At this moment, in the underground secret room of the Hyūga Hiichigo's estate.
Danzō Shimura was staring excitedly at the 'Hollow' before him, which was nearly completely transformed.
No!
It was transforming into something even more powerful and terrifying: a 'Gillian'!
This huge, twisted 'Hollow,' radiating a cold aura, was the source of power he had always dreamed of. As long as he could kill it, he could seize its power!
When that happened, the power contained within his arm would receive a leap in strength!
But, in the very next moment.
Boom!
Golden flames burst out from within the nearly-formed Hyūga Hiichigo, erupting from the inside out and instantly engulfing him!
"What?" Danzō's face drastically changed. The scorching heat made him instinctively recoil several steps.
Swish! Swish!
The two Root ninja, who had been hidden like shadows behind him, instantly appeared, blocking his front. They stared intently at the suddenly ignited golden flame, filled with vigilance.
What kind of ability is this?
Is this an internal mutation of the 'Hollow' itself?
But they quickly realized this was definitely not the 'Hollow's' own power.
Because...
"Aaaaahhh!!"
The Hyūga Hiichigo, wrapped in golden flames, let out a shriek that was more piercing and agonizing than any other 'Hollow' before him!
This sight instantly froze the caution and excitement on Danzō's face!
He violently widened his single eye, finally realizing something was terribly wrong!
"What's happening?" Danzō immediately panicked, his voice becoming hoarse and sharp with fury: "Quick! Put out that fire! You can't let it destroy my 'Hollow'!"
Hearing the command, one of the Root ninja swiftly formed hand signs without hesitation.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A violent torrent of water blasted out from his mouth, slamming into the burning Hiichigo like a high-pressure hose!
However, pouring water onto the golden flames was utterly meaningless!
The flames were not burning on a material level. The water passed through the fire, completely failing to touch the essence of the blaze!
"What in the hell is this thing?!" Danzō was furious and shocked.
Seeing the 'Gillian' he had painstakingly cultivated about to be burned to ashes by this bizarre fire, he cast aside all caution and shoved the Root ninja in front of him aside.
"Get out of the way, you fool! Let me handle this!"
He extended the right hand that had been concealed in his sleeve, aiming it at the 'Hollow,' which was shrieking wildly in the flames and whose form was rapidly dissipating.
"Wood Release: Homing Stake Technique!"
With a roar, the blood vessels on Danzō's arm bulged and writhed. Countless dark-red, grotesque vines instantly shot out!
These vines grew and intertwined wildly, transforming into a giant, evil, bloody tree that spread its hideous branches, engulfing the 'Hollow' and the golden flames on it!
The bloody wood writhed, attempting to use its potent life and spiritual energy to suppress and swallow the golden flames, which did indeed dim slightly.
"Good!"
Seeing this, a flash of excited and vicious light burst from Danzō's single eye.
"No matter what the hell you are, as long as you're related to Chakra or spiritual energy, you won't incinerate my efforts right under my nose!"
However, the instant his words fell, the golden flames, which had been slightly suppressed by the bloody tree, erupted with a roar!
The flames instantly broke through the constraints of the bloody wood and spread wildly along the evil, blood-red branches, rushing back towards Danzō's arm at an alarming speed!
"What?!" Danzō's pupils contracted sharply. He was instantly terrified!
He reacted extremely fast. His other hand formed a blade with his fingers, coating it with sharp Chakra, and he ruthlessly slashed down without hesitation!
Tear!
His hand, connected to the blood-tree, was severed. No blood spurted out, but even so, tiny golden flames clung to his arm!
"Ugh, ah!!"
The pain of the flames directly searing his soul origin made Danzō let out a truly piercing shriek. He fell to the ground, rolling and convulsing.
Meanwhile, the 'Gillian' he had placed such high hopes on finally turned completely to ash under the continuous burning of the golden flames.
Only a black sphere, larger and more condensed than other 'Hollow' remnants and radiating an intense grudge, flew away into the distance.
"No! No! Don't!!"
Danzō endured the searing pain in his soul while watching the power he had long plotted for and was on the verge of claiming turn into nothing before his eyes.
His eye bulged with pain and fury, bloodshot. He let out a heart-wrenching roar filled with madness and unwillingness: "Who is it? Who is it?!"
"Who destroyed my Hollow?! I'll kill them all, ahhh!!"
At the same time, the cold morning wind swept across the Hokage Rock, which was carved with the faces of the successive Hokage, bringing with it a chilling coolness.
'Kage' stood silently atop the First Hokage's carving. His black robe merged with the gradually brightening sky. A completely black cat curled up lazily in his arms.
He gently stroked the cat's smooth fur, making the black cat let out a comfortable, subtle purr. His gaze was fixed on the direction of the Hyūga Compound.
There, a golden pillar of light, connecting heaven and earth, illuminated half of Konoha as if it were midday.
An extremely sharp and desperate scream, travelling across the great distance, faintly carried from the direction of the Hyūga Compound, tearing through Konoha's silence.
At the edge of the sky, a faint grey light struggled to tear through the deep-blue night, signaling that the long and bloody night was about to pass.
Is the dawn finally coming?
Beneath the shadow, 'Kage' smirked.
Below the emerging morning sky, hundreds of tiny black dots had appeared sometime unnoticed.
They resembled a flock of migrating birds, but their speed was greater, their formation tidier, and they carried a cold sense of well-trained order as they rapidly closed in on Konoha!
The next moment, the 'flock of birds' flying over Konoha executed a uniform action.
They slightly lowered their altitude, then dropped something...
Countless objects, flashing with cold light, plummeted toward the other half of Konoha—the half that remained unlit, still immersed in the final tranquility before dawn—like rain from the sky!
Time seemed to freeze for half a second.
BOOM!!
The first deafening explosion suddenly erupted, and blazing flames and thick smoke shot high into the sky!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As if on a signal, a series of dense explosions instantly engulfed the entire Konoha!
The flash of the explosions was like the red lotuses of hell blossoming, rising and falling, savagely devouring houses, streets, trees... and the people who were caught unaware in their sleep!
In just an instant, the other half of Konoha, which had been dim and silent, was completely illuminated by countless blooming bursts of flame!
Only, that firelight was not the golden color of the other half, but the scarlet red of blood!
The entire sky was stained blood-red. Rolling plumes of thick smoke quickly spread, obscuring the newly dawning sky!
Undoubtedly, it was an attack by the Sora no Kuni (Sky Ninja Village)!
Woooo! Woooo!!
The piercing alarm siren finally sounded, cutting sharply through the air.
It mixed with the roar of explosions, the collapse of buildings, and the terrified shrieks and cries of the people, creating a symphony of destruction!
The illusion of peace was utterly shredded. The iron hooves of the Akatsuki organization had stomped out Konoha's tranquility in the most brutal and cruel way, completely scattering the last vestiges of night before dawn!
'Kage' still stood silently atop the Hokage Rock, looking down at the village instantly engulfed in fire and chaos below his feet.
The shockwaves from the explosions whipped his robes violently. The flickering firelight reflected in his eyes, radiating a cold and eerie sheen.
"Meow."
The black cat in his arms seemed startled by the immense noise. It stirred uneasily and let out a faint meow.
"Don't be afraid."
'Kage' gently stroked the black cat's head. Looking at the golden and crimson-stained sky of dawn, a faint, almost inaudible chuckle came from beneath the shadow: "It's just that the dawn has broken, that's all."
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
I only share the most exquisite and beautiful novels. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon DaoistWujinzi