The explosion erupted in the very center of the village. A mushroom cloud shot into the sky, while terrifying shockwaves, carrying dense smoke and dust, rapidly spread in all directions. The blast left Naruto and the others' ears ringing, and for a time, they could not hear anything from the outside world.
The three of them could only watch as the village they had just left was swallowed by that dazzling light.
Heaven and earth lost their color!
Deidara's attack had truly drained the world of color. The explosion lasted only a short while, and the blinding light gradually faded with time. A layer of gray-black smoke and dust hung in the air. Through it, Naruto and Sasuke could vaguely make out a massive crater several thousand meters wide.
Around the crater lay broken walls and ruins blasted to its edges by the shockwave. Through his Sharingan, Sasuke could vaguely see scattered bloodstains amid the rubble. Needless to say, the villagers of the Land of Sound who had been at the center of the explosion had likely all died in the blast.
"W-What the hell happened?!"
"Who did something like this?!"
After standing there in a daze for a long while, Naruto finally recovered. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head and looked into the sky. The Tailed Beast's Chakra seeped out from the seal in response to his emotional turmoil, and before he knew it, a layer of Tailed Beast cloak had formed over Naruto Uzumaki's body.
"You three are Konoha ninja, right?"
"I'm Lord Jiuming's subordinate. Aren't you going to Otogakure to find Lord Jiuming? I'll take you there."
Just then, a giant white bird swooped rapidly toward Naruto and the others from the sky. As it passed over the three of them, a figure leaped down and