On the rooftop, tiles rattled violently.
Inside the space sealed by the Four Violet Flame Formation, there should have been no wind at all—yet turbulent air currents suddenly surged, forming a powerful gale.
Orochimaru's robes whipped loudly.
The black streamers on Sarutobi Hiruzen's forehead fluttered wildly as well.
Fragments of broken tiles rose into the air for no reason, circling the two of them, brushing past their ears as they spun chaotically along the airflow.
Both men were on the brink of unleashing their power.
Inside the formation, the four Sound ninja swallowed nervously.
Outside, the Anbu guards tensed, their nerves stretched tight.
Everyone was waiting for the decisive battle between master and student to begin.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed from the arena below. The entire building shook, instantly breaking the tense standoff on the rooftop.
Orochimaru and Hiruzen both turned their heads at the same time, abandoning any thought of starting their fight.
The same realization flashed through their minds.
"The One-Tail has gone berserk!"
In the arena, Genma grabbed Rock Lee and fled toward the stands in a panic.
Baki, Temari, and Kankuro also retreated at full speed.
A thick defensive wall shot up—but Shukaku smashed straight through it with a casual swipe.
Debris slammed into the walls around the stands, shaking the entire arena.
Jiraiya stood on the wall, his expression strained.
He had already done everything he could. The chakra he poured into Earth-Style defenses was immense—yet it still couldn't stop Shukaku.
Normally, he wouldn't take a single tailed beast seriously.
If he summoned Gamabunta, two giant beasts could grapple directly, and Jiraiya had countless ways to deal with Shukaku.
But this place wasn't suitable.
The arena was large enough for the Chunin Exams—but far too small for tailed beasts.
If Gamabunta appeared, even a single collision between the two giants would collapse the entire structure. Anyone not yet evacuated would be killed instantly.
Shukaku grew more and more violent.
This arena felt like a new cage to the freshly freed beast.
Its eyes turned redder by the second. It snorted furiously, restless and enraged.
It wanted out—back to the vast, open world.
The last shred of reason inside it was being crushed by its craving for freedom. Its aura grew darker, heavier, and more dangerous.
"Lord Yellow Earth, should we act?" a jonin asked urgently.
"That tailed beast can't tell friend from foe. If we wait any longer, the genin will be in danger!"
"Wait," Huangtu replied calmly.
"Konoha won't let this be the end."
Without Onoki's order, Iwagakure wouldn't move.
As for Shukaku, Huangtu was confident. Iwagakure's defensive abilities were second to none—it could easily protect a few genin.
Mizukage Yagura gathered Kirigakure's people into a corner.
Onoki regrouped with Huangtu and his guards.
Kazekage Rasa stayed with Baki's group.
Raikage A remained on the high platform, with Cee, Samui, and the Cloud genin behind him, watching the chaos unfold.
Konoha shinobi worked desperately to evacuate civilians. Massive holes had already been blown open in the arena.
Most shinobi used multiple shadow clones—some two or three, others five or six, and some even more—each clone carrying three or four civilians away nonstop.
"Raikage-sama, shouldn't we act now? This is the perfect chance," a Cloud ninja urged.
"No," A said coldly.
"Wait until Konoha's chakra is drained even further. Evacuating this many civilians will burn through at least seventy to eighty percent of their reserves. Then we strike effortlessly."
He watched the scene below, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
Seeing Konoha crumble like this—it felt incredibly satisfying.
"Mizukage-sama, are we really going to just watch?" Terumi Mei asked.
"Sunagakure and Cloud Village both have grudges against us. If they grow stronger from this, it'll be a serious future threat."
"Wait and see," Yagura replied calmly.
"Konoha doesn't need our help today. Right now, protecting ourselves is already difficult enough."
Onoki frowned deeply, his mind racing.
The situation was changing too fast.
Iwagakure had three choices:
Join Sunagakure and Cloud Village to carve up Konoha.
Side with Konoha against them.
Or stay completely neutral.
At first, he favored taking advantage of the chaos.
But now, he realized his forces were far fewer than those of Sunagakure and Cloud.
Tch… I miscalculated. Should've brought more people.
Onoki hesitated.
Neutrality was out of the question.
So—first option, or second?
As a veteran of countless wars, Onoki trusted his instincts.
And his instincts told him something was off.
Konoha was acting strangely.
He couldn't explain it—but it felt wrong.
That unease stopped him from committing.
"My god—what's that?!"
"That's a Tailed Beast Bomb! Shukaku is about to fire!"
"It's aimed at the stands! Is it insane?!"
"Run! That thing can level mountains!"
"No—there are still people inside! Save whoever you can!"
Panic erupted.
Shukaku had finally lost all control.
Visible chakra gathered in its mouth, condensing into a dark purple-black sphere.
The chakra spun violently, compressing to terrifying density.
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
One blast could erase everything in its path.
Jiraiya stepped forward, hands flashing through seals.
Tsunade released the seal on her forehead and rushed to his side, chakra surging wildly.
"We block it—together!"
"Fire!"
Onoki finally gave the order.
"Mizukage-sama!"
"Fire. We can't let it destroy this place."
Even Yagura couldn't stand by any longer.
Raikage A watched coldly.
"Fine. Let them burn their chakra. If we wipe them all out afterward, Cloud Village will rule the ninja world."
Kazekage Rasa pulled Sunagakure's forces away, deliberately avoiding the blast zone.
He almost hoped the bomb would be stronger—strong enough to erase Konoha entirely.
The Tailed Beast Bomb reached its limit.
Every nerve in the arena went taut.
Then—
"Tsk… is this all you've got?"
A calm voice suddenly echoed through the entire arena, like a gentle breeze.
Unconscious civilians rubbed their eyes and slowly woke up, staring in disbelief.
"Who said that?!"
Raikage A's eyes widened as he barked the question.
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