For You, Against Konoha
The setting sun cast a dark shadow over the walls at the entrance to Konoha. The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.
The captain of the Special Surveillance Squad of the Anbu, wearing an animal mask, drew his Ninja Blade, the blade reflecting the blood-red light of the setting sun. Not far away, the ruins of the purple barrier were still emitting wisps of smoke, and the air was filled with a suffocating smell of burning.
"The Third Hokage Hokage is dead. The village is under maximum martial law." The captain's gaze swept past the blade, locking onto the silent, blond figure on Sasuke's back. "Immediately hand over Naruto Uzumaki, the A-rank surveillance target, or you will be considered a traitor!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth, refusing to back a step. He drew Kunai with his backhand, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly. The Snake Mark on the back of his neck throbbed violently from the killing intent, black lines climbing up his cervical spine. The Yang Release Mark on his right shoulder flashed, and a warm power flowed through his meridians, suppressing the coldness of the Snake Seal.
"If you want to touch my brother, you'll have to step over the corpses of the Uchiha!" Sasuke's voice was flat and emotionless, with a fanatical obsession hidden in his eyes. In the instant he suppressed the Snake Seal with Yang Release, he twisted that cold, excruciating pain into pure fighting instinct.
The temperature plummeted. Frost quickly formed on the ground, white ice crystals condensed on tree trunks, and the moisture in the air was instantly sucked away. Bai stood on the flank, her chilling killing intent sweeping across the entire area like a tangible force. The last trace of maid's gentleness in her icy blue eyes was completely frozen, and dozens of enormous ice blades solidified behind her.
"If anyone dares to touch him, I'll turn half of Hidden Leaf into icebergs." Her voice was flat, yet it carried the purest intent to destroy.
Temari bit her lip and took a step forward, unleashing her massive Iron Fan with a bang, shielding Sasuke and the unconscious Naruto. The Hidden Sand princess's voice trembled, but she remained unyielding. "Is this how you, Hidden Leaf, treat the people who just saved the village?!"
The oppressive aura emanating from the three forces made the air seem to freeze. Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the Anbu Captain, his grip on his knife tightening slightly as he prepared to issue the order for a full-scale attack.
At this critical moment, a clear but exceptionally firm shout came from the dense forest to the side, "Hinata of the Hyuga Clan Main Family clan, the main branch, is here!"
All eyes turned away. The timid girl rushed out of the woods, and when she saw Naruto covered in blood and unsure of his life, the string in her mind snapped completely. Ignoring her clan's prohibition, she rushed to the front. Her pure white eyes bulged with ferocious veins, and she assumed the starting stance of a desperate Gentle Fist!
In Naruto's semi-awake state, the system issued a piercing scarlet alarm. "Ding! Detected a high-concentration emotional exchange between four high-quality/max-level bond targets! The Shura Field Backlash Mechanism... is undergoing an unknown buff mutation!"
The Anbu Captain stared at the utterly absurd yet terrifying scene before him, cold sweat dripping down his chin. The Uchiha orphan, the monster who wielded Ice Release, the Hidden Sand princess, and the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Main House... these four people had formed a united defensive line that even the Anbu could not cross in order to protect the seriously injured Naruto!
Karin, completely defenseless, clung tightly to Naruto's drooping arm. Driven by an intense, desperate protective instinct, the Uzumaki Bloodline within her body faintly solidified into several afterimages of solidified golden Chakra Chains on her skin! That power flashed by, yet left a chilling ripple in the air.
"If you can't hand over the person..." the Anbu Captain gritted his teeth, "then we'll force you—"
"Since the Anbu can't do it, then the Root will take over this place!"
An aged, cold, and authoritative voice came from above the city wall. Countless masked Root ninjas surged out like a black tide, blocking all escape routes and completely surrounding the area.
Sasuke and Haku's pupils widened in shock, and they gripped their weapons tightly.
Half-conscious, Naruto lay on Sasuke's back, a mocking smirk managing to force a smile despite the dire situation, "Old fox... finally decided to come out...?"
Outside the Hidden Leaf area, a dark cave.
Kabuto Yakushi hand Hand Seals and laid the top-secret scroll recording the battlefield on the stone table. As Chakra surged, the scroll projected the final scene of the Valley Battle onto the stone wall, the scene rewinding to the moment when Naruto opened the Gate of View to confront the pure Chakra Shukaku.
Orochimaru stared intently at the projection, his snake-like pupils suddenly contracting.
In the scene, Naruto is suspended in mid-air, his fists swinging wildly like phantoms. The explosive speed of his pure physical body is too fast, and the terrifying kinetic energy violently rubs against the air, creating extremely dazzling and scorching flames!
From within the scroll came Naruto's wild roar that shook the valley, "Take this! Monster Strength - Morning Peacock!!!"
Countless fiery meteors rained down like a storm, each strike carrying terrifying pressure capable of shattering the earth's crust. The night sky was torn apart; this was not Ninjutsu, but pure, dazzling, and destructive physical violence!
In the video, Shukaku roared in despair, attempting to resist with Wind Release and Absolute Defense. But Morning Peacock's power was too great and too dense; all the Chakra defenses were torn apart like paper the moment they made contact!
"BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!" Hundreds and thousands of terrifying explosions erupted on Shukaku's massive body. In the scene, the hard sand and rocks of the valley were actually burned into translucent glass crystals under the extreme temperature and impact!
Shukaku let out an extremely tragic wail as its massive body was smashed into countless holes, unable to maintain its form any longer. With a loud "bang," the once invincible Tailed Beast collapsed completely like a sandcastle crumbling.
Gaara had been sleeping, fell from the collapsing sand and was suddenly awakened in mid-air. But before he could even see what was in front of him, Naruto appeared above him as if by teleportation and delivered a powerful whip kick to Gaara's abdomen.
"Smack!" Gaara didn't even have the chance to resist. He was beaten until he foamed at the mouth, slammed heavily to the ground, and passed out. The Tailed Beast within him completely went dormant.
The video ended, and the cave fell silent.
Kabuto Yakushi pushed up his reflective glasses, his voice a little dry. "MVP of the match... He single-handedly, purely through Taijutsu, suppressed a rampaging Tailed Beast."
Orochimaru stroked the unhealed burns on his neck, his contempt for this "monster" vanishing, replaced by extreme fear and morbid greed.
"To directly seize that body... is already a pipe dream." The voice was hoarse, carrying the chilling quality unique to snakes. "I won't do anything that leads to my death."
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Naruto Uzumaki... it seems we need to reassess his priorities. Lord Orochimaru, what about Sasuke— "
"A backup plan. Keep the Snake Mark for now." Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile. "Abandon all direct probing against Naruto. Activate the 'Konoha Crush Plan' backup strategy. Use all resources to investigate the weaknesses of the 'Primordial Yang Life Energy.' That thing... it's never perfect."
Kabuto accepted the order and sealed the complete footage of the battle onto a specially made scroll. He turned and disappeared into the secret passage. But his fingers had already formed a hidden seal in his sleeve. It was the communication code for the Otogakure's secret agents. It was time to activate the backup piece of the Konoha Crush Plan.