Time seemed to freeze for half a second. Then the first explosion erupted. Fire and smoke blasted skyward with a deafening roar.
Boom, boom, boom. The explosions followed one after another, sweeping across all of Konoha. The ground shook as the blasts spread.
Firelight bloomed again and again, devouring houses, streets, and trees. People still asleep had no time to react. Destruction spread without mercy.
In a single moment, the dark half of Konoha was lit up completely. Countless flames burst open at once. The city was no longer hidden.
The light was not golden, but blood red. The sky turned crimson as thick smoke rolled outward and covered the morning. The rising sun disappeared behind the haze.
There was no doubt about it. This was an attack from Sky Ninja Village. The truth was clear to anyone who saw it.
Wailing alarms finally sounded, shrill and late. Their cries mixed with explosions, collapsing buildings, and terrified screams. Together they formed a song of destruction.
The illusion of peace was torn apart. Akatsuki's iron heel crushed down in the most brutal way. The calm of Konoha was shattered as the last darkness before dawn vanished.
Shadow remained standing atop Hokage Rock. He looked down at the village now drowning in fire and chaos. His posture never changed.
Shockwaves from the explosions snapped his robe in the wind. Firelight flickered in his eyes, reflecting a cold and strange glow. He watched without blinking.
"Meow."
The black cat stirred uneasily at the noise and let out a small cry. Its body tensed in his arms.
"Do not be afraid," Shadow said softly. He stroked the cat's head again. A faint laugh slipped from the shadows.
"It is just dawn."
The Hokage Office inside the Hokage Building was still brightly lit, carrying a restless mood that clashed with the silence outside. The air felt stale, as if the room itself was tired of waiting.
Documents were piled like small hills, messy and unorganized, taking up most of the wide desk and even spilling onto the floor. Approved files, pending files, and urgent encrypted ones were mixed together, making the sight genuinely frightening.
The acting authority of the Hokage, Jiraiya, was sitting at the desk. His whole body looked as if it were buried in paperwork, with heavy bags under his eyes and bloodshot pupils ringed by dark circles, as though he had taken two solid punches to the face.
His hair was clawed into a mess like weeds, and rough stubble covered his chin, giving him a hollow and exhausted look. Anyone could tell he had been drained dry by endless work.
"Haah!"
He let out a weak yawn, tears squeezing out from the corners of his eyes.
The pen in his hand poked lazily at a scroll about border outpost supply requests, and the words on the page began to sway in his blurred vision. At last, his patience snapped.
"Ahhh!!"
He slammed the pen down and scratched wildly at his hair, letting out a broken howl. "When is that old man coming back?"
"How long is this dark, endless life supposed to last?"
"I knew I should not have softened up and agreed to this. I should have stayed on my travel writing journey and devoted myself to great literature, not sit here staring at these damn things…"
Smack!
A crisp sound cut him off.
A not too thick file flew over and hit him squarely in the face.
Jiraiya's rant stopped at once. He awkwardly pulled the file off his face and turned toward the other side of the office.
On the wide sofa, Tsunade had lazily sat up. Her long blond hair was loose over her shoulders, her eyes half closed with sleep, and her face clearly showed irritation at being woken up.
That file had clearly been what she used to cover her face while napping.
"What are you yelling about?" she complained. She stretched, and her loose top shifted with the motion, outlining a striking figure.
The sight instantly chased away most of Jiraiya's drowsiness. His eyes widened, and he swallowed without thinking.
The next second, Tsunade swept him with a sharp glare and said coldly, "Keep staring and I will dig your eyes out."
"Cough, cough. Well, about that…"
Jiraiya jerked his gaze away like he had been shocked and coughed twice in embarrassment, forcing a topic change. "The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning sent another reminder."
"They want us to send more people, and from the tone, they even want you or me to go in person. How should we reply?"
The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning had no idea that Tsunade now suffered from Hemophobia, otherwise they would not have placed their hopes on her.
"Did we not already send Sarutobi Asuma, along with Uzuki Yugao and several from ANBU?"
As soon as she heard that, Tsunade frowned deeply. "That lineup is enough for most emergencies. Is the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning really lacking guards? Why do they keep pushing?"
"He said it is 'not enough.'" Jiraiya spread his hands helplessly. "The number of 'Crimson giant' is increasing, and it is making the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning more nervous."
Hearing this, Tsunade clenched her fist without thinking, then took a deep breath and reminded herself who they were dealing with. She forced the irritation down.
"Annoying…" She rubbed her brow and said, "Do not reply yet. Use smoother wording and delay it. Let the old man handle this mess himself when he comes back."
"Oh, right."
As if remembering something, she looked at Jiraiya and asked, "Why did you sneak around a few days ago and ask me to secretly pull all records of village Ninja with blue eye traits? What are you doing?"
"…"
Jiraiya's expression stiffened. His eyes drifted away, and he waved his hand vaguely. "Nothing. Just checking things."
Tsunade had first thought he found a spy, but seeing his obvious guilt, she realized the truth. Her expression darkened slightly.
"Do not tell me Mount Myoboku sent you another strange prophecy," she asked.
Jiraiya's lips moved, but he said nothing and instinctively avoided her gaze.
That silence was as good as an admission.
He was searching for the Child of Prophecy mentioned by Gamamaru, yet Root had found nothing at all. The only one who truly caught his attention was Ryoma Clan's child, the boy named Naruto Uzumaki.
"You!" Tsunade felt anger surge up. She was about to scold him for being led by empty prophecies again and wasting his energy and the village's resources.
Just as she was about to speak, something happened.
Whoosh!
A figure appeared like a ghost in the center of the office, kneeling on one knee.
The newcomer wore standard Konoha ANBU attire and an animal mask. His breathing was hurried, and panic was clear beneath his control.
The sudden intrusion forced Tsunade to swallow her words. She and Jiraiya both focused on the ANBU member.
"Jiraiya-sama! Tsunade!"
The ANBU operative took a sharp breath and reported urgently. "Just now, an emergency occurred at the Forbidden Techniques Vault. One of the 'Seven Deadly Sins Essence', 'Wrath', which was tightly sealed with Sealing Technique…"
"It broke through the Barrier Technique and Sealing Technique on its own and flew out of the Forbidden Techniques Vault!"
At those words, Jiraiya's eyes went wide as he sprang to his feet.
"What did you say?!"
The exhaustion on his face was replaced by shock and disbelief, as if all sleepiness had vanished. He even wondered if he was hearing things from overwork.