"No, dude... what the hell is this? Is he cheating?"
"Is he even human anymore?"
"What do we do? Can we really beat him?"
At the center of Kumogakure.
The village, shrouded in night, had fallen into an apocalyptic stillness. Only the golden radiance suspended high overhead shone like a second sun, blazing with dazzling light and painting Kumogakure's entire skyline gold.
Beneath that golden glow, an eerie silence engulfed the village.
Thousands of Kumogakure ninja looked up, their faces pale, a rare emotion appearing in all their eyes-fear.
This was not a battle they recognized, nor a level of ninjutsu they could comprehend.
They simply-instinctively sensed death approaching.
"You bastard, Yemu Hyuga! Are you really going to destroy Kumogakure?!"
The Fourth Raikage's muscles tensed, his furious voice rising almost to a roar.
He forced down his panic, but he could not deny that this was the first time in his life... that a ninjutsu had made him feel such overwhelming pressure and danger.
Power like this had long since surpassed the bounds of reason and tactics.
"Lord Raikage, what should we do?" Samui's face was deathly pale, her lips trembling.
At the center of that golden light, she could clearly see a figure standing amid the radiance, like a deity passing judgment on the mortal world, capable of destroying a village with a mere gesture.
She tried hard not to think about it, but-that person's appearance bore a startling resemblance to the boy in her memories.
They were the same age, yet an endless abyss seemed to separate them.
The Raikage panted heavily, leaning against a ruined wall, his gaze falling on the Third Raikage's remains nearby.
At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind: perhaps he would meet the same fate.
"Goddammit... now I finally understand why