One Strike

"Oh, he escaped? Kamui... what a troublesome Dojutsu."

Uchiha Yue gazed indifferently at the distant crater, unsurprised. After all, Kamui was no ordinary space-time ninjutsu. It connected to a special alternate dimension, and it was unclear whether that dimension had existed naturally or had been created when Obito awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.

It was perfectly normal for him to escape with Nagato.

"But it doesn't matter. The future of this world has already been decided!"

Uchiha Yue closed his eyes and continued researching his new ninjutsu. The skill he had used just now was something he had spent time tinkering with last night. Its principle was simple: he merely expelled the energy within his body in a more concentrated form.

In truth, Nagato had had a chance to block that strike. If he had not arrogantly sent puppets over to deliver energy to Uchiha Yue... After all, just as Nagato had thought, Uchiha Yue had had far too little time to grow. How long had it been since last night?

"Nagato, how are you? No... no..."

Konan stared at Nagato lying on the ground in panic and gathered him into her arms.

The air was filled with the scent of roasted meat. Nagato lay weakly in Konan's arms, his lower body gone. The scorching heat had cauterized the gap in his body, keeping his nearly cooked organs from spilling out. Blisters covered his flesh, radiating the charred aroma of blood and meat.

If not for the Uzumaki Clan's powerful constitution barely keeping him alive, Nagato would already have stopped breathing.

"Nagato... This is bad. Madara, hurry!"

Black Zetsu's heart jolted as he looked at Nagato lying on the ground in a near-death state. Nagato could die, but absolutely not now.

"Come here, White Zetsu!"

Seeing this, Uchiha Obito hurriedly summoned over a White Zetsu. With one swift motion, he severed White Zetsu's upper body, then took its lower half and nervously began the operation. Fortunately, White Zetsu's flesh was reliable. Even Obito had survived in that state back then by relying on White Zetsu's flesh, much less Nagato, who already possessed Uzumaki Clan blood.

After transplanting the lower body, Nagato's condition barely stabilized. He still did not wake up, but at least he had survived.

Afterward, Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu stood together in silence.

They had never expected this monster, who had been born only a day ago, to nearly beat Nagato—a top-tier expert possessing the Rinnegan—to death. If Obito had not been fast enough to bring Nagato into the Kamui Dimension before he died, Nagato would already be dead.

Under the onslaught of such overwhelming power, those Rinnegan would have been impossible to preserve as well.

He was simply a monster. It could be said that what had happened had completely exceeded their expectations. In their original plan, Nagato was supposed to wield incomparable power and kill that monster from the Uchiha Clan whose name they still did not know.

And those Mangekyō Sharingan were supposed to be crushed underfoot—not like now, with Nagato nearly beaten to death like a dog. This was completely unscientific, completely against ninja logic. Yet it was actually normal, because Uchiha Yue absorbed energy to raise his upper limit and alter the essence of his life, rather than storing that energy away. Having a lot of energy alone did not necessarily mean much combat power.

Meanwhile, Konoha's ninja had already led Konoha's former residents far away from Konoha.

"That is..."

Along the way, Konoha's ninja suddenly raised their heads and looked toward the enormous pillar of light appearing in the distance.

"Is that monster fighting someone?"

"I don't know, but anyone who can make that monster unleash such a powerful attack must be no ordinary person."

The ninja discussed it, but that was all they did. None of them even considered getting closer. Uchiha Yue's power had clearly terrified them. That was not a power any human could possess.

All they wanted now was to find a new pillar of support and lead the scattered Konoha once more.

Land of Fire, inside a certain casino.

Win, win, win!!!

Tsunade stood before a slot machine. The excitement on her face had vanished, replaced by worry. Something ominous was happening. From the beginning until now, she had not lost even once; she had been winning nonstop.

Unease rose in her heart, but she had no idea what had happened. She could only leave the casino with Shizune, her expression grim.

I hope it's nothing serious.

Konoha had been destroyed too quickly, so the news had not spread yet. However, the entire Ninja World would soon learn of Konoha's fate.

What had happened this time was simply too enormous.

Mount Myōboku. Deep within this powerful and ancient sacred land, an aged toad lay quietly in a temple. Suddenly, the Old Toad snapped his eyes open.

"Ribbit, destiny has changed. The cataclysm that will destroy the world has descended. Ribbit, hurry and bring Jiraiya to me! It's over, it's all over! The world is going to be destroyed! Hurry and find the Child of Destiny!!!"

The Great Toad Sage's voice echoed endlessly as terror flashed through his eyes.

Some time later, Jiraiya, who had been searching for material somewhere in the Ninja World, was brought to Mount Myōboku.

"Ribbit, Jiraiya, have you found the Child of Destiny? I foresaw the destruction of the world. I saw the entire world plunged into eternal, deathly ice!"

The Great Toad Sage looked at Jiraiya and spoke, casually revealing the horrifying future he had seen. In that future, the world had fallen into ultimate despair. The entire Ninja World was shrouded in ice; all things were reduced to nothing, everything sank into deathly silence. Even their sacred land had not escaped, becoming completely frozen and destroyed.

"W-What? Great Toad Sage, what did you say? The world is going to be destroyed?"

Disbelief immediately appeared on Jiraiya's face. I was eating hot pot and singing songs, enjoying peaceful days, and now you're telling me the world is ending?

Are you sure you're not joking?

Great Toad Sage, have you gone senile?

Jiraiya did not say those words aloud, but Shiken and Fukasaku, the two Sages of Mount Myōboku standing beside him, spoke up.

"Old man, have you gone senile? How is the world suddenly going to be destroyed?"

"Yeah, that's not what you said before."

"Old man, you're joking, right? You were bored and wanted to play a joke on us, didn't you?"

The two Toad Sages hopped forward, waving their hands as they spoke to the Great Toad Sage.

"..."