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Chapter 203: Destroying Konoha, The End of the Parallel Future
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Just then, a series of six figures appeared around Konan.
It was the Paper Clones she had sent to capture the other eight Tailed Beasts.
They had all returned.
Without a word, they instantly dissolved into sheets of white paper and returned to Konan's main body.
Their memories were synchronized simultaneously.
The mission was very smooth; all eight Tailed Beasts had been captured.
The resistance encountered was weaker than in the past parallel world.
The new generation of Kage, as well as the new generation of ninjas in each village, had become weaker compared to the previous era.
Konan put away the Sealing Paper floating in the air.
All nine Tailed Beasts of this world were in hand.
"Naruto..." Shikamaru looked at Naruto in grief.
He merely glanced at the suddenly appearing Paper Clones, paying them no mind.
Naruto's safety was the priority.
Naruto... can you perform a miracle again and save Konoha?
Shikamaru felt panic inside, staring at Naruto with extreme anxiety.
He didn't dare to blink, praying constantly. "Naruto... you will be like before; no matter how dangerous the situation, even death, you will be fine in the end, you definitely will be..."
Even if the Nine-Tails is extracted... so what?
Shikamaru remembered that during the Fourth War, Naruto also had the Nine-Tails extracted, yet he survived.
And he went on to defeat the strong enemy and lead them to victory. This time should be the same... right...
Hmm???!!
Shikamaru's eyes suddenly widened, his heart shaking violently.
What did I just see??
Naruto, lying on the ground, seemed to twitch his finger...
Fearing it was a hallucination, he observed Naruto even more intently.
Endless joy and excitement rose in his heart.
Naruto really moved!
He... wasn't dead!
A miracle... had happened to Naruto once again!!
He returned... from the path of death!
The Anbu were equally exhilarated. The Seventh Hokage, the strongest in the Ninja World who had always protected them and the village, had revived!
He wasn't dead!
Shikamaru and the Anbu believed that the revived Seventh Hokage would once again lead them to defeat the strong enemy and march towards victory!
"Cough cough..." Naruto coughed lightly, his eyes confused. "I... I'm not dead..."
He temporarily couldn't grasp the situation, staggering up from the ground.
Just as the last wisp of the Nine-Tails' chakra was extracted, his consciousness had instantly plunged into darkness.
He entered a near-death state, about to die...
But a burst of vitality suddenly surged in his body, sustaining his life and saving him.
This time, near death, he didn't see the Sage of Six Paths again, nor was there any transfer of power.
Now his body was still weak, merely not dead...
"Naruto!" Shikamaru suddenly realized he could move.
Looking down, the shadow under his feet had disappeared unknowingly, and his body was no longer restricted.
He didn't know why this was, but with no time to think, he immediately jumped to Naruto's side.
Other Anbu also jumped around Naruto with swish swish sounds, protecting him heavily within their circle.
They drew their ninja swords, looking at Konan opposite them with extreme alertness.
The situation seems different from what I thought...
Shikamaru worriedly supported Naruto.
Even though he was alive, his face was terrifyingly pale, and he couldn't stand steady.
His aura was weak; clearly, he couldn't fight anymore.
This miracle... why is it playing out like this... something's wrong...
Of course, something was wrong!
The so-called miracle, or Naruto surviving the extraction, was entirely Alex's doing.
He used a bit of life force to keep Naruto alive...
Because... there was a big show about to start, and Naruto, as the audience, absolutely could not be absent.
"Since you're alive, prepare to accept the final punishment." Konan's tone was forest-cold. "You betrayed your Ninja Way, and betrayed Nagato and Yahiko's trust."
Her body slowly rose, flying upwards.
"Ko... Konan, what are you doing?" Naruto looked up, staring in panic at Konan flying into the sky.
A strong sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
He wanted to stop her, but in his current physical condition, he could do nothing.
He could only watch helplessly, powerless and anxious...
The sun hung high in the sky, acting as Konan's backdrop, making it hard to look at her directly.
This scene... was somewhat familiar...
Shikamaru and the Anbu felt their hearts in their throats, seeming to understand what was about to happen...
Over a decade ago, when Pain invaded Konoha, this scene had played out...
"Naruto." Konan's cold voice clearly reached everyone's ears below. "Back then, you deceived Nagato; allowing Nagato to sacrifice his life in the end to revive the tens of thousands of Konoha villagers and ninjas who were killed."
"Whether it was deception, or you moved Nagato with your sincere and firm will at the time; the results over a decade later have proven that the promise you made was never kept."
Konan drifted higher and higher until Naruto and the others below could barely see her.
"You betrayed your Ninja Way and dreams, betrayed Nagato and Yahiko's trust. At this moment, I am merely completing what Nagato left unfinished back then, correcting the mistake!"
"Wa... Wait..." Naruto pushed away Shikamaru's support, shouting at the sky. "Konan, stop! Stop! If you really want revenge, you can come at me! Don't hurt Konoha, don't hurt the innocent villagers!!"
He broke out in a cold sweat from anxiety, his face pale as paper.
Terror, anxiety, regret, worry—all kinds of emotions filled his face.
"Konoha isn't innocent, and neither are the villagers!" Konan's indifferent voice came from high above. "Besides coming to capture the Nine-Tails, Nagato was also here to take revenge on Konoha! It was just that the vengeance was abandoned because of your words, and he revived those who were killed!"
"Now I will complete Nagato's regret, complete what he didn't do back then! You and Konoha should have paid the price over ten years ago."
She had completely empathized with the Konan of this parallel world.
The other version of herself probably never dreamed that the Naruto she chose to entrust with Yahiko, Nagato, and the Akatsuki's dreams would turn out like this ten years later.
Her hometown became the price for peace.
She would have definitely regretted the choice made ten years ago.
Dying at Obito Uchiha's hands, what was she thinking in her final moments?
Did she really die with no regrets, thinking Naruto would inherit Yahiko, Nagato, and Akatsuki's dreams...?
"This is a judgment delayed by ten years! It is vengeance from the spirits of the dead!"
Nagato, Yahiko, and the me of this world, I will seek justice for you!
Konan shouted coldly, "Disappear, Konoha!!"
"Super Shinra Tensei!!"
Buzz!
The sky suddenly lit up with endless white light, enveloping the entire Hidden Leaf Village.
In the next instant, the rumbling sound of explosions resonated through heaven and earth.
All buildings in Konoha were destroyed with crushing force.
The terrifying power penetrated deep underground.
The entire ground looked like a giant had flipped the earth's crust, exposing deep black-yellow soil.
Massive amounts of smoke and dust enveloped every inch of Konoha's space.
High in the sky.
Konan looked down coldly.
Konoha had been razed to the ground, with countless casualties among the villagers.
This time, there was no Nagato to sacrifice his life again to revive them.
Beside her, Alex retrieved the Rinnegan from the eye socket of a controlled White Zetsu.
The White Zetsu's body instantly withered into ash.
That Super Shinra Tensei just now was naturally released by the controlled White Zetsu.
"Hmm?" Konan suddenly saw Alex pause. "Alex??"
"What happened?"
"Konan, don't panic." Alex immediately lay back on Konan's shoulder, speaking extremely fast. "The space-time power from the Dragon Vein is about to run out. We must return immediately."
Because he had the Dragon Vein guidance and control method offered by Queen Sara of Roran, he could also sense the Dragon Vein's condition.
The fluctuation just now indicated the accumulated space-time power was nearly exhausted.
If they didn't return in time, they might have to stay in this world for a long time, waiting for the Dragon Vein to naturally accumulate space-time power again.
Who knew how long that would take.
"Is that so..." Konan took one last cold look at Konoha. "Then let's go back."
With nine Tailed Beasts in hand and Nagato's regret resolved, the goal was achieved.
"Let's go!" Alex immediately activated the Flying Thunder God, returning to the depths of the desert where the Dragon Vein was located.
In the next instant, a blue pillar of light shot into the sky and vanished in the blink of an eye.
The depths of this desert, uninhabited for over a decade, became silent once again.
The place was empty; Konan and Alex had vanished without a trace, leaving this parallel world...
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