In the northwest corner of Konoha.
A huge hole had been torn through Konoha's barrier.
Thick black smoke billowed up from the surrounding forest, seeming to herald the coming battle.
"Who are you?!"
Several Konoha Ninja immediately arrived at the scene. Seeing the approaching shinobi, they demanded coldly,
But the Konoha Ninja had barely finished speaking when—
"Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison!"
At the sound of a dull rumble, countless rocks suddenly rose from the earth around them, closing in on the Konoha Ninja like a mass of shadows!
As the Konoha Ninja watched in terror, the enormous brown rocks crashed together.
"Rumble!"
A thunderous boom!
Where the Konoha Ninja had stood, only a cluster of enormous brown rocks remained. Before long, fresh blood seeped from the ground.
Among the invading Rock Ninja stood a short, middle-aged shinobi. His sharp, hawk-like eyes fixed on Konoha as he said in a low voice,
"Go ahead and wreak as much havoc as you like!"
"I want Konoha to feel the full might of the Rock Ninja!"
At his words, the elite Rock Ninja's eyes glinted coldly as they answered,
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!"
In Konoha.
Hovering high in the air, Sosuke narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed toward the village's northwest corner with a faint smile.
He glanced at the people of Konoha, then fixed his gaze on the Third Hokage and said with a smile,
"Lord Third, you should know these shinobi alone can't stop me. If you keep lingering here, the attackers may well destroy the entire village."
Their gazes met.
A playful smile glimmered in Sosuke's eyes. He showed no fear at all.
Sosuke had already cast aside his former, unassuming facade. His presence now brimmed with sharpness, and not a trace remained of the quiet, gentle smile he