Annihilation

Under Sasuke's control, Shukaku strode step by step into the heart of Konoha.

Naruto, the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and the one person capable of contending with Shukaku, still could not muster any strength. During the Chunin Ninja Exams finals, Neji had struck him too brutally. Forcing himself to exert strength now would only completely damage his foundation.

While Konoha's ninja hurried to rescue people and evacuate them, Jiraiya stepped forward and summoned a gigantic toad, blocking Shukaku's path.

Jiraiya's mouth moved as he said something, though Sasuke did not hear any of it.

—To prevent certain people's talk-no-jutsu from changing his resolve, and to avoid being irritated by the grand principles in certain people's lectures, Sasuke decisively shut off his hearing. Until he achieved his goal, he did not want to hear anyone's nonsense!

Jiraiya could stop Shukaku from advancing, but he could not stop the sand from consuming Konoha. Half the village had already been buried beneath a sea of sand. Every method Jiraiya used to attack was blocked by Sasuke, and he utterly failed to draw Sasuke's attention or divert his firepower.

Sasuke still had not seen Danzo, not even a single Root member. The former Root base was completely empty. He did not know whether Danzo had fled in advance after sensing that the situation was bad.

"Cherishing one's life in the face of great matters, risking one's life for petty gains," "aiming too high," "great ambition but little ability"—Danzo was exactly that kind of person. It would not be strange at all for him to flee before battle.

Decades ago, Danzo had competed with Hiruzen Sarutobi to stay behind and cover their companions' retreat. Unfortunately, people changed with time. The current Danzo did not possess so much self-sacrificing spirit. He preferred burning others to illuminate himself.

Sasuke casually blocked Jiraiya's sneak attack, then filled the Root base with sand. Standing atop Shukaku's head, he looked at Hokage Rock in the distance and gave a cold smile. He spread the five fingers of his right hand. Driven by magic power, Shukaku opened his grotesque jaws wide, and a sphere of dark-red chakra gathered from small to large before his mouth.

"Tailed Beast Ball!"

Whether civilians or ninja, everyone shuddered from the bottom of their hearts. Konoha had already endured one Tailed Beast disaster. Was calamity about to descend upon them again?

Seeing this, Orochimaru, inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, immediately had the Sound Four dispel the barrier and swiftly withdrew.

"It's getting more and more interesting." His hoarse voice drifted away on the wind, no one knew where.

Panting heavily, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not pursue Orochimaru. The village was currently facing an even worse situation. With trembling hands, he carried the Ruyi Jingu Bang and leaped toward Shukaku. He had to defeat Shukaku. He had to protect the village. He had to fulfill his responsibility as Hokage!

So... I still can't fall yet! Hiruzen Sarutobi silently encouraged himself. Yet some things would not change according to a person's will. After Rasa's self-destruction and Orochimaru's ambush, he was already exhausted beyond measure. It was difficult to say whether he still had the strength for another battle.

The closer Hiruzen Sarutobi came to Shukaku, the clearer his view became. The person standing atop Shukaku was someone he had never imagined—how could it be Sasuke Uchiha?

"Why is this happening? Why would Sasuke attack the village? Could he have already learned the truth?" The thought flashed through Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind in an instant.

See? He knew perfectly well what the Uchiha clan's destruction meant to Sasuke. The moment Sasuke tried to harm the village, he immediately thought of the reason.

The Tailed Beast Ball had already fully formed. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and countless Konoha ninja shouted loudly, hoping Sasuke would stop, but unfortunately, he could not hear a thing.

"Farewell, Konoha." Sasuke calmly released the Tailed Beast Ball. With a thunderous explosion, Hokage Rock, which had stood since Konoha's founding as a symbol of the Hokage's lofty status, was flattened.

The cliff where Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha had once discussed their dreams of peace together was reduced to rubble just like that.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nearly clutched his chest and collapsed. The shock was too great; he could barely endure it. Two streams of tears slid from the corners of his eyes and down his wrinkled old face. He looked utterly desolate.

Naruto's attention was also drawn by that Tailed Beast Ball. "Th-that was Sasuke! Damn it! How could that bastard do this?!"

In a moment of impulse, Naruto ran toward Shukaku. Though his entire body felt terribly weak, he still wanted to stop Sasuke. Iruka, who had remained by his side the entire time, could not stop him at all. "Naruto, calm down! Don't lose your head!"

The importance of the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki went without saying. Jiraiya had deliberately placed Naruto somewhere safe and assigned Iruka to watch over him, but Naruto insisted on approaching danger. No one could stop his determination.

At the same time, one of Konoha's strongest fighters, Might Guy, was also approaching Shukaku. He had even directly opened the Seventh Gate.

"Huh? Where did Kakashi go?" Might Guy suddenly noticed that his best friend had disappeared. A brief flicker of confusion passed through his thick-headed mind before he cast it aside. What lay before him was more important.

Sasuke did not stop after firing one Tailed Beast Ball. A new one was gathering. When he saw Might Guy approaching, he could not help but feel wary, so he immediately activated the ocular technique [Grievance Bind].

Might Guy inexplicably stopped. During that opening, two more thunderous explosions rang out. Konoha Hospital and the Ninja Academy were gone. Medical care and education were the two great foundations of a ninja village—they had to be destroyed!

Mushroom clouds rose into the sky one after another. By then, Neji Hyuga had already traveled far away from Konoha, yet he could still hear those earth-shaking explosions.

He looked back, and a subtle curve formed at the corner of his mouth, seeming both pleased and mocking.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, hiding in the shelter, listened to the commotion outside and could not help trembling in fear.

"Do we really not need to go out and help? Hiruzen probably can't handle this alone." Utatane Koharu's face was full of worry.

"There is no need to do anything unnecessary." Mitokado Homura's aged face looked uncertain beneath the shelter's faint light. He adjusted his glasses and said firmly, "If the village's unrest cannot be eliminated, Hiruzen must ultimately bear responsibility for everything. If even Hiruzen cannot deal with it, going out would not help us either. We might as well remain here as the village's last hope."

"This shelter is well concealed. If Konoha truly is destroyed, then as long as we remain alive, we will certainly be able to lead the survivors and let Konoha flourish once more!"

Mitokado Homura spoke louder and louder, perhaps trying to convince Utatane Koharu, or perhaps himself.

Utatane Koharu nodded heavily. "You do have a point. Besides, there's still Danzo..."

"Boom!"

A Tailed Beast Ball struck the shelter, turning everyone inside into scraps.

Endless light and heat rushed toward them. This was the final sight Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura saw.