Silence! A deathly silence!
The sight was truly terrifying, making the atmosphere at the scene feel incredibly strange.
"Gulp—" The sound of people nervously swallowing kept rising from the crowd.
The Anbu, who had planned to work with Root, also stood frozen in place, at a loss.
It wasn't that they didn't want to attack. The problem was that the past few seconds had been far too shocking!
His Taijutsu was so fast that his figure was hard to make out. His massive Ninjutsu had unleashed in an instant. In a single moment, more than a dozen Root shinobi had lost their ability to fight.
Every one of those facts made one thing clear to everyone present.
Naruto was no ordinary shinobi anymore! He was at the level of a candidate for the title of Hokage!
Perhaps even far beyond that...
Naruto paid no attention to the rabble. His expression was utterly indifferent as he stared at the system panel before him.
[Made a stunning display in front of everyone, instantly immobilizing thirteen Root shinobi! Villain Points +26!]
"Hm? That's a lot," Naruto murmured softly. A moment later, he understood.
He guessed that the stronger the target, the more Villain Points they yielded.
Then Naruto didn't hesitate any longer. His murderous gaze swept over the crowd. "Foolish people, only death can make you see reality."
The instant he finished speaking, Naruto abruptly swung his right hand.
As if realizing what Naruto intended to do, Sarutobi Akiyama hurriedly shouted, "Uzumaki Naruto, stop! If you do this, there'll be no turning back!"
Unfortunately, his words could only become the Root shinobi's final dirge.
The next moment.
Whoosh—
The terrifying aura emanating from Yellow Springs Swamp grew even more overwhelming, and the swamp churned more violently, greedily devouring the Root shinobi caught within it.
"Ahhhhh! Let me out!"
"It hurts! It hurts so much!"
Amid the Root shinobi's agonized wails, Yellow Springs Swamp swallowed them completely, like the maw of a demon.
They turned into piles of bones and vanished from the world.
[Completely killed thirteen Root shinobi. Villain Points +35!] [Villain Points: 124]
"So terrifying..."
"He's a demon, isn't he? No, even a demon isn't this terrifying!"
The people around them felt as if they'd fallen into an icy pit. They were consumed by endless fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Sarutobi Akiyama, however, was so furious that his hair seemed to stand on end. He directly challenged Naruto in a harsh, furious voice. "Uzumaki Naruto, do you know what kind of crime you've committed? They were all fellow villagers of Konoha!"
His words were like a sharp blade, pulling everyone out of the depths of fear. The crowd chimed in one after another.
"That's right! They were all fellow villagers of Konoha. Why would you slaughter them so cruelly?"
"You're a heartless beast! Everyone should join forces to kill you!"
"Lord Hokage and Lord Danzo will never let you get away with this!"
For a while, the entire area rang with furious accusations and insults directed at Naruto.
Human nature was always so laughable. It was as if hiding behind a group gave people free rein to do whatever they pleased.
Unfortunately, murderous Naruto had no intention of showing them the slightest mercy.
"Fellow villagers of Konoha? I still remember those childhood experiences vividly!" Naruto's lips curled into a mocking smile as he looked up at the crowd.
At his words, everyone immediately shrank back.
After all, nearly everyone present had verbally bullied Naruto at some point.
Sarutobi Akiyama was momentarily at a loss for words.
But as if he'd thought of something, he immediately roared again.
"Uzumaki Naruto, have you forgotten what Lord Hiruzen did for you? He stood against everyone's objections and made sure you could enter the Ninja Academy! Without Lord Hiruzen's protection, how could you have survived until now? He cared for you even more than his own grandson!"
The civilians, who had been cowering like rats in the street, immediately grew self-righteous again. They stepped forward and shouted furiously.
"That's right! You're so ungrateful. You're nothing but a heartless ingrate!"
"Demon Fox! You really are the Demon Fox! No matter what, you can't change your evil nature!"
"What we said back then was to help you toughen up. Without our pressure, would you have achieved what you have today?!"
"..."
One vicious accusation after another rained down on Naruto like a storm.
His expression gradually darkened.
Naruto had to admit that he'd seriously underestimated just how shameless the people of Konoha could be.
Then—
"Hahahaha..." Under everyone's astonished gaze, Naruto suddenly burst into laughter. It sounded like the shriek of a night owl, and a strange smile spread across his face. "Hiruzen Sarutobi's kindness? Better than what he gave his own grandson? Your 'toughening me up'?"
As he said this,
Naruto covered his eyes with one hand. The eerie smile on his face grew more unrestrained, as if it might split his cheeks. "Are you saying that starving as a child, having no friends, getting cursed and mocked whenever I went out—all of that was kindness and a way to toughen me up? Do you want that for yourselves?!"
Sarutobi Akiyama and the others were left speechless, as if something were stuck in their throats.
"Forget it. I'm sure no matter how much I explain, you'll always find another excuse." Naruto slowly raised the hand covering his eyes. His blue eyes glinted with a chilling murderous intent. "But you've all done a wonderful job of making me angry..."
"I'll send you to hell as a reward!"
The instant he finished speaking,
Boom—
An overwhelmingly terrifying killing intent burst from Naruto, accompanied by his wildly surging chakra, and crashed down on the crowd.
There was no suspense. Everyone present bent double beneath the pressure, their backs curved like shrimp. Their bodies stiffened.
[Killing intent visibly intimidated Sarutobi Akiyama, Sanli Aomen, Tanaka Mieno..., Villain Points +51!]
"What are you going to do?!" Sarutobi Akiyama roared until his voice broke.
At the same time, he was filled with regret. Why hadn't he waited for the other Anbu squads to arrive?
Now he and the others were isolated and completely without help!
Naruto acted as if he hadn't heard a thing. His body continued to erupt with chakra at full force.
The chakra glittered like shooting stars as it surged into his raised right hand.
In an instant,
A Rasengan appeared in his palm. Inside it, the terrifying chakra of Wind Release spun like a raging whirlwind.
It fused, compressed, and spun!
Wind blades that could cut through anything began to take shape.
The next moment, under the crowd's horrified gaze,
Rumble—
A Spiral Planet appeared in the sky, spinning violently, surrounded by wind blades, and radiating a power capable of destroying all things!
There was no doubt about it. This was Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!
After Naruto had spent three years carefully improving it, he could still perform the technique even in his normal state.
"What kind of jutsu is that?! It's terrifying! Are we going to die?" Seeing it, everyone felt as if the shadow of death had already fallen over them.
Then, one by one, they ran desperately into the distance, struggling against Naruto's oppressive aura.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
Some had barely run a few dozen steps when dozens of black figures suddenly appeared and forcibly drove them back.
No matter who tried to escape, none could avoid this fate.
"Shadow Clone? What incredible speed! I couldn't even see him forming the Hand Seals!" Sarutobi Akiyama's voice trembled, his face filled with shock.
The black figures gradually revealed their true faces. Every last one of them was Naruto.
This was the trick Naruto had often used over the past three years when killing bandits, to make sure no one escaped.
After all, if you didn't pull up the weeds by their roots, they'd grow back when the spring breeze blew!
If they weren't dead, he couldn't rest easy!
Then a faint smile appeared on Naruto's face. He spoke softly.
"Listen to the wail of your death!"
As he finished speaking, Naruto flicked his wrist, about to throw the Rasenshuriken.
Suddenly, a shout came from the distance.
"Naruto, stop!"
Naruto lifted his eyes slightly and looked toward the voice.
Jiraiya and Tsunade were leading a group of jōnin as they raced toward him, their figures growing larger as they drew near.
The voice had come from Jiraiya!
They had finally arrived!
Sarutobi Akiyama brightened at the sight, his face full of joy.
"Wonderful! It's Lord Jiraiya and the others! We're saved!!!"
The others also breathed a sigh of relief, their faces alight with the joy of having escaped death.
After all, it was no secret that Naruto was Jiraiya's student.
Naruto would surely listen to his advice.
Unfortunately, that was nothing more than wishful thinking on their part.
Naruto merely glanced at them before unhesitatingly throwing the Rasenshuriken in his hand.
In an instant,
Rumble—
The Rasenshuriken streaked through the air like a meteor, radiating a suffocating pressure as it crashed down with the force of annihilating the heavens and earth.
The shrill wind howling from the Rasenshuriken seemed to become the crowd's despairing cries.
"Cry out in despair!"
Before you continue