Village center.
The guards near the Iwagakure building had also noticed something was wrong.
"Someone has infiltrated the village!"
"Hurry, report to Roshi-sama!"
Several guards immediately moved into action, but the Rōnin were even faster.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"
Several jutsu were unleashed one after another.
The guards had no time to react and were swallowed by fire and wind blades.
"Charge!"
The One-Eyed Man led the charge straight toward the Iwagakure building.
The main gate of the building was tightly shut, but that didn't stop him.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A thick wall of earth rose from the ground.
The One-Eyed Man leapt onto the wall, then jumped again, crashing straight through a window.
The other Rōnin followed closely behind.
Inside the building.
The remaining shinobi on guard had already been alerted by the explosions outside and were on high alert.
But before they could react, the Rōnin had already stormed in.
"Kill!"
The One-Eyed Man didn't waste words and attacked immediately.
Kunai, shuriken, explosive tags.
All kinds of attacks flew in.
The guards inside the building couldn't withstand the assault.
Soon, they were all dead.
"Take everything that can be carried. Burn anything that can't!"
The One-Eyed Man shouted.
The Rōnin immediately scattered into different rooms.
Each room stored different things—various scrolls, weapons, and piles of gold and silver.
"We're rich!"
"So much loot!"
The Rōnin shouted excitedly.
They frantically sealed items into scrolls.
Gold and silver, valuable weapons—anything they could take, they did.
"Move faster!"
The One-Eyed Man urged. "We don't have much time!"
"Got it!"
Just then.
Hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
"Iwagakure reinforcements are here!" a lookout Rōnin yelled.
The One-Eyed Man snorted, "They're faster than expected."
He glanced at the full scrolls, then hardened his expression.
"Set it ablaze. Burn everything!"
"The rest of you, gather up. We're retreating!"
Although the Rōnin were reluctant, they knew the urgency of the situation. They quickly slung the treasure-filled scrolls over their shoulders and rushed out of the building.
But just as they reached the entrance...
They were met with a dense crowd of figures blocking their path.
"You... how dare you!" The leader was an Iwagakure Elder. "You dare raid Iwagakure!"
The One-Eyed Man sneered, "If we weren't bold, would we be here?"
"Apologies, but tonight, we're taking all of this."
"And no one can stop us!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A fire dragon roared toward the Iwagakure shinobi.
The Elder immediately countered, "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
An earthen wall rose, blocking the flames.
But at the same time...
The scattered Rōnin across Iwagakure launched their attacks as well.
In an instant, fires erupted across the village.
The Elder's expression darkened. "Damn it, finish this quickly!"
Various jutsu filled the air.
The Iwagakure shinobi engaged in battle.
The two sides clashed instantly.
Amidst the chaos, the One-Eyed Man led several Rōnin in a mad dash toward the village's edge.
"Don't let them escape!" the Elder roared.
But the Rōnin were well-prepared.
They continuously tossed explosive tags along the way, blasting open a bloody path as they fled.
Just as the One-Eyed Man was about to leave the village...
Boom!
A thunderous explosion shook the area.
An overwhelming surge of chakra erupted from the center of the village.
A figure slowly rose.
His body was cloaked in red Tailed Beast Chakra.
Four tails swayed behind him.
The Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi.
The crimson chakra blazed like fire.
Roshi stood in the central plaza, exuding a terrifying pressure.
His eyes had turned bestial.
The four tails behind him lashed wildly.
"Jinchuriki..." The One-Eyed Man's expression twisted.
He knew Iwagakure had a Jinchuriki.
But he didn't expect him to appear this quickly!
"Retreat! Retreat now!"
He roared, turning and fleeing.
The other Rōnin didn't dare stay behind and followed.
But Roshi didn't give them a chance. "Lava Release: Scorching Rock Stream!"
A scorching wave of lava surged forward.
"Ah!"
Several slower Rōnin were swallowed by the lava.
Their bodies melted in an instant, barely managing half a scream.
"Damn it!"
The One-Eyed Man's face turned pale.
He immediately hurled his remaining explosive tags, trying to block the advancing lava.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted, sending dust flying.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the One-Eyed Man and the surviving Rōnin escaped frantically.
"Trying to run?" Roshi snorted. "Did you even ask me first?"
His figure flickered and instantly appeared before the fleeing Rōnin, throwing a punch.
Bang!
The ground cracked beneath the impact, fissures racing toward the Rōnin.
From the cracks, molten lava gushed forth.
"Scatter!"
The One-Eyed Man shouted, and the Rōnin scattered immediately.
But Roshi was even faster.
His movements blurred like a ghost, weaving through the group.
Each strike claimed a life.
Pfft!
One Rōnin was punched clean through the chest, blood spraying out.
Another tried to flee but was trapped by the lava. In his panic, he fell straight into it.
In the blink of an eye, of the dozen Rōnin led by the One-Eyed Man, fewer than five remained.
The One-Eyed Man clenched his teeth.
If they didn't think of something soon, they'd all die here.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" He quickly formed hand signs, raising a thick wall of earth. "Everyone, head east!"
The remaining Rōnin immediately fled toward the east.
Roshi didn't speak. With a powerful swing of his tail—
Boom!
The earth wall shattered, rubble flying everywhere.
By the time he charged through, the Rōnin had already gotten some distance.
Just as he was about to give chase, someone called from behind, "Roshi!"
It was the Iwagakure Elder, rushing over with a grim expression. "Don't chase them. There are still Rōnin inside the village!"
"Take care of them first!"
Roshi's expression grew even darker.
He looked toward the fleeing Rōnin in the distance, then back at the burning village.
In the end, he gave up the chase.
"Let's go. We need to assess the damage first." He turned and walked toward the Iwagakure building.
Meanwhile, the One-Eyed Man and the remaining five Rōnin fled as fast as they could.
Only after escaping Iwagakure's territory did they dare to stop and catch their breath.
The One-Eyed Man gasped, "We were nearly wiped out back there."
But they had looted a large haul. So, it was still worth it.
"Boss, what now?" a Rōnin asked.
The One-Eyed Man took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Get out of here first."
"Iwagakure will definitely send people after us."
"Once we're safe, we'll tally up the loot."
"Understood."
The six figures quickly vanished into the night.
Back in Iwagakure.
After Roshi had taken care of the remaining Rōnin.
He stood before the scorched remains of the Iwagakure building, his expression terrifyingly grim.
"Damn it!"
He slammed a fist into the wall, which cracked under the force.
The Elder walked up beside him, his face just as dark. "According to preliminary estimates, the damage..."
"At least three hundred million Ryo."
"What?" Roshi's eyes widened.
Three hundred million Ryo!
"And..."
The Elder continued, "Several important jutsu scrolls were also stolen."
"Some of them were forbidden jutsu."
Roshi's fists clenched tightly, bones creaking from the pressure.
"This must be reported to the Tsuchikage-sama immediately."
"Already done."
"Hmm." Roshi gave a short nod, saying nothing more, his heart burning with anger and guilt.
He was a Jinchuriki.
One of Iwagakure's strongest fighters.
But he'd allowed the enemy to rampage through the village and loot its core.
What a disgrace.
"I will find those bastards."
Roshi gritted his teeth. "And burn them all to ashes. One by one."
The night wind blew.
Carrying the scent of blood.
This night in Iwagakure was destined to be turbulent.
And it was only the beginning of the nightmare.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)