Chapter 38: Echoes in the Night
"Holy… That's just too strong."
Shinra stared, slightly breathless, at the scene of devastation before him.
The process hadn't been flashy. No grand explosion, no raging fireball. It was a contained, terrifying event. A deep, thunderous crumble, a shockwave that shuddered through the earth, and then… erasure. The small hill was simply gone, replaced by a crater of shattered bedrock and a vast, drifting cloud of fine stone dust that hung in the moonlight like ghostly fog.
Looking at the particulate haze settling over the mangled forest edge, Shinra sucked in a sharp breath of cool night air. It took him a long moment to process the sheer, brute-force reality of what he'd just done.
As the adrenaline began to ebb, a secondary awareness clicked in. The chakra in his system felt significantly drained—nearly half of his newly expanded reserves were gone in that single, world-shaking release.
So, for all its terror, this move is a massive chakra hog, he assessed coolly. In my current state, I can likely only use it twice in quick succession before running dry. A true trump card, not a standard technique.
But the destructive potential was undeniable. Even a shinobi approaching Kage-level strength would be hard-pressed to survive a direct, close-range hit from that. A fierce grin of satisfaction touched his lips. This was a hole card worthy of the name.
His moment of self-congratulation was cut short. His Observation Haki, sharper and more expansive than ever, pinged a warning. Several presences were approaching from the direction of the village at high speed—disciplined, alert, but not overtly hostile.
The guards. The commotion must have drawn them.
It was hardly surprising. A small mountain vanishing in a flash of concussive light and sound wasn't exactly subtle.
With a last glance at his handiwork, Shinra tapped his toes against the ground. There was no burst of chakra, just the pure, terrifying muscle power of his reforged legs. The ground where he stood cracked slightly as he vanished, a blur streaking back towards the village, far outpacing the approaching sensors.
Less than ten seconds after his departure, three figures materialized at the edge of the destruction. They wore the standard porcelain animal masks of Konoha's Anbu.
The trio stood in silence for a beat, taking in the scene. The leader knelt, running a gloved hand over the smooth, glassy edge of the crater.
"This… what happened here?" one of them murmured, voice muffled by his mask.
Another Anbu was scanning their surroundings, his posture growing rigid with disbelief. "Wait. That's not right." He pointed a finger, tracing an arc in the air. "I have this sector memorized. There was a hill… right there."
His words landed heavily. All three masks turned to stare at the vast, empty pit, then up at the lingering dust cloud slowly settling over the trees.
A terrible understanding dawned.
"No… it can't be," the third Anbu breathed, the horror in his voice palpable even through the filter. "This dust… is it all that's left of…?"
"It wasn't a battle," the captain stated flatly, standing up. His experienced eyes saw no scorch marks of fire jutsu, no gouges of wind blades, no scattered kunai. "No signs of combat. This was… someone testing a technique."
"Testing a…?" The first Anbu looked from the crater to his captain, then back again. "What kind of power does it take to do this just by experimenting?"
The three masked operatives exchanged glances. In the blank white faces of each other's masks, they saw reflected their own shock and dawning alarm.
"Enough speculation," the captain snapped. "This goes directly to the Hokage. Now!"
In a synchronized shunshin, they were gone, leaving only the settling dust and the gaping wound in the earth as testament.
By the time the Anbu arrived at the crater, Shinra was already on the opposite side of the village, having swiftly hunted and field-dressed a large boar. Back in his home, he tore into the rich meat, his body demanding calories to replenish the titanic expenditure.
Between mouthfuls, his mind worked. That move needs a name. Something that fits.
"Super Invincible Horror, Everyone-Fears-It Destruction Ball?" he mused aloud, then snorted. "Too much of a mouthful. Even if longer names are cooler, it's impractical."
He ripped off another strip of meat. "How about… 'Collapse'? Simple. Direct." He gave a firm nod. "Collapse it is."
With his new technique christened and his stomach finally beginning to feel sated, a deep weariness from the night's metamorphosis and exertion settled into his bones. He finished the boar, cleansed his hands, and collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.
In the Hokage's office, the night oil lamp burned low.
Sarutobi Hiruzen listened to the Anbu captain's report, his pipe held forgotten in his hand. "You are certain? A small hill, vaporized into dust, from what appeared to be a single test of a new jutsu?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. The evidence is conclusive. No signs of any other party involved."
Hiruzen leaned back, the shadows under his eyes deepening. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if one of the Sannin had returned to the village on some clandestine business. Jiraiya, perhaps, developing some outrageous new sealing-triggered explosion? But no, the report described pure, blunt-force concussive destruction, not an explosion. It didn't fit their styles.
"Understood," he said finally, his voice grave. "Have the Anbu continue discreet investigations. And increase patrols in the outer sectors. With Kumo recently so… agitated, we cannot be too careful."
"Hai!"
The Anbu vanished in a swirl of leaves.
As the room fell silent, Hiruzen stared out the window at the sleeping village, a new, unknown variable now ticking in the back of his mind like a hidden clock.
In a root-lined chamber deep beneath Konoha, a report was also being delivered.
Danzo listened, his single visible eye narrowing to a slit. "A hidden powerhouse within our own walls, capable of such feats… How interesting." A cold, vulturine smile played on his lips. "Root will investigate this thoroughly. I will not tolerate an unknown potential threat lurking in Konoha's shadows. Find them."
The root agent bowed lower. "Hai, Danzo-sama."
The hunt for the source of the "Collapse" had begun, its instigator sleeping peacefully, unaware of the quiet storm his power had stirred.
(End of Chapter)
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