The scorching sun hung high in the sky.
Naruto's golden hair gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight, his calm yet commanding aura giving him the air of a noble young master—an aura that spoke of power and leadership rather than birthright.
Clad in a white cloak, he stood atop a massive boulder overlooking Konoha. Behind him, Shisui, Sasuke, and several masked operatives stood silently, their own white cloaks rippling in the wind.
On the back of Sasuke's cloak, the crimson Uchiha fan shone vividly—a mark that could never be hidden.
"We'll enter from here," Naruto said with a faint smile.
This was the same location Pain had once used to invade the village.
It was poetic—letting the decaying Konoha once again feel Pain.
"But there's a barrier here, right?" Tsunade asked, frowning slightly. She had assumed Naruto brought them to scout, not to attack directly.
Naruto chuckled, the corners of his mouth curving into a confident grin.
"A barrier? Then we'll just break it."
The words came so naturally, as if shattering Konoha's defenses was no more troublesome than swatting a fly.
He had already used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transport his forces here in silence. Achieving such a large-scale teleportation without alerting anyone was nearly impossible. Even Minato, the original master of the technique, would have struggled—his chakra reserves simply weren't enough to transport this many people.
Naruto himself had barely managed it, relying on the Nine-Tails' chakra to bridge the gap.
Sasuke smirked. "With your strength, this barrier won't last long."
"Exactly," Naruto replied. "We'll catch them completely off guard."
"Sage Art: Rasenshuriken!!!"
In an instant, Naruto entered Sage Mode.
Natural energy surged around him, his aura expanding like a storm.
The sheer force of it made Tsunade's eyes widen in shock.
"Instant Sage Mode… unbelievable. With this kind of power, you could probably take on Konoha alone!"
Naruto waved dismissively. "It's not that simple. Konoha's a big village. There's no telling what tricks they've got left."
He spoke lightly, but his tone carried caution.
Even with his strength, he couldn't afford arrogance—not when someone like Might Guy still existed.
If Guy ever opened the Eight Gates Formation, he'd become an unstoppable force—invincible beneath the level of the Sage of Six Paths, and capable of trading blows even with those above it.
After all, even Madara Uchiha, empowered with the power of the Six Paths, had nearly been obliterated by Guy's final kick.
The problem, of course, was that the technique consumed life itself.
The body simply couldn't withstand such overwhelming energy.
"The Eight Gates… a masterpiece of taijutsu," Naruto murmured to himself.
"But it's too tied to life energy rather than chakra control. It's more suitable for a martial artist than a shinobi."
He shook his head slightly.
"Still, if Tsunade manages to reclaim Konoha and purge its parasites, a man like Guy could be invaluable."
If Guy had refined his body further—if he had mastered true martial cultivation—then opening all Eight Gates might not have been fatal at all.
The Eight Gates Formation was perfected by Might Duy, Guy's father, who gave his life to conceal its true potential. In the current shinobi world, anyone who used it would surely die… but what if the body were strengthened to its limits?
If Guy possessed a Six Paths-level body, the technique wouldn't kill him. At worst, it would leave him drained and near collapse.
Naruto imagined it—the version of Guy who had refined every inch of his flesh, bones, meridians, and organs.
A body forged by martial cultivation, filled with the blazing vitality of the sun itself.
Such a being could endure even the fury of the Eight Gates Formation.
When Guy had used it in the original battle, his body had turned to charcoal. If Naruto hadn't intervened—granting him the Yang Power of the Six Paths—he would've perished. Yet that also proved something:
Opening the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death, didn't necessarily mean death.
At least, not for someone who had transcended the limits of the human body.
Naruto smiled faintly, but his eyes narrowed in thought.
Even now, he wasn't completely confident he could withstand Guy's final kick. That kind of speed warped space itself—it was beyond reaction, beyond comprehension.
And worse, Naruto couldn't afford to expose all his power.
Not while Black Zetsu and other hidden schemers still lurked in the shadows of the Ninja World.
Furthermore, Konoha possessed countless forbidden jutsu. What if someone capable of using the Reaper Death Seal suddenly appeared? The village would suffer a tremendous loss.
Besides, his subordinates also needed the baptism of battle.
Naruto stood at the frontlines, the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken spinning violently in his hand, its roaring chakra tearing through the air. The immense power of the Sage Art–enhanced attack made even Tsunade's expression tighten.
Without hesitation, Naruto leapt down from his position and hurled the Sage Art: Wind Release—Rasenshuriken!
Boom!!!
In an instant, the barrier surrounding Konoha was obliterated.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"
Konoha's response was swift. Within moments, shinobi across the village mobilized.
By the time the alarm spread, Naruto and his allies had already breached Konoha's defenses.
Tsunade wasted no time and charged straight toward the Hokage Building.
As expected, Danzō—who had been basking in the illusion of his newfound Hokage title—was caught completely off guard. He was blown out of the building, debris and dust scattering around him.
The Hokage's office he had longed for was finally his, and in his arrogance, he had likely spent every day here, savoring the authority he had craved all his life.
"Attack! Push forward! Don't stop!!!"
Once the barrier fell, the Umbrella forces Naruto had teleported in using the Flying Thunder God Technique began their assault in earnest. From the shadows, the Hyūga clan members assigned as snipers activated their Byakugan and struck from a distance.
"Tsunade! You… and that Nine-Tails brat!!!"
Danzō gritted his teeth as he glared at the attackers. Naruto, meanwhile, dispelled his Sage Mode—the fight would be far less interesting if he ended it too quickly.
"Danzō! Prepare yourself!!!"
Sasuke, standing behind Naruto, could no longer hold back. The sound of Chidori echoed sharply as he dragged the crackling lightning blade forward, tearing through the floor and launching himself at Danzō.
Boom!!!
Danzō narrowly evaded the strike. The wall behind him exploded into rubble.
"Hmph! Uchiha brat… I knew we should've finished you off back then!"
With a scowl, Danzō carefully removed the Hokage hat from his head and sealed it into a scroll. His gaze turned dark and murderous.
Tsunade didn't hesitate either—she charged in beside Sasuke. There was no need for words. Danzō was the core of Konoha's corruption; fairness was no longer a consideration.
When he ambushed her and her grandfather, he hadn't cared for fairness either.
"Hokage-sama, be careful!"
The Root operatives guarding Danzō immediately stepped forward. Now serving as his personal bodyguards, both were Elite Jōnin.
One intercepted Sasuke's strike, while the other attempted to block Tsunade—only to be sent flying through a wall with a single punch. The stone cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern, blood trickling from the man's mouth.
The sudden upheaval drew the attention of the entire village.
The series of explosions made many residents sigh bitterly. Some, already used to chaos, calmly headed toward the evacuation shelters.
Konoha really can't catch a break…
From a nearby rooftop, Kakashi Hatake lifted his head toward the Hokage Building. That familiar chakra signature told him everything he needed to know.
At the same moment, multiple chakra signatures flared up around the village. Kakashi drew the White Fang's blade—restored and gleaming—and his expression hardened.
...
TN:
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