The people of Iwagakure saw only a blinding white light burst from Carl's palm.
The very next second, a terrifying repulsive force surged out like a tsunami, instantly sweeping every ninja sideways—while the Tsuchikage Building collapsed outright, crumbling into ruins.
By the time Kurotsuchi and the others were roused by the arriving medical unit, Carl and his two companions were long gone.
Ōnoki stared blankly at the ruins before him. From the moment he woke up, he hadn't said a single word. Worried about his condition, Kurotsuchi stepped forward and bent down to support him.
The instant she touched him, she felt it—Ōnoki's body was trembling slightly. When she grasped his hand, it was icy cold. Startled, she was about to call for a medical ninja to examine him again, but Ōnoki stopped her.
"Don't worry. I'm fine. Don't cause any more panic."
As he spoke, his already stooped frame seemed to sag even further. He clenched his fist and muttered under his breath,
"How many years has it been… this feeling of powerlessness—stronger even than back then. And yet the village is so much stronger now. I…"
He let out a heavy sigh, looking several years older all at once. Kurotsuchi had never seen her grandfather in such a frail state. Iwagakure was at its strongest in history; though she often acted impatient with him, she respected her Tsuchikage grandfather from the bottom of her heart.
Seeing Ōnoki with his eyes lowered, completely mired in self-doubt, Kurotsuchi softened her tone and spoke gently,
"Grandfather, there's no need to blame yourself. This enemy was simply too strong. Think about it—if it were Kirigakure or Sunagakure as they are now, they'd be in even worse shape if they faced him."
Her words didn't comfort Ōnoki. Instead, he gave a bitter smile.
"So what? Comparisons like that mean nothing. What I want to know is where that ninja came from. No headband… so he shouldn't be from Konoha…"
Kurotsuchi froze.
"Grandfather, why assume Konoha?"
Ōnoki closed his eyes as a humiliating memory surfaced. Kurotsuchi wouldn't understand—she was too young, never having witnessed just how terrifyingly powerful those two from Konoha had been. Powerful enough to suppress the entire shinobi world by themselves.
Because Ōnoki had seen it with his own eyes, when he encountered strength that defied all common sense again, his thoughts instinctively turned toward Konoha.
But thoughts were thoughts. As the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki couldn't afford to sink into despair. He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. When he opened his eyes again, the dignity of the Tsuchikage had returned.
Seal off the information. Clear the rubble. Settle the wounded.
Orders flowed steadily from his mouth. Once everything was arranged and the crowd dispersed, Kitsuchi stepped up beside him and said quietly,
"Their objective seems to have been the tailed beast. If that's the case, other villages with tailed beasts will definitely be targeted as well. We might not even be the first."
Though Kitsuchi looked honest and plain, his mind was sharp—only his talent fell slightly short of Kurotsuchi's. Otherwise, Ōnoki would have passed the Tsuchikage title to him without hesitation.
Ōnoki nodded in approval.
"That makes sense. Then our top priority is to dispatch intelligence ninja immediately and gather information. With strength like theirs, they won't be able to act without leaving traces."
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the vast empty space before him—where the Tsuchikage Building had stood just moments ago.
...
While Iwagakure was still in chaos, the instigator of it all—Carl—had already arrived at Kumogakure with Lily and Kaguya.
When it came to spatial travel, Yomotsu Hirasaka was even more convenient than Carl's Kamui. It required no pre-set coordinates; as long as the user's perception was strong enough, they could reach any place within their sensing range.
This time, the three of them appeared directly in front of the Raikage Building.
Samui, who was on her way to report to the Raikage, froze the moment she saw the trio step out of a pitch-black spatial portal. The stack of documents in her arms scattered across the ground, and the surrounding guards were just as stunned.
Carl glanced at the blonde, busty beauty not far away and thought for a moment.
"Hmm… you're called Asamu, right?"
Snapping back to her senses, Samui immediately assumed a combat stance, her voice cold.
"My name is Samui! Who are you?!"
The ninja guarding the Raikage Building quickly closed in as well, all staring at Carl's group with hostile expressions.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Samui's forehead. Surrounded by Kumogakure's elite ninja, even a Kage-level fighter would feel pressure—yet these three looked completely unfazed.
Were they just a bunch of overconfident fools?
But that bizarre entrance…
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Carl suddenly shook his head.
"The target isn't here. Kaguya, you've already located them, haven't you?"
Kaguya replied respectfully,
"Yes. I sense the chakra of the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails here. One is within the village; the other is near a waterfall not far away."
The moment her words fell—
A massive, lightning-wreathed figure slammed down from the sky, aiming straight for Carl.
BOOM!!!
Smoke billowed out with an ear-splitting explosion, forcing the Kumogakure ninja to retreat.
From the furious shout just now, everyone realized who had attacked—
"It's the Fourth Raikage-sama!"
"As expected of the Fourth-sama! That power is insane—those three are finished!"
"Still, wouldn't it be better to capture them first and ask who they are? From what they said, their target seems to be our village's jinchūriki."
"Yugito and Killer B-sama? What nerve! Do they take Kumogakure for a joke?!"
As the chatter continued, the smoke gradually cleared.
A figure shot out from within—the Fourth Raikage, A.
He landed on one knee. There was no joy on his face—only grim seriousness.
Seeing his expression, the hearts of the Kumogakure ninja sank. They hurriedly looked ahead.
When the smoke fully dispersed, what appeared before them was—
Carl and his two companions, completely unscathed.
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+80 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg