"To desecrate the dead like this... Damn Akatsuki!"
In the remaining half of the Konoha Village's buildings, lightning flickered at the tips of Kakashi's fingers. His agile body carried the Raikiri as he weaved among the many slowly rising dead.
Every time the high-pitched chirping of the Raikiri rang out, a large hole was blasted through the chests of a large group of corpse puppets.
Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza formed the Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Using the Mind Body Transmission Technique for perception, the Shadow Imitation Technique to connect, and the Human Bullet Tank for the main attack, they efficiently cleared the nearby corpse puppets like a giant swinging a yo-yo.
Ninja from the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka Clans moved along the tops of the buildings, responsible for surveying the battlefield. The Uchiha Clan's Ninja coordinated, spewing large-area Fire Release to burn away the corpse puppets.
Gradually, as the corpse puppets spread, the Ninja protecting the evacuated villagers were forced to expose their core protection circle and troop concentration points.
High above, Deidara, standing on the back of a giant bird made of explosive clay, adjusted the device on his eye and locked onto several shelter points.
"There's one in the southwest Uchiha Clan's Compound, one in the training ground to the due west, and one at the Ninja Academy to the northwest!" Deidara's face lit up with excitement as he tilted his head slightly to report to Obito behind him.
"Good. We'll clear them out one by one. We're sure to find someone precious to that woman. Don't kill them when we do… we need hostages to force her to comply!"
Obito glanced at Kakashi struggling below, the tomoes of his Sharingan slowly rotating. It seemed he was about to take Deidara and sink into his Kamui Dimension.
However, in the next instant, a burning spear of light shot up into the sky, carrying the sharp slashing nature of Wind Release Chakra, pierced Deidara's explosive clay, and triggered a massive explosion!
Boom!
The pale, intense light was fleeting, scattering burning embers. Beneath the wings of the explosive clay giant, tiny dancing sparks rapidly fell, quickly growing larger.
The entire dark, deep sky was covered by the omnipresent blazing firelight, with countless vicious plumes of smoke continuously spewing from within.
The shockwave and blast from the explosion also blew off the shells of several shelters, exposing the villagers taking refuge inside. Seeing this, the defending Ninja could only abandon their suppression of the endlessly reviving corpse puppets and fully pull back their forces to protect the villagers.
In the sky, Deidara coughed violently, his arm pressing hard against his own neck, trying to suppress the aura carrying Yang Attribute Chakra from continuing to crowd into his lungs. "Cough, cough, cough! Not good, it's poisonous!"
Beside him, Obito's face also turned pale, his head spinning, vision blurring as he fell from the giant bird, plummeting alongside Deidara towards the ground, creating a massive crater and cloud of smoke.
"We shot it down! Good job, Naruto!" Fukasaku, squatting on Gamakichi's back as they pursued, pumped his fist forcefully.
"That masked man is one of the ones who cornered Jiraiya-chan! Don't let him get away!"
Shima immediately recognized the person who had been moving through a different space, constantly harassing Jiraiya during the battle in the Land of Rain the moment she saw the falling Obito.
"Naruto, be careful of this guy. He can use Space-Time Ninjutsu to phase his body into another dimension. You have to attack him when he manifests his physical form!" Fukasaku also jumped down beside Naruto and reminded him in a low voice.
"Got it! Then, Sage Gramps and Granny, I'm going all out!" Naruto nodded to Fukasaku.
The other understood and produced a summoning scroll from his back. Pressing his finger on it, he summoned a shadow clone from Mount Myoboku that had already condensed Senjutsu Chakra.
After the Shadow Clone Technique was released, orange eye shadow appeared around Naruto's eyes, and his pupils turned into the same horizontal stripes as a toad's.
"Uzumaki Naruto..." Obito tore through the smoke with one hand, looking at him, seeing the shadow of his teacher behind him!
"Look behind you. Are those Konoha's villagers, who once treated you with malice and hatred, really worth risking your life to protect?"
Obito's voice echoed across the entire battlefield, causing the expressions of many Konoha's villagers being protected to change.
"Naruto, don't..."
Kakashi, continuously killing corpse puppets, felt his heart leap at Obito's divisive words and immediately turned to rush towards his student.
"Yeah! You're right, I can't simply forgive them." Naruto laughed with some emotion. "Sakura also said things like using tolerance to face hatred, and what should be used to reward tolerance..."
Seeing the other party fall into his rhythm, Obito intensified his efforts, insidiously leading him. "Then join us! Once the Eye of the Moon Plan is complete, you can become the god of your own world. Then, whatever ideals you have can be easily realized!"
"You didn't understand what I meant. Not forgiving them has nothing to do with me wanting to protect Konoha!"
The golden-haired boy puffed out his chest, his blue eyes looking straight ahead. "Behind me aren't just those who dislike me, but also the families of the comrades who love and accept me. I'm no longer alone in this village.
Also... you, who need to realize your ideals this way, are truly pitiful!"
As he spoke, Naruto had already lowered his body. With the empowerment of Senjutsu Chakra, his Taijutsu and Ninjutsu reached an unprecedented peak. His speed was so fast it almost turned into a yellow flash.
"Talks broke down. Don't hold back, Deidara. That's the Sage Art of the Three Holy Lands!" Obito's Sharingan spun, absorbing Deidara into his Kamui Dimension, and his body also phased out.
"Hahaha, I've been waiting for you to say that." Deidara's smile turned ferocious. "Nine-Tails brat, let's see whose explosion is the true art!!!"
He pulled a large amount of clay from his pouch, and the mouths on his palms opened wide, devouring the clay. Then, his fingers flew rapidly as he formed hand seals.
"Let me show you a Ninjutsu I specially developed for that woman first: C4!" Deidara roared, and then he was completely swallowed by Obito's Kamui.
Entering the Kamui Dimension, he spat out a huge clay doll. After detonating it internally, it turned into countless tiny clay bombs, invisible to the naked eye.
Outside the space, sensing Deidara was ready, Obito extended his hand to meet Naruto's incoming fist.
Smack!
The heavy punch landed on Obito's palm, sending a sharp pain through him. But the large amount of dust he had brought out from the Kamui Dimension scattered all over Naruto's body, even entering his systemic circulation with his breath.
"What is this?!" In Sage Mode, Naruto's perception was greatly enhanced. Combined with the scanning of his Observation Haki, he detected the tiny clay spiders hidden in the air.
A glimmer of light flashed in the boy's blue eyes, a hint of a smile emerging in them.
"Let's test the waters first. Don't die too fast, Uzumaki Naruto!"
Obito formed hand seals, transferring his head into the Kamui Dimension.
"Katsu!"
Deidara, inside Obito's space, cooperated with him, detonating the bombs he had released.
Instantly, various parts of Naruto's body in the outside world began to swell eerily, finally bursting apart with intense light.
Boom!
Naruto split apart, literally shattering into countless fragments.
"Naruto!!!" Kakashi, seeing this, immediately had blood vessels bursting in the whites of his eyes.
Hiding on the sidelines out of guilt for the deceased, yet standing by and watching his former friend kill his own student… this bitter taste was something only Kakashi could experience.
"Not good, did I use too much force?!" Obito was equally shocked.
The death of a Jinchuriki meant the death of the Tailed Beast as well. Having to wait for Kurama to revive would delay the plan indefinitely.
"Relax, relax, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's fragmented body suddenly spoke. "I'm not dead yet!"
The sudden voice startled the two men, who were regretful for different reasons.
The phosphor fragments scattered on the ground rolled and struggled to condense into a human outline. Then, the surface fragments disintegrated, revealing Naruto inside, completely unharmed.
"A variation of Kirigakure's Hydrification Technique? Interesting. Let's see me drain your elements!"
Obito's expression hardened. He formed hand seals again, preparing to bring out more tiny clay spiders from the Kamui Dimension.
"Stop talking to yourself! Today, I'll show you the terror of this power that Sakura gave me!"
Naruto extracted his Chakra, released the Summoning Technique, sending all the Myoboku's toads back.
Then, he formed a strange hand seal and slammed his hands on the ground.
The moment the boy closed his eyes, an even more piercing and fierce light began to rise from him.
Natural Energy converged at high speed. It neither combined with Chakra to form Senjutsu Chakra, nor eroded Naruto's body, causing him to turn into a frog or stone.
This originally wild energy, under Naruto's control, tightly integrated with his Devil Fruit Ability, allowing the power from another world to gain recognition in this one.
A power capable of defying common sense, distorting the molecular formula of matter, began to spread, wantonly modifying the reality surrounding Naruto, causing permanent mutations in the surrounding natural environment.
It was as if a blazing sun had descended here. Countless pale flames burned suppressed in the sky, on the ground, and on the surrounding houses, guarding the boy standing erect at the center of the flames, placing a solemn crown upon his head.
A Forbidden Technique, developed only once and unanimously classified by all the Sages of Mount Myoboku as not to be used lightly, now revealed its edge before Naruto's enemy.
—Sage Art: Phosphorus Release: Phosphorus Corrosion World Technique!