The shinobi decided not to delay.At the very least, if he reported it, Hokage-sama would have peace of mind.
Without wasting a second, he raced toward the Hokage Building.At the entrance, the guards halted him."I must speak with Hokage-sama. It's urgent," he said, still catching his breath.
After a brief exchange of wary glances, the guards nodded and allowed him through.
He approached the heavy door, knocked firmly.
"Come in," came a familiar, weary voice from inside — Hiruzen Sarutobi himself.
The shinobi entered swiftly and knelt with respect.
"Hokage-sama," he began, "earlier today, at the outskirts of the village, near the forest line, I heard a massive explosion.I investigated immediately but found nothing — no enemy, no direct witnesses — only a blackened scar on the ground, clearly from a lightning strike."
He paused, organizing his words."I questioned the few civilians nearby. They said they saw a black cloud form overhead, then lightning crashed down, causing the blast."
Hiruzen listened quietly, his pipe sending thin wisps of smoke curling into the air.
"I see. I will handle it from here," Hiruzen said, voice even but grave."You are dismissed."
The shinobi bowed low, then left silently.
Alone, Hiruzen leaned back, a shadow falling over his wizened face.
"A black cloud… lightning… an explosion…" he muttered, eyes narrowing.
Raiton jutsu could cause that… in theory. But not like this. Not naturally. Not on such a scale.
It gnawed at him — a forgotten memory just out of reach.
Without hesitation, he called for the Anbu.
A black-clad figure appeared within seconds, kneeling.
"Search the entire vicinity of the incident. I want a full report. No detail is too small. No clue is to be overlooked."
"As you command," the Anbu said, vanishing into the shadows.
Hiruzen stared at the swirling smoke of his pipe, sighing heavily.
"Maybe... I am getting too old. Too many things slipping through these old fingers."
Still, he returned to his duties, signing stacks of documents as if nothing had changed — but a deep, gnawing worry had rooted itself in his heart.
Something from the past was stirring.And this time, he wasn't sure if Konoha was ready for it.
Somewhere outside of Konoha...
Four figures stood on edge — facing one lone girl.
Yakumo's expression was twisted with dark glee, power swirling around her like a storm ready to burst.
Kurenai took a step forward, her voice firm but pleading."Yakumo, I'm sorry. Truly. For everything. If you want someone to blame, take it out on me — I'll bear it all. But please... leave the others out of this."
But Naruto shook his head, stepping protectively in front of his team.
"Sensei, she's not in the mood for a heart-to-heart right now," he muttered. "We'll calm her down first — then talk."
Haku's eyes sharpened.The air around her shifted — cold, elegant, and deadly.
"Hyōton: Hiryu Kosetsusen!" she called out, slamming her palms onto the ground.
A serpent of frost raced forward, a jagged dragon trail of pure ice ripping across the field.It surged toward Yakumo — elegant and destructive.
The impact froze the terrain instantly — white mist billowed from the ground like an exhale from the earth itself.
Naruto gave a low whistle, impressed."Well damn, Haku! Had you pulled that in Nami no Kuni, I might've been in trouble!"
Haku gave him a side glance, half proud, half amused."Would you have lost, Naruto?"
Naruto grinned. "Nah. I'd still win."
But just as quickly as the ice took hold — it began to melt.The temperature shifted unnaturally.The mist curled into strange shapes... hands, beasts, creeping shadows.
From within the fog, Yakumo reemerged — untouched, smiling with madness.
Karin's expression soured."Tch. Reality-warping chakra. Of course. Imagination into reality. This is gonna be a headache…"
Kurenai's eyes narrowed as she assessed the chaos.
Yakumo wasn't trying to flee — she was escalating, spiraling. But they weren't here to defeat her… just to bring her back.
"Listen up!" Kurenai called, her voice slicing through the tension like a kunai. "We're not here to hurt her — only calm her. If ninjutsu can't reach her, then maybe… genjutsu can."
Naruto blinked. "You're gonna use her own art against her?"
"She's unbalanced right now," Kurenai said. "Her mental defenses are likely scrambled. If I can slip in before she stabilizes—"
"We make you an opening," Karin finished, nodding. "Got it."
"Let's light it up," Naruto grinned, tightening his grip on Ten.
But Yakumo was already moving.
Dark energy crackled in the air — and then it happened.
With a twisted smile, she conjured phantoms of beasts — lions with ember eyes, tigers made of ink and shadow, wolves with jagged chakra fangs.They clawed their way into reality, howling and snarling, born of raw, unstable imagination.
"Brace yourselves!" Kurenai shouted.
Naruto charged in, Ten flashing like a silver bolt.He cleaved through a tiger mid-pounce — its body dissolved into whisps of chakra."Not real enough," he smirked, "but sharp enough to bite."
Karin spun, chakra flaring around her fists.She struck a lion square in the jaw, sending it bursting into mist."That all you got, senpai?" she muttered under her breath.
Haku danced between the chaos, her movements graceful, ghost-like.Her senbons flew — precise, elegant, deadly. Each beast that came near fell still, evaporating like illusions they were.
Kurenai weaved between the madness, deflecting with her kunai, each breath bringing her closer to Yakumo."Just a little closer… almost there…"
Yakumo watched, eyes glinting like shattered glass."You think you can sneak into my world? I am the dream — the nightmare!"
Kurenai's eyes met hers, calm and steady."Then let's dream together."
Outside, the monsters kept coming.
One after the other — lions of smoke, wolves of shadow, tigers formed from seething rage.The air reeked of burning chakra and strained resolve.They fought. And they endured.
Naruto moved like a tempest, Ten slicing through muscle and illusion alike. His breathing was ragged, but his eyes — oh, his eyes gleamed with the thrill of battle."Come on then!" he roared. "If this is art, I'll paint my answer with your defeat!"
Every swing was a drill. Every dodge a lesson.He was a one-man storm — always training, always pushing. Not just fighting Yakumo… but himself.
Karin was fury with purpose.She punched through wolves with chakra-infused blows, not even flinching as ichor and smoke splashed across her."Get outta my way!" she snarled. "You're standing between me and saving someone!"
Haku was surgical.Her senbon glinted like moonlight, piercing pressure points, freezing beasts mid-leap, dancing through the battlefield like a snowflake in a hurricane.No wasted movement. No hesitation. Just grace.
They held their ground — wave after wave — but they were human.Chakra drained.Muscles ached.Breath shortened.Even titans have limits.
And yet — they stood.Why?
Because behind them… Kurenai knelt, eyes closed.
She was diving deeper.Inside the storm.
Inside — the world was silence and shadow.
A blank canvas of black sky, white ground. Floating ink splatters drifted through the air like falling snow.Kurenai stood firm. Her mind was calm — sharper than ever.
Across from her, Yakumo appeared.No wild grin. No twisted aura. Just a girl — cold and unmoved.Her eyes held pain like broken glass. Beautiful. Dangerous.
"Yakumo…" Kurenai's voice was gentle. "Please. Stop this."
The silence that followed was thick, like the air before a thunderclap.
Then:"No."One word. Cold. Clean. Final.
Kurenai's heart twisted.Not because of the refusal — but because of why she said it.
"Why?" she asked softly. "Why are you doing this? What do you want?"
Yakumo's fists clenched. The sky above cracked with ink lightning."I want the truth. I want justice. I want the world to know what they did to me wasn't right."Her voice cracked, rage mixing with sorrow.
"I want to know why you, the only one who could've stood up for me, let them seal me like a monster."