The earth rumbled violently, splitting open as massive chunks of rock were torn from the ground. They flew toward four towering spheres of gravity hovering above the village, wrapping around them in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, four colossal stone spheres—like stars brought down from the heavens—loomed over Konoha.
"This is—!"
Tsunade leaped onto a nearby treetop, her expression twisting in horror as she stared at the nightmare hanging in the sky. She shouted immediately to the scattered shinobi below. "Disperse! Get everyone to cover! NOW!"
But it was already too late.
As Tsunade gave the order, the gravitational force that had held the spheres aloft reversed. The massive stones instantly transformed into meteorites, their descent leaving white trails of superheated air as they plummeted toward the four corners of Konoha.
"Damn it!"
Tsunade's eyes darted to the shinobi scrambling through the village. They wouldn't make it. She slammed her hands together.
"Yin Seal Release!"
The diamond mark on her forehead glowed brilliantly, patterned lines spreading across her cheeks as an overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from her body.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive puff of smoke erupted, and from it emerged a slug nearly seventy meters tall—the Split Body of Katsuyu, the Slug Sage of Shikkotsu Forest.
Even with the Yin Seal's power, this wasn't the full sage, only a portion of her. Katsuyu's clone immediately sensed the falling meteors.
"Lady Tsunade," the mature voice rang out, filled with urgency. "What has happened? Who could unleash such destruction?"
Tsunade didn't answer. Instead, she swung a fist at the massive slug's body—not to harm, but to launch it. "No time for questions! I'm sending you into the sky. Get to every ninja and civilian you can find, then use my chakra to heal and protect them!"
"Understood!"
Katsuyu's massive form shot upward with incredible speed. As she soared, her body wriggled and split, transforming into countless smaller slugs that rained down toward the village.
"I won't let you destroy this village," Tsunade whispered, her voice steel as she sat cross-legged on the ground. "Not the place Grandfather and Jiraiya protected with their lives. Not even if it costs me everything."
The few remaining ANBU guards formed a protective circle around her, raising earth walls with desperate hand seals.
Then, the meteors struck.
The moment Katsuyu's split bodies reached a handful of civilians and shinobi, the stone spheres slammed into the ground.
Silence.
For a heartbeat, the world held its breath.
Then, four blinding flashes of light erupted from all sides of Konoha, eclipsing the sun itself. A shockwave of unimaginable force tore outward, a dragon rolling through the earth. The ground rippled, buildings crumbled, and the deafening roar of destruction shattered the air.
Wherever the shockwave passed, everything was obliterated. Buildings collapsed into rubble. Trees were ripped from the earth, their roots shredded. Even the topsoil was stripped away, leaving nothing but bare, crimson earth and jagged rock.
Civilians and weaker shinobi were tossed about by the debris, crushed instantly by the worst of it. Only those wrapped in Katsuyu's soft bodies had any chance of survival.
The destruction came and went in seconds. When it finally stopped, Konoha was gone.
Silence fell over the ruins.
At the village's edge, buried under debris, a section of rubble was violently shoved aside. Four heavily wounded ANBU guards emerged, surrounding Tsunade as she panted for breath.
"Lady Tsunade! Are you all right?"
She ignored them, not even brushing the dust from her clothes before leaping onto the pile of rubble.
"How..." Her voice trembled. "How could this happen..."
She looked across the endless expanse of flat, barren land—nothing but scorched earth and crumbling ruins. The corpses of shinobi and civilians were strewn everywhere.
Her pupils dilated, her face blank with shock.
"Destroyed... It's all destroyed..."
Then, that emptiness shattered into pure rage. Tsunade clenched her fists so hard her nails drew blood, her teeth sinking into her lower lip until crimson trickled down her chin.
"Unforgivable," she snarled, her voice dripping with venom. "Absolutely unforgivable!"
She raised her head, glaring at the golden figure hovering high above—a silhouette of god or demon against the sky.
"UZUMAKI MENMA!"
Up above, Menma heard the roar, but he didn't even glance down. Instead, he admired the craters scarring the land below, his gaze sweeping over the survivors crawling from Katsuyu's body.
"Fast reactions," he mused with a light laugh. "They even saved a few."
"But if they all died instantly, that'd be boring. Toys are more fun when you play with them slowly."
With a flash, Menma vanished.
The next second, he reappeared outside the ruined village, standing before Nagato and the others. They were still staring at the devastation, too shocked to notice his return. Their faces were pale with horror. If that attack had hit them directly, they'd be dead—or worse.
Menma clapped his hands, the sharp sound snapping them out of their daze.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"Don't stare," he said casually. "Consider it a warning shot. Some useless trash got swept away."
"The real fun hasn't even started."
He didn't give anyone time to respond. Nine chakra tails extended from behind him, wrapping around the eight people and Yahiko's corpse.
"Let's go. Back to Wind Void."
The Flying Thunder God Technique activated. In a flash of light, they vanished.
---