Deep within Root's underground medical ward, Yoshihiko lay motionless on a bed. His eyes were vacant, and his breathing was slow and steady, as though he had fallen into a deep sleep.
The ward door silently opened a crack before slowly closing again.
Still concealed from sight, Kizaru stepped into the corridor. Through genjutsu, he had already learned every detail surrounding Yoshihiko's injuries.
Oooh... A joint force from Kusagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure really is frightening.
With both hands tucked into his pockets, Kizaru retraced his steps and quietly left Root's underground headquarters.
Once he returned to the surface and stepped onto the street, Kizaru released his invisibility. He glanced up at the sky. The sun was sinking toward the horizon, but there was still some daylight left.
The timing was perfect. He could make a quick trip to the Land of Grass and clear away a few weeds before dinner.
Not wanting to endure another round of nagging from his teacher and uncle, Kizaru chose not to inform anyone. He simply strolled toward the village entrance.
As he approached the gate, Kizaru observed the two Chūnin standing guard. A moment later, his body transformed into golden light and shot through the open gate.
He moved so quickly that neither the guards nor the passing villagers noticed anything.
While Kizaru raced toward the Land of Grass, another tense confrontation had just ended far away in Iwagakure.
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage had concluded yet another unpleasant meeting.
Iwagakure's negligence had resulted in confidential information concerning the alliance between the shinobi villages being leaked. Naturally, the furious Third Raikage had no intention of letting such an opportunity pass.
Using Iwagakure's mistake as leverage, he demanded that Iwagakure bear the full cost of supplying every Kumogakure shinobi stationed in the Land of Grass.
Neither Ōnoki nor Iwagakure's senior officials could accept such an excessive demand.
Iwagakure had indeed made a mistake, and they were willing to pay an appropriate price to make amends.
However, Kumogakure was demanding that Iwagakure provide all the supplies required by its forces in the Land of Grass. That went far beyond reasonable compensation.
According to Kumogakure's own records, it had deployed exactly 1,225 shinobi to the Land of Grass.
For Iwagakure to supply more than a thousand Kumogakure shinobi was nothing short of extortion.
Taking a firm stance, Ōnoki rejected Kumogakure's demands. He declared that Iwagakure would find its own way to compensate for the intelligence leak.
That afternoon's discussion had been the third meeting held since the Third Raikage arrived in Iwagakure with his personal escort.
All three meetings had ended on terrible terms, and the negotiations had made almost no progress.
"Those Kumogakure bastards are nothing but robbers! Every last one of them is a bandit!"
Only after the Third Raikage had left the office and moved out of earshot did Ōnoki slam his palm against the table.
If Konoha had not been exerting so much pressure on them, Ōnoki would never have considered cooperating with Kumogakure's band of reckless brutes.
They cared nothing for diplomacy or restraint. All they understood was taking whatever they wanted through force. Such an ally was neither what Iwagakure needed nor what Ōnoki desired.
"Lord Tsuchikage, perhaps we should offer them some appropriate compensation," one of the men remaining in the conference room suggested. "We were the ones who allowed the information to leak."
Several of Iwagakure's senior officials and the secretary responsible for recording the negotiations were still present.
Ōnoki glanced at the young man who had spoken. Doen was a talented Jōnin who had only recently earned his promotion, and Ōnoki regarded him as one of Iwagakure's most promising young shinobi.
However, it seemed that he still lacked experience.
"When dealing with other villages and nations, the side that made the mistake is often the one that can least afford to admit it too quickly," Ōnoki explained. "If we immediately lower our heads and apologize, the other villages will circle us like starving wolves. They will tear away as much as they can and leave us to bear a crippling loss."
Ōnoki stared directly at the young Jōnin.
"Remember this, Doen. Taking a hard line is both an attitude and a method. It allows us to minimize the price we ultimately have to pay."
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. I'll remember it," Doen answered respectfully.
Satisfied with the young man's response, Ōnoki jumped down from his chair and landed on the floor.
"If we delay long enough, it will soon be time to launch the siege against Konoha. Once the fighting begins, Kumogakure won't have the leisure to keep demanding compensation from us."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Ōnoki walked out of the conference room.
Kizaru, who had already entered the Land of Grass and was preparing to sweep away the enemy forces, naturally knew nothing about the dispute occurring in Iwagakure.
He also had no idea that he was about to resolve one of Ōnoki's problems for him.
If Kizaru eliminated every Kumogakure shinobi stationed in the Land of Grass, the Third Raikage would no longer have any troops there for Iwagakure to supply.
If Ōnoki learned about that, he would undoubtedly be very "grateful."
As Kizaru flew through the sky, he combined his awareness of natural energy with his Observation Haki. His perception spread across the entire Land of Grass with ease.
After locating three strongholds containing dense concentrations of chakra, Kizaru chose a route that would take him from the nearest target to the farthest.
A little over three kilometers away, a Kumogakure detachment of approximately three hundred shinobi was moving throughout its stronghold. Everyone appeared to be carrying out their assigned duties.
Kizaru arrived high above the camp and carefully confirmed that it belonged to Kumogakure.
Once he was certain that he had found the right people, he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Yasakani no Magatama."
Countless golden light projectiles appeared around Kizaru before raining down upon the camp.
None of the Kumogakure shinobi below had noticed Kizaru's arrival. They remained unaware that death was already looming over their heads.
Only when the projectiles began tearing through the air did a few shinobi standing in the open finally look up.
Some of them had survived Kizaru's previous attack on Kumogakure and immediately recognized the terrifying sight.
"Konoha's Golden Flash is here! Everyone, hurry—"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before the warning could be completed, the first wave of light struck the ground.
Each projectile erupted in a violent explosion, releasing intense heat and powerful shock waves.
The Kumogakure camp, which had been calm only moments earlier, instantly became a living hell. Flames and smoke surged into the sky while panicked screams and agonized cries echoed through the stronghold.
Kizaru did not stop.
More light gathered around him before descending upon the camp. The bombardment continued to spread outward until every part of the stronghold had been caught within its range.
"Get underground!" a Kumogakure Jōnin shouted as he desperately avoided the continuous explosions.
"Everyone who can still move, gather here! We're going to counterattack!"
Another shinobi slammed his hands against the ground and used Earth Release to raise a massive semicircular wall around the survivors.
"Look up..."
A fleeing Kumogakure shinobi stared at the increasingly dense golden light filling the sky. Despair completely overtook his expression.
"We're all going to die."
Just as he had said, there was almost no hope of survival once the next rain of light struck the earth.
Even shinobi skilled in Earth Release were helpless unless they could tunnel beyond the outskirts of the camp in an extremely short amount of time.
The ground shook without pause, and the surrounding air became unbearably hot. Kizaru's continuous bombardment was not merely killing Kumogakure's shinobi—it was reshaping the terrain itself.
Outside the camp, the few Kumogakure patrols responsible for guarding the surrounding area witnessed the devastation.
Some impulsive shinobi ignored their teammates' attempts to stop them and charged back toward the camp, hoping to rescue even a few of their comrades.
Others were so terrified by Kizaru's attack that their minds broke. They abandoned their positions and fled without looking back.
The remaining shinobi used the forest and uneven terrain as cover. They neither recklessly rushed into the camp nor fled in blind panic.
There were not many patrols stationed around the stronghold. Altogether, the teams scattered in every direction amounted to only forty or fifty shinobi.
"Konoha's Golden Flash is here," an experienced Kumogakure shinobi said. "We have to deliver this information and warn our comrades at the other strongholds."
It was the most rational decision anyone could make under the circumstances.
"Follow me!"
The experienced shinobi led his team away from the ruined stronghold and rushed toward Kumogakure's main camp.
High in the sky, Kizaru naturally sensed the scattered chakra signatures moving across the ground.
He knew that the surviving Kumogakure patrols would immediately attempt to warn the other strongholds of his arrival.
Kizaru ended the Yasakani no Magatama and brought his hands together. He then slowly pulled them apart, causing a brilliant sphere of light to form between his palms.
As his hands continued to separate, the sphere expanded until its diameter was nearly half the height of an adult.
Kizaru stepped higher into the air, twisted his body sideways, and kicked the enormous sphere with his right foot.
Propelled by the force of his kick, the sphere plunged toward the ground before detonating roughly three meters above the camp.
A blinding white flash erupted first, bright enough to destroy the eyesight of anyone who looked directly at it.
Scorching heat and a devastating shock wave followed immediately afterward, swallowing the entire camp before spreading into the surrounding area.
The stronghold, already reduced to ruins by the earlier bombardment, was completely erased.
Nothing at the center of the explosion could have survived. Nearly everything there was carbonized the moment the sphere detonated.
After eliminating the first stronghold, Kizaru wasted no time and flew toward the second dense concentration of chakra.
Along the way, he fired several lasers toward the ground, destroying the scattered Kumogakure teams that had survived outside the first camp.
Kizaru's second destination was also a Kumogakure stronghold.
This one served as the main base for Kumogakure's forces in the Land of Grass, and approximately eight hundred shinobi were stationed there.
Considering how many enemies were gathered inside, Kizaru decided not to use the same attack as before. Even the Yasakani no Magatama might allow a few Kumogakure shinobi to escape.
Kizaru landed outside the camp, formed several hand seals, and began drawing in natural energy.
After entering Sage Mode, he placed one hand against the ground and activated a barrier ninjutsu.
Over the course of three years, Kizaru had combined the power of the Glint-Glint Fruit with the principles of the Four Red Yang Formation.
The result was an original S-rank ninjutsu.
"Sage Art: Light Release: Field of Light."
Massive walls of golden light rose from the ground around the stronghold, sealing the entire camp—and the more than eight hundred Kumogakure shinobi inside—within the barrier.
Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses, straightened his clothes, and walked through the barrier with a faint smile.
The sudden appearance of the enormous walls of light immediately drew the attention of every Kumogakure shinobi in the camp.
Some hurried toward the commander, while others approached the barrier and attempted to break through it.
Unfortunately, the golden walls contained an unimaginable amount of heat. Any object—or living creature—that touched them was instantly melted.
Kizaru rose into the air and stopped roughly five meters above the ground.
Floating over the center of the camp, he calmly looked down upon the Kumogakure shinobi below.
"G-Golden Flash!"
One of the shinobi recognized Kizaru, and both his body and voice began to tremble.
"We have nowhere to retreat," the camp's commander said after quickly grasping the situation. "If we want to survive, our only choice is to defeat Konoha's Golden Flash!"
"There's only one of him!" another shinobi shouted, desperately attempting to restore everyone's morale. "Even if we have to wear him down with our lives, we can exhaust his chakra!"
"Oooh... What an interesting idea."
Kizaru was floating low enough to clearly see their expressions and hear every word they said.
He descended from the air and landed in the middle of the Kumogakure shinobi surrounding him.
With both hands still tucked into his pockets, Kizaru slowly looked around at the crowd.
"Then why don't we put it to the test? Let's see whether my chakra runs out first... or whether you people run out of lives."
His smile remained unchanged.
"But have you considered one little problem? Who wants to be the first to sacrifice their life just to exhaust some of my chakra?"
Those calm words struck directly at the fear buried inside every Kumogakure shinobi.
The morale they had only just managed to recover immediately began to crumble again.
Everyone knew the reputation of Konoha's Golden Flash. Whoever charged first to drain his chakra would also be the first to die.
Did anyone truly want to die?
Of course not.
Even the Kumogakure shinobi, who were known for their fearlessness and impulsive nature, could not calmly accept their own deaths.
"I'll go first!"
Realizing that everyone's resolve was wavering, one courageous Kumogakure shinobi charged out of the crowd.
"Go to hell, you Konoha bastard!"
For someone willing to step forward despite knowing the outcome, Kizaru offered the greatest respect he could give.
He brought his hands together before slowly pulling them apart. Golden light gathered between his palms and formed a radiant blade.
The Ama no Murakumo Sword appeared in his hands.
Kizaru gripped the sword with both hands and swung it toward the charging shinobi.
A golden slash instantly split the man vertically in half.
After cutting through its first target, the slash continued forward. It tore through the Kumogakure shinobi who had failed to move out of its path, leaving blood and severed limbs scattered behind it.
The slash finally began to lose its shape as it approached the barrier. It erupted outward in a burst of golden light, taking the lives of several more shinobi.
Many of the Kumogakure shinobi instinctively stepped back after witnessing the power of that single attack.
It was not that they lacked courage.
However, when facing an overwhelmingly powerful enemy like Kizaru, who seemed as unreachable as a god, despair inevitably took root in their hearts.
Some shinobi fell to their knees. Others lost their minds and fled toward the barrier despite knowing there was no escape.
However, many more accepted that they were going to die and launched a final charge at Kizaru.
Kizaru wielded the golden sword like the scythe of death, cutting down every shinobi who entered its reach with effortless precision.
One swing.
A second.
Then a third.
Kizaru moved leisurely through the crowd, slashing in every direction.
Each golden arc swept through another group of Kumogakure shinobi, cutting them down as easily as wheat before a sickle.
Some attempted to attack Kizaru from a distance with ninjutsu. Their techniques passed harmlessly through his body of light, as though they had struck empty air.
Others attempted to trap him in genjutsu, only for Kizaru's overwhelming mental power to forcefully repel their techniques. Those shinobi collapsed with blood pouring from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.
Even more rushed forward with weapons in hand, only to be cut into pieces and scattered across the ground.
Within only a few minutes, bodies had piled up around Kizaru, and the earth beneath him was soaked with blood.
Only a handful of Kumogakure shinobi still possessed the courage to remain standing before him.
Most of the survivors had collapsed onto the ground with distorted expressions. The rest continued running like madmen, fully aware that they could not escape yet too terrified to stop and look back.
Seeing that the Kumogakure forces had lost both the will and the ability to resist, Kizaru released the sword's hilt.
The Ama no Murakumo Sword immediately dissolved into golden particles of light.
Kizaru rose into the air once again.
He decided to grant the remaining Kumogakure shinobi a swift death. It was the only kindness he intended to offer them.
Kizaru raised his right hand, and a rapidly spinning mass of golden energy appeared above his palm.
"Sage Art: Light Release: Rasenshuriken."
The Rasenshuriken continued expanding until it reached nearly four meters in diameter.
Kizaru raised it over his head before hurling it toward the center of the camp.
A cataclysmic explosion erupted on impact.
Scorching heat and an immense shock wave swept across everything trapped inside the barrier.
The ground collapsed into a massive crater, and every remaining trace of life disappeared in an instant.
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