Chapter 9: Panic of Konoha
The proposal had been foolish from the very beginning, and everyone knew it. The Hokage was already dead. Countless lives had already been lost. The monster who hovered above them had crossed a line that could never be forgiven. To believe that he could simply be persuaded to surrender was nothing more than a dream.
And yet…
"No, perhaps it's worth trying," one voice muttered hesitantly.
A Hyūga branch clan ninja—one without the cursed Caged Bird Seal etched upon his forehead—took a step forward. His eyes carried hesitation, but also a fragile hope, as he addressed the elder of the main family.
"Elder… maybe if we speak to him, if we show him reason…"
The elder of the main Hyūga clan gave him a cold, cutting stare. His words were as sharp as a kunai.
"Very well. Then you will be the one to try it. After all, it was your suggestion."
The young Hyūga froze in place, pointing to himself in disbelief.
"Me? You want me to go?"
"Of course," the elder replied indifferently. "Who else?"
The truth was plain. To the main branch of the Hyūga, the branch family were little more than disposable tools. If the life of one branch clan member could delay the monster or save even a single member of the main clan, then that sacrifice would be made without hesitation. To them, the Caged Bird Seal was not only a chain of control but also a guarantee of expendable lives—slaves within their own clan, pawns meant to be thrown away.
The branch clan ninja clenched his fists. His face twisted with shame and anger, but he knew there was no escape. With gritted teeth, he bowed slightly, then turned and set off toward the monster's domain.
---
It did not take long before he reached the edge of the phenomenon.
The air grew colder with every step. His breath came out as a white mist. Before long, snow began to fall gently from a sky that should not have been snowing. The earth itself seemed drained of warmth, as though life had been stolen from it.
"So cold… too cold…" he muttered, teeth chattering. "Just standing here, I feel my chakra leaking away… this… this isn't human. This is a demon."
His Byakugan activated on instinct, scanning the field around him. What he saw made his heart pound violently in his chest. The chakra field extended in all directions, spreading like ink in water. At its center, high above, floated a figure cloaked in darkness and light. His silhouette was barely visible, but the oppressive aura pouring from him was unmistakable.
Uchiha Raizen.
The mere sight of him was suffocating. His presence felt like a void that devoured heat, chakra, and even hope itself.
"No… no, this is wrong," the Hyūga thought, sweat mixing with the frost on his brow. "He isn't moving at all. And yet his power keeps expanding… if this continues… the entire village will be swallowed!"
Fear surged through him. The idea of approaching Raizen now was laughable. He couldn't even take another step forward. His limbs felt heavy, and his chakra was draining with every breath.
If he lingered any longer, he would collapse and never rise again.
"I… I must report this. If we don't retreat faster, no one will survive!"
Abandoning his so-called mission, the Hyūga turned and sprinted back toward the village. He knew full well that if he had entered just a little deeper into Raizen's domain, he would have never escaped alive.
---
Back at Konoha's defensive lines, his report spread quickly. At once, panic erupted, and the order was given to accelerate the evacuation.
Families clutched their children tightly as they ran. Smoke rose in the distance where buildings had collapsed from the unnatural cold. The once-proud Hidden Leaf, the strongest of the Five Great Villages, now looked like a nest of terrified ants scattering before a storm.
Among the crowd, a boy with dark hair and sharp eyes froze in place, staring into the distance.
"Brother…" Uchiha Sasuke whispered.
The sky itself had turned dim, as though night had descended in the middle of the evening. He could feel the chill gnawing at his skin, even from here. His body trembled—not from the cold, but from confusion.
The brother he had once adored, then hated… the one who had massacred their clan… was gone. Killed by Raizen.
The Uchiha clan had been avenged, and yet Sasuke felt no joy. The foundations of his world had collapsed in a single night. His hatred had always been simple, always been directed at one man. But now that man was gone, and in his place stood a monster who shared his bloodline.
"What do I do now?" Sasuke whispered, his voice lost in the chaos around him.
He clenched his fists, but deep in his heart, he felt something unfamiliar. Not hatred—no, not for Raizen. Something else entirely.
---
"Move! Keep moving! Drop your belongings if you must, but don't stop!" Leaf shinobi shouted at the villagers, their voices straining with desperation.
Meanwhile, the barrier squad arrived at the spreading void of Raizen's power. Their hands flew into seals, chakra threads weaving together as they cast a defensive formation. A shimmering dome of energy spread outward, halting the frost for a moment.
"Hold it steady!" one of them yelled.
For a heartbeat, hope flickered. The cold stopped advancing.
But then…
The barrier shuddered. One by one, the barrier team members gasped, their faces draining of color. Their chakra was being sucked away—pulled from them like water draining from a broken jar.
"It's draining us!" one screamed.
In seconds, their chakra reserves collapsed. The barrier shattered like glass. The shinobi dropped to their knees, shaking violently as the frigid air swallowed them. Their comrades rushed forward, dragging them out before the cold could finish them.
"We… we can't stop it!" one of the barrier team wailed, his eyes wide with horror. "He's not a man! He's a monster! RUN!"
Their words spread like wildfire, pushing the already frantic evacuation into utter chaos.
---
Above it all, Uchiha Raizen hovered silently, watching.
The villagers fled through the streets like frightened insects, clutching their children, screaming, weeping. And yet Raizen did not frown. He did not rage.
Instead, he smiled.
"Run. Run as far as you like," he said softly, his voice carrying through the frozen wind. "This world is too small to escape me. Your fate is already sealed."
He raised his hand slowly, and the energy around him swirled violently, as though the heavens themselves bowed to his will. The lights of his domain pulsed brighter, cold flames licking through the air.
"Hahahahaha!" His laughter thundered across the night sky, cruel and triumphant. "Struggle! Resist! It will not matter. None of you can escape me!"
---
Elsewhere, deep underground, another figure seethed with rage.
Uchiha Obito clenched his teeth as he forced a severed White Zetsu arm onto his body, chakra threads binding it in place. His face was twisted in fury.
"Damn it… how did this happen? Who is he? How does he know me?"
Black Zetsu emerged from the ground nearby, its eerie form shifting in the dim light. Its voice dripped with curiosity.
"Obito… what's going on? The Uchiha clan should have been wiped out by your hand. What is this? And what happened to your arm?"
Obito's single Sharingan flared crimson as he glared at the horizon where Raizen's power still surged. His jaw tightened, and for the first time in years, a seed of fear threatened to take root in his heart.
---
To be continued…