"It's definitely it! The monster has really come! This sound can't be faked! There are no animals with this kind of cry near Konoha Village!"
Just as the villagers' exclamations began, Konoha Village's back mountain suddenly lit up!
In an instant, flames shot to the sky! Countless fires rose from the back mountain of Konoha Village!
And that roar became even more deafening!
Naori couldn't help but clench her fists, muttering, "It's here! It's here! It's really here!"
Torifu, on the other hand, watched the mountaintop with a smile; his clone had not yet completed all its tasks there.
After all, the Nian Beast was just a projection and couldn't truly attack Konoha Village.
That would be too fake, so Torifu had his clone enter the projection and release some ninjutsu from time to time.
This created the illusion of the Nian Beast attacking the village, making it much more spectacular.
The projector began to operate, and the surrounding flames were controlled by the clone, gathering together. He took the opportunity to dive into the flames.
The next second, a giant beast tore through the flames and stepped out into the air!
This giant beast resembled a hybrid of a lion and a dog, with a single horn on its head and a somewhat ferocious expression!
Its sharp teeth could easily tear a person to shreds! Its entire body was covered in fur that seemed to burn with fierce flames, making it incredibly majestic and extraordinary!
No one could have imagined that such a behemoth was merely a projection.
The villagers looked at the Nian Beast on the back mountain, their mouths agape in shock: "What... what kind of creature is that? I've never seen anything like it."
"It would be strange if you had! This is a legendary monster. Today, we've truly seen something incredible."
The villagers chattered excitedly, seemingly unfazed by the Nian Beast.
It wasn't that the Nian Beast's appearance wasn't frightening; it was simply because Torifu was by their side, so there was nothing to fear.
Such a fiery monster, upon its first appearance, immediately drew the attention of the entire village.
At this time, Hashirama was on another street, enjoying a stroll with Mito.
When he saw the Nian Beast, he too was stunned by its imposing aura.
Even a ninja of his caliber couldn't perceive its exact strength! It seemed it might be difficult to deal with.
"Is that the Nian Beast? I didn't expect it to actually appear. Konoha Village's luck doesn't seem to be very good," Mito sighed softly as she looked at the Nian Beast.
Its size was almost comparable to a Tailed Beast. She wondered if Torifu could handle it.
At the same time, the clan leaders, who had spent the day preparing for the expulsion plan, immediately gathered around Torifu.
"Hokage-sama! I can't believe this monster actually came!" The Nara clan head was clearly surprised.
Firstly, he hadn't expected Konoha Village's luck to be so bad, and secondly, he felt the creature's size was a bit too large.
It was almost the same size as a Tailed Beast. He had initially thought it was just some unknown new creature.
He never imagined it would be such a grand deity.
Torifu waved his hand. "Don't panic. Just proceed according to the plan."
Afterward, Ōnoki and the others also arrived at the central street. The villagers who were originally strolling were all escorted by Anbu ninjas to other streets, not rushed back home.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
The clan leaders finished speaking and began to instruct their own clansmen.
Torifu then exchanged a few words with the Kage.
Meanwhile, the Nian Beast on the mountaintop, seeing Torifu so at ease, directly condensed a ball of fierce flames in its mouth and spat it forcefully towards Torifu's location!
This fireball was half the size of a house; if it hit, he likely wouldn't survive for long.
Torifu clapped his hands, and a burst of cold air spread from his feet, followed by a tall ice wall rising about two meters in front of him.
The two collided, the ice wall shattered with a crash, and the fireball also vanished.
"This fellow has decent strength. Be careful."
Just as Torifu's words fell, the Nian Beast moved again.
It stepped through the air, arriving above Konoha Village.
Countless fireballs condensed around it, as if it intended to unleash a rain of fire upon Konoha Village.
Seeing this scene, the villagers knew the time was ripe even without Torifu saying anything.
The villagers in that area immediately lit their household fireworks.
With whooshing sounds, countless fireworks ascended into the air, then exploded!
The resulting noise and flashes disoriented the Nian Beast for a moment.
The condensed fireballs also significantly weakened.
Torifu seized this opportunity to extinguish them with Water Release.
The fireworks exploded more and more densely, countless beautiful fireworks bursting in the sky above Konoha Village.
While marveling at the beauty of the fireworks, people also kept an eye on the Nian Beast, wanting to see if these things had any effect on it!
"Look! The Nian Beast is trembling! It's scared!"
"It really is! But aren't its attacks fire-based? Why would it be afraid of fire?"
"Who cares! Hokage-sama's plan worked! Defeating the Nian Beast should be easy now."
The villagers' curiosity about the Nian Beast outweighed their fear, and when they saw the monster acting afraid, they became even more excited.
Their remaining fear vanished.
But if the Nian Beast were truly that easy to deal with, Torifu wouldn't have had to make so many preparations, which would have been a waste of time.
This was just the beginning.
As more and more fireworks appeared around it, the Nian Beast retreated back to the cliff, a place where fireworks couldn't reach.
Even though the noise and light still made it uncomfortable, it could endure it.
It stood atop the Hokage Rock, a swirling ball of fierce flames gradually condensing in its mouth.
Once the energy was fully charged, this fiery whirlwind shot towards the Hokage building.
Torifu saw this and thought his clone seemed to be getting a bit carried away, even daring to blow up the Hokage building.
However, this was necessary for the plot, so Torifu had no objections.
But just as he was about to make a move, Ōnoki flew out ahead of him.
A Dust Release disintegrated the fiery whirlwind.
He even wanted to press the advantage and completely eradicate the Nian Beast in one fell swoop!
But before Ōnoki could finish his hand seals, a large amount of lightning erupted from the Nian Beast's horn, striking Ōnoki.
The latter naturally hadn't expected such a move and almost turned to ash. Fortunately, his reactions were quick.
A defeated Ōnoki could only return to the team, waiting for Torifu's next plan.
Just looking at the Nian Beast gave him a headache; if this happened in Iwagakure, he wouldn't know how to cope.
Torifu nodded. "Since this Nian Beast wants to destroy our home, then don't blame me for being impolite."
Then, Torifu called all the clan leaders over.
Along with the ninjas who had already learned the Fire Bamboo Jutsu, they were all summoned.
"Everyone, I trust the usage of the Fire Bamboo Jutsu is clear?"
"It is clear, Hokage-sama!"
Approximately two thousand clan ninjas spoke in unison.
Torifu was very pleased, seeing how spirited they all were. "After performing the ninjutsu, just let the fire bamboo explode."
While Torifu prepared below for a long time, the Nian Beast on the mountain made another move.
It seemed to think Torifu and his group had run out of tricks, so it swaggered down.
Its feet were almost stepping on the roof of the Hokage office.
"Now!"
As Torifu's words fell, over two thousand ninjas simultaneously performed hand seals: "Fire Release: Fire Bamboo Jutsu!"
Following a fierce flash of light, each person's hand held a string of firecrackers.
Each string had about a dozen firecrackers, but they weren't solid; they were ninjutsu condensed from flames.
But it didn't matter, as long as the effect was good.
Torifu waved his hand, and the firecrackers began to explode!
They didn't explode in unison; some were fast, some slow, creating a continuous cacophony of sound!
To Torifu, these crisp sounds were truly nostalgic.
But the Nian Beast was utterly distraught at this point, wanting to cover its ears with its front paws but unable to reach.
At the same time, fireworks lit up once more.
The sky above Konoha Village displayed a vibrant array of colors.
On the ground, countless firecrackers were exploding.
One string would finish, and another would follow, until the Nian Beast was completely driven away.
During this time, villagers continuously brought out loud objects from their homes to help.
These were all sincere gestures from the villagers, and they were naturally not stopped.
Thus, more and more villagers joined the ranks, making as much loud noise and light as possible to drive away the monster.
The Nian Beast was so annoyed by these sounds that it became quite listless, its body shrinking considerably.
Seeing this change, the villagers were overjoyed!
If they could continuously weaken its size, perhaps they could capture the Nian Beast alive?
Regardless of what the villagers thought, everyone grew more and more enthusiastic.
The Nian Beast, bothered beyond measure by these things, decided to fight back!
Then, the Nian Beast let out an ear-splitting roar, howling towards the sky!
Following that, a large amount of fire swirled around its body.
It was as if it was clad in a suit of fiery armor.
"Everyone, get ready. This thing is probably going to counterattack."
Hearing Torifu's words, the Kage also grew worried. After treating it like that just now, would its hatred multiply if it went berserk?
And just as they expected, the Nian Beast didn't attack others; it specifically targeted Torifu!
Each fireball either hit near Torifu or was intercepted.
Torifu couldn't just let it continue like this.
He immediately leaped into the sky!
Countless white clouds surged from Torifu's sleeves, transforming into sharp swords that thrust towards the Nian Beast.
Seeing this, the Nian Beast immediately dodged and quickly counterattacked Torifu.
Torifu felt that the clone inside the Nian Beast was really getting carried away and decided to play along with it for a while longer.
But the Tsuchikage and Kazekage didn't think so; they believed the Hokage might be overexerting himself!
They immediately exerted their full strength to assist Torifu!
For a time, Konoha Village was a scene of fierce battle, with melted sand-iron blocks and earth blocks scattered everywhere.
The Nian Beast's condition also seemed poor; it was completely listless, without any of its initial vitality.
Torifu thought to himself, it should be retreating by now. Could it be that the clone still wants to play?
But before he could continue thinking, the Nian Beast suddenly moved, flying to the summit of the back mountain.
It then released a wall of fire towards Torifu and the others who were pursuing, blocking their chase.
And by the time the wall of fire disappeared, the Nian Beast was long gone.
Seeing that the Nian Beast had been successfully driven away, everyone among the villagers felt immense joy and excitement!
They had successfully protected Konoha Village from a monster attack!
Even these ordinary civilians had protected the village in their own way.
At this moment, they felt a great sense of accomplishment.
"To all the villagers, thank you for overcoming another challenge with Konoha Village. I thank every Konoha villager!"
"Without you, Konoha Village certainly couldn't have driven away the Nian Beast so quickly. Tonight's victory belongs to each and every one of you!"
Afterward, Torifu also thanked Ōnoki, the Kazekage, and Mifune for their help.
Then, amid the cheers of the villagers, Torifu left the Hokage building rooftop and continued his stroll with Naori.
Akihara was also excitedly asking, "Dad, did that Nian Beast just die?!"
Torifu smiled and shook his head. "Of course not, it ran too fast. We might even encounter it again next year."
"Will it come again next year?"
Torifu pretended to ponder for a moment. "It probably will. After all, we gave it such a hard time this year, so it'll definitely come back for revenge next year."
Akihara seemed to accept this answer well, clearly already looking forward to it.
Naori, meanwhile, touched Torifu's arm. "You weren't hurt anywhere, were you?"
"Haha, not at all. With so many Kage with me, and the villagers using ninjutsu to weaken its strength, there was nothing to fear. It was just a super-sized lion-dog with a horn."
Naori rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you boasting again? Without the help of a few Kage, it definitely wouldn't have been that simple for you alone."
Torifu spread his hands and said casually, "Who knows? I think it wouldn't have been a problem either way."
Then Torifu looked around. The villagers were still immersed in the cheerful joy of defeating the Nian Beast.
The smiles on everyone's faces were genuine; Torifu could see that.
"Finally, this matter is completely over. The next time we encounter the Nian Beast should be this time next year."
Naori also nodded in agreement. "Yes, this year is almost over."
"When are we going back? Aren't we supposed to have a family reunion dinner?"
At Naori's mention, Torifu remembered. He still had to go home and prepare the reunion dinner; his Master and Mistress would be coming to eat soon.
"Now that you mention it, I just remembered. Shall we head home now?"
But Naori shook her head. "There's no rush. Don't you have a clone? Just send the clone to do it. Let the three of us stroll a bit more; it's rare to have such a festival."
"Alright, you're right. I'll send a clone back to cook then."
Torifu quickly performed the jutsu and gave his clone the task, then sent it back home.
"Okay, now we can wander a bit longer. Do you want to go chat with your brother and them? I just saw him earlier."