Wanting to assess the situation first, I activated Tremor Sense. The conclusion was simple: a squad of fifteen ANBU and no civilians in the vicinity.
They had taken precautions. They valued civilian safety more than I initially assumed. In a way, this could work in my favor.
I planned to use this opportunity to understand exactly where I stood in this world. I knew I was no longer at the bottom of the ladder, but I didn't yet know where to place myself.
I had to be careful. The ANBU were no joke.
Without warning, one of them rushed toward me, but...
Summon Undead: Call of the Army.
The ground around me took on a swamp-like texture. The ANBU leapt back just before his leg could be torn off by a bear emerging from the mire.
The advantage in numbers had just shifted.
I watched the fourteen remaining ANBU engage in battle against the undead... Wait. Fourteen?
Complete Vision.
Behind me, a man was silently approaching, completely invisible.
Shock Wave.
He tried to jump back, but he was too close. The shockwave shattered his leg, and he let out a muffled cry.
Suddenly, wooden spikes shot up from the ground, attempting to immobilize me. Before I could react, a hand pulled me out of the bind.
In front of me stood a man.
— Thank you... Jack the Ripper.
A good number of my summons had already fallen, which wasn't surprising. Three of the ANBU lay on the ground, caught off guard by the surprising "vitality" of my undead.
Their injuries were minor, but corroded by negative energy, they were out of combat. Add to that the one I had just taken down, saved by his ally…
Only eleven remained.
One of them stood at a distance, healing the wounded. At his side, Naruto was unconscious.
Now ten.
Those still able to fight were using Ninjutsu or their weapons to mutilate my summons, preventing them from moving. A good tactic, but...
Corpse Explosion.
— They're going to explode, FALL BACK! shouted an ANBU in the rear.
Thanks to his warning, only one was seriously hit by the explosion.
Now nine.
I recalled my beasts, having them regroup around me, allowing them to retreat from the fight. I wasn't here to kill… not them, at least.
I still had fifteen undead left, not counting Jack the Ripper and the birds.
Things were going well… for me.
I turned my gaze to the man I had identified as Yamato. He had to be the only living Mokuton user in Konoha.
--------------------------------------------P.O.V Yamato
As per the Hokage's orders, we had stationed ourselves around Naruto's house to prevent any disturbances while staying far enough away not to alert the intruder too soon.
However, Falcon, the Hyūga in my squad, had alerted me to their presence inside. He claimed he hadn't detected any movement before that, and Wolf confirmed the absence of any foreign scent.
We surrounded the house, relying on Falcon's directions. After he described the intruder's appearance, I had confirmation: she matched the description of the deceased Narume Uzumaki.
But there was something even more concerning.
According to Falcon, she had absolutely no detectable life force… and no chakra. Neither within her nor around her.
That was enough to confirm the Hokage's suspicions.
We first chose to observe her interactions with the Jinchūriki. According to Falcon, they were talking, which shouldn't be possible for a mere remotely controlled corpse.
The problem was, we couldn't hear anything. It was as if the interior of the house was cut off from the rest of the world.
When she approached the exit, we decided to intervene. The kunai thrown at her were intercepted by an invisible barrier.
Transforming my hand into a wooden hammer, I shattered that barrier, creating an opening for Falcon to retrieve the Jinchūriki.
Naruto screamed his sister's name before being subdued.
But she… upon seeing her brother among us, seemed… relieved?
Before I could issue a command, Wolf rushed in to capture her.
She simply raised her hand.
A swamp formed beneath her, and creatures emerged from it.
— Still no chakra detected, Falcon confirmed.
The Byakugan would be of no use to us.
I signaled Chameleon to attack her discreetly. But somehow, she detected him and neutralized him.
I used Mokuton to immobilize her, but suddenly, a man appeared and helped her.
She didn't seem intent on finishing off Chameleon. I took the opportunity to pull him back.
— Yamato, he has the same body as her! Falcon reported.
She watched us with a calm and almost slightly offended look. This wasn't a simple puppet or a remotely controlled marionette.
She seemed truly alive.
We quickly realized that her creatures didn't die. Even mutilated, they kept advancing. Before we even noticed, several of our men were already injured.
Then, all at once, they retreated.
And those already fallen in battle… exploded.
Falcon's warning prevented further losses, but he was the only one caught in the blast.
Narume stood there, surrounded by her monsters, scrutinizing each of our movements.
Her eyes analyzed the situation with cold precision.
Then she spoke:
— That was an interesting way to interrupt my reunion after all this time.
I couldn't help but question her.
— What are you? I asked.
To my surprise, she responded calmly:
— Maybe we should have started with that?
At that moment, another group of ANBU landed behind her, led by the Hokage himself.
She was surrounded.