Naruto stood on the high tower, looking down at the brilliant, dazzling light. He couldn't help but think of the first person to use such a method against a ninja village. It was Tendo Pain, who would one day destroy Konoha with a single Shinra Tensei in his attempt to rule the ninja world with absolute power.
"As expected of fellow disciples, I suppose?" A bitter smile touched Naruto's lips. He spun and seized a Sand ninja trying to ambush him. When he turned back, his expression had gone cold. "Tell me, where is the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara?"
"Go to hell, you trash!"
This one was a tough, unyielding Sand ninja—a rare sight.
A massive hand of sand and dust surged forward, trying to save the captured ninja by attacking Naruto. But a giant chakra hand shot out and caught it mid-air. Naruto followed the arm of sand up to see the red-haired boy flying toward him on a cloud of sand, his expression fierce.
"Hey, Naruto Uzumaki!" Gaara shouted. "I've wanted to do this for a long time... but in this village, I'm the only one who gets to!"
"Huh?" Naruto looked at him with some confusion. This guy was different from others in the ninja world. Most ninjas who fell into darkness became terrifyingly strong.
Gaara, on the other hand, was much weaker. Maybe it's because he's always been in the dark?
"Bastard!" Seeing his jutsu blocked, veins popped on Gaara's forehead. He gathered another giant hand of sand and attacked again.
Unfortunately, before the hand could reach Naruto, a golden chakra fist appeared and smashed Gaara out of the sky and into the ground.
Naruto leaped down, landing in front of Gaara. He looked down at the boy's red hair and said softly, "Surrender, Gaara."
"Are you kidding me!" A mass of sand gathered under Gaara and pulled him away. The Fifth Kazekage's face was a mask of fury. "You attack the Sand Village for no reason and then tell me to surrender? Who do you think you are? Reinforcements from the Land of Wind's daimyo?"
"The Sand Village's actions toward the Land of Wind's daimyo are considered a provocation to Konoha." Naruto didn't pursue him. He just slowly closed his hands and declared loudly, "As punishment for provoking your ally, from this day forward, there will be no more Sand Village! In the name of the Fifth Hokage!"
"Is he going to destroy the Sand Village?"
"How is that possible?"
"For decades, none of the Five Great Nations' ninja villages have ever been destroyed!"
"It might not be impossible..."
"That jutsu he just used destroyed half the village!"
"What is happening?"
"Why did Konoha suddenly attack us?"
"Captain Baki is here!"
A wave of terror washed over the Sand ninjas. This was the first time their village had been attacked by another nation. The Great Spiralling Ring Naruto had unleashed, wiping out nearly half the village in a single blow, had already shown them the terrifying gap in strength. That blond kid from Konoha might actually have the power to destroy them all.
Before they could process it, their trusted jonin, Baki, had finally returned.
"Stop, Gaara!" The Sand jonin leaped over, raising a hand to stop his student. He glanced at the miserable state of the village, a flash of humiliation crossing his face. Still, he forced a smile. "Lord Naruto, can we talk?"
To know when to bend was the Sand ninja way.
Unlike the other indignant Sand ninjas, Baki was probably the most rational one present. He knew this battle was meaningless. Even if they won, they'd have to send Naruto back to Konoha with their apologies to avoid a full-scale invasion. It wasn't worth it. And besides, it was entirely possible they couldn't win.
"It is true that we were in the wrong first," Jonin Baki said, glancing at Naruto. "Our actions at the daimyo's mansion were born of desperation. Without large-scale missions, the Sand Village can no longer support its ninjas..."
"There's no need for that." Naruto shook his head and spread his hands. "If the Sand Village is dissolved and absorbed into Konoha, you won't have to worry about funds or missions anymore."
"You must be joking, my lord!" Baki's eyes widened, completely dumbfounded. "The Sand Village is one of the five great ninja villages. We could never agree to that..."
"Then why are you still talking?" Naruto casually cleaned his ear before lashing out with a kick aimed at Baki's neck. Baki raised his arm to block, but the force of the blow still sent him flying.
He flipped and landed a short distance away, still trying to reason with him. "If you destroy the Sand Village, my lord, Konoha will lose an important ally..."
"It doesn't matter," Naruto said with a bright smile. "Besides, other than holding us back, what has your village ever done to help Konoha?"
"..." Baki really wanted to hit him. It was the truth—the Sand Village hadn't been much help for years. But wasn't their alliance the only thing keeping the Stone Village to the north from acting recklessly?
Baki wouldn't give up. "My lord, please reconsider. The Sand Village is one of the five great ninja villages and shares the responsibility of maintaining balance in the ninja world..."
"Wake up! When have you ever had such a great responsibility?" The young man chuckled, his face gradually turning cold. "The other ninja villages, I won't give up on a single one... The Sand is just the first."
"..." Baki's heart trembled. He stared intently at Naruto. Has Konoha's war faction finally taken power?
The ninja world had always known that Konoha's leadership, following the will of the First Hokage, advocated for pacifism. Aside from Danzo Shimura, you could hardly find anyone who pushed for war.
Unexpectedly, Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki was a hidden hawk. And the most troublesome part was that his first target was the Sand Village.
Isn't this just bullying!
"It seems there's no need for us to talk any further," Baki said, wiping sweat from his brow. "After the Sand captures you, we will go and hold Konoha's leadership accountable."
"No need for that." Naruto suddenly clapped his hands together. "As the future ruler of the Sand, let me first grant you a small wish." He whispered, "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
A single vine erupted from the ground at his feet. In the next instant, the entire Sand Village was transformed into a dense forest.
For many years, the people of the Sand had longed for a lush, green forest in the desert. Now that it had truly appeared, there was no joy on their faces—only boundless terror. The desert was no longer visible. The Sand ninjas fled in a panic, but there was no escaping the grasping vines of the forest. Every ninja who tried to fight back was helplessly caught and bound to the tree trunks.
Whether jonin or genin, they could only fight for themselves, and one by one, they were defeated.
With a single move, the Sand Village could no longer organize any resistance. In a single move, the battlefield that had been perfect for the One-Tail was gone.
Naruto slowly raised his head and looked at Gaara, who hovered in the air. The red-haired boy's face had become uneasy, sweat dripping down his cheeks. Both he and the One-Tail Shukaku inside him were starting to panic.
-----
Bonus:
Gaara: Shukaku, can we win?
Shukaku: What are you thinking? You should be asking if we can escape!
Gaara: Can we escape?
Shukaku: No!
Gaara: Are you that afraid of Wood Style? Back then, Hashirama Senju used it to capture eight Tailed Beasts, but you were the only one he didn't catch...
Shukaku: It wasn't about whether I was caught. It was about whether he wanted to catch me...
Gaara: ...His Wood Style might not be that strong.
Shukaku: But the Nine-Tails inside him... is a real monster