"Come on, Lord Hokage, make your choice!"
"Of these six things, you can only choose one."
Naruto tossed Sarutobi Shinnosuke and all the Signal Flares onto the ground in front of him, then spread his arms and waited for Sarutobi Hiruzen's choice.
Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned and pondered for a while. He was considering whether he could directly save Sarutobi Shinnosuke, since there was clearly something wrong with this choice.
"What do those Signal Flares represent?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that he needed to get this straight first.
"Destruction!"
"One Signal Flare represents one shinobi clan. Want to light one and see?"
Naruto's words sent a chill through everyone present.
"What do you mean?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Naruto with a grim expression.
"Rather than listen to my explanation, why not see it with your own eyes?"
Naruto picked up one of the Signal Flares, pulled it open, and fired it into the sky. A red streak shot straight into the heavens before exploding in midair.
Immediately afterward, amid everyone's horrified stares, a tremendous roar came from the distance, as though the entire earth were trembling.
The crowd looked in terror toward the source of the sound. Flames soared into the sky, blazing white light painted the entire horizon, and smoke and dust filled the air. Through the haze, they could faintly see an area being swallowed by devastating power.
"Th-This... is what you call 'destruction'?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. The other shinobi who had come with him, along with the remaining Uchiha members, wore equally incredulous expressions.
But in the next instant, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other Konoha shinobi became furious.
"You bastard!"
They could already faintly hear wails and alarms coming from the village. For a moment, every Konoha shinobi present was filled with rage.