The Stray Dogs That Shocked Konoha's Entire Leadership

The riverbank was unusually quiet.

Even the sound of the flowing water was as if someone had choked it, so faint that it was almost inaudible.

Kakashi stood still.

One hand was still in the position of holding the Kunai, but the fingers had lost all feeling.

His Sharingan was wide open, its crimson light reflecting the scene before him—

Itachi Uchiha knelt on the ground, two lines of bloody tears smearing half his face.

Kisame Hoshigaki lay sprawled at the bottom of a crater more than ten meters deep, a chunk of his chest caved in.

The twelve-year-old blond boy who had caused all of this was standing with his back to them, stretching his neck.

It took less than three minutes in total.

Kakashi's Adam's apple bobbed.

Its mouth opened and then closed.

He wanted to say something.

But the brain seems to have been formatted, unable to find any suitable words to define what is happening.

This is not a gap.

The gap can be measured in numbers.

Ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times -- eventually we can find a magnitude.

But what's in front of us--

They're not even in the same dimension.

A muffled thud came from the bottom of the pit.

Kisame moved.

His fingers dug into the rubble, trying to support his body.

A creaking sound came from his chest, like broken ribs rubbing against each other.

A mouthful of dark red blood gushed from the corner of his mouth.

He couldn't stand up.

But Itachi stood up.

The figure kneeling on one knee was trembling all over.

The light inside the Mangekyo Sharingan was as dim as two embers about to go out.

Blood and tears continued to flow, mixing with the blood gushing from her nose, soaking her black turtleneck into an even deeper color.

Then—Itachi's right eye suddenly lit up.

It's not the rotation of Mangekyo Sharingan.

It is a more primal light, as if it is overdrawing on life itself.

Purple.

A very faint purple Chakra emanated from the right side of Itachi's body.

It's not a complete form—there's only one.

A massive rib made of Chakra bones.

Fragments of Susanoo.

Purple bony ribs extended from the side of the weasel's body, reaching over ten meters in length, and plunged into the bottom of the rubble pit, hooking around Kisame's waist.

Kisame was pulled up.

The ferret's left eye burst into crimson at the same instant.

"Amaterasu."

The sound was almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

His voice was hoarse and broken, like a dying person reciting their last words.

Black flames appeared out of thin air.

It didn't shoot out of the eyes—it ignited directly in space.

The air between Naruto and Itachi suddenly turned black.

A barrier of black flames, about five meters wide, rose from the ground, its temperature so high that even the air itself seemed to distort.

Amaterasu, known as the inextinguishable flame.

It burns everything, yet never goes out.

Itachi's body began to retreat as he pulled Kisame.

The instant Susanoo's ribs dissipated, his right knee buckled again—then he staggered, hoisted Kisame onto his shoulder, and used Body Flicker Technique.

They escaped.

Kakashi instinctively stepped forward. "Naruto! Don't touch Amaterasu-- "

He hadn't finished speaking.

Naruto raised his right hand.

Casual.

It's like swatting a mosquito that's landed on a table.

The blue color that flowed from his palm was not Chakra.

It's gold.

Deep, warm, like the midday sun.

Push your palm out flat.

Golden light collided with black flames.

There was no fierce confrontation.

There was no stalemate where the two sides were evenly matched.

Black flames appeared like snowflakes falling into magma before the golden light.

With a hissing sound.

It's dead.

Not a single piece was left.

There wasn't even a burnt smell left.

The riverbank fell silent once more.

Kakashi's mouth was agape.

Asuma's hands hung limply at his sides, and he even forgot to smoke.

Red's hand was still covering her mouth, but the pressure had loosened—because she had forgotten she was covering her mouth.

The three elite Jonin had remarkably identical expressions at that moment.

Blank.

A pure, unadulterated blank space.

Naruto clapped his hands.

There wasn't even a speck of dust on my palm.

He put his hands back into his pockets and glanced sideways at the direction where Itachi Uchiha had disappeared.

"It would be good to let two dogs go back to inform Nagato."

His tone was casual, as if he were saying the Tenten.

"To avoid being accused of killing someone without prior instruction."

Kakashi's lips trembled slightly.

He wanted to ask, "How do you know about Nagato?"

He wanted to ask, "How was Amaterasu destroyed?"

He wanted to ask many, many questions.

But in the end, only one syllable was produced.

"... ah."

The footsteps drew closer.

Red stepped out from behind Asuma.

Her steps were a little hurried, and her breathing was a beat faster than usual.

Naruto's profile was reflected in his deep red eyes, his pupils slightly dilated.

"Naruto."

Her voice was a half-tone higher than usual, "You're too—"

Before I could even utter the word "amazing,"...

Naruto turned around.

His movements were very natural.

The brain, naturally turning red, didn't have time to react defensively.

One arm.

With a strength and heat beyond what a young man should possess, it smoothly circled around Hong's waist, gathering around the thinnest part of her waist.

Through the thin mesh suit, the temperature of my palm was acutely apparent.

Hong's body froze instantly.

"Teacher Hong."

Naruto looked up at her.

There was a hint of a smile in his azure eyes, and his voice was very low, as if he were speaking only to her.

"Did I scare you? Come on, let me take you home to calm you down."

Her face turned red very quickly.

From his cheeks to his ears to his neck, it looked as if someone had poured a basin of paint over his head.

She opened her mouth as if to say "Let go".

But for some reason, my body didn't move.

The hand on my side was burning hot.

The heat made her brain feel like it had short-circuited; she could only think of a blank, buzzing sound.

Kakashi coughed lightly beside him.

Asuma had already turned her face away.

Three hours later.

Hokage Building.

Tsunade three times.

She smiled the first time.

The second time, she laughed out loud.

The third time, she laughed so hard tears almost came out, and she slammed her hand on the table, nearly knocking the teacup away.

"Disable Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi in one second? Kick Kisame Hoshigaki into the ground with one kick? Then manually destroy Amaterasu?"

She waved the top-secret report in her hand, looking at Kakashi, who was sitting opposite her, fidgeting.

"Hatake, were you sober when you wrote that report?"

Kakashi looked extremely exhausted. "Lady Tsunade, I swear I didn't drink. That was the most conservative report I've ever written."

Tsunade's smile was as bright as Himawari.

She leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms, and couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.

With this god presiding over Hidden Leaf--

Who would dare to cause trouble now?

Smiling.

The door was kicked open from the outside.

Shizune rushed in, covered in sweat, her face pale and her voice trembling:

"Lady Tsunade! An urgent report has arrived from the Hyuga Clan— "

"Hinata, Hinata is going to give birth!"

Tsunade's smile froze.

She sat up abruptly.

At the same time, in the eastern district of Konoha.

Inside the Hyuga Estate, an ancient bronze bell was being rung frantically.

The bells tolled one after another, as rapid as a heartbeat.

Hyuga Hiashi knelt in the corridor outside the delivery room, his hands clasped together, his fingertips trembling.

A beam of silvery-white light shone through the crack in the door.

The light was very soft.

However, the energy fluctuations contained within caused all Byakugan Hyuga Clan members within a hundred-meter radius to—

They knelt down at the same time.

The light was emanating from Hinata's abdomen.