"BANG!"
The ground beneath Shihouin Naraku's feet detonated like an explosive tag, sending debris flying in all directions.
Under the astonished gazes of his allies, Naraku launched himself skyward with explosive force. In a single bound, he ascended high into the darkening sky, his sharp eyes scanning the mountain passes in the distance.
More than ten kilometers away, a massive force of Iwagakure shinobi moved in formation along the winding mountain road. From his aerial vantage point, they appeared as a dark river of bodies flowing steadily toward the battlefield.
The distance exceeded the effective range of his Observation Haki for detailed analysis. Naraku relied on his enhanced vision to study the enemy formation, the distant figures no larger than ants from his altitude.
"Approximately one thousand shinobi," he murmured to himself, eyes narrowing. "But their exact strength levels remain unclear..."
Still, Naraku doubted Iwagakure could field many elite forces at this point. The Hidden Rock Village itself required substantial defensive forces, and their other borders demanded constant vigilance. This thousand-strong unit likely represented Iwagakure's final reserve—a desperate gambit to salvage their failed offensive.
His gaze swept over the battlefield below, where smoke still rose from the devastation of their recent victory. With his assessment complete, Naraku descended back to earth.
Jiraiya immediately recognized something was amiss. The Toad Sage stepped forward, concern etched on his face. "What did you see?"
"Iwagakure has deployed a force of approximately one thousand shinobi," Naraku reported calmly. "Their individual strength levels are unknown."
"Already?" Jiraiya's expression darkened.
The Konoha forces had barely survived their recent battle. Every shinobi was operating on fumes, their chakra reserves depleted and bodies pushed far beyond normal limits. They had nothing left for another engagement.
Jiraiya's eyes found Might Guy among the resting troops. The taijutsu specialist was clearly suffering from the aftereffects of opening the Eight Inner Gates, his body trembling as he fought to suppress the pain and exhaustion. It was fortunate Guy had only reached the Sixth Gate during the battle—any higher and he would be completely incapacitated.
Kakashi and the other jonin were scattered across the battlefield's center, most too exhausted to even stand. They had given everything in the previous engagement.
A bitter smile crossed Jiraiya's face. How could they possibly fight in this condition?
Naraku understood the dire situation perfectly, but he had no intention of allowing another full-scale battle. His plan was simpler: delay the Iwagakure reinforcements long enough for Konoha's forces to retreat safely. After that, the enemy's movements would be irrelevant.
"Leave this to me," Naraku stated with quiet confidence. "Jiraiya-sensei, begin the retreat immediately. If carrying prisoners proves too troublesome, leave them behind."
The implication was clear—survival took precedence over capturing enemy shinobi.
Jiraiya nodded his understanding and immediately began issuing orders. Within minutes, the exhausted Konoha forces were gathering for an organized withdrawal.
Meanwhile, Naraku took to the skies once more, racing toward the approaching Iwagakure army.
Without summoning his dragon, the journey of over ten kilometers took less than two minutes at his maximum speed. By the time he arrived, full darkness had descended upon the mountains, providing perfect cover for his aerial reconnaissance.
Arms folded across his chest, Naraku hovered unseen above the enemy formation, studying them with a tactician's eye.
"My initial estimate was slightly high," he observed. "The actual count is closer to nine hundred. Most appear to be chunin and genin, with only a handful of jonin scattered throughout their ranks."
While individually weaker than a more elite force, their sheer numbers could still prove devastating against Konoha's depleted troops.
More interesting was the substantial supply train accompanying the force. This wasn't merely a combat unit—it appeared to be a resupply mission as well.
What Naraku didn't know was that this Rock force had originally been dispatched to resupply Loess's army. Their orders included joining with the main force before launching a surprise offensive against the Land of Lightning, hoping to exploit any weaknesses while Kumogakure's attention was elsewhere.
"Wait..."
His Observation Haki swept through the ranks below, suddenly detecting a familiar chakra signature. Among the masses moved a small figure he recognized—Kurotsuchi, the future Fourth Tsuchikage.
At this point in time, she was still just a child, her face retaining the roundness of youth rather than the sharp features of the formidable leader she would become.
"I just killed your father, Loess," Naraku mused coldly, watching the girl who didn't yet know she was an orphan. "Now you'll face whatever fate brings. If you die here, you have only yourself to blame."
Shihouin Naraku gazed down at the Iwagakure forces with eyes devoid of mercy. While he had no intention of engaging in close combat, he had prepared a special farewell gift for this army.
High above the unsuspecting shinobi, Naraku slowly extended his palm. The massive reserves of chakra integrated into his body surged forth at his command. In the span of a heartbeat, a sphere of ultimately compressed black chakra materialized above his hand, a white ring of energy rotating around it like a miniature solar system.
The very air seemed to recoil from the sphere, waves of destructive intent radiating from its surface.
"Consider this a parting gift—"
"Great Spiraling Sphere!"
With a casual gesture, Naraku released his creation. The black sphere with its orbiting white ring began its descent toward the earth below.
Five!
Four!
In the darkness, the faint white ring became visible to those below, a strange star falling from the heavens.
"What is that?" A Rock shinobi pointed skyward.
Three!
"Something's falling! Is it a shooting star?" another called out, squinting in the darkness.
Two!
"Can't see clearly in this light—but it's glowing white!" Voices rose in confusion and growing alarm.
One!
"BOOM!!!"
The moment the Great Spiraling Sphere touched earth, it detonated with apocalyptic force.
A pillar of flame erupted skyward, birthing a massive fireball that painted the night in shades of orange and white. The deafening explosion shook the very mountains, sending avalanches cascading down distant peaks.
The initial blast was merely the beginning. Superheated flames rolled outward in an expanding dome of destruction, consuming everything in their path. Screams of terror and agony created a symphony of death that was swallowed by the roar of the inferno.
Hurricane-force winds followed the flames, violent atmospheric disturbances that turned the air itself into a weapon. A massive shockwave expanded in a perfect ring, hurling earth and stone skyward in a deadly rain of debris. Dust and pulverized rock formed a mushroom cloud that rose toward the stars.
The blast created a spectacle of devastation that defied comprehension—a perfect sphere of annihilation expanding outward from ground zero.
The Iwagakure shinobi scattered in panic, but for most, there was nowhere to run. The expanding wall of fire moved faster than human legs could carry them. They vanished into the inferno, their final screams lost in the cacophony of destruction.
In moments, ordered reality gave way to pure chaos.
Shihouin Naraku remained suspended in the night sky, calmly observing the nuclear-like explosion below. Even at his considerable altitude, waves of superheated air washed over him, carrying the scent of vaporized earth and worse.
"Quite impressive," he noted with satisfaction. "The explosive yield actually exceeds a Tailed Beast Bomb. The visual effect is certainly more spectacular."
A dozen kilometers away, the retreating Konoha forces felt the ground tremble beneath their feet. The exhausted shinobi stopped in their tracks, turning to witness an impossible sight—a new sun had been born on the horizon, painting the night sky in hellish hues.
"What in the name of the Sage...?"
"Did Naraku do that?"
"That explosion... it's enormous!"
"We can feel the shockwave from here! What would it be like at ground zero?"
Most of the Konoha forces could only speculate about what had occurred. Only the senior jonin knew of Naraku's mission to delay the reinforcements.
Jiraiya stared at the distant conflagration, his expression caught between awe and horror. "Well, I don't think we need to worry about Iwagakure's reinforcements anymore. This is... beyond excessive."
The Toad Sage had participated in all three Great Ninja Wars. He had witnessed the devastation of S-rank jutsu and even seen Tailed Beast Bombs deployed in combat. But this... this was something else entirely. The distant fireball made him feel phantom burns on his skin, a primal fear response to destruction on such a scale.
"It's definitely more powerful than a Tailed Beast Bomb," he whispered. "How does Naraku even possess such techniques?"
Jiraiya had long accepted that Naraku's strength surpassed his own. But each display of the young man's power left him more unsettled than the last. Most disturbing was the realization that Naraku's growth showed no signs of slowing—if anything, his power seemed to be increasing exponentially.
"Is Naraku the Child of Prophecy?" Jiraiya muttered, his mind racing. "The one destined to bring great change to the ninja world?"
"Could he be?"
"Or am I misreading the signs?"
The Sannin remained lost in thought long after the Konoha forces reached their fortified positions. The implications of such power in one so young troubled him deeply.
Naraku returned shortly after, having observed the full extent of his technique's devastation. The satisfaction on his face suggested the Great Spiraling Sphere had performed exactly as intended.
He held a brief strategy session with Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the other senior jonin, outlining defensive positions and discussing the likely ramifications of the battle. Despite their requests that he remain to help secure their position, Naraku politely declined.
His business here was concluded. Without ceremony or extended farewells, Shihouin Naraku departed, heading back toward the border of the Land of Lightning where his primary mission awaited.
Behind him, the Konoha forces settled in for a tense night, knowing that news of this devastating victory—and the annihilation of Iwagakure's reinforcements—would soon spread throughout the ninja world.
The balance of power had shifted dramatically in a single day, and everyone understood that Shihouin Naraku was the catalyst for that change.
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