"Is that... a god?"
Witnessing such overwhelming power, many Konoha's villagers' mouths went dry.
They knelt before the boy bathed in flames, offering prayers.
"Don't kneel! All of you, stand up!"
"He's human! He's my student, Uzumaki Naruto!"
Kakashi, his pupils scarlet, shouted loudly, even kicking over several kneeling people.
He knew all too well what it meant to be elevated to a divine pedestal by the world.
The common masses living in this world were as enthusiastic about creating gods as they were, with a fervor dozens of times greater, about destroying them.
In Konoha's past, someone had walked the path to ruin amidst overwhelming public criticism. He would never let his student experience the same fate.
Ahead of everyone, Naruto, draped in a feathery robe woven from white flames, descended from the sky.
He raised a finger towards Obito, who stood before him.
"Here it comes. Get ready, Deidara!"
Obito assumed a defensive stance, the tomoes in his pupil spinning rapidly, communicating with Deidara within the space.
Snap!
A crisp snap of fingers sounded. Chains made of a pure white, waxy substance wrapped around the street for dozens of meters surrounding Obito and Naruto. All heat and transformation were sealed within, not a single bit leaking out.
An incomprehensible power converted the sky and earth into that pure white, waxy substance, letting the pure white flames burn atop all things, sketching out a picture of hell that was supremely clean.
"Do it!"
Obito shouted, trying to open the Kamui Dimension.
Unfortunately, a crisp sound came from within his own body. The backlash from the failed Dojutsu activation sent a pain through his chest.
'Kamui activation failed! This jutsu is also a... damn Space-Time Ninjutsu?!'
As this thought occurred to Obito, Naruto's figure abruptly crossed the dozens of meters between them, appearing before him.
"I specially added a seal against Space-Time Ninjutsu! How about it? Surprise? Unexpected?"
The boy's face beamed with a brilliant smile, but beneath that exuberant expression, there seemed to be some other ulterior motive hidden.
However, Obito's face was ashen.
'Damn, he came for me!'
Realizing the ominous situation, his hands flew, forming seals to unleash the Uchiha Clan's most adept Ninjutsu!
[Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!]
Opening his mouth, he spat out crimson flames. Obito's technique swept up the surrounding flames, forming a sea of fire. Dozens-of-meters-high waves of fire towered, with intimidating force, pressing down on Naruto.
"Obstinate!"
Naruto raised the sleeve of his feathery robe. Pale flames burned upon it.
Like a flowing vortex, the flames Obito had spewed were easily absorbed by the feathery robe. Finally, at the point of contact, a wisp of blue smoke rose, slowly blown away by the wind.
That insurmountable defense... was like facing nature itself!
"You!"
This thought was too startling… the guess Obito wanted to voice got caught in his throat.
"Yes. That's right!"
Naruto nodded, acknowledging Obito's speculation.
Eroding nature, manipulating nature, incarnating as nature. This was the truth behind the Sage Art: Phosphorus Corrosion World Technique he had developed by combining his Devil Fruit ability with Natural Energy.
A Ninjutsu integrating offense, defense, and sealing into one, it could be said to be the ultimate manifestation of a mechanism-based fighter.
Seeing Obito lose his fighting spirit, Naruto didn't intend to delay any longer.
Just as he took a step forward to finish him, his face suddenly turned pale, and his body felt the emptiness of Chakra depletion.
"Ugh, such a huge consumption!"
The boy lifted the tip of his foot, lightly tapping the ground. "Then let this one blow be our farewell!"
The entire whitened world began to surge. Everything was burning.
All things flowed, collapsing towards the central Obito. When the violent toxic flames condensed to their extreme, they abruptly expanded.
Boom—!
Dazzling, arrogantly flourishing light dyed the world. The light swallowed all creation, fading everything to pure white.
…
"Hmm, is it over on that side too?"
Sakura's Observation Haki detected the disappearance of the presences of several Akatsuki's members who had dispersed.
She violently snapped the neck of the Animal Path, which she held in her hand.
Within the winding solid ice beneath her, over a dozen summoned beasts, pierced through, exploded into white smoke and dissipated.
The girl descended from the towering ice mountain, slowly walking before the Deva Path.
"Failure... what a bitter taste indeed!"
The scene of their confrontation was transmitted via chakra to the distant mountain cave. Pain lowered his head, breathing heavily.
The one who had been hiding in the cave with him earlier, Kabuto, had already fled when Naruto unleashed his Sage Art.
Now, only Konan remained by Nagato's side.
"Nagato, give up!" Konan's brows were tightly furrowed. "If you continue like this, you'll die!"
Nagato shook his head stubbornly, his jaw, nothing but skin and bones, opening. "One more try. If we can seal Haruno Sakura, maybe we still have a chance!"
Konan stared at Nagato for a long time, finally reluctantly relenting. "Last time. If it still doesn't succeed, I'll take you away no matter what!"
"Ah, thank you... for always supporting us like this!"
A rare few traces of gentleness appeared on Nagato's stern face.
Then, he brought his hands together in front of him. A white sphere of light gradually gathered in the center of his arched palms.
Immediately, the Chakra-filled sphere was occupied by black. Repulsive and attractive forces began to become disordered the moment it appeared.
Nagato gently extended his hand outside the cave used for concealment, letting the sphere fly towards Konoha, following the sunlight.
On the other side, directly in front of Sakura.
She saw Deva Path bring his hands together, with no intention of forming seals, yet his Chakra was unnaturally decreasing.
The most powerful Sealing Technique, one that had left a deep impression on her, flashed through her mind.
"You bastard... trying to seal me?!"
The girl gnashed her teeth, questioning fiercely.
"Noticed? But it's too late. If you run, Konoha will be completely destroyed!"
Deva Path opened his eyes, his face, now almost indistinguishable from a living person's, contorted with ferocity.
To achieve his goal, Pain did not hesitate to trample his own pride, using the lives of others as threats.
"You bastard!"
Sakura threw the Flying Thunder God kunai on the ground, bit her finger, and slapped her palms on the ground.
A human-sized slug was summoned, tilting its head down at her quizzically.
"No time to explain. Prepare for Sage Mode!"
Instructing the slug, Sakura had already closed her eyes, beginning to perceive Natural Energy.
The slug straightened up, leaning towards Sakura. Under the resonance of the Senjutsu cells, it slowly merged into Sakura's body.
Immediately, emerald-green Senjutsu Chakra burned across Sakura's entire body, constructing a Chakra Cloak outside her form.
Silver horns grew, a patterned mask covered her face. Sakura had successfully entered Sage Mode.
Above Konoha Village, the gloomy clouds dispersed.
The Chakra singularity, having floated quite a distance, arrived above the village. Under the Deva Path's control, it began to erupt.
Sunlight passing through the singularity was distorted by it, as if the singularity itself were a second sun, scattering radiance upon the earth.
Repulsive and attractive forces gradually stabilized, forming a circulation centered on the singularity. The earth's soil, rocks, and debris shattered and flew up, breaking free from gravity's bonds, flying towards the sky.
—Chibaku Tensei!
The ground beneath Sakura was also uprooted by this sealing force.
Stabilizing her own Chakra, she opened her eyes. The release technique she had prepared for a long time was unleashed in an instant.
"Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!"
The vast network of roots spreading underground suddenly trembled. The sea of life, gathered from countless plants, was mobilized by the immense Chakra.
Winding, growing, spreading, vines bursting with life surged skyward, weaving a gigantic Kannon statue with countless giant arms.
Sakura's Chakra stirred again, manipulating the entire True Several Thousand Hands, condensing all its weight into its fists, ferociously swinging them towards the gigantic sphere of rock in the sky.
—Heavenly Stamping Buddha!
The two colossal Chakra Forces clashed, tearing the sky apart like wild beasts bursting from their cages.
Shattered wood chips collided with the continuously rising earth and stone, finally erupting in a roar far surpassing a sonic boom.
Boom——!