Divine Descent Upon Konoha

Outside Hidden Leaf, in the valley battlefield.

Three figures wearing animal masks landed in the shadows of the trees; they were a special surveillance team from Hidden Leaf's Anbu, tasked with investigating abnormal Chakra fluctuations.

The Anbu Captain froze the moment he stepped into the valley.

His gaze swept over the sand and gravel ground, now charred into a translucent glass-like state, the utterly destroyed remains of Shukaku, and the unconscious Gaara, finally settling on Naruto, who was supporting Temari, covered in blood yet standing more steadily than Naruto else—no, that person had already turned and walked away, leaving only his back view.

"Team... Captain, this ground..." The team member behind him trembled as he pointed to the strange geological formation beneath his feet, which had been melted by the high temperature and then suddenly solidified, unable to speak for a moment.

The Anbu Captain's throat tightened, and the Third Hokage Hokage's lecture on the classification of Tailed Beast threats flashed through his mind—the perfect One-Tail Beast, in the entire Shinobi World, there were very few ninjas who could suppress it head-on.

The Third Hokage patriarch is no longer with us.

This thought made his voice crack.

"Return to the village immediately and report! Top-level emergency intelligence!" The captain's voice trembled. "Naruto Uzumaki... single- One-Tail suppressed the complete form of Shukaku!"

Another team member lightly touched the ground with his toes, darted into the dense forest, and sprinted towards Hidden Leaf.

The moment the messenger disappeared into the treetops, the wind from the valley brought scorched sand and dust, along with the pungent smell of glass burned by the high temperature.

At the Konoha, beneath the city wall.

The setting sun cast a dark shadow over the city wall.

The atmosphere plummeted to freezing point.

The captain of the Special Surveillance Squad, wearing an animal Anbu, 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 else you will be considered a traitor—"

"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, sealing off all escape routes.

A large number of Root ninja surged onto the city wall. Their leader stood at the highest point, surveying the entire area from above, his voice icy. "Shimura Danzō's order—arrest Naruto Uzumaki and all suspicious individuals from other villages. Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot."

The black wave surrounded Sasuke, Haku, Hinata, Karin.

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 mess with my older brother, you'll have to step over the corpses of the Uchiha!"

Sasuke's voice was flat and monotone, his obsessive fanaticism hidden in his eyes.

The temperature is dropping sharply.

Frost quickly formed on the ground, white ice crystals condensed on the 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 huge ice blades solidified behind her.

"If anyone dares to touch him, I'll turn half of Hidden Leaf into a glacier."

Temari bit her lip and took a step forward, unleashing her enormous Iron Fan with a "bang" to shield Sasuke and the unconscious Naruto. The Hidden Sand princess's voice trembled, but she did not back down.

"Is this how you, Hidden Leaf, treat the people who just saved the village?!"

Hinata Hyuga forest to the side, her pure white eyes surrounded by bulging, menacing veins, and assumed a desperate Gentle Fist stance, blocking the way at the forefront.

"Hinata of the Hyuga Clan Main Family clan, from the main branch, is here!"

Karin, completely defenseless, clung tightly to Naruto's drooping arm. Driven by an intense, desperate protective instinct, the Uzumaki Bloodline within her caused several faint, materialized golden Chakra Chains to materialize on her body. The power flashed by, leaving a chilling ripple in the air.

Four people, from four directions, surrounded the unconscious Naruto.

The Root leader snorted coldly, raised his arm, and prepared to give the order for a full-scale attack.

At this very moment.

Naruto, who was perched on Sasuke's back, smiled.

The laughter was very soft, as if squeezed from deep in the throat, with a hoarseness from surviving a disaster, and a certain playful mockery.

All the rooted ninjas' eyes locked onto this at the same time.

Within Naruto's body, the remaining Yang Release energy acted like a lit fuse, resonating intensely with the Uzumaki- origin Chakra Karin previously activated under extreme protectiveness. The two life forces, both originating from the Uzumaki Clan, collided, merged, and amplified in his meridians, triggering the self-healing mechanism of the Perfect Sage Body, which breaks down and rebuilds.

The bones made a popping sound, like popping beans.

The blackened, ruptured blood vessels are healing beneath the skin at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Naruto broke free from Sasuke's back and landed steadily.

Sasuke staggered and turned around, his pupils shrinking sharply—the person who had been breathing so faintly just minutes before was now standing in front of him, his back straight as a spear.

Naruto has one hand in his pocket.

His disdainful gaze swept across the face of the Root chieftain, then casually drifted over the dense black figures atop the city wall.

A life force, devoid of Chakra and as pure as that of an ancient ferocious beast, was suddenly released from his body.

It wasn't murderous intent. It wasn't a fluctuation of Chakra.

It's a crushing defeat on a level of life.

The Root ninja in the front row buckled at the knees, his blade scraping against the ground with a piercing metallic screech. The people in the second row instinctively took a step back, their breathing becoming rapid as if someone were choking them.

The Root leader's pupils dilated violently, before his arm could even fall.

Naruto disappeared.

It's not Body Flicker Technique, it's not a substitute, it's pure physical speed so fast that the retina can't even detect it.

The next second, a tangible shockwave from a whip-like kick exploded from the center of the Root array.

More than a dozen elite Root were sent flying like pieces of paper caught in a hurricane, crashing into the Root the city wall with a series of muffled thuds. The shockwave plowed a three-meter-long trench in the ground, sending rubble flying.

Naruto stopped.

He slowly and deliberately pulled Hinata, Haku, Temari, Karin, who were blocking his way, back behind him, as if he were tidying up his belongings that had been scattered by the wind.

"Who dares to lay a finger on my men?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a muffled thunderclap hitting everyone's eardrums.

Cold sweat dripped down the chin of the Root leader, and his hand gripping the knife trembled.

The situation has reached a dead end.

Just then--

A figure covered in blood broke through the outer encirclement of the Root from the direction of the dense forest, crashing into the center of the opposing group like a cannonball.

Anbu messenger.

He knelt on one knee, his chest heaving violently, his breathing beneath the mask sounding like a broken bellows. His gaze swept over Gaara, who lay unconscious on the ground, and over Naruto, who stood more firmly than a city wall despite being covered in blood. His voice trembled so much it was almost distorted.

"Report!"

Everyone looked at him.

"The complete form of Shukaku the One-Tail Shukaku has been defeated! There are traces of damage from a level Sixth Gate Taijutsu left at the scene... It was Naruto Uzumaki single-handedly suppressed the Tailed Beast!"

The sound exploded before the deathly silent city gate.

All eyes froze instantly.

The entire venue fell into dead silence.

The Root leader's mask was soaked with cold sweat. The feat of single-handedly suppressing Tailed Beast —this achievement directly elevated Naruto's danger level to an absolute level beyond the reach of Konoha High Command. Only one thought occupied his mind: the task Danzo had given him was a joke from the very beginning.