Earth Style: Earthquake Core!
Water Release: Massive Exploding Water Wave!
At the entrance of Kusagakure Village, Itsuki's ten shadow clones worked together to perform the Earth Release technique, while another ten executed Water Release, forming a super-large-scale compound ninjutsu.
The Earthquake Core lifted huge chunks of land high into the sky, amplified by the combined chakra output of ten shadow clones.
The water wave surged like a lake brought to life, expanding its scale far beyond what a single ninja could produce.
Although still far from Tendo Pain's Super Shinra Tensei, Kusagakure was no Konoha.
Under the horrified gaze of the pursuing Kusagakure ninjas, most of the village was lifted into the air.
Many who had charged too quickly were flung away with the land, pinned, or sent tumbling through the sky.
But that wasn't the scariest part.
A curtain of water descended from above, like the Milky Way itself pouring onto the earth.
Every Kusagakure ninja watching this scene froze in despair.
"Stop!!!"
The Kusagakure leader arrived late, face pale as he saw the devastation.
He immediately flew into the air, but there was no way to stop Itsuki's ninjutsu.
Even if he had the strength to resist, it would take time to accumulate enough power. Now, the technique was fully formed—unstoppable.
The leader resorted to Wind Release, blowing affected ninjas to safety, then watched helplessly as the torrential water obliterated half the village before swallowing the other half.
"Asshole!! If I ever find out who you are, I will never let you go!!!"
The leader of Kusagakure trembled.
His village had been infiltrated, vital resources stolen, and he hadn't even seen the intruder's shadow. Madness gripped him.
The theft of the humanoid pill was already a major loss.
Now, with the village devastated and countless casualties, defeat against neighboring nations was almost certain.
Either Kusagakure would have to pay massive reparations, or be destroyed. There was no middle ground.
"It's over… Kusagakure is finished!"
The leader's face turned pale. Blood spurted from his mouth as he collapsed unconscious.
With the village in chaos and no one in command, panic consumed everyone. No one organized rescues for the wounded.
In the distance, Might Guy's team stood atop a high vantage point, staring at the scene in horror, unsure whether to intervene.
Out of moral obligation as allies, they wanted to help—but acting without understanding could backfire.
"What happened here? Is this an enemy invasion?" Tenten asked reluctantly.
If Guy hadn't stopped her, she would have rushed forward.
Neji, using his Byakugan, shook his head. "The attacker is gone. Their purpose is unknown. With the leader unconscious… if an enemy strikes now—"
Serves you right!
Tenten felt relieved; she was the only one who knew the truth. Her focus remained on the chat group and Karin's live broadcast.
At this moment, Itsuki had already escaped with Karin and her mother. Kusagakure's ninjas were too busy to pursue. Seeing this, Tenten exhaled in relief.
As long as Itsuki and Karin were safe, nothing else mattered.
Might Guy finally said, "Konoha and Kusagakure are allies. We can't interfere. Let's focus on rescuing the wounded!"
He and his students rushed toward the injured.
Tenten hesitated. From Karin's descriptions in the chat, very few innocents remained in Kusagakure. But appearances had to be maintained—they had to act.
Meanwhile, Itsuki recalled all his shadow clones and brought Karin and her mother to a barren mountain near Kusagakure Village.
Once he ensured safety, he set Karin and her mother down.
Karin immediately threw herself into Itsuki's arms, hugging him tightly.
"Uh!" Itsuki was momentarily stunned but didn't push her away.
"Thank you… thank you…" Karin cried repeatedly.
Even now, it felt unreal. She had truly left Kusagakure Village and would never be bullied again.
After a moment, Itsuki said helplessly, "Let me go first. We can talk later. I need to check your mother."
Karin snapped back to reality. "Mom!"
She ran toward her mother, whose life hung by a thread. Though Itsuki had saved her, Karin still feared it might be too late.
"Mom, please wake up! We're safe! Wake up!" she cried.
Itsuki stepped forward, smiling. "I'll handle it."
He held her mother's hand, channeling chakra containing life force.
This wasn't ordinary ninjutsu. The Uzumaki clan's vitality was immense. Though Karin's mother had been drained of chakra, it was temporary.
Her body could recover naturally with Itsuki's aid.
The overexploitation by Kusagakure had nearly killed her. Those responsible deserved death.
Itsuki's chakra flowed into her. Karin's mother's pale face gradually regained color, her spirit awakening little by little.
Karin noticed immediately. Relief flooded her.
"That's great! That's great!" Karin cried with joy.
If she weren't afraid of disturbing her mother, she would have thrown herself into Itsuki's arms again.
[Yamanaka Ino: Oh my god, Itsuki is awesome!!]
[Hyuga Hinata: This is truly astonishing! Itsuki-kun is really in the same class as us? This feels unreal.]
[Tenten: I saw it from afar. From a distance, it looked like a massive hole in the sky. I was completely terrified.]
[Haruno Sakura: …]