Louder than thunder by a thousand times!
As the ground shook violently, it was as if a thousand suns had exploded on the earth!
Like a divine spirit unleashing its might, or the heavens collapsing and the earth splitting apart.
The deadly heat was enough to melt steel and stone, spreading wildly outward from the bullet.
Shock waves rippled outward in circles, like waves on a pond!
Everything in their path crumbled, then melted into liquid.
Buildings were instantly crushed like tofu, swept away without resistance.
Shukaku, who took the brunt of the blast, had most of his mouth melted by the heat in an instant. As the explosion continued, his entire head was swallowed by the sea of flames!
High-energy radiation was released into the atmosphere, then curled back down and slammed into Shukaku!
In an instant, the flash grew even more dazzling. Everyone could see nothing but a blinding white glare.
It was several minutes before the shaking and heat gradually faded.
Only then did the enormous fireball begin to subside.
But the scene before them left everyone who saw it utterly stunned.
It was a mushroom.
A massive mushroom cloud, pitch-black and made of smoke, ash, and deadly radiation!
It had blossomed in the world of shinobi.
It showed everyone its terrifying power without the slightest restraint!
The sight shocked everyone!
"Is that... a mushroom? What the hell, it really is a mushroom!"
Itachi Uchiha's eyes widened.
He never would have imagined his little brother was this incredible.
What kind of weapon was this?!
It had actually created a spectacle like this.
In truth, he'd had a hunch that Uchiha Sora was going to make something big.
But he could never have imagined it would nearly demolish half of Konoha!
That was only because Shukaku's mouth had absorbed most of the attack.
Otherwise, if this thing had exploded in midair, judging by the force of the blast, Itachi Uchiha reckoned it could have leveled Konoha on the spot!
"Looks like... I don't need to look after my little brother. His destructive power is no weaker than the Nine-Tails', and this kind of sudden outburst might even be stronger!"
A moment later, Itachi Uchiha reached his conclusion.
He couldn't afford to cross his little brother!
And Sora didn't need his help, either.
So he silently turned away and vanished in a flock of crows.
Nearby, Deidara was already prostrate on the ground, his hands raised over his head in reverence.
"This is... this is simply art! The art of all arts! This is a treasure!"
Deidara had spent his whole life pursuing explosions.
But no matter how much clay he ate or how much terrifying chakra he put into it,
the effects of his explosions couldn't compare to even a thousandth of what he was seeing!
The gap was simply too vast.
So vast that even he, a man who'd spent his whole life playing with explosions, wanted to take Uchiha Sora as his master.
"No! I have to learn this! I have to master it!"
"I'm willing to pay any price!"
Deidara's eyes reddened, and without a word, he took off his robe.
That's right, he planned to join Uchiha Sora. He was even willing to betray his organization for it.
He felt that following Uchiha Sora was the true path to art!
Orochimaru's entire snake-like face drooped.
His mouth nearly dragged along the ground, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"Good grief! Thank goodness I didn't push this kid too far back then. Otherwise, he might've done this to me too and planted a mushroom on me. My lifelong reputation would've been ruined!"
Orochimaru wasn't stupid. At that moment, he was incredibly grateful he hadn't completely antagonized Uchiha Sora back then.
Otherwise, no matter how powerful his resurrection was, he'd still be reduced to dust by such terrifying, abnormal destruction!
A moment later, his eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but step back.
He wanted to run.
Facing a village with someone this abnormal, he felt he had no chance of winning!
But the Hokage was by far the most shocked.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's old face was like a blooming chrysanthemum, his expression so peculiar that it was hard to tell whether he was happy or sad.
"That power is on par with a Tailed Beast Bomb... No, the Tailed Beast Bombs I've witnessed seem weaker than this explosion."
"This kid! What has he created? What secret is hidden in his Sharen Eye?!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi now understood that the village's crisis was over.
For one thing, no one even knew whether Shukaku was still alive after that.
And no one at the scene, no matter how bold, would dare attack Uchiha Sora now!
At that moment, Kakashi and the others watching below were just as shocked, their faces pale.
Yes, pale.
Unlike the Hokage, they weren't used to witnessing such grand events.
They could barely manage to stay calm.
They had never seen anything like this. What even was it?
An explosion?
Or some kind of incredibly powerful ninjutsu?
"You've got to be kidding... You're telling me he's a Genin? I think he's way more formidable than we were back in our day!"
Jiraiya rubbed his eyes hard, nearly scared out of his mind.
The instant the explosion appeared, he'd almost thought a Tailed Beast Bomb had gone off right there.
But it had turned out to be Uchiha Sora's doing!
Nearby, Kakashi was breathing hard, cold sweat running down his forehead.
"Good grief! You can't call this guy a student anymore. He should be promoted to Jonin immediately!"
"And... if he's a little smarter and racks up a few more achievements, he might even have a shot at becoming Hokage!"
Might Guy's teeth were chattering, too.
He'd witnessed the whole thing just now. And since Might Guy had no chakra, he was almost blind by now.
"That was terrifying! Compared to Sasuke, they aren't even in the same league. Who was the idiot who called him a failure?"
Nearby, Asuma felt his teeth ache.
He could almost imagine what it must have felt like for Shukaku to have such terrifying flames erupt from his mouth.
"This kid really does have what it takes to become Hokage. A Hokage needs to handle the village's affairs, but more importantly, he needs to intimidate other forces!"
"If Sora can unleash that attack one more time, then forget the shinobi villages—even the Five Great Nations will be trembling in fear!"
That wasn't an exaggeration. Becoming Hokage wasn't something just anyone could do, no matter how much they wanted it.
The test wasn't governing ability, nor personal combat strength.
The most important thing was the ability to inspire fear.
Like a towering mountain guarding its domain, making people tremble at the mere mention of it.
And Uchiha Sora was already showing signs of reaching that level, even though he'd only just begun.
For a moment, the many teachers were all left with tingling scalps.
One by one, they looked at Uchiha Sora differently.
If even they were this shocked, the students were even more so.
Sasuke and Naruto had already woken up by then.
Before you continue