They stared at the swapped-out "Iron Fist" forehead protectors in their hands.
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki wanted to die.
What the hell kind of godlike sleight of hand was that?!
He had only slung his arms around their necks for a moment, and their Konoha forehead protectors had turned into his!
If Lord Hokage saw this, forget a demotion-they could be convicted of betraying the village outright!
"Quick! Switch them back! Otherwise, even jumping into the Naka River won't clear our names!"
The two scrambled to throw away the Iron Fist forehead protectors.
Just then.
Rumble-!
A deep, violent grinding of mechanisms suddenly sounded above their heads.
Immediately afterward.
Before their terrified eyes.
Five black iron bars, each as thick as a thigh, dropped without warning inside Konoha's enormous green gate!
That was not all.
The instant the iron bars descended, the densely packed sealing runes covering them erupted with dazzling purple light.
An enormous barrier formed in an instant.
It trapped the huge convoy, which had just driven through the gate and had yet to fully enter the village, firmly in the middle of the gateway.
"Wh-what's going on?!"
Izumo Kamizuki paled in shock.
"This is the 'Purple Lightning Seal'! It's only activated during an S-rank invasion by an enemy nation!"
"Who activated the barrier without Lord Hokage's orders?!"
Inside the gateway.
The heavily armored giant beasts pulling the carriages roared in alarm at the sudden iron bars.
The merchant association's guards immediately drew their weapons and surrounded the carriages to protect them.
Kenya sat on a carriage, watching the purple barrier and iron bars blocking their path, and the smile gradually disappeared from his face.
"Looks like someone among Konoha's higher-ups still doesn't want us doing business in peace."
Tsunade emerged from the carriage with a cold expression and recognized the barrier's formula at a glance.
"This is Root's handiwork."
She snorted, a trace of anger flashing through her eyes.
"That rat Danzo really won't leave us alone."
Meanwhile.
Several Root agents hidden in a concealed sentry post above the gate watched the trapped convoy through surveillance and let out sinister chuckles.
"Lord Danzo predicted everything perfectly. That brat really did dare to swagger right in through the front gate."
A trace of smugness flashed through the lead agent captain's eyes.
"This Purple Lightning Seal was designed specifically to counter powerful taijutsu and ninjutsu. However strong he is, he'll be paralyzed the instant he touches the barrier."
The agent captain picked up a loudspeaker, his icy voice echoing through the gateway.
"Senju Kenya! You are suspected of serious crimes, including illegal fundraising and armed defection!"
"Your convoy has been isolated by Root for investigation!"
"Lay down your weapons and surrender immediately! Otherwise, we will consider your actions a declaration of war against Konoha!"
It was a sweeping accusation, and a vicious one.
If Kenya dared to force his way through the barrier in full view of everyone.
He would cement the charge of terrorism, and then not even Tsunade could protect him.
"A declaration of war?"
Hearing the voice from the loudspeaker, Kenya could not help digging at his ear.
"That old dog Danzo has no other skills, but he sure keeps getting better at pinning charges on people."
He jumped down from the carriage and strolled toward the five iron bars flickering with purple light.
"Boss, want me to handle it?"
Zabuza walked over, dragging his heavy black iron sword, his gaze fierce.
"A few more slashes should break a barrier like this."
"No need. Your sword may be tough, but dealing with a chakra barrier like this would take too much effort."
Kenya waved a hand, signaling Zabuza to step back.
He walked up to the iron bars said to withstand S-rank ninjutsu and stopped.
Watching this, the Root agents in the concealed sentry post all sneered mockingly.
"Idiot. This seal has lightning release chakra added to it."
"If he dares touch it, tens of thousands of volts will fry him to a crisp instantly!"
The agent captain sneered and pressed the button for the barrier's maximum output.
However.
The next second.
The smiles on every agent's face froze completely.
Kenya did not reach out to touch the iron bars as they had expected.
He merely rolled his neck somewhat impatiently, producing a series of sharp cracks.
Then.
He took a deep breath.
The muscles of his right arm instantly swelled, a dark golden sheen flowing beneath his skin.
There was no fancy opening stance, nor any coating of haki.
It was nothing but the simplest, most brutal straight punch.
Kenya swung his right arm and drove it viciously toward the heavy iron bars and purple barrier before him!
Boom-!!!
An earth-shattering blast beyond description!
It was as though a meteor had slammed straight into Konoha's gate.
The violent wind from his punch became a visible white shock wave, sweeping wildly in every direction with Kenya at its center.
Before this terrifying, utterly pure brute strength.
The Purple Lightning Seal, supposedly capable of withstanding S-rank ninjutsu.
Shattered instantly into a skyful of purple motes with a pop, like a soap bubble pricked by a needle!
But that was not all.
The punch's remaining force did not diminish.
Those five refined steel bars, each as thick as a thigh.
The instant they met the wind from his punch.
Were forcibly battered into twisted scrap as though they were fragile noodles!
Immediately afterward, a series of cracking sounds rang out.
Before everyone's utterly horrified eyes.
The immensely thick wall of Konoha's gate, towering dozens of meters high.
Had a massive hole over ten meters in diameter blasted straight through it by that terrifying punch!
Iron shavings and broken stones filled the air, shooting into the village like a torrential downpour.
The entire area around Konoha's gate seemed to have undergone a small earthquake.
The ground shook and the mountains trembled!
Inside the concealed sentry post.
The Root agents who had been sneering just moments earlier felt the ground beneath their feet shake violently.
Then, to their horror, they discovered.
The walls of their concealed sentry post were cracking inch by inch under the aftershock of that punch!
Crash!
The concealed sentry post collapsed completely.
The Root agents screamed in terror and fell straight off the wall from over ten meters up.
They landed amid the rubble, covered in dust and dirt, wailing incessantly.
The dust cleared.
Kenya stood before the enormous hole in the wall.
He leisurely dusted off his hands.
He looked at the Root agents, their faces bruised and swollen from the fall, their expressions full of terror.