Chapter 143 – Good Afternoon, Hidden Cloud Village
The blade of the crimson katana seemed to burn with living fire. With a casual flick of his wrist, the towering red giant unleashed a colossal wave of energy — a scarlet sword arc filled with destructive Chakra. The wave soared from the blade like a fiery crescent, cutting through the air and descending straight toward the Raikage Building — the proudest and tallest structure of the Hidden Cloud Village.
Everyone who witnessed it stared wide-eyed, unable to blink — terrified that they might miss this historic moment.
Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Raikage Building, inside the Raikage's office, someone burst in without waiting for Darui's permission.
Darui, momentarily puzzled, looked up from his desk.
"What's going on?"
The messenger was pale, trembling, and clutching an intelligence report tightly in his hands.
Seeing his expression, Darui's heart sank. Something terrible had happened.
Before the messenger could even speak, the entire room was flooded with blinding red light.
Darui turned sharply toward the large window behind him — and what he saw made his blood run cold.
A blazing red wave, as bright as a meteor, filled the sky as it descended straight toward them.
At that moment, the intelligence officer finally managed to shout,
"Bad news! A report from Unraikyō — a massive red giant, over a hundred meters tall, is flying toward our village!"
But before Darui could respond, the red light engulfed everything.
For a brief instant, his pupils reflected the expanding scarlet glare.
Then —
Boom!
The red sword wave struck.
It was larger than the Raikage Building itself.
The instant it hit, it was as if a small sun had collided with the mountain. The explosion devoured everything — stone, steel, and human life alike. There was no scream, no ash — just nothingness.
The entire mountaintop, where the Raikage Building proudly stood for generations, was obliterated — sliced cleanly away, as if the mountain itself had been decapitated by an invisible god's blade.
From atop Susanoo's enormous right hand, the Konoha shinobi barely felt a tremor. The crimson giant stood steady as a mountain — unwavering, godlike.
Then, seeing the Raikage Building vanish in an instant, cheers erupted from the Konoha forces stationed on Susanoo. Their blood boiled, their morale blazing like wildfire.
Throughout Hidden Cloud Village, the roar echoed like thunder.
But to most villagers, it was just that — thunder.
Hidden among the mountains, they were used to such sounds and paid it no mind.
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Beneath the True Waterfall, a lone figure sat cross-legged upon a rock, letting the torrents crash over his head.
His dark skin glistened under the water. Yellow hair framed his face, and the character "Iron" was tattooed on his right shoulder — the mark of the Iron Armor Seal. Bull-like horn tattoos adorned his cheeks.
Killer Bee, the Jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, opened his eyes at the faint rumble from above.
But after a few seconds, he shrugged and closed them again.
That's when a deep, rumbling voice echoed in his mind — the voice of Gyūki, the Eight-Tails.
> "Oi, Bee… there's a nasty chakra in the air. A really annoying one."
Bee's eyes snapped open, his expression immediately serious. Gyūki never said such things lightly.
If the Eight-Tails was uneasy, something was truly wrong.
A memory flashed through Bee's mind — that explosion from earlier. His instincts screamed danger.
He disappeared from the waterfall in an instant, reappearing by the riverbank.
Grabbing his clothing and seven swords, he dashed toward the village at full speed. The wind whipped away the water on his skin as he dressed mid-run.
With his brother, the Raikage, away from the village, it was his duty to protect it.
> "Yo! The threat is real, and I'm the deal! Gotta slice the foe, that's my feel~!"
But when he broke through the forest canopy — his rap died on his lips.
In the sky above the Hidden Cloud Village, he saw it.
A crimson giant, vast beyond imagination, floated above the clouds like a wrathful god.
Even from a distance, the sight froze Killer Bee in place.
He wasn't the only one.
All across the village, the people of the Hidden Cloud looked up — their eyes wide with disbelief.
The clouds above the village were being torn apart by the giant's sword aura. Through the widening gap, they saw its form — a colossal red body, humanoid, glowing with overwhelming Chakra.
Then, with a flap of its spectral wings, the giant unleashed several hurricanes that swept the skies clear. The clouds vanished in moments.
And for the first time, the entirety of Susanoo's True Form stood revealed to the people of Hidden Cloud.
A wave of gasps rippled through the village.
The crimson titan blotted out the sun, casting the entire valley in an eerie red glow.
The Cloud shinobi stood frozen, their command structure shattered, their minds blank.
The destruction of the Raikage Building had left them leaderless — and paralyzed by awe and terror.
Then, one by one, they began to notice the highest mountain peak — or rather, the lack of it.
Where the Raikage Building once stood proudly… there was nothing.
Only a flat, glass-smooth scar remained where the mountain had been cut away.
"What—what happened?!" someone shouted.
"Where's the Raikage Building?! It—it's gone!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
And then — a voice echoed through every mind in the village.
It was deep, calm, and terrifyingly resolute.
> "People of the Hidden Cloud Village… good afternoon."
Every man, woman, and child froze. The voice carried directly into their consciousness — no sound, no echo, just pure telepathic resonance.
> "I am Uchiha Fugaku, Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village."
> "Days ago, your Raikage led an unprovoked invasion across our borders — violating our alliance and causing the confirmed deaths of Konoha shinobi."
> "I have come today to return the favor."
> "Civilians, the elderly, women, and children — you have ten minutes to evacuate."
> "When that time ends…"
> "Hidden Cloud Village will cease to exist."
The message ended. Silence reigned for several seconds — then chaos erupted.
All over the Hidden Cloud Village, people screamed, cried, and ran in panic.
But above them all, the red giant remained motionless — its eyes glowing like twin suns.
Watching.
Waiting.
Judging.
The countdown to destruction had begun.
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