Destroying Kage Rock

A violent explosion rang out in the pitch-black night sky. A huge mushroom cloud billowed above Kage Rock, and the blast sent cracks spiderwebbing across the statues of the past Hokage.

Kakashi and Asuma had both dodged in time, but they'd been close to the blast's epicenter. Kakashi's right arm was a bloody mess, and parts of his body were badly scorched. The explosion had blown off his mask, revealing a handsome, composed face—though it was now etched with worry.

Asuma had fared a little better. Kakashi had shoved him away in time, leaving him with only a minor injury to his arm. Just as he was about to check on Kakashi, someone rushed ahead of him and appeared at Kakashi's side.

It was Feng Yao, in Sage Mode.

The one who'd just been blown up was merely a clone created with another of the two Sage Arts he'd learned in Shikkotsu Forest: Sage Art: Infinite Proliferation. The two techniques he'd learned there each inherited one of the Katsuyu Sage's abilities: healing and splitting.

The technique let him copy his own cells to create a clone with roughly one-tenth of his strength.

Since it was made from copied cells, the clone would never disappear on its own. Of course, its weakness was that it took too long to form: the copying process required ten minutes.

Feng Yao hadn't planned to use it in a situation like this. His Sage Mode had a limited duration, after all.

Spending ten minutes to create such a weak combatant clearly wasn't wise. But the closer he got to Kage Rock, the more suspicious he became.

He'd found a way to draw Konoha's forces elsewhere, yet he hadn't seen a single jonin from start to finish.

That was impossible, even for a weakened Konoha. To be cautious, he'd spent some time delaying his plan by half an hour.

He sent the clone to scout Kage Rock and plant Explosive Tags, while he hid nearby and recovered his Senjutsu Chakra.

Sure enough, a jonin had been lying in wait for him. He'd used the clone to buy himself time while he replenished his chakra. Once Kakashi discovered it, he'd promptly made it self-destruct, severely injuring Kakashi.

"Kakashi, I really don't want to kill you, but I can't let you stop me, either. Just stay unconscious for a while."

With that, he struck Kakashi with the edge of his hand, knocking him out. Kakashi was in no condition to fight back. The blow sent his head lolling to the side, and he slumped unconscious to the ground.

Seeing Feng Yao attack Kakashi, Asuma gripped his Flying Swallow in both hands and charged. Chakra gathered along the blades, forming two powerful, glowing blue chakra blades.

"Chakra Blade: True Ichimonji!"

It was one of Asuma's signature techniques. By concentrating Wind Release chakra along his twin blades, he could shatter boulders with ease.

Feng Yao didn't retreat from Asuma's charge. Instead, he activated Iron Body and caught the twin blades with his bare hands.

Asuma was taller and broader than Feng Yao, his frame casting a shadow over Feng Yao's mask.

Yet Asuma's blades couldn't move an inch. No matter how hard he pulled, they seemed stuck in a muddy bog, impossible to withdraw.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!" Asuma let go of his Flying Swallow and leaped backward.

Forming Hand Seals, he spat out a cloud of hot black ash. Once it landed, he struck a spark with the flint of his molars. The searing heat was followed by a powerful explosion.

"Did it work?" Asuma muttered, watching the smoke before him.

"It didn't." The words had barely left his mouth when—

Feng Yao appeared behind him. He'd used Moonwalk to dodge the technique's range, then launched a Rankyaku sneak attack from behind.

The razor-sharp Cutting Air Wave tore a huge gash across Asuma's back.

Asuma pitched forward with the force of his momentum, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He struggled to get back up.

Feng Yao struck him with the edge of his hand, knocking him out as well.

"Phew, finally dealt with them. Now I need to hurry up and finish the plan."

His plan was to shatter Kage Rock and send it crashing into Konoha Ninja Village. That would cause considerable damage without consuming too much of his Senjutsu Chakra.

"Host, you're still too softhearted. Why not just unleash a large-scale Sage Art in a densely populated area? Why go to all this trouble? Is it because you want to kill fewer people?"

"Bah, cut the crap. If it weren't for you, would I even have come to Konoha? If I really killed that many people, there'd be no going back. Though what I'm doing now is pretty much the same."

Feng Yao rolled his eyes helplessly. He'd said before that killing was only a necessary means for him. Since the attack on Konoha only needed to cause destruction, there was no reason to slaughter people indiscriminately. But the people who'd killed the old doctor would still pay for it in blood.

He formed Hand Seals. The stone statues of the past Hokage were incredibly sturdy; the Explosive Tags had only blown a few cracks in them. He needed to conserve his Senjutsu Chakra for everything else he had to do.

"Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation." Feng Yao pressed both hands into the ground, giving the statues life and altering their internal structure.

He created a weak point inside them. A single strike there would shatter all of Kage Rock.

Feng Yao pushed himself up from the ground, then kicked hard against it with both feet.

Crack.

A huge fissure split through Kage Rock, spreading farther and farther until the entire monument was covered in a spiderweb of cracks.

A rumble sounded once more. That night, the statues of the past Hokage, symbols of Konoha's spirit, collapsed.

"What's going on? Why did Kage Rock suddenly collapse?"

"Has someone attacked us? Damn it, who would do this?"

"Find them! Make them pay for this!"

Everyone in Konoha was shocked and furious at the sight. The village descended into chaos.

Birds cried out. People shouted in rage, while others screamed in fear.

Feng Yao stood atop Kage Rock, watching in silence. He'd now fulfilled the requirements of his mission. As long as he left Konoha, the operation would count as a success.

Just as he was about to leave—

An elderly figure appeared before him. The man wore a black, close-fitting combat uniform and a shinobi cap, with a small mustache on his chin. Silver armor connected across his back covered both shoulders, and the character for "Fire" was written on the backplate. Two vertical ninja tool pouches were strapped to his back, and a purple sash was tied around his waist. Mesh guards covered his arms and calves, while layered green armor protected his right arm. His sharp eyes fixed on Feng Yao.

"Feng Yao, is this what you wanted? Revenge against the village? Is this your own decision, or are you acting on behalf of the country behind you?"

The Third demanded sternly. He'd underestimated Feng Yao. When the boy had left, he'd been nothing more than an ordinary trainee shinobi.

In less than half a year, he'd grown this powerful and caused such heavy losses to the village.

When the Third mentioned other countries, Feng Yao paused.

But he quickly understood: the other man thought he was a spy from another country.

That worked for him. He could play along and muddy the waters.

He put on a solemn air. "Lord Hokage, there's no need to try and trick me into talking. Your Anbu are so capable that they even tracked my return to the Land of Fire. Surely finding out who I am would be no trouble."

The Third frowned. Feng Yao was careful with his words and refused to reveal any information. The only option was to defeat him first, then hand him over to the Yamanaka Clan for interrogation and questioning.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone!"

The Third threw a single Shuriken forward. It multiplied into tens of thousands, which swarmed toward Feng Yao from every direction.

The sight of Shuriken filling the sky made Feng Yao's scalp prickle.

As expected, the past Hokage were all formidable. He could make so many tricks out of a single Shuriken. If the Third kept him tied down, he'd be in trouble. This was Konoha, after all. If he didn't retreat in time, the other jonin would arrive and make things difficult.

As he thought this, he rapidly formed Hand Seals to respond.

"Sage Art: Wind Release: Sandstorm!"

It was a Wind Release technique that used Senjutsu Chakra to create a massive sandstorm, obscuring the enemy's vision.

Escape.

Feng Yao made that decision almost the instant he faced the Third.

There was nothing shameful about running away. If he couldn't match his opponent or couldn't win, he should flee.

After everything he'd been through, Feng Yao had grown more cautious. Even if he had trump cards, he'd avoid fighting whenever his odds of victory were low.

Everyone preferred a battle they were sure to win. He was best at using every means available to improve his odds and keep the situation under control.

Only when he had no other choice would he fight to the death.