"Guy..."
Minato Namikaze stood frozen in place, his gaze fixed on the swirling ashes drifting through the air.
His eyes glistened faintly, as if moved and inspired by the spirit of "The Will of Fire" that Guy had so perfectly embodied.
"Lord Hokage!"
"Lord Hokage!"
"Where are the enemies?!"
Before long, the remaining Konoha shinobi, crawling out from the ruins, began to gather around.
Among them were many familiar faces—Kakashi, now with only one eye; the Third Hokage; and the younger generation of Konoha's "Rookies"...
Each of them had a small slug perched on their shoulders.
It seemed that Tsunade, who had been absent from the village for years, had finally returned.
Her face was filled with fury as she looked upon the ring of scorched earth that had once been Konohagakure.
This was the village her grandfather had built with his own hands!
Yet, Danzo and his followers from Root appeared to still be hiding in the shadows, scheming to bury their twisted ambitions deep within the soil, unwilling to reveal themselves in the light.
Amidst the crowd, a young boy with a bowl-cut hairstyle and clad in a green jumpsuit wept uncontrollably.
Through his sobs, he murmured, "Guy-sensei..."
Kakashi, too, wore an expression of sorrow as he looked toward the sea of flames.
But amidst his grief, a memory from his childhood surfaced—words his father had once spoken to him.
"Guy..."
"So it's true... Hard work really can surpass genius..."
The blood-red dragon that had soared through the air, tearing apart the giant—it was a power Kakashi knew he could never hope to match.
If he, as he was now without the Sharingan, were to face Guy in the Eighth Gate, there would be no chance of an even fight. He wouldn't even survive Guy's first move.
"Suiton Unit, assemble!"
"Extinguish the flames!"
At the rallying cry of a Konoha Jōnin, a group of shinobi quickly gathered together.
"Water Release: Water Collision Wave!"
After forming hand seals, they unleashed streams of blue water from their mouths, directing them toward the burning sea of vines.
To their credit, the Konoha shinobi's mastery of Water Release was impressive. Even in such a dry environment, their techniques displayed considerable power.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The clash of water and fire produced bursts of steam that rose into the air in thick, billowing clouds.
Just as the flames began to subside and the shinobi thought the battle was finally over, Minato's expression suddenly turned to one of sheer terror.
A faint ripple in the fabric of space trembled, as though a butterfly had disturbed the threads of causality, resetting events to their origin.
"Unbelievable..."
"In a world without Hashirama, there is still someone who could bring me to the brink of death. If I hadn't prepared a backup plan..."
"Hahaha!"
From within the scorched, steaming "forest" of blackened vines, a familiar, maniacal laugh echoed.
Then, a figure emerged—a bare-chested man with flowing hair, an unrestrained arrogance in his demeanor, and Rinnegan glowing with a faint purple hue.
Despite Guy's self-sacrificing final attack, Madara remained unscathed?!
No...
Looking closely through the strands of his flowing hair, it became apparent that his right Sharingan had turned completely white, devoid of all power.
If Danzo were here, he would undoubtedly recognize this technique.
But for Minato and the others, the reappearance of Madara filled their hearts with nothing but dread.
As Madara approached the gathered Konoha shinobi, even his face showed a rare hint of disbelief.
"This is...?"
"The Crimson Sun Formation?"
Minato's expression shifted to one of shock, his mind reeling from the familiar yet foreign aura emanating around them.
From the outskirts of Konohagakure, a red octagonal barrier had suddenly risen, encasing the area. Transparent red flames danced along the barrier's surface.
This was a prison-like barrier that prevented anyone from entering or escaping. Touching its walls would result in severe burns. Judging by the dark, blood-like hue of the flames, its power was undoubtedly terrifying.
Moreover, within the flickering red flames, there was a faint trace of purple light, hinting at some unusual effect.
As the barrier materialized, a white-robed figure slowly descended from the sky. The nine Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind him seemed to grant him the ability to fly.
"You... How are you capable of this?!"
Madara, now with only one Rinnegan, locked his gaze onto the newcomer.
Even someone as arrogant as Madara instinctively subdued his overbearing demeanor in the presence of this figure, a testament to the immense pressure the white-robed man exuded.
"You are... Sōmi of Sunagakure?"
Minato's heart sank to the depths of despair.
Sōmi's current appearance was drastically different from before. One of his eyes was a Rinnegan, while the other was a Mangekyō Sharingan, its pattern a square with curved lines extending from each corner.
The transformation in his aura and appearance left Minato uncertain and hesitant.
At this moment, Sōmi, Madara, and the Konoha shinobi formed a tense triangular standoff.
Sōmi cast a disdainful glance at the Konoha shinobi. To someone of his current strength, individuals like Minato were no longer worth considering.
Without responding to Minato's question, Sōmi formed a hand seal and softly uttered, "Sage Art..."
"Wind Annihilation Tempest!"
As Sōmi thrust his hands forward, dark cyclones erupted from his palms!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
In an instant, the clear sky darkened, as if a shroud had descended over the entire area. The sky above the Crimson Sun Formation was completely obscured by thick, rolling clouds.
Howl! Howl! Howl!
Countless cylindrical cyclones, filled with sand and debris, surged upward. Surrounding these cyclones were countless razor-sharp wind blades. Any object that came into contact with the cyclones would be torn to shreds in an instant.
The clouds above the barrier churned violently, as streaks of purple lightning began to form within them.
In the blink of an eye—
BOOM!!!
Blinding purple lightning illuminated the sky!
Bolts of lightning, as thick as barrels, rained down upon Konohagakure like a torrential storm, unleashing the wrath of the heavens.
"Ahhh!!!"
In the face of such terrifying Sage Art, capable of altering the very heavens and earth, the screams of the shinobi seemed utterly insignificant.
Even Konoha's resilient younger generation, known for their tenacity, had no choice but to succumb. They were either shredded into pieces by the cyclonic wind blades or reduced to charred remains by the relentless purple lightning.
Even the underground hideout where Danzo had been cowering was not spared. Sōmi had deliberately targeted it, tearing the shelter apart.
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In this moment, the "Light and Shadows" of Konohagakure were all consumed by a single, overwhelming emotion: despair.