Chapter 151: A Sea of Fire and Pollen
With the final hand seal slammed together, Ren channeled the unique chakra blend through his body, his voice a low command that resonated with power. "Wood Style: Advent of the Flower Tree World!"
The very earth at the heart of Kumogakure, already scarred by the Nine-Tails' rampage, began to roar. The ground trembled and split apart with a sound like grinding stone, as if a primordial beast were awakening from its slumber. From the widening fissures, an army of colossal, serpentine vines erupted, growing at an impossible rate. They were thick as ancient trees, weaving through the ruins and snaking over the shattered foundations of buildings with a mind of their own.
A seasoned Cloud Jonin, his face pale with recognition, screamed a warning that was nearly lost in the cacophony. "It can't be! That's Wood Style! The power of the First Hokage! Don't let those vines touch you!"
But his warning was as futile as trying to hold back the tide. The wooden tendrils moved with predatory intent, lashing out at the surviving Cloud shinobi. They coiled around limbs, crushing armor and bone alike. They burst from the ground beneath feet, ensnaring warriors mid-step. In moments, the residential district was transformed into a tangled, horrific forest, the air filled with the sounds of splintering wood and the choked cries of those being constricted. The Cloud-nin's last stand was broken before it could even begin.
In the distance, even Suigetsu was rendered silent, his usual cocky grin replaced by a look of pure awe. "To create a forest in an instant... Boss, you're just on a whole other level."
Jugo simply nodded, his calm demeanor belying the shock he felt at the sheer scale of the devastation. "This is the power he wields when he stops holding back."
Just as the surviving Cloud-nin thought the nightmare had reached its peak, a new horror began. The massive buds that crowned the largest vines began to unfurl, blooming into flowers of terrifying size and beauty. A collective dread filled the air, thicker than the dust and smoke.
"Be careful! The pollen!" a shinobi yelled, but the warning came too late for many.
A cloud of pale yellow pollen began to pour from the blossoms, a beautiful, deadly mist that quickly settled over the entire area. Those who inhaled even a wisp felt their limbs grow heavy and their consciousness fade, collapsing into a deep, unwakeable slumber where they stood.
"Don't breathe! Destroy the flowers!" another commander ordered, but Ren was already moving.
His hands flashed through another set of seals. "Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
From his lips, a tsunami of fire roared forth, not aimed at the shinobi, but at the forest he had just created. The enchanted wood, saturated with his chakra, caught fire as if it were soaked in oil. The flames raced along the vines with terrifying speed, a wave of incineration that instantly turned the sea of pollen into a superheated inferno. The pale yellow mist ignited, creating a series of small, violent explosions that superheated the air.
The Cloud-nin, trapped between the need to hold their breath and the instinct to scream, were caught in an inescapable trap. Those who tried to form seals for Water Style jutsu inevitably gasped, sucking in the toxic pollen or superheated air, and collapsed. The fire spread with unnatural hunger, consuming everything in its path.
"Retreat! It's over! Fall back to the outskirts!" an ANBU captain screamed, his voice cracking with despair. There was no saving the village center now. The few survivors, their faces blackened with soot and etched with a grief beyond tears, could only flee, stumbling out of the hellscape that had once been their home.
They gathered on a rocky outcrop, watching in silent, horrified reverence as Kumogakure burned. The heart of their village, their pride and their home, was turning to ash before their eyes. A hatred so profound it felt like a physical pain rooted itself in their hearts, directed at the figure standing calmly atop the Nine-Tails.
Ren allowed the Susanoo to dissipate into shimmering chakra particles. He leaped onto the head of the fox, his gaze sweeping over the destruction with an expression of cold finality.
"Boss," Suigetsu called out, his voice uncharacteristically subdued. "Should we finish it? Hunt down the survivors?"
Ren shook his head. "No. Our objective is complete. There is no more Kumogakure to speak of. Let their despair be a message to the other Kage. We have other destinations." With a wave of his hand, the massive form of the Nine-Tails dissolved into a crimson mist, which was then drawn back into his body.
Without a backward glance, Ren, followed by Suigetsu and Jugo, turned and walked away, leaving the survivors to their agony. The Cloud-nin could only watch, powerless, as the architects of their ruin disappeared into the horizon, the roaring flames their only farewell.
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