When he was in Konoha, Uchiha Sora had to be mindful of his clansmen; aside from the opening Dragon Pulse, all other attacks from Rayquaza were directed by Uchiha Sora himself.
Now...
There was no need for restraint!
ROAR!!!
Rayquaza unleashed a heaven-shaking roar, firing a massive sphere of energy from its maw that shot straight into the sky.
BOOM!!!!
The light sphere exploded in mid-air like fireworks, and countless beams of light rained down upon Uchiha Obito's position.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!!
The sky trembled!
The earth wailed!
Rayquaza soared high, its emerald-green scales crackling with electric arcs. Its long, slender body danced through the air, each flick of its tail tearing burning trails into the atmosphere.
Following the endless rain of light, Azure energy condensed into a distorted vortex before Rayquaza's maw...
WHOOSH!!!
A colossal beam of light surged forth, instantly vaporizing the cumulonimbus clouds in its path and revealing a menacing, crimson firmament!!
Everything touched by the Hyper Beam was obliterated; mountain peaks collapsed instantly, the ground was scorched into abyssal black pits, and the terrifying shockwaves uprooted giant trees over a hundred meters tall!!
The forest was transformed into a sea of flames!!
Rayquaza roared as it dove downward, the gale force from its dragon claws sending debris and timber flying, while energy rings spun rapidly around its body.
The next moment—
WHOOSH!!!!
Dozens of Hyper Beams poured down like a torrential rainstorm, plowing crisscrossing ravines into the earth as magma and rubble erupted into the sky, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
Rayquaza's eyes burned with a frenzied red light, filled with extreme excitement.
In its own habitat, it never had the chance to cause such wanton destruction!
Among its kind, this Rayquaza was merely a youth, possessing an abundance of pent-up energy!
That was why it had responded to an unknown call, crossing space and time to descend here.
It was quite satisfied with the partner of this transaction.
Unlike the youths in its own world... this human brat...
He was a madman who perfectly matched its desire for destruction!!
At this very moment.
Rayquaza finally displayed the true might of the Overlord of the Sky!!
--
The violent assault continued for several dozen minutes.
The Uchiha clansmen in the distance were left dumbfounded.
Such a terrifying spectacle was visible even to the Konoha ninja further away.
The rampage of the Nine-Tails... was likely nothing more than this!!
Only when the area had been reduced to scorched earth, devoid of all life, did Rayquaza exhale a puff of white mist and cease its attack.
It looked like a youth who had entered a state of post-climax clarity, its face filled with satisfaction.
Uchiha Sora scanned the area, but found no trace of Uchiha Obito.
Did he die?
It shouldn't be that simple.
He must have escaped...
After this encounter, he likely wouldn't dare to provoke me for a while.
Uchiha Sora had to make the most of Rayquaza while it was still here; in short, he would use the tiger's might to intimidate others.
He knew that Rayquaza was borrowed, but others did not; they would only assume that Rayquaza was his personal summon.
According to the ancient laws of survival.
The weak must disguise themselves as the strong to have any chance to grow.
The strong disguise themselves as the weak to get close to the weak and swallow them in one gulp.
After this battle, Uchiha Sora would need quite some time to accumulate enough Reputation Points to face the next crisis.
Before that, he was merely a relatively strong two-tomoe, still unable to defeat Shisui.
He had to make others overestimate his strength as much as possible to buy himself time to develop.
Whoosh...
A massive amount of water vapor evaporated, forming giant cumulonimbus clouds, and a torrential downpour fell, extinguishing the forest fire.
The body of Rayquaza slowly faded, turning into specks of light.
Before departing, Rayquaza rested its claw on Uchiha Sora's head, leaving behind a verdant green mark.
This was a contract.
According to the agreement, Uchiha Sora would need to repay Rayquaza; if Rayquaza did not require his repayment, he could also sell this contract to the platform.
This karmic debt was something Uchiha Sora would need to settle with others.
In short, what is borrowed must be repaid.
Amidst the downpour, Uchiha Sora shook his head and gave a bitter smile.
Having maintained the persona of a trustworthy person for so long, he was now suddenly saddled with a massive debt.
Looking up, he saw his clansmen rushing toward him, those familiar faces, each and every one of them living, breathing people...
Ah...
It was worth it.
Within his eye sockets, a third tomoe slowly manifested.
In his past life, Uchiha Sora had no kin and no place to call home.
It was here that his hollow heart was finally filled with the love of his parents and his clansmen.
It didn't matter if the world considered him a madman...
This is my place of peace.
Konoha.
Outside the barrier, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others could only watch helplessly as the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself, using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to split and seal the Nine-Tails.
Immense grief flooded their hearts.
The barrier shattered.
"Minato..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice choked; after this single night, his temples had turned snow-white.
Like many others, he believed that Minato was the Child of Prophecy that Jiraiya had been searching for, the savior of the ninja world.
But...
Namikaze Minato was covered in blood, cradling his wife who had already lost all signs of life.
He struggled to force a smile, filled with apology and lingering attachment as he looked at Naruto in his swaddling clothes, his own son.
"Lord Third, I entrust Naruto to you..."
"What is going on... with the village?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up Naruto and looked toward Fugaku.
In the end, Fugaku did not choose to deceive the Fourth Hokage.
"We... the Uchiha clan, have chosen to leave Konoha."
"Is that so..."
Namikaze Minato gave a bitter smile and said to Sarutobi Hiruzen: "The mastermind behind this incident is not someone from the current Uchiha clan... I suspect..."
"It is Madara Uchiha! He did not die..."
The gaps between his words grew wider, and his breathing became faint.
His life force gradually dissipated.
Turning his gaze toward Fugaku, Namikaze Minato smiled and said, "Regardless of everything, Fugaku... we are all comrades of Konoha."
"I am truly sorry... I failed to bridge the rift between the Uchiha and the village... I apologize..."
"I beg of you... at least when facing that enemy, can the Uchiha clan help the village..."
Fugaku nodded deeply: "I promise you, Minato."
"Third Hokage... this is my final order as Hokage..."
Namikaze Minato's eyes burned with intensity, as if he were experiencing a final burst of life.
"The Uchiha clan are by no means defectors; they are not to be treated as rogue ninja!"
"Farewell... everyone."
As the words fell.
That proud head finally drooped, resting heavily against the shoulder of his beloved.
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
Dead.
--
The crying of a child was exceptionally loud in the stillness of this moment.
Splatter...
Rain fell in the distance, descending upon the village to wash away the blood and tears of this night.
--
--