The scene before them could only be described as a natural disaster.
The massive crater stretched beyond visible edges, rock layers displaying the grotesque fissures of cooled lava while the air reeked of scorching destruction. This level of destructive power had long transcended ordinary shinobi capabilities—surpassing even "Kage" tier.
Sarutobi Hiruzen had witnessed such power in two people before.
Senju Hashirama. Uchiha Madara.
Those legendary shinobi's strength had already departed the realm of "human"—without exaggeration, that was a domain only gods could touch.
Now... had the world gained another Asura of the Shinobi World? But the problem was—the current shinobi world lacked a "God of Shinobi" capable of opposing such force.
The Third's gaze trembled slightly. 'Not wanting to harm innocents...?' He understood completely.
Konoha's perfect preservation wasn't due to the Shisekiyōjin's rit. If that pitch-black "stardust" had struck the village center directly, his barely-sustained barrier couldn't possibly have withstood it. nma had deliberately avoided Konoha—or perhaps he disdained destroying the village through such ans.
"Cough..!"
Complete chakra exhaustion's backlash made the Third cough up blood. He barely steadied himself, gaze sweeping over the crater before him. The Raikage's fate remained unknown, while the masked man...
"Looks like this guy picked up a spare life."
An icy voice drifted from overhead. The Third Hokage's body suddenly stiffened as he chanically looked up at the descending figure.
nma dragged the Raikage's body with one hand like carrying an insignificant trophy. Kumogakure's "A" was now charred black all over, his robust fra covered in burn marks, hair singed and curled, dried blood still staining his mouth corners.
"Is this the caliber of so-called Kage?"
nma's voice filtered through the fox mask as he casually threw the Raikage to the ground with a dull thud.
Thump—
The Raikage's body struck earth heavily, stirring up a small dust cloud.
nma landed silently, his black robes' hem lifting slightly before settling. He surveyed the surroundings, gaze sweeping over every battle-ready Konoha shinobi.
Konoha's ninja gripped kunai and blades tightly—their weapons trembling, their bodies shuddering instinctively when faced with absolute power disparity. Sweat dripped from forehead protectors, carving pathetic trails down dust-covered faces.
"Actually, you don't need to be so wary of ."
nma's words made everyone's hair stand on end.
"Because..."
He deliberately paused, lips beneath the fox mask seeming to curve upward. "If I wanted to take your lives... you wouldn't be standing here now."
Those words struck like heavy hamrs against everyone's hearts. They all knew this wasn't empty bluffing—that crater spanning several kiloters was the most direct proof. Several young Konoha shinobi could no longer support themselves, knees buckling as they collapsed, yet their hands still desperately clutched their weapons.
However, despite trembling legs and chattering teeth, not a single Konoha ninja lowered their weapons. They resembled cornered wolves—knowing defeat was certain yet still baring fangs.
"Re... release Raikage-sama!"
C's voice squeezed from his throat, struggling to suppress trembling. As a sensory ninja, he could clearly feel the Raikage's weak chakra—still alive, but gravely injured.
Just as C was about to charge forward, an arm barred his chest.
Darui's palm pressed against C, his gaze locked on nma with lazy tones now carrying unprecedented caution. "Stay calm, C."
'Raikage-sama is still alive... this monster didn't deliver a killing blow.'
Darui took a deep breath, forcing himself to unclench his jaw. He could feel his molars trembling uncontrollably, yet his voice remained remarkably steady.
"nma-sama, Kumogakure... completely understands the situation."
He deliberately omitted the slightly contemptuous "masked man" address, subtly shielding C behind him.
"Regarding the delegation and Byakugan incident, Kumogakure is willing to... let bygones be bygones. The so-called war absolutely will not be initiated."
Darui's throat bobbed. He could feel cold sweat sliding down his back. 'He deliberately avoided large-scale slaughter... his goal is preventing war, not massacre.'
"Your desire to stop warfare—Kumogakure has profoundly comprehended this." Darui bowed his head slightly, this gesture drawing incredulous looks from several Kumo-nin. "But the Byakugan incident... wasn't Raikage-sama's arbitrary decision, but the result of Kumogakure leadership's collective resolution."
---
He deliberately slowed his speech, ensuring each word transmitted clearly. "Moreover, you spared Raikage-sama's life... presumably considering that if Kumogakure suddenly lost its Kage, the power vacuum would instead trigger greater upheaval."
Darui raised his volu. "If you're willing to show rcy this ti—Kumogakure will provide any compensation!"
The declaration rang with finality. Darui raised his head, directly eting nma's fox mask. His pupils trembled, but his gaze didn't waver.
'Gambling... he needs an "example," not corpses.'
The scene fell deathly silent. Everyone held their breath, awaiting that black-robed figure's response. Even the Third Hokage unconsciously tensed his nerves.
Wind carried the scent of scorched earth, rustling nma's black robes. He stood quietly there, his expression behind the mask unknown to all.
"Third Hokage."
nma's voice suddenly rang out, yet he didn't look toward Darui but directly turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen. This shift stunned everyone present.
The Third slowly raised his head, aged features still bearing the pallor of chakra overdraft.
"I'd advise against doing anything stupid." nma's voice carried several notes of mockery. "I'm beginning to understand—you can't really be called bad, but stupid is definitely confird."
The Third's fingers imperceptibly trembled.
nma's gaze fell on the Third's not-yet-completely-lowered hand seal posture. "That seal is the Reaper Death Seal, right? Seems the Battle of the Valley of the End left you with many shadows."
Black robes fluttered without wind as nma's voice turned cold. "I have no intention of destroying Konoha... but if you complete that jutsu, that might change."
Cold sweat beaded the Third's forehead. Finally, those taut fingers powerlessly relaxed. The hand seal posture completely dissipated—this tiny movent made all present Konoha ANBU secretly sigh in relief.
Only then did nma turn back toward Darui, his tone resuming that casual mockery. "Compensation? You seem like a smart man."
He struck a thoughtful pose, fingers lightly tapping his mask. "Let think... the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails might be nice ideas."
Darui's complexion instantly turned deathly pale. "...Very sorry, only that is impossible. Please consider sothing else... Kumogakure will definitely satisfy your needs with maximum sincerity."
nma let out a soft chuckle: "Heh..." That light laugh made every Kumo-nin's heart leap to their throats.
"I was just joking." nma casually waved his hand. "Because... if I wanted the tailed beasts, do you think I'd negotiate with you?"
Darui's back was already completely soaked in cold sweat, but he still forced himself to stand his ground without retreating a single step.
"..."
"Ember."
When this unfamiliar term erged from nma's mouth, everyone was stunned.
"...What?"
Darui instinctively asked back, his mind racing—this term had never appeared in the shinobi world before, neither a known village nor any rogue organization.
"This is the na of the organization I lead."
His voice remained unhurried. "Rember this na well—"
Chakra suddenly erupted, centering on nma and stirring violent air currents. His black robes danced wildly in the energy chaos as phantom images of the nine beasts flickered behind him.
"Then spread this na of fear throughout the shinobi world!"
This declaration rang like judgnt bells, heavily striking each person's heart.
nma's figure began blurring as the chakra-ford storm grew increasingly fierce. In the final mont before disappearing, his voice pierced the hurricane, clearly reaching every ear.
"Either obediently gnaw on peace's rotten fruit and live on... or let teach you what real war ans!"
BOOM—!
The violent chakra storm suddenly exploded, hurricanes stirring up sky-filling dust that forced everyone to raise hands for protection. Kunai slipped from fingers, forehead protectors were blown askew, even standing beca difficult.
When the dust finally settled—
Only the unconscious Raikage remained in the clearing's center. nma's figure had vanished like a phantom dream, leaving only deep crack marks in the ground as proof of the preceding reality.
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