Yang Release Explosive Tags Clear the Field! The Yellow Flash Assaults Hidden Leaf!
The Third Cemetery in the Northern Territory of the Land of Fire.
The night wind swept through, carrying fallen leaves with a pungent, fishy stench. Veteran Fujiwara wrapped his worn-out cotton overcoat tighter and rubbed his frozen fingers vigorously.
Suddenly, a mound of earth rose up from the ground beneath my feet without warning. Then came a second, and a third.
A pale, withered arm pierced the ground with a "plop" and clung tightly to the nearby tombstone.
"Enemy attack--!" Fujiwara roared at the top of his lungs, his right hand yanking out the signal flare pull ring from his waist.
Red fireworks shot into the sky, only to collide with a semi-transparent black light barrier mid-air and explode into a cluster of sparks with a muffled sound. Unbeknownst to them, a barrier isolating Chakra had already descended, sealing off the entire cemetery.
In the grave nearest to Fujiwara, a corpse wearing tattered armor from the Warring States Period stood upright. The corpse had sunken eyes, gray pupils, and a piece of paper with the word "fuck" in red letters on a yellow background taped to its forehead.
Deep in the shadows of the forest, a large, pale, scaled serpent coiled around a tree trunk. Kabuto Yakushi's voice emerged from its mouth, carrying a slimy, chilling aura. "The living always love to talk about 'protecting the future.' But the dead never need a future. Go, tear them apart."
The armored corpse, like a wild beast that had smelled blood, suddenly turned its head, got on all fours, and charged wildly toward Fujiwara.
With nowhere to retreat, Fujiwara tripped on a rock and fell hard into the mud. Looking at the rotting face so close to his, he instinctively reached into his robes and grabbed the Allied Shinobi Forces' talisman that had just been issued by the logistics department that evening— Explosive Tag with a golden Uzumaki totem printed on the back.
"Die, monster!" Fujiwara gritted his teeth, channeled all his Chakra into the talisman, and slammed it hard onto the corpse's forehead.
Boom!
A blinding golden light instantly tore through the darkness. There was no smoke like conventional gunpowder, only pure high temperature and an extremely domineering aura of Yang Release rampaging wildly within a ten-meter radius.
The once ferocious, filthy Impure World Reincarnation didn't even utter a scream before its upper body was blasted into a cloud of ashes. The Impure World Body, which was supposedly immortal and could regenerate like paper, now had a layer of golden flames clinging to its wounds. Those flames, like maggots, burned the Impure World Reincarnation remains with crackling sounds, and no matter how the talismans were activated, it could never be reassembled even a fraction.
Fujiwara collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, stunned.
The white snake hanging on the tree trunk suddenly straightened its body, its pupils contracting sharply. Before Dou's contempt could even fade from the snake's face, a second streak of golden sparks landed on the snake's vital spot.
With a bang, the white snake exploded into a shower of minced meat.
Hidden Leaf, Supreme Command Center.
"The Northern Third Cemetery Guard has sent back a report of victory!" Shikamaru grabbed the encrypted scroll on the table, quickly scanned its contents, and his tone unusually high. "Kabuto attempted to use Impure World Body to launch a surprise attack on the border and create panic, but the 'Specialized Yang Release Explosive Tag' sent to the front lines Tenten afternoon worked. The Impure World Body hit by the Explosive Tag cannot regenerate!"
Tsunade, who had been tense, suddenly relaxed her shoulders. She slammed her hand on the solid wood table, making the teacups clink. "Well done! I knew Naruto's Chakra could definitely counter this hellish thing."
Naruto pulled up a chair, straddled it with an air of superiority, and rested his hands on the back of the chair. "That bastard Kabuto thinks he can scare people after digging up graves for a few days? He's only fit to be a scavenger for life. Shikamaru, relay my message to all units at the front."
"Speak." Shikamaru immediately gripped the charcoal pencil and unfurled the message scroll.
"Have all combat units replace their conventional weapons. From now on, when you encounter Impure World Reincarnation corpses, don't try to fight them with Taijutsu, and don't exchange Ninjutsu blows." Naruto sneered, "Use money to overwhelm them! Use Yang Release to blast them to pieces! If one isn't enough, use ten; if ten aren't enough, use a hundred. I want to see if Orochimaru's forbidden techniques are tougher, or if my Hidden Leaf Armory's assembly line is more powerful."
On the large communication screen on the wall, Ōnoki stroked his beard and chuckled, "Naruto, you're quite the show-off, and quite extravagant too. I like this rule; the cost of the Explosive Tag is on the Allied Shinobi Forces headquarters!"
"War always costs money. As long as we can send the dead back to hell, it's worth any price." Raikage, arms crossed, his voice booming.
"This is just an appetizer." Naruto didn't respond, his sharp gaze sweeping over the 3D sand table on the long table. He thought to himself: Kabuto is a master at manipulating minds. This first wave was just a test; he's definitely up to something.
Naruto looked up at the corner. "Ino, are the enemy's main force's positions locked down?"
Ino took a deep breath and pressed her hands firmly against the Chakra -sensing water sphere, her knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force.
"The main route is completely clear." Ino stared intently at the churning colored blobs in the water sphere, speaking rapidly, "The northwestern war zone that Sasuke is heading to has gathered a large amount of Akatsuki from the remnants of the Chakra. A special fluctuation of seven Ninja Blade has appeared in the direction of the former Hidden Mist in the Water Country. And advancing directly towards the Land of Iron's main camp... is a mixed force of 'Kage' from various villages throughout history!"
Upon hearing this, Ōnoki and the Raikage on the screen fell silent. Even these battle-hardened commanders couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted at the prospect of fighting their predecessors to the death on the battlefield.
"Don't worry about it." Naruto saw through their thoughts and spoke decisively, "A dead person is a dead person. Puppet controlled by others doesn't deserve sentiment. Whoever stands in the way of the Allied Shinobi Forces will be put to the afterlife."
Just then, the heavy solid wood door of the command room was violently pushed open with a "bang".
Karin stumbled in. Her signature red hair was a mess, and her black-rimmed glasses were askew on her nose, which she didn't even bother to adjust. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving, and her face was as pale as a sheet.
"Karin? Why aren't you at the Central Sensor Tower? What are you doing here?" Naruto dropped his nonchalant attitude and strode forward.
As soon as he got close, Naruto sensed something was wrong.
Karin's breathing was rapid, her fingertips were as cold as ice, and her whole body was trembling slightly and uncontrollably. Her incredibly large sensory network, which she was so proud of, was currently in a state of extreme disorder and overload.
"Naruto, Naruto..." Karin grabbed Naruto's arm tightly with her backhand, her nails almost digging into his sleeve.
"Speak slowly, I'll hold up the sky if it falls." Naruto gripped her wrist, and a warm, rich Yang Release Chakra forcefully flowed through her meridians, calming her rampaging sensory nerves.
With the suppression of Yang Release, Karin's suffocating feeling in her throat finally subsided. She swallowed, raised her head, and her eyes were filled with disbelief and horror.
"I sensed a Chakra that should never have been there."
The huge command room fell silent instantly. Shikamaru stopped writing, Tsunade, and the Five Kage on the screen all turned their gazes to this genius sensory ninja from the Uzumaki Clan.
"Who?" Naruto asked in a low voice.
"The texture of this Chakra is from the same source as your Yang Release origin... but it's purer and sharper. Most importantly..." Karin bit her lower lip, her voice trembling, "He carries extremely strong Flying Thunder God space-time fluctuations. Moreover, he's not with the main force; he's approaching Hidden Leaf alone at a terrifying speed!"
Tsunade suddenly stood up, and the chair behind her fell to the ground with a thud.
She stared intently at Karin, her voice dry and hoarse. "You mean... Flying Thunder God?"
"Yes." Karin looked into Naruto's eyes and uttered the name slowly and deliberately, "It's just like the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze."
Naruto's pupils suddenly contracted.
Outside the window, the Ultimate Defensive Barrier above Hidden Leaf suddenly emitted a teeth-grinding, tearing roar.
A blinding Yellow Flash cleaved the darkness in two.