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The colossal shockwave, veiled in blinding white light, struck the Sand-Sky Shield like an expanding, superheated balloon!
BOOM!
The massive sand walls deformed, bulging inward. If not for the pillars Kabuto had created with his Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, they would have shattered instantly.
Now the pressure transferred to the pillars. The expanding force cracked them, groaning under the strain. Every building in Sunagakure, linked to these pillars by the technique, shuddered violently.
The entire village teetered on the brink of collapse.
"An earthquake…?!"
Shaken awake, people stumbled out of their rocking homes. Only then did they see the vast sand dome above, their houses now serving as literal pillars for the shield.
"That… that's the Kazekage's Sand-Sky Shield!"
"Is the village under attack?!"
In an avalanche, no snowflake is spared.
"Dammit! Isn't there anything we can do?!"
No. There wasn't.
But at least they could cover their heads when their homes fell.
The situation on the other side was far grimmer.
The Konoha encampment.
The main force had evacuated. Only the critically wounded and the medics tasked with their care remained.
The defining trait of the critically wounded? Immobility. Most were bedridden.
A building collapse here was a death sentence.
"Sakura… you should go. Don't worry about me."
Kakashi's weak voice cut through the tremors. Sakura, who had been at his bedside, stood up.
"You woke up just in time. Can you move?"
"Afraid not."
The ceiling cracked—then crashed down.
Sakura's fist shot upward.
Pulverized stone and plaster exploded outward.
Kakashi's right eye widened. "Sakura, you—"
"Just rest. I'll handle it."
A faint, determined smile touched Sakura's lips as she clenched her fist.
Whoosh!
The next instant, she leaped through the hole onto the roof. Her gaze swept the sky, taking in the crumbling shield. On her forehead, the diamond mark of the Yin Seal unfurled.
"I've gotten familiar with this power… over these past months."
She closed her eyes, focusing on the spot between her brows.
A point of light glowed there.
She directed this inner light to scan her Root Chakra—the fiery pool of chakra in her lower abdomen. She stoked it, maintained it. Then, she guided the light down her arms.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
Two intricate networks of silvery chakra pathways unfurled from her sleeves to her palms.
Silvery chakra flames ignited on her fists. She crouched, slamming both palms onto the inorganic pillar Kabuto had created for this very building.
—Flowing Sakura!
A torrent of magnet-release-infused chakra from the Yin Seal surged into the structure.
Gaara, straining to hold the shield together, felt it instantly. "Incredible chakra… flowing into the sand! With this…!"
Grr…!
He clenched his raised hands with renewed force.
The disintegrating shield solidified. It grew denser, more resilient. Even as the tail-end of the super-powered Shinra Tensei slammed into it, creating fresh cracks, the shield held—fractured, but connected, tenacious.
Whoosh…
The blinding white light in the sky faded.
No sea of wailing casualties greeted Obito's gaze. Only the battered, cracked, but stubbornly standing Sand-Sky Shield.
"…Impossible."
The powerful jutsu left the Deva Path weakened. Obito began to fall, gravity reclaiming him.
Through the cracks in the shield, he saw the damaged buildings. Many had already collapsed. Others leaned precariously.
Yes, Sunagakure was still devastated. A third of its structures were gone. The rest were uninhabitable ruins.
In the end… this village would also need to be rebuilt.
"…Hmph." A sliver of grim satisfaction eased the cold knot in Obito's chest. "Take your time licking your wounds."
As he fell, his right eye swirled, sucking his own body into Kamui.
"…Is he… gone?" Gaara's voice was strained, ragged.
Kabuto, sensing the air, slumped. "His chakra signature… vanished."
Gaara sighed. "Then… let's put everything back."
Kabuto gave a tired shake of his head. "Can't. The changes from Inorganic Reincarnation… are permanent."
"I see…"
Gaara slowly, carefully, lowered his trembling, crossed arms. The mountain of sand that could have buried the village settled back to the earth with the gentleness of a parent laying down a sleeping child. Not a single extra grain of damage was done.
Huff…
Gaara collapsed, sitting heavily on the ground, utterly spent.
Kabuto, his sage chakra drained, slumped beside him.
Just then, Shikamaru approached, accompanied by Temari. His face was a mask of profound guilt.
"I'm sorry… If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have come here. Suna wouldn't have faced this disaster."
Kabuto spoke up, his voice weary. "Shikamaru, you did what you had to do. He came for me."
Gaara shook his head slightly. "No. He came for Naruto. If you truly wish to make amends… promise me you will do everything in your power to bring Naruto back safely. To the right path."
Kabuto managed a weak smile. "I don't make promises lightly. But this time… I'll do my absolute best."
He turned to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru… I'm sorry. I cannot fulfill your request."
The tooth for Inoichi's Edo Tensei… was long gone.
Shikamaru stood there, his silhouette radiating utter exhaustion and helplessness. His hands clenched into tight fists. For a long moment, he said nothing.
Temari walked to his side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It couldn't be helped," she said softly. "You did all you could. Him coming here wasn't your fault. He's an enemy of the entire shinobi world. Sooner or later, he would have done something even worse. Maybe us getting involved early isn't a bad thing. Consider it… a live-fire drill."
Gratitude. Guilt. A hundred conflicting emotions churned inside Shikamaru. All his words condensed into two.
"Thank you."
…
Obito returned to his hideout.
"Shikaku. Your thoughts. Do you believe Kabuto was telling the truth? That Naruto isn't in his custody?"
Shikaku, in his Edo Tensei form, pondered.
"Rather than focusing on truth or falsehood… consider why Kabuto would say Naruto isn't with him."
Obito flexed the new White Zetsu arm grafted to his shoulder. "Oh? Explain."
"Regardless of where Naruto actually is," Shikaku began, "Kabuto could have claimed he didn't have him. It's a classic misdirection. Think about it. Someone as intelligent as him… would he not anticipate your skepticism?"
"Setting aside the facts, from a tactical standpoint, knowing you seek Naruto, if he claimed to have him, he'd be inviting trouble. What would you think?"
Obito's single eye narrowed. "I'd be even more suspicious."
"Precisely. And the reverse? He claims Naruto isn't with him."
"I'd think he's trying too hard to appear uninvolved."
"In other words," Shikaku concluded, "no matter which answer he gave, your mind would lean toward the opposite conclusion. So, he might reverse the reverse psychology… to cloud your judgment."
"So, it's likely… Naruto is with him?"
"By conventional logic, yes…"
Shikaku fell silent, deep in thought. After a long pause, his eyes sharpened.
"But have you considered another possibility? What if Naruto truly isn't in his custody… and he answered truthfully? Why would he do that?"
Obito leaned forward. "Why?"
"Because it serves his core interest best!" Shikaku's voice grew more intent. "More than Naruto… he wants to ensure the safety of someone else."
"…Sasuke?"
"If that's the case," Shikaku pressed, "it means the ever-calculating Kabuto slipped up. People only make mistakes when they're flustered. And they only get flustered over things they care about. So… what does Kabuto care about?"
"Only two things: Orochimaru… or Sasuke."
"Then there you have it. Following this line of reasoning… the conclusion is: Naruto is not in their custody. Furthermore, both Orochimaru and Sasuke are, for some reason, currently unable to enter the fight."
"Of course… this is merely deduction. Use it as a reference point. A more definitive conclusion requires… further developments."
Heh heh heh…
Obito laughed. A genuine, appreciative chuckle.
"Shikaku. With you by my side, I never have to worry about blind spots."
He raised his hand. Between his fingers, he held a single, small tooth.
"And this… is another trophy from tonight's excursion. It makes me wonder… just who is it they went to such lengths to resurrect?"
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