swung its arm at the unguarded right side of the emerald Susanoo. The instant contact was made, the sturdy green ribs and Chakra cloak shattered like paper.
A savage force burst out with a dense series of cracking sounds, like ice breaking across a frozen sea. The power pierced through Susanoo and slammed into Shisui Uchiha's right side.
With a wet sound, bones and ribs were crushed outright. Blood mist mixed with shattered bone and flesh erupted as his entire right half was blown apart.
In the next moment, the force passed through his body. Before he could even scream, Shisui was flung away like he had been hit by a speeding train, limbs twisting as they burst from Susanoo's chest.
Blood sprayed through the air and traced arcs on the ground. Shisui Uchiha flew deep into the forest as Susanoo collapsed into green light that scattered in the rain.
The entire sequence lasted only an instant. From Uzumaki's appearance to Shisui being sent flying, even he himself had no time to realize what happened.
"Shisui!" Only Hiruzen Sarutobi, standing nearby, saw it all and shouted in shock.
That cry shattered the eerie stillness. The Akimichi Clan Jonin who had been frozen by fear finally broke free.
"Baika no Jutsu!!" He roared hoarsely as his body expanded like an inflating balloon, his left arm swelling with power.
Like an enraged mountain of flesh, he turned and smashed his fist down at Uzumaki. The punch tore the air apart, blasting water from the ground.
Uzumaki simply raised its head and lifted the chain-wrapped arm. The giant fist crashed into its small one, and the expected outcome did not occur.
With a sickening sound, the enlarged fist exploded like a smashed melon. Blood and flesh sprayed outward as the Akimichi Clan Jonin screamed in agony.
Uzumaki grabbed his other arm without pause. Understanding dawned too late in his bloodshot eyes, and his plea was cut short.
It hoisted him up like a hammer and slammed his massive body into the ground again and again. Each impact shook the earth and carved deep craters.
Bones shattered, flesh tore, and screams blended into a brutal rhythm. Finally, with a violent yank, Uzumaki tore off his enlarged arm and shoulder in one motion.
Blood poured out in torrents, painting Uzumaki crimson. The body fell silent and shrank, lying still in the pool of blood.
It tossed the severed limb aside and shook off the gore, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. In the minds of everyone in Konoha, only one thought remained.
Too fast. How could it be this fast?
Neither the black-robed figure nor the two monsters offered ordinary Jonin any chance to resist. Yet Hiruzen Sarutobi's furious voice cut through the terror.
"Kill!"
Dozens of Konoha Ninja moved at once, raising hands to form seals or hurling Kunai, Shuriken, and senbon like rain. Fire, wind, earth, lightning, and water roared through the rain toward the same target.
The attacks filled the space around 'Shadow', forming a storm with no blind spots. Yet he stood unmoving, not even turning around.
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, the impossible happened. Every weapon and Ninjutsu grazed past 'Shadow' without touching him.
Instead, they continued along altered paths and struck fellow Konoha Ninja. Explosions, screams, and bodies filled the field as chaos erupted.
Confusion spread as comrades fell to their own attacks. Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his hands to defend himself, and in that instant a chill rose behind him.
He twisted aside on instinct, and a blade pierced his side. Pain flared as he turned to see the attacker.
It was a terrified Yamanaka Clan Jonin holding a bloodied Kunai. Behind the man's neck, countless thin threads extended upward.
Those threads connected most of the Konoha Ninja present, leading back to the winged figure. Its fingers moved like a puppeteer, and the battlefield became a stage of screams.
"Espada's Third, Puppeteer," 'Shadow' said softly, looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi. "This is their first appearance. I hope you enjoy their performance."
No one answered him. The screams and howls were the only response, and for them, that was the most enthusiastic applause.
The sun struggled up from the distant horizon.
A dull red light barely pierced the heavy clouds, yet it could not drive away the sickening stench of blood and death that hung over Uchiha Clan Grounds. Cold rain continued to fall, washing over the charred ground, but it could not cleanse the piled bodies or the streams of blood that stained the mud dark red.
"Get out of the way. My body…"
"Captain, it is me. Do not…"
"No, do not come closer. Please, stop!"
Countless threads as thin as hair, almost transparent, spread like a web from the wings of the airborne 'Puppeteer'. They connected with exact precision to the neck joints of the Konoha Ninja below.
The ability of the Puppeteer was not strong enough to control every Konoha Ninja present. Controlling living people with their own will was far harder than moving corpses. However, it did not need to control everyone.
Those Konoha Ninja bound by the threads still had their minds. Their bodies, like a puppet, were simply forced to move. Terror, madness, pleading, and pain filled their eyes as rain mixed with tears on their twisted faces.
They could feel their bodies acting against their will. They could see their own hands driving a Kunai toward someone they knew. A controlled Jonin stared with eyes about to split, watching himself stab a comrade through the heart.
Blood burst out as the ninja, who had been fighting others, clutched his throat and slowly collapsed. The controlled Jonin let out a hoarse scream, his body shaking violently as the threads dragged his arm to strike another former subordinate.
Those Konoha Ninja who were not controlled were pushed into almost the same madness. The enemies before them were not monsters or foreign Ninja, but their own comrades. Facing familiar faces filled with fear and tears, none of them could bring themselves to strike.
"Damn it!"
"Find a way to cut the threads!"
"Do not kill him. He is being controlled!"