"..."
The crowd's dry throats instinctively worked, even ignoring the lingering pain in their bodies.
Undoubtedly, that destructive strike just now came from that terrifying thing.
However, the opponent's strike, powerful enough to completely wipe the entire shelter off the Konoha map, had actually been met head-on by the formidable Lord Hyūga Kawa.
Without him, everything standing before that beam of light would have been reduced to scorched earth and yellow dust, and every single one of them would have burst into a scarlet, dense blood mist.
The sheer terror of that scene was enough to make everyone's souls tremble anew, just by imagining it.
At this moment, the gaze of all survivors converged simultaneously on that blood-soaked figure.
Their eyes were filled with the relief of having survived a catastrophe, a deep reverence for such immense power, and even a near-fanatical gratitude and trust.
Especially the children from the Ninja Academy, whose faces still held residual fear, but whose eyes were startlingly bright as they stared at Hyūga Kawa's figure.
"Lord Kawa! You..."
Shizune, her face stained with dust and blood, quickly stepped forward, unconsciously changing her form of address. Seeing Hyūga Kawa coughing up blood, her eyes were filled with unconcealed anxiety and concern.
"Cough! I'm fine." Hyūga Kawa raised a hand, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and his voice, though a bit hoarse, was unusually steady. He handed the unconscious Uzumaki Naruto in his arms to Shizune.
His gaze quickly swept the surroundings. Protected by the wings, most of the survivors were safe. Although everyone had some injuries, their lives were saved.
Seeing this, he took an almost greedy breath. This subtle expression of relief, seen by the people of Konoha at that moment, deeply moved them.
This Lord, despite his own severe injuries, was primarily concerned with their safety.
However, the relief on Hyūga Kawa's face lasted only for the briefest moment.
He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the enormous hole in the ceiling, locking onto the aerial fortress still suspended in the sky.
"The war is not over."
His voice was calm yet held an undeniable power, clearly entering the ears of everyone present.
These words shattered the brief relief of survival, once again placing the harsh reality before everyone.
He retracted his gaze and looked around, his eyes sweeping over the ninjas still capable of standing, and he spoke in a deep voice: "Now, everyone capable of movement, run."
"Move the civilians to a safer location at the fastest speed, maintain order, and prioritize the protection of all surviving civilians."
"Those unable to move due to injury, lie down where you are, remain quiet, and wait for the medical squad!"
His voice was not particularly loud, even carrying a hint of imperceptible weakness, but the fierce aura that had yet to completely dissipate around him formed an invisible pressure.
Every ninja who heard the command, including Shizune, who was theoretically his peer as a Jonin, regardless of age or seniority, instantly straightened their expression.
"Yes!"
Without any hesitation or doubt, a unified response thundered through the ruins.
The ninjas immediately moved like precise gears: supporting the wounded, guiding the civilians, clearing obstacles, their movements swift and orderly.
Hyūga Kawa slowly turned and looked up at the hole above.
Whoosh!!
The wings behind him flapped violently downwards, and his body transformed into a white streak of light.
Meanwhile, outside the shelter.
Shinno, having become the "Zero-Tails Jinchūriki," fired that Chakra cannon blast from a high position far away, aimed down.
The Hokage Residence, located directly in front of the Hokage Rock, was naturally within its range of attack.
For the people of Konoha, the disaster arrived without warning, yet it was swift as lightning. All they heard was a terrifying roar, more heart-stopping than any previous explosion!
Boom!!
In an instant, the earth shook, and the world lost its color.
Centered on the Hokage Residence, a colossal mushroom cloud, mixed with soaring debris, smoke, dust, and flames, billowed into the sky!
The terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring, sweeping in all directions. The surrounding streets, houses, and forests were instantly torn apart and flung away!
A scorching wave of air rushed towards them from the distance.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several figures, barely managing to Shunshin (Body Flicker Technique) at the last second, precariously appeared on a still-intact three-story building far away.
They were Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade, and several Anbu ninjas.
The roaring flames cast long, distorted, and swaying shadows behind them. Thick black smoke rolled up, obscuring the sky and stinging their eyes.
They stared at the direction where the Hokage Residence once stood, their expressions frozen.
There, the Hokage Residence was virtually gone.
In its place was a terrifying, bottomless pit with a diameter of tens of meters, its edges spiraling irregularly. The interior looked like the messy aftermath inside a meat grinder.
Crunch... Bang!
Accompanied by a bone-jarring sound, steel bars and load-bearing structures snapped completely, collapsing along with debris.
A few clusters of burning embers drifted on the wind, floating unsteadily toward Sarutobi Hiruzen.
The flame struggled for a moment in front of him, then silently extinguished, turning into a wisp of faint blue smoke.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stared blankly at the scene before him, watching the Hokage Rock equally consumed by the explosion and flames.
"..."
His lips trembled uncontrollably. He tried to say something, but it was as if a hand was gripping his throat. His face alternated between green and white, finally flushing with a sickly red.
"Puh!"
A large mouthful of scalding hot blood suddenly sprayed from his mouth, splattering on the scorched ground in front of him.
Already severely injured and now suffering such extreme emotional shock, he seemed to have been drained of all strength. He staggered backward several steps, about to fall to the ground.
"Old man!" Tsunade, equally shaken and momentarily stunned behind him, suddenly snapped awake and instinctively reached out to steady Sarutobi Hiruzen's swaying body.
However, seeing the blood at Sarutobi Hiruzen's mouth, her face turned pale, her legs trembled, and even the arm supporting Sarutobi Hiruzen was shaking uncontrollably.
All the surrounding Anbu ninjas who survived, as well as other Konoha ninjas who witnessed the scene, were frozen in place as if petrified.
Their faces were etched with disbelief, shock, and terror, along with a sense of bewilderment and emptiness, as if their faith had come crashing down.
Are you kidding me?!
The Hokage Rock symbolized the great achievements of the four Hokage, and the villagers' reverence and aspiration for the Hokage. It was the spiritual symbol of the people of Konoha.
The Hokage Rock and the Hokage Residence were the most iconic buildings in all of Konoha, and beneath them was Konoha's largest underground shelter, housing thousands of survivors!
The students of the Ninja Academy were down there, and so was Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!
But now...
"Nagato!!"
Jiraiya roared with hysterical fury from afar.
Pain's Deva Path paid him no mind, his gaze passing over the enraged Jiraiya, past the deathly silent Konoha, and looked toward the Hokage Rock, which was shrouded in smoke and dust in the distance.
A slight frown appeared on his expressionless face.
He never intended to actually kill the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
If the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki truly died, the Nine-Tails would vanish with him and require a long time to re-condense and revive in some corner of the world.
This would delay his plan to gather all the Tailed Beasts and create the ultimate weapon.
With this thought, the chill in the Deva Path's eyes deepened. He transmitted a message via the black receiver rod to Shinno, who was still in the aerial fortress far away.
"What are you doing? Who told you to attack the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?"
After a brief silence, the Deva Path's pupils paused.
What does that mean?
Is Ōyashiro En about to die?
Before he could fully sort out his confused thoughts.
Hum!!
Everyone's attention was drawn by an invisible force toward the direction of the Hokage Rock, which was still shrouded in thick explosion smoke and dust.
The churning, rolling smoke suddenly compressed inward.
Immediately after, a streak of pure white light violently tore through the heavy haze, shooting up into the sky.
"What is that..." The people of Konoha were stunned.
It was a figure enveloped in white wings, suspended in the air. The wings slowly unfurled, every feather clearly visible, revealing the face of Hyūga Kawa.
His face had now taken on markings similar to those in Sage Mode. Blue markings outlined his eye corners like eyeshadow, lending him an extra touch of non-human divinity.
Under the collective gaze, Hyūga Kawa's eyes moved slightly, sweeping across the Sky Ninjas still circling like vultures.
Whoosh!
His wings suddenly spread, fully extending to their limit. Countless pure white feather-arrows densely covered the entire wingspan, trembling slightly and emitting an almost inaudible hum.
The next moment, the massive wings on Hyūga Kawa's back violently shook.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!
The feathers on the double wings turned into arrows, cutting countless beautiful and deadly arcs at a speed beyond the limit of visual capture, sweeping toward the startled Sky Ninjas in the air!
"No..." The Sky Ninjas' eyes widened abruptly.
Boom! Boom!
Fierce explosions, along with short, agonizing screams, instantly resounded over the skies of Konoha!
Clusters of brilliant yet cruel fire bloomed in the air like fireworks!
The sky, which had only offered sporadic resistance, was cleared, leaving only drifting ashes and a deathly silence.
Having done all that... Hyūga Kawa retracted his gaze. His sight spanned the distance, settling on the figure of Pain's Deva Path, clad in a black cloak with red clouds, standing down below in the distance.
The two looked each other in the eyes: one purple, one blue. The former was profound, the latter magnificent.
The commonality was that the scorching firelight reflected in their eyes could not melt the coldness in either of their gazes.
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