Thud!
An invisible pressure swept through the air, rippling outward like waves across a lake.
It was as though a heavy hammer had struck their hearts, jolting everyone awake.
Crack-boom!
A bolt of deep crimson lightning suddenly struck down from the clear sky!
The twisting lightning writhed in the air, letting out a thunderous rumble.
"This is..."
Kakashi Hatake abruptly looked up at the dark clouds that had already blotted out the sun, the oppressive feeling in his heart growing heavier.
Did Shihōin Naraku cause this?
Everyone watched the sky suddenly change color, unsure what had happened.
"Hah!"
Before anyone could react, Shihōin Naraku suddenly drove his clenched right fist toward the boulder before him.
A deafening boom rang out. Naraku's fist had not landed on the boulder, but had instead stopped just short of it.
Did he miss?
No, it was just right!
Violent force broke through the resistance of the air, whipping up waves of wind that instantly struck the boulder!
The next second, cracks covered the boulder.
Then, with a clatter, it crumbled into fragments scattered across the ground.
The tearing wind swept onward, billowing dust rising in its wake as it scoured the mass of boulders filling the deep pit.
Crack...
One cracking sound followed another. In an instant, all the boulders began rapidly breaking apart, collapsing into countless fragments that filled countless gaps.
The surrounding Konoha ninja stared wide-eyed at the sight before them in disbelief.
They had thought the Hokage would use ninjutsu to shatter these boulders. Who could have imagined that a single punch would solve what had seemed an incredibly troublesome problem?
"That's terrifying. Is that really a power humans can master? Can physical strength alone reach that level?"
Kakashi scratched his head, no less shocked than anyone else.
Standing at the