Art is an Explosion (Part One)

"Naruto, it's you!"

In a cramped room, Gaara clutched his throbbing head and stared in disbelief at the grinning Naruto.

Naruto settled into a chair as though he owned the place and watched Gaara with interest.

"Where am I? How did you bring me here?" Gaara demanded coldly, his face twisted with anger.

"This is where I used to live." A trace of mockery flashed through Naruto's eyes.

Though Naruto had moved into a new home after blowing up this old house, it had soon been rebuilt.

"Why did you bring me here? What's your relationship with that masked woman with red hair?"

Gaara asked impatiently. He always asked two questions at once, and Naruto only answered one.

"Why? So you can do what you were supposed to do!"

Naruto stood, done wasting words on Gaara. His Mangekyō Sharingan flashed for an instant. Before Gaara could even make out his eyes, he fell under hypnosis!

Sunagakure's Tailed Beast Sealing Jutsu was so poor that whenever Gaara fell into a deep sleep, the One-Tail, Shukaku, could emerge from his body, seize control, and return to his enormous true form.

Boom!

Sure enough, the next moment, the One-Tail, Shukaku, appeared on the spot, laughing wildly.

The entire house burst apart into Ruins.

Naruto had brought Gaara here because this was the heart of Konoha—and because the people living nearby were the ones who had bullied him worst.

Revenge could wait ten years, but it would come!

Ha!

When a colossal creature suddenly appeared in the center of Konoha, the whole village erupted into chaos.

"Wahaha! I'm finally out!"

The One-Tail, Shukaku, laughed wildly, spewing one powerful Wind Release attack after another in every direction.

Being trapped inside Gaara had driven him stir-crazy, and he was restless by nature. Now that he was suddenly free, he intended to enjoy himself to the fullest.

The nearby homes were struck by catastrophe. More and more Konoha Villagers were gravely wounded or killed.

To Naruto, their screams sounded no different from the taunts and curses they had once hurled at him.

They were just as shrill and hateful as ever!

No—now they sounded wonderful!

The sound left Naruto feeling so relieved that a moan escaped him.

Then Naruto felt a faint stir from the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, as though he were trying to contact him. With a thought, Naruto entered the Sealing Space and saw the Nine-Tails beyond the gate.

"Kid, let me out and I'll help you get revenge. How about we destroy Konoha completely?"

The Nine-Tails' voice was as seductive as ever.

"Who do you think you are? You're in no position to bargain with me."

Naruto looked at the Nine-Tails, still bound tight by the Divine Power Immortal-Binding Rope, and gave a disdainful snort.

"If you're willing to cooperate and let me become a Perfect Jinchuriki who can freely draw on your power, I might give you a little freedom and chat with you now and then. Forget everything else, and stop bothering me."

With that, Naruto withdrew his mind before the Nine-Tails could say another word. He surveyed the surrounding Ruins, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

The masked Female Avatar with red hair appeared silently beside him. Naruto turned to her and asked, "Is all the Explosive Clay in place?"

"Mm. The Exam Venue, the Three-Headed Snake, and this area are all ready. We're just waiting for a large number of Konoha Ninja to arrive!"

The Female Avatar nodded with a cold smile. Her eyes held nothing but icy indifference, as though what came next hardly mattered.

"Haha! I can barely wait!"

Naruto laughed, then turned toward the Third Hokage's location and pointed.

"Start by detonating the clay where Kakashi is at the venue. There are over a dozen Konoha Elite there, Kakashi included, plus dozens of Sound Ninja under Yakushi Kabuto."

"Got it!"

The Female Avatar formed a one-handed sign beside her mouth and cried, "Art is an Explosion!"

At the venue, swarms of Clay Spiders suddenly crawled out from beneath the seats and sprang at everyone standing there.

That included Yakushi Kabuto and dozens of other ninja, as well as Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and the rest of the Konoha Elite.

The spiders appeared too suddenly and could leap remarkably far. Only a handful of ninja reacted in time to dodge or kick them away.

The Female Avatar had made them with her God-Tier Explosion Release Clay Bloodline. They could be controlled remotely, seek out enemies on their own, and pack a devastating punch!

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom!

Dozens of Sound Ninja and several Konoha Ninja were killed outright. Many sleeping Konoha Villagers were caught in the blasts.

Even Kakashi, Yakushi Kabuto, and the few other elite ninja who survived were badly wounded.

They looked at one another and realized that a third party was involved in this war!

Who could it be?

Kakashi and the other Konoha Ninja thought of another ninja village, such as Iwagakure, which specialized in Explosion Release.

Yakushi Kabuto thought of Akatsuki. He knew that Deidara, the partner of one of his masters, Sasori of the Red Sands, used a similar form of Explosion Release Ninjutsu!

The thought frightened Yakushi Kabuto so badly that he fled at once, without even stopping to worry about his other master, Orochimaru.

Kakashi and the others lay helpless on the ground, their faces full of worry and dread.

Naruto was about to head over and finish Kakashi off when he sensed a squad of Anbu Ninja rapidly arriving beside them.

Naruto and the Female Avatar would have struggled to beat the Anbu, and it was too late to attack with Explosive Clay again. He could only sigh and give up.

Still, the points from that single small explosion had doubled under Shura Field Mode, leaving Naruto grinning from ear to ear.

Konoha had an emergency plan for surprise attacks.

First, the Konoha Guardian Ninja would do everything they could to hold off the invaders and buy time for the second step.

Second, the Konoha Ninja within the village would quickly evacuate all civilians, the elderly, women, and children, preserving as many lives as possible.

Third, every Konoha Ninja would counterattack!

Konoha had used this plan during the Nine-Tails' attack years ago. Back then, Kurenai Yuhi and the other children had been protected and evacuated by her father, Shinku Yuhi.

Now the emergency plan had been activated again.

It would also be activated when Pain invaded in the future. Unfortunately, one "carrying rice upstairs" from Pain would turn all of Konoha into a giant crater.

But this time, the One-Tail, Shukaku, had appeared without warning in the village center and killed countless civilians. The emergency plan had little chance to work.

The Konoha Ninja evacuating the crowds elsewhere had no choice but to divert some of their number to try to contain the One-Tail, Shukaku's rampage.

Otherwise, there would soon be no one left to evacuate. The One-Tail, Shukaku, would destroy all of Konoha.

The destructive power of a Tailed Beast was enough to inspire despair, even when that beast was the weakest of them all.

Naruto and the Female Avatar watched with grins as the Konoha Ninja besieging Shukaku fell gravely wounded one after another. Without hesitation, they slipped through the shadows, finishing off the fallen wherever they could.

The points in the system climbed rapidly, doubling instantly under Shura Field Mode.