What is Shock?

It was a sound a thousand times more deafening than thunder!

Accompanied by a violent tremor of the earth, it was as if a thousand suns had detonated on the ground!

It was like the wrath of a holy spirit, or as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth sinking.

The lethal heat, sufficient to melt steel and rock, spread frantically outward from the center of the bullet.

Shockwaves rippled outward in concentric circles!

Wherever they passed, the ground disintegrated and melted into liquid.

Buildings were instantly reduced to tofu, swept away with irresistible force.

Shukaku, bearing the brunt of the impact, had the better part of its mouth instantly melted by the high heat, and as the explosion persisted, its entire head was submerged in a sea of fire!

High-energy radiation was released into the atmosphere at that moment, only to surge back down and slam into Shukaku!

In an instant, the flash became even more blinding; everyone present could see nothing but a sea of white.

It was not until several minutes later that the tremors and the intense heat gradually faded.

The massive fireball finally began to subside.

Yet, the scene before them shocked everyone who witnessed it.

It was a mushroom.

A colossal mushroom cloud, pitch-black, composed of smoke, ash, and lethal radiation!

It bloomed across the ninja world.

It displayed its terrifying power to everyone without the slightest restraint!

This sight stunned everyone!

"Is that... a mushroom? What the hell, that's a mushroom!"

Itachi Uchiha's eyes widened.

He never in his wildest dreams imagined that his younger brother was this formidable.

What kind of weapon was this?

To be able to create such a commotion.

In truth, he had anticipated that Uchiha Sora might come up with something big.

However, he never expected that it would nearly tear apart half of Konoha Village!

And that was only because most of the attack had been absorbed by Shukaku's mouth.

Otherwise, if this thing had exploded in mid-air, Itachi Uchiha judged that the sheer force of the shockwave would have leveled Konoha Village to the ground on the spot!

"It seems... my brother no longer needs my protection. His destructive power is in no way inferior to the Nine-Tails; in fact, this kind of sudden burst is likely even stronger than the Nine-Tails!"

A moment later, Itachi Uchiha reached his conclusion.

This younger brother was someone he couldn't afford to provoke!

Nor did he need his help.

With that, he silently turned his head and vanished into a murder of crows.

Nearby, Deidara was already prostrate on the ground, hands raised above his head in an expression of pure devotion.

"This is... this is simply art! This is the art of arts, a masterpiece!"

Deidara had spent his entire life pursuing explosions.

But no matter how much clay he consumed or how much terrifying chakra he poured into it, the effects of his explosions couldn't compare to even one-thousandth of what was before his eyes!

The gap was simply too vast.

So much so that he, who had played with explosions his whole life, wanted to take Uchiha Sora as his master.

"No! I must learn this; I have to master it!"

"I am willing to pay any price for it!"

Deidara's eyes turned red, and without a second thought, he actually stripped off his cloak.

That's right, he intended to defect to Uchiha Sora, and for that, he was even willing to betray his organization.

He felt that following Uchiha Sora was the only path to true art!

Orochimaru's entire snake-like face sagged.

His jaw dragged on the ground, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He couldn't help but tremble all over.

"Good grief! Thank goodness, thank goodness I didn't push this kid too far back then. If he had hit me with one of these and planted a mushroom on me, my lifelong reputation would have been ruined right here!"

Orochimaru was no fool; at this moment, he felt incredibly fortunate that he hadn't completely provoked Uchiha Sora to the point of no return.

Otherwise, no matter how powerful his resurrection techniques were, under such terrifying and perverted destruction, not even a scrap of him would have been left behind!

A moment later, his eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but retreat.

He wanted to run.

Honestly, facing a village with such a freak, he felt he had absolutely no chance of winning!

As for the most shocked of all, it was none other than the Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's entire aged face was wrinkled like a blooming chrysanthemum, his expression bizarre, impossible to tell if he was happy or sad.

"This power is comparable to a Tailed Beast Bomb... No, the Tailed Beast Bombs I have witnessed seem inferior to the explosion before my eyes."

"This kid! What on earth has he created? What secrets are hidden within his Sharen Eye!"

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood that the village's crisis had been averted.

If nothing else, just from that single strike, it was hard to say whether Shukaku was even alive or dead.

No matter how bold the people on the scene were, they probably wouldn't dare to make a move against Uchiha Sora at a time like this!

At this moment, besides their shock, Kakashi and the others below who had witnessed everything were also deathly pale.

That's right, pale.

They weren't like the Hokage, who had seen it all before.

They could barely maintain their composure.

They had never seen anything like this before; what was this thing?

Was it an explosion?

Or some kind of super-powered ninjutsu!

"No way... you're telling me this is a Genin? Why do I feel like he's way more ferocious than we were back in the day!"

Jiraiya rubbed his eyes vigorously, nearly scared out of his wits.

The moment the explosion occurred, he had almost thought it was a Tailed Beast Bomb detonating right there on the spot.

Yet, it turned out to be Uchiha Sora's own technique!

Beside him, Kakashi's breathing was rapid, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

"Good grief! This person can no longer be called a student; he should be promoted to Jonin immediately!"

"And... if this guy gets a bit smarter and racks up a few more achievements, he might even be a shoo-in for the position of Hokage!"

Might Guy's teeth were also chattering.

He had witnessed the entire thing, and since Might Guy lacked chakra, he was nearly blinded by the sight.

"This is too terrifying! Compared to Sasuke, the two aren't even on the same level. Which guy said he was a loser?"

Asuma, standing to the side, felt a wave of tooth-aching dread.

He could almost imagine the taste of that terrifying firelight erupting in one's mouth; what must it be like for Shukaku?

"This kid! He truly has the qualifications to be Hokage. What a Hokage needs is the ability to handle village affairs, but more importantly, the ability to deter other existences!"

"If Sora could unleash that strike just one more time, I fear that not only other ninja villages, but even the Five Great Nations would tremble in fear!"

This was no lie; it wasn't just anyone who could become Hokage if they wanted to.

It wasn't a test of ruling ability, nor was it purely about individual combat strength.

The most important thing was the power of deterrence.

Like a great mountain guarding the land, making others turn pale at the mere mention of its name.

And Uchiha Sora, only just beginning, already showed signs of achieving that level.

For a moment, the many teacher-level figures felt their scalps tingle.

One by one, their gazes toward Uchiha Sora had changed.

If even they were this shocked, let alone the students.

At this time, Sasuke and Naruto had long since woken up.