The central area of Iwagakure.
The smoke that had filled the sky slowly descended, covering the devastated ground with a layer of dust.
On the ground, four black-robed figures lay embedded into the earth, their bodies scattered as if a giant had smashed them into the ground with its fists.
"Ōnoki..."
"From today onward, the Land of Earth and Iwagakure will cease to exist..."
Tendo Pain held a black rod in his hand and hurled it fiercely toward Ōnoki, who was lying prone on the ground.
Pshk!
The sharp black rod pierced directly into Ōnoki's waist and abdomen.
"Ah!"
Ōnoki groaned in pain. His face was smeared with blood and dirt, but he stubbornly lifted his head to glare at the culprit behind Iwagakure's destruction.
"Great nations... wage war for peace..."
"Not... for slaughter!"
Ōnoki's gaze was already starting to blur, but his voice remained firm, whether to convince his enemy or deceive himself.
"You have proven yourselves to be a great nation, yet you act as if you are the protagonists of this world. In the name of peace, you recklessly bring about senseless slaughter..."
"You are nothing more than mediocre fools chasing after peace... Whether you kill or are killed, the link between these two is war, and war... inevitably brings death and suffering."
Dust clung to Tendo Pain's black robe as he casually brushed it off, speaking his thoughts as if they were self-evident truths.
"Hah!"
"Those who dare... disrupt the balance of the shinobi world..."
"Your so-called... peace..."
"Will bring endless war and death to the shinobi world!"
Ōnoki struggled to push his frail arms against the ground, propping himself up slightly. After speaking, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Ridiculous!"
"Your narrow-minded justice, your self-righteous justice, is no different from what I have done to your village today..."
"Humans are foolish creatures who will never truly understand one another!"
The glow in Tendo Pain's Rinnegan intensified. From his sleeve, he flung another black rod.
Pshk!
The sound of flesh and bone being pierced echoed as blood mixed with white foam sprayed into the air. The black rod penetrated Ōnoki's forehead, shattering his skull without resistance.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a young woman clad in a black cloak with red clouds descended beside Pain, her two paper wings fluttering as she landed.
The woman had light bluish-purple hair styled into a bun, with a pale blue paper flower adorning the right side of her head. Her eyes were a soft amber color, her face delicate and attractive, accented with light purple eyeshadow and a lip piercing below her lower lip.
She exuded a mature and elegant aura, her every movement radiating a cool and commanding presence.
To men with a strong sense of conquest, she would undoubtedly be an irresistible allure.
"Have you informed Kakuzu to retreat?"
"If Sunagakure hasn't sent reinforcements, detonate it in ten minutes..."
Pain's voice was cold and emotionless, as if the slaughter of Iwagakure stirred no feelings within him.
"Understood."
The young woman lowered her head slightly and replied softly.
"Let's go, then."
"These bodies need to be taken back to the original body for repairs."
"Also, there's a promising little one in Iwagakure. She seems to be Ōnoki's granddaughter and could serve as a replacement for the Animal Path."
Tendo Pain turned his gaze to another direction, where a ten-year-old girl lay unconscious on the ground.
The girl had short black hair and eyes, her delicate features framed by the Iwagakure ninja vest she wore over a red, long-sleeved bodysuit. Though still young, her long, fair legs hinted at future grace.
The round-faced Preta Path walked over, showing no intention of showing mercy. He hoisted the girl onto his shoulder, letting her dangle like a sack of rice being carried to the second floor.
Afterward, the Preta Path gathered the other four battered bodies, holding them haphazardly in his arms. Konan carried him, and together they flew away from the center of Iwagakure.
Shortly after Tendo Pain and his group departed, Kitsuchi and his forces rushed into the village.
Kitsuchi's clothing bore signs of cuts and burns, and his body was marked with scars, but his overall demeanor remained resolute.
The group quickly found a frail old man amidst the rubble of a collapsed building. His lifeless eyes stared upward, his face and body covered in blood and dirt.
Yet, his expression remained defiant, as if questioning the heavens. He seemed to believe that neither he nor Iwagakure was at fault, but rather the chaotic shinobi world...
However, it was clear that his enemy had no interest in his inner turmoil. A long black rod had pierced through his forehead, pinning him to the ground and leaving him in a kneeling, backward-leaning position.
"Father!!"
Kitsuchi let out a heart-wrenching wail, his voice filled with grief and despair that seemed to pierce the heavens.
"Huh?!"
"Kaika?!"
"Satsu?!"
One by one, the Iwa-nin began to realize the cruel truth. Their loved ones, those who had remained in the village, were now nothing more than lifeless corpses.
The warm embraces, gentle smiles, and sweet homes they once returned to...
All of it had vanished, leaving nothing but cold ashes.
"Amegakure!"
"We will make you pay in blood!"
Roars of anger and pairs of bloodshot, vengeful eyes appeared amidst the ruins of Iwagakure, as hatred and pain began to simmer and spread.
However—
Just as the Iwa-nin were preparing to rally around Kitsuchi and plan their revenge—
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion shook the heavens as a massive mushroom cloud, accompanied by intense flames and smoke, rose into the sky!
Rumble!
Nestled between mountains, Iwagakure, built in a relatively flat and low-lying area, collapsed entirely in that instant.
On a remote mountaintop temple outside the village—
As the explosion and earthquake-like tremors reached this location, a bored blond-haired youth playing with white clay froze in place.
He immediately dashed out of the temple, staring toward the direction of Iwagakure.
When he saw the enormous mushroom cloud dominating the blood-red sky, his expression shifted rapidly between shock, disbelief, awe, and admiration.
He gazed at the scene with a dazed, almost intoxicated look, murmuring to himself, "This is... the ultimate art?!"
At that moment, his thoughts didn't turn to the safety of Iwagakure. He didn't even notice the white clay slipping from his hands.
He simply stood there, transfixed...
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