Naruto: Troublesome Ninja Haruta

Chapter 106: Super Shinra Tensei

"So, you're Haruta?"

Floating in the sky atop his Path of Pain, Nagato narrowed his eyes at the figure riding the wooden dragon toward him.

He had never met Haruta before. Most of his operations had been hands-off. But the moment he felt that overwhelming chakra—and saw the Wood Style dragon tearing through the sky—he knew exactly who he was dealing with.

Wood Style. That was Haruta's trademark.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

Haruta tilted his head, eyeing Pain with casual curiosity. But deep down, he was already sighing.

Why did this guy show up now?

At this point in time, Haruta was practically invincible—unstoppable offense, absurd recovery, and unmatched mobility.

Very few in this era truly worried him.

Shisui was one, thanks to that terrifying Mangekyō. Being able to overwrite someone's will was no joke.

Uchiha Fugaku, too—not because he was powerful, but because his abilities were largely unknown.

And then there was Obito. Haruta wasn't afraid of a direct fight with him—his Flying Thunder God could counter Kamui.

But if Obito ever targeted Haruta's friends or family… that'd be a problem.

Thankfully, Haruta didn't have many friends. And the few he did trust? He'd already marked them with his teleportation kunai.

Still, beyond those Uchiha maniacs, one name stood above the rest: Nagato, wielder of the Rinnegan.

Sure, he always looked sickly and half-dead, cursed by Jiraiya's "Child of Prophecy" nonsense.

But his raw power? His abilities?

Terrifying.

Even Haruta had to treat this guy as a top-tier stat monster.

Everyone else—like Onoki or the Fourth Raikage—might be strong, but they didn't scare him.

Onoki couldn't even hit him. The Raikage hadn't reached peak speed yet—Haruta was still faster.

"I heard you've been digging into Akatsuki."

Nagato's voice was cold, expression unreadable.

"In that case… let me give you a proper introduction. I'm the leader."

"Oh?"

Haruta raised an eyebrow. This guy was surprisingly straightforward—that wasn't something he expected.

But rather than be cautious, Haruta smiled.

"So you're the leader, huh? That actually saves me some trouble. I've been meaning to find you."

"Strictly speaking… we've been looking for you, too."

Nagato's voice was calm, but before he could finish, Haruta suddenly steered his dragon forward and charged—full speed—at him!

All while his voice echoed through the sky:

"Once I've got you, I'll have everything—Obito's plans, Konan, Yahiko, Nagato—everything!"

"Huh?!"

Pain's eyes widened. He couldn't wrap his head around this guy's logic.

Why the hell did he attack in the middle of a conversation?!

"Shinra Tensei!"

But Nagato wasn't one to be taken lightly. With a cold snort, he raised his hand.

In an instant, a massive repulsive force exploded from his body, halting the wooden dragon mid-air.

The shockwave rippled outward, making it impossible for Jiraiya, Pakura, and the others to advance.

The Mist shinobi quickly swarmed around them.

"What… is going on up there?!"

Mei Terumi stared at the sky, bewildered by the monstrous wooden dragon and the man going one-on-one with it.

These enemies—they were insane. These jutsu—she'd never even seen them before.

Were these guys even enemies?

"Mei! Focus!"

Ao snapped her out of her thoughts.

"They're pinned down! This is our chance—we can't let them go!"

"You know how the Elders and the Mizukage are…"

"…Got it."

Mei nodded grimly. Even if it wasn't said aloud, the village's internal affairs were an open secret.

She had long followed Master Genji. She understood the stakes.

"Everyone, move! Be careful—then take them all out!"

"Yes!"

The Mist shinobi surged forward, encircling their enemies.

They saw the battle in the sky and felt unease.

But they were ninja. No matter how insane the situation—

They had a mission. And that mission had to be completed.

---

"Orochimaru?! What the hell are YOU doing here?!"

Back on the ground, Jiraiya's face twisted with fury as a familiar figure stepped out of the shadows.

"You have finally changed your tune?"

Orochimaru looked completely at ease, like he was just here to enjoy the show. He smirked playfully at Jiraiya and said,

"Not even trying to talk me into going back with you? How rare, how very rare."

"You bastard! Just what the hell are you planning?!"

Jiraiya cursed under his breath, but in his heart, a terrifying possibility had already taken root.

Uchiha Obito... might really be hiding in this damn place!

Otherwise, how else would everyone have reacted so quickly? The main forces of Kirigakure were already here conducting a full-scale encirclement, and even members of the Akatsuki had shown up.

Just thinking about it, Jiraiya couldn't help but admire Haruta's insane information analysis skills—his ability to predict and assess was simply on another level.

But admiration aside, he could only curse his luck. Especially when he noticed the two figures looming behind Orochimaru, shrouded in mist. He immediately realized—there was no way out. He had to fight.

"What am I planning, you ask?"

Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, his grin widening with amusement.

"Why, naturally..."

Buzz——

Before he even finished speaking, his figure vanished into the mist, slipping through like a phantom, and in the blink of an eye, appeared right beside Jiraiya!

"...To finally kill this damn toad who's been chasing me around all these years!"

Boom!

The ground trembled with a deafening roar. Kakashi, Tenzo, and Yugao were forced to leap back immediately, and even Pakura and her group, who had been nearby, had to scatter.

In the dense mist, only the clashing silhouettes of Jiraiya and Orochimaru remained—along with the violent storm of chakra erupting between them!

"Strange... That brat with the Sharingan isn't here this time."

Just as Jiraiya and Orochimaru were locked in fierce combat, a voice drifted toward Kakashi and the others—Kakuzu and Biwa Juzou had joined the fray.

"What a shame. Looks like he didn't show up. That takes some of the fun out of it."

"Let's deal with the ones in front of us first."

Juzou's eyes turned sharp and cold as he looked at Kakashi's group. The grudge from the Land of Whirlpools hadn't been settled—and he sure as hell wasn't planning to let it go anytime soon.

"Just our luck..."

Kakashi's gaze stayed locked on the two, but he couldn't help the sarcastic thought that crept into his mind. Why is it that every time we go on a mission with Haruta, things always spiral into chaos?

And not just any chaos—things were getting more serious with each passing time.

He let out a quiet sigh and steadied himself.

"Get ready. There's no turning back now."

---

Down below, the battle raged. But high above, Haruta stood atop his towering wooden dragon, sensing the gravitational forces twisting the air around them. Gazing toward Pain, he suddenly chuckled.

"You don't really seem alive, you know?"

He narrowed his eyes and continued, "Those black rods in your body... they're emanating chakra. And while you look alive, my sensory skills tell a different story. It's like your body is just being forcibly powered by chakra..."

He smirked. "What are you, some kind of puppet?"

"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?!"

Nagato scoffed coldly through the voice of Pain, but inside, he was rattled.

This brat's sensory perception was far beyond what he had expected.

Truth be told, their objective for this operation had been crystal clear. Though some unexpected obstacles had popped up, they weren't anything they couldn't handle. Nagato had only deployed Orochimaru and the others to feel things out—he hadn't even planned to reveal his trump card yet.

And yet this kid had acted before a single word had been exchanged—and he even knew about Konan and Yahiko?

Don't tell me...

"He even noticed the truth about my real body?"

Nagato frowned. But up in the sky, Haruta wasn't wasting time. His hands flashed through seals, and in an instant, his body grew light and unshackled, floating into the air.

"Ōnoki's technique really is something else," he thought, amazed.

Flight—the age-old dream of mankind.

But he didn't take off just yet. Instead, he twisted his fingers, and the massive wooden dragon beneath him suddenly sprouted countless vines that shot toward Pain like a barrage of spears.

"Hmph!"

Pain snorted coldly. He had no time to think. His eyes briefly swept down to Jiraiya, still fighting Orochimaru below. A mocking glint sparked in his gaze.

Jiraiya-sensei... didn't you always say that true peace comes from understanding and dialogue?

You can't even handle your own people in Konoha—so why do you expect us to do what you couldn't?

"Such childish attacks."

Nagato sneered and had Pain glide swiftly to the side in mid-air, evading the onslaught of wooden spikes.

But Haruta didn't give him a moment's rest. As soon as Pain moved, the wooden dragon lunged through the sky with a deafening roar.

ROAARR!

The monstrous wooden beast howled, its presence so overwhelming that even Nagato, from his hidden location far away, could feel the pressure.

Nagato didn't want to risk damaging Yahiko's body—even if it was now greatly enhanced.

"Damn troublesome brat."

He made Pain retreat rapidly, silently counting in his head. Just as he reached the right moment, he suddenly stopped midair and thrust his hand forward.

"Shinra Tensei!"

A massive gravitational pulse erupted again, blasting the wooden dragon back with a mournful screech.

Two failed attacks in a row—Haruta's dragon seemed almost frustrated.

But standing atop its head, Haruta only smiled.

"I've been waiting for that move!"

Buzz——

The moment the repulsive force faded, Haruta launched himself forward like a bullet, chakra surging wildly around him.

With the Light-Weight Rock Technique boosting his speed, he closed the distance in an instant!

"Rasengan!"

"Hmph!"

Pain's face remained stoic, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of shock. The moment he saw that azure sphere of swirling chakra, he instinctively sensed danger.

"Banshō Ten'in!"

Nagato didn't panic. With calm precision, he extended Pain's hand toward the ground. A violent pull erupted as he summoned a massive stone sphere from the earth to intercept Haruta mid-flight.

"Tch."

Haruta's eyes narrowed. Instead of dodging, he hurled the Rasengan directly at the incoming boulder.

BOOM!

The sky exploded with sound, shattered stone raining down like a meteor shower. The shockwaves ripped through the clouds as dust billowed outward.

Even through the smoke, Pain's eyes stayed fixed on Haruta's silhouette. That last strike had definitely rattled him.

"Don't make that face. Ninja battles aren't just about brute force—they're contests of information."

Haruta's figure emerged slowly from the smoke, one hand raised in a half-seal. His voice rang out, calm and confident.

"Your power's interesting. It repels anything with a surge of force, right? But no matter how strong a technique is... it has limits."

"A technique like yours can't be used infinitely. There must be an interval between each use."

As his words fell, a golden chakra cloak suddenly burst to life around him!

Bathed in sunlight, Haruta looked like a divine being—blinding and majestic.

He rolled his shoulders, then grinned.

"Five seconds. That's the gap between your uses."

"Five seconds... that's enough time to do a lot."

In a distant hiding place, the real Nagato's face darkened.

How long had they been fighting?

One minute? Maybe less?

And his Shinra Tensei technique had already been exposed?!

He had heard the rumors—this Haruta Shigaru wasn't just insanely powerful. His analytical mind made him a monster in tactical combat.

But still—this was insane!

"...Impressive. You're very impressive."

Nagato quickly composed himself, his eyes narrowing.

"But even if you know... so what? Intelligence only matters when you're on equal footing. And you..."

His voice dropped as Pain thrust out his hand and bellowed:

"You're not worthy yet!"

Banshō Ten'in!

A crushing pull slammed into Haruta, ripping at his body. For a moment, he felt like he might be dragged in completely.

But he reacted instantly, forming a seal as the wooden dragon behind him let out a thunderous roar and charged forward, riding the same gravitational pull straight at Pain!

"...Damn!"

Nagato cursed inwardly. The roaring wooden dragon was barreling right toward him—and he couldn't use Shinra Tensei recklessly.

If he used it again, he'd be vulnerable for five seconds—and this guy would definitely exploit it!

Nagato realized just how dangerous this fight was getting. But he had no time to dwell on it.

Because as he sidestepped the wooden dragon—Haruta came streaking toward him like a comet!

Buzz——

The two collided midair, unleashing a shockwave that rippled across the sky like waves in a pond.

BOOOOM!!

A deafening explosion followed a heartbeat later. One after another, shockwaves blasted outward, sweeping the entire battlefield with raw force.

The dense mist was blown away like smoke in a hurricane—and for the first time in a long while, the sky above the Hidden Mist Village was clear.

Even the Mist Shinobi had never seen the sky so blue.

"...What the hell?"

Down below, the battle between Orochimaru and Jiraiya ground to a halt.

Orochimaru had a white-haired Jiraiya by the collar, while Jiraiya had one hand gripping a massive serpent's tail—both of them looking equally disheveled.

They'd been going at it hard.

But even they couldn't ignore that sky-shaking impact.

"...Those two..."

They exchanged a look, then leapt apart, heads lifting toward the sky.

Even through the chaos, they could make out the high-speed figures clashing in the air.

And the clearer that view became... the more shocked they were.

"That speed... that power... And he's flying? Flying—with that level of aerial mobility?"

They could hardly believe their eyes.

Though neither of them could fly in the traditional sense, once airborne, everything about their movements seemed vastly different from fighting on the ground.

On solid ground, you could maneuver your body with finesse, use terrain to evade attacks, and capitalize on elevation changes. But flying was an entirely different beast—it was about controlling jutsu, not your body. And yet, both of them still fought with razor-sharp precision midair. It was nothing short of astonishing.

After all, flight-based jutsu were extremely rare in the Shinobi World.

"That leader… something about him isn't normal at all," Orochimaru murmured, licking his lips.

His entry into Akatsuki had deviated significantly from the original timeline. He hadn't joined out of fear of Nagato or greed for the Rinnegan.

That meant he wasn't exactly familiar with Nagato's true strength. This was actually his first time seeing Nagato—no, Pain—in action.

"When the hell did Haruta learn a technique like that? I don't recall the First or Second Hokage being able to fly…" Jiraiya's brain buzzed as he stared dumbfoundedly at his "model subordinate"—who, once again, had blindsided him.

And the sheer scale of this battle was terrifying.

Beyond the brutal taijutsu clashes, the ninjutsu being hurled around caused massive devastation. Water, earth, and even wood-style jutsu came crashing down from the skies. Shards of stone, caught in gravitational pulls, shattered midair and rained down like meteorites.

Each impact sent shockwaves tearing through the forest, leaving behind deep craters and shattered terrain.

Even just watching this fight was becoming too much to bear.

"Tch… How the hell did it escalate to this level?" Jiraiya and Orochimaru both started slacking off, taking their eyes off their own fights. The clashes between Kakuzu and Biwa Jūzō began to slow down as well.

Kakuzu had been holding back from the start. His words were sharp, but his attacks lacked real killing intent.

And Jūzō was slowly realizing he'd become a lightning rod for attention. His movements dulled as he began pulling back.

Especially with that thunderous battle raging in the skies—it was getting hard to concentrate. The explosive booms overhead, the two ghostly figures darting back and forth like phantoms… It was enough to rattle even a seasoned swordsman.

And those "auspicious gifts from the heavens"? They forced him to constantly dodge for his life. He really didn't have the energy to deal with the trio of brats in front of him—especially since they weren't exactly easy to handle.

Sharingan. Wood Release. And a woman with sheer brute strength and deadly swordsmanship. Even with the terrain advantage, Jūzō was struggling.

"Still… why is there another one who can use Wood Release?"

Jūzō couldn't help glancing sideways at Kakuzu.

"What's this guy playing at?"

Kakuzu noticed the look and simply gave a small smile without answering.

He had his reasons. They weren't here to draw aggro—they were here to recruit Haruta.

No need to throw their lives away.

"Wait… Haruta can fly!?"

Kakashi and his team saw that Jūzō and Kakuzu had paused. They quickly regrouped, though Yamato couldn't help sneaking a glance at Yuugao.

"That's insane. How's he doing that?"

"I don't know either," Yuugao replied, clutching her short sword tightly, keeping her eyes on Jūzō—though she couldn't help but keep sneaking peeks at the sky.

"…Huh?" Yamato blinked, face contorting slightly.

"You two live together. Might even have a kid soon. You don't know?"

"…"

Yuugao stiffened while Kakashi's dead-fish eyes rolled all the way back.

"Shut up. Focus on the fight!"

"O-okay…"

Yamato scratched his head, a bit guilty. After all, Kakashi was his captain—and wasn't above giving him a good bonk on the head.

Coming from Root, Yamato wasn't one to rebel against his commanding officer. Definitely not.

Still… he was thinking about something.

Now that Uchiha Shisui had left the Anbu, Haruta's team only had two people. Maybe… it was time to consider a transfer?

—

"What the hell are those things?!"

Behind Jiraiya and the others, Terumi Mei was locked in a fierce battle with the Sand shinobi.

Sunagakure's forces weren't particularly fast, and due to their numbers, had become a primary target for Kirigakure.

If not for Pakura, who kept generating mist through her Scorch Release to give the Sand shinobi breathing room, the battle might've ended already.

Terumi Mei's gaze never left Pakura. Of course she recognized this woman—who had slaughtered so many of their people, and whose bloodline limit utterly countered Water Release.

But this time… Terumi Mei was confident. Pakura would not escape!

Dealing with the Sand was one thing, but the duel in the sky—that shook her to her core.

The force of the clash, the sound and shockwaves from their constant collisions—it was enough to make the battlefield a living hell.

And the ninjutsu raining down? Every blast carried the power to kill.

To her, those two weren't human—they were monsters.

"Surrender."

Despite her growing unease about the aerial fight, Terumi Mei turned to Pakura.

"Stop resisting. You have no chance. Tell me—who is the person in the sky? Give me that intel, and I might let you live."

"Hmph."

Pakura didn't answer. She just snorted coldly and continued spreading her Scorch Release, evaporating moisture in the air.

This mission had turned out to be far more complicated than expected.

But at this point, she had no way out. She wasn't about to stay here. She refused to die here.

"Looks like your mind's made up. A pity," Terumi Mei sighed. Despite her doubts about the mission, she was still a shinobi.

First, clean up the Sand. Then deal with the rest. No matter how hard it got—she would complete her task.

"I'll make it quick. You won't feel a thing—"

BOOM!

She didn't even get to finish her sentence.

A thunderous roar echoed from above. A figure plummeted from the sky like a missile—right toward their location!

"Shit—scatter!!"

Terumi Mei's face turned pale. She bolted and shouted out a warning.

But it was too late.

BOOM!!!

The human-shaped projectile slammed into the ground like a meteor. A massive cloud of dust erupted. The ground trembled like an earthquake.

Caught off guard, both Kiri and Suna shinobi were sent flying.

The lucky ones got flung away, crashed into the ground, and coughed up blood—but at least they lived.

The unlucky ones? They died without even realizing what hit them—smashed into rocks, skewered on broken branches. Blood splattered everywhere.

And at the center, a deep crater stretched several meters wide. Cracks like spiderwebs spread outward—like the earth itself was breaking apart.

Inside the crater, Pain lay battered. His cloak was torn, one sleeve completely shredded. His body twisted unnaturally, covered in wounds.

Yet, thanks to his unique chakra, his body began to regenerate.

"You're not so great at taijutsu, huh?"

Haruta's voice echoed from above as he slowly descended.

Compared to Pain's wrecked state, Haruta looked better. But he knew all too well—he wasn't in great shape either.

Underneath his uniform, his body was bruised and beaten. His cloak was full of holes—evidence of how many times he'd been stabbed by black chakra rods.

If not for Anbu uniforms being black, the bloodstains would've been obvious.

And if not for his Level 11 physique healing fast, he wouldn't be standing now.

"What a stubborn bastard. Even a zombie's hard to kill."

He winced but kept up the façade, staring down at Pain from above.

"I've already figured you out. Your push-pull mechanics are decent—but the cooldown time? Not as impressive as I thought."

Haruta paused. "But there's something I've been wondering… Why does your taijutsu resemble someone from Konoha? Don't tell me—you're another one of Captain Jiraiya's students?"

"…"

Nagato stayed silent, forcing Pain's mangled body to stand—awkwardly, due to a broken leg that hadn't fully healed.

But something had changed in his eyes. He truly hadn't expected someone who could match his Rinnegan's Pain body in taijutsu—and win.

And worse… Haruta had seen through him.

One puppet body couldn't contain all of the Rinnegan's power. And even Nagato himself hadn't fully mastered it—he still needed time to adapt.

That's why he'd split the Rinnegan's powers across multiple bodies, concentrating the strongest abilities into the Deva Path—Yahiko's body.

But this guy… not only neutralized his abilities, he read them.

Even worse, he recognized traces of Konoha-style taijutsu in Pain's movements—just from combat alone.

This guy was seriously a menace.

"You don't have to speak. I already know. You're probably like that Konan woman we ran into last time—another of Jiraiya's disciples."

Haruta hovered midair, arms crossed, healing as he spoke.

"Let me guess—Yahiko? Or are you Nagato?"

"Shut up!"

Nagato finally snapped, growling in frustration.

"Don't get cocky! You think you've won?! Don't kid yourself—I can see how bad your condition is!"

"Oh?" Haruta raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly.

"Your eyes… they're interesting. I'm guessing it's those eyes that give this 'zombie' body its insane resilience."

"…What are you implying?"

A chill crept up Nagato's spine. The guy had noticed something off the moment they met. And now, he was bringing it up again…

"It's simple," Haruta said with a faint smile. "This body isn't your real one, is it?"

Nagato flinched as Haruta continued, his tone low and eerie.

"But you care about it—a lot. During our fight, I noticed you trying to shield it. Every time it got hurt, you'd rush to heal it with chakra."

"I'm guessing this body… used to be your friend."

"Combine that with your fighting style… and the issue with Konan… I'm betting one of Jiraiya's three students died. If I ask him who had eyes like yours, I'll know who you really are."

Nagato's silence was deafening—but his clenched fists gave him away.

This bastard was too damn sharp.

"And I think you have a reason for using this body."

Haruta didn't stop. His voice was almost whisper-like, calm and cruel.

"You want this dead friend of yours… to witness how the world changes."

"Maybe you're trying to carry on his will, show him your progress, let him fulfill his dream."

"Or maybe… your ideals clashed. And now, you're forcing him to watch the world bend to your beliefs."

Nagato's expression twisted.

Just who the hell was this guy…?

Why... why the hell could he guess something like this?

And not just guess—it was freakishly accurate.

Everything Haruta had just said, both of his so-called "speculations," were the exact thoughts gnawing away inside Nagato's heart—raw, tangled, and painfully real.

He no longer believed in Jiraiya's dream. What he wanted... was for Yahiko to understand him, to see everything he'd done. And at the same time, he hoped to use Yahiko—to use that same bond from the past—to finally bring peace to this twisted world.

But this guy, this Haruta... They'd only met once. Fought once. And yet it was like he could read Nagato like an open scroll.

"You really are something else," Nagato muttered at last, his voice low and hoarse. The Pain body had already recovered quite a bit, and he raised its head to look Haruta directly in the eyes.

"I'm curious, though. For someone so damn smart—why are you still dancing to Danzo's tune like some leashed dog?"

"..."

Haruta didn't respond right away. He just stood there, feeling like his IQ had taken a slap to the face.

What are you talking about? From beginning to end, he'd been the one treating Danzo like a disposable pawn!

With a sigh of exasperation, Haruta shook his head and said coldly, "You wouldn't understand my goals or my methods. But anyway, I do have one more thing I need to take care of."

"Oh?" Nagato's expression tensed, suddenly on high alert. He couldn't figure out what Haruta was planning.

Haruta's lips curved into a mischievous smirk. He lifted a hand and pointed in a certain direction.

Nagato's expression changed drastically.

"You really think I've been standing here talking so much just to hear myself speak? Please. I knew from the beginning this wasn't your real body.

I let you repair it so I could trace your chakra signals back to the source. And guess what? I've got you now.

Let's see what you really are—man or monster. I bet Captain Jiraiya would be very interested in the answer."

As he spoke, a surge of chakra burst from Haruta's body, pulsing like a storm. And in that moment, Nagato finally realized—

This was bad. Really bad.

If this guy managed to track him down and confront him directly, even with his real body being stronger, his sickly state made it almost impossible to fight. Even Konan wouldn't be enough to change the odds.

As Haruta stepped forward, ready to act, Nagato clenched his teeth and poured all his remaining chakra into Pain.

"You leave me no choice..."

"Super... Shinra Tensei!"

---

"Up ahead! Move faster!"

At the other end of the forest, another squad of Mist-nin rushed toward the battlefield.

They'd seen the flare signal earlier and had immediately set off. Leading the rear of the squad, Zabuza's expression was dark and unreadable.

"Sir, are we really going through with this?" one of his subordinates whispered anxiously.

Zabuza didn't answer immediately—just shot him a glare.

As a jōnin with no small amount of fame in the Village Hidden in the Mist, Zabuza had his share of loyal subordinates. Every single one of them shared one unshakable belief—

They were sick and tired of the Blood Mist's barbaric, inhuman rule.

If they wanted change, if they wanted freedom... there was only one way.

Kill the Fourth Mizukage.

But doing that meant becoming true rebels.

"This isn't the time to argue," Zabuza said at last. "But I'll say this—we have to go through with it."

He glanced around, noting the thunderous booms from the distance. Nearly everyone's attention was focused there.

Lowering his voice, he added, "Whether it's for the village or for ourselves, some things have to be done.

And drop the topic. Now."

"Y-Yes, sir."

The ninja shrank back, silenced more by Zabuza's grim aura than his words. This was the same man who literally butchered all his classmates in the academy to graduate. His legend was not one to challenge lightly.

"...But what the hell kind of person are we even dealing with over there?" Zabuza frowned, eyes locked ahead.

The air was filled with a violent, oppressive chakra that made even his own skin crawl. It was overwhelming—feral.

Suddenly, a massive shockwave blasted through the forest.

BOOM—

The earth trembled violently. Trees, rocks, and even human bodies were hurled into the sky like rag dolls.

"ARGH—!"

Screams echoed in every direction. Zabuza watched in horror as several corpses went flying past.

His hair stood on end. One of his men, caught off guard, was slammed into a tree with bone-cracking force.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Zabuza, seasoned killer that he was, still managed to stay grounded. Barely.

As he dodged a storm of trees and debris, his vision cleared—and then he saw it.

And all the blood in his body turned cold.

At the center of the devastation stood a monstrous, mountain-like creature with a terrifying, demonic face.

Chakra poured off it in waves, a force that seemed capable of wiping the world clean.