Explosion

Yamamoto Naka laughed for a long while before stopping. Then she roared angrily, "But I never expected that just because I took shelter from the rain, that damn lizard would swallow me whole, while that bitch Yamamoto Tomoko escaped." As she spoke, Yamamoto pressed the Kunai harder against Yamamoto Tomoko's neck. Yamamoto Tomoko let out a muffled groan, and a thin line of blood seeped from her fair neck.

"Please, don't!" the village chief said.

Uzumaki Hane and the other two had kept their eyes on Yamamoto Naka, looking for an opening. None of them made a move now, because she was being very careful and had done Yamamoto Tomoko little harm.

Yamamoto Naka continued, "But just before I was swallowed, I threatened Yamamoto Tomoko. I told her that if she didn't save me, the other ninja would kill every last villager. Hahahaha... I never thought she'd actually believe me and bring you here."

Yamamoto Naka went on, her anger mounting. "Damn it, I never expected you to be so strong. I had Yamamoto Tomoko lower the mission to B-rank because I wanted Konoha to send weaker ninja. But things being what they are, even if I joined the fight, we still wouldn't be a match for you. Damn it, I could only stay hidden, but I never expected this old bastard to ruin everything so quickly."

Uzumaki Hane stepped forward and said, "If you'd taken the chance to leave just now, we wouldn't have caught up to you in time. Now that you've taken Yamamoto Tomoko hostage, what are you planning to do?" He continued toward Yamamoto Naka, one step at a time.

Yamamoto Naka had seen Uzumaki Hane use his Kekkei Genkai to burn her companions to ash in an instant, so she was extremely wary of him. Seeing him approach, she hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Don't come any closer, or I can't guarantee she'll live." She pressed the Kunai harder, and blood ran down Yamamoto Tomoko's neck.

Uzumaki Hane stopped. "Then what do you want us to do?"

Yamamoto Naka said, "If you want this woman to live, surrender without a fight."

Hyuga Tanaka cut in. "Surrender without a fight? Are you sure you can keep us under control?" Without drawing attention to himself, he took several steps forward.

Yamamoto Naka's expression changed. She knew she really wasn't confident she could control all three of them. Yamamoto Naka thought for a moment, but failed to notice Yamano Koromo taking several steps forward as well, concealed by Uzumaki Hane and Hyuga Tanaka.

Yamamoto Naka continued, "I want you to kill each other."

Hyuga Tanaka said, "Do you think that's going to happen?"

Uzumaki Hane gave Yamano Koromo a signal to attack, then said to Yamamoto Naka, "You want us to kill each other, is that right?" He drove the Kunai in his hand into his chest, and red liquid splashed out, startling everyone.

Yamamoto Naka hadn't expected Uzumaki Hane to do that either, and her expression changed. At that moment, Yamano Koromo rapidly formed Hand Seals. Yamamoto Naka's vision blurred, and she felt as though she had come to another world. Damn it, it's Genjutsu, she thought anxiously.

Seeing Yamamoto Naka caught in the Genjutsu, Uzumaki Hane rushed toward her. By then, Yamamoto Naka had already broken free of the Genjutsu and come to her senses. But it was too late. Uzumaki Hane reached out with his left hand and grabbed her hand. Then his right hand swiftly turned to lava, and he punched through her chest, instantly burning the organs inside to ash. Yamamoto Naka's eyes widened, and she stared fixedly at Uzumaki Hane. Slowly, the light faded from her eyes, and she fell to the ground.

Yamamoto Tomoko seemed frightened. She threw her arms around Uzumaki Hane and held on tight.

"It's all right now," Uzumaki Hane said gently. Yamamoto Tomoko's lips moved slightly. Uzumaki Hane gave a slight start, then nodded gently.

The village chief came over again. "Tomoko, are you all right?"

Yamamoto Tomoko let go of Uzumaki Hane and said, "Grandpa chief, I'm all right."

Seeing that Yamamoto Tomoko really was all right, the village chief said to Uzumaki Hane and the others, "We have you Konoha ninja to thank for helping us wipe out all the ninja in one fell swoop."

The village chief had someone continue preparing the feast, and the banquet began again.

Late that night, Uzumaki Hane quietly left his room and went to a hillside. Yamamoto Tomoko stood there looking frail, gazing at the distant sky as though she might depart this world at any moment.

Uzumaki Hane stopped three meters from Yamamoto Tomoko and said, "Yamamoto, what did you want to see me about?" Earlier, Yamamoto Tomoko had asked him to come here late at night, saying she had something she wanted to tell him.

Yamamoto Tomoko turned to look at Uzumaki Hane and said mournfully, "I really didn't want to do this, but your very existence is a threat to us, so I came here prepared to die."

Uzumaki Hane wasn't surprised. "Who exactly are you?"

Yamamoto Tomoko said, "You've already figured out my true identity, haven't you?" A Kunai appeared in her right hand, and she charged at Uzumaki Hane.

A Kunai appeared in Uzumaki Hane's hand as well, and he raised it to block. The two Kunai gleamed coldly as they clashed.

Uzumaki Hane said, "You still haven't told me who you are, but in this world, there should be only one person who wants me dead."

Yamamoto Tomoko gripped a Kunai in her left hand and stabbed at Uzumaki Hane's chest. He made no attempt to block, letting the Kunai pierce his chest. He continued, "If I'm not mistaken, Danzo sent you to kill me, didn't he?"

Yamamoto Tomoko frowned and quickly retreated more than three meters. "This is all for Lord Danzo," she said. "I was just thinking about how to lure you out when these ninja suddenly appeared here. That gave me an idea: I guided the village chief into going to Konoha for help, so I could take the chance to kill you."

Uzumaki Hane looked at the wound in his chest. Magma flowed slowly over it, and the wound disappeared. He said, "But that alone isn't enough to kill me."

Yamamoto Tomoko said, "That's true. Only after seeing your strength did I realize we'd underestimated how quickly you've grown. Even if I tricked you into leaving the village, I still couldn't kill you."

Yamamoto Tomoko paused and looked up at the sky. Stars dotted it, making it look so beautiful.

Uzumaki Hane simply watched her in silence.

After a while, Yamamoto Tomoko looked at Uzumaki Hane and said, "Do you know why I asked you to come here? Because the ground beneath this entire area is covered with Explosive Tags. This is the grave I prepared for you. Let's die together." An Explosive Tag appeared in her hand, and she threw it straight onto the ground. The Explosive Tag began to burn.

Boom! The Explosive Tag detonated, setting off a chain reaction across the entire area. Explosions erupted one after another, roaring without end, and instantly engulfed the nearby Yamamoto Tomoko.

Uzumaki Hane watched the explosions spread toward him, but he couldn't dodge them and was engulfed as well.