Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Fugaku stood frozen, their minds struggling to keep up with the storm of events that had unfolded in mere seconds.
First, they were sure Kakashi would lose the spar.
Then—
Before they could even react, Kakashi broke through it, and Kakashi broke it by opening Mangekyo Sharingan, they never even knew Kakashi possessed.
And before their shock faded, Kakashi unleashed a Mangekyō Sharingan technique strong enough to distort space itself.
They watched the air collapse around Akira, the signature pull of Kamui forming—the kind of technique that tore Deidara's arm clean off.
They were already preparing to step in and save the boy when—
Akira's eyes changed.
The three tomoe spun frantically, each rotation faster than the last, until the pattern folded into the newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan.
And then everything fell apart.
Time itself seemed to shatter. The Mangekyō's space-lock halted Kakashi's Kamui and froze the clash for a heartbeat.
Before they could even comprehend what they saw, Akira blurred—
—vanished—
—and reappeared as twenty-six versions of himself, surrounding Kakashi from every angle.
Fire, water, wind, lightning, earth, and even genjutsu—
Twenty-six Akiras unleashed twenty-six different attacks simultaneously, forming a storm of jutsu so overwhelming that the three spectators felt their brains crashing trying to process it.
It didn't even feel like a spar anymore.
And in that instant, all three of them realized with horror:
If they didn't stop Akira right now…
Kakashi would not survive the next second.
---
They saw it instantly—
Kakashi was already unconscious.
No guard.
No chakra.
No strength left to save himself.
And with Akira's twenty-six-fold barrage descending…
If they didn't act now, Kakashi would not survive.
The three of them sprinted toward him with everything they had.
---
Tsunade reached him first.
She slammed her fist into the ground with all her monstrous strength.
The entire terrain fractured—massive slabs of earth breaking upward like erupting stone waves.
Those chunks shot into the air and locked into place, forming a wall of jagged earth that intercepted the first wave of Akira's attacks.
---
Jiraiya immediately slammed his palm down.
"Summoning: Toad Stomach!"
In an instant, all four of them—Jiraiya, Tsunade, Fugaku, and Kakashi's unconscious body—were swallowed into the fleshy, protective interior of the giant toad's stomach.
A living fortress.
---
Fugaku activated Susanoo, the Mangekyo Sharingan ability.
A translucent, chakra-infused barrier wrapped around them inside the Toad Stomach, forming the third and final layer of protection.
Only a heartbeat later—
---
A soundless flash—
Then a colossal explosion erupted across Training Ground Four.
The entire field vanished in an expanding dome of fire, wind, water, lightning, and earth.
The shockwave alone sent Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura flying through the air like rag dolls, knocking all of them unconscious instantly. The entire training ground was erased.
Inside the Toad Stomach, things were hardly better.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Fugaku were all heavily bleeding, their bodies smashed by the aftershock even through three layers of defense.
Tsunade and Fugaku's wounds were deep…
But Jiraiya's state was terrifying—
Blood poured from him like a river.
Kakashi lay beside them, unconscious and barely breathing, his condition nearly as bad as Jiraiya.
---
As for Akira—
The moment his Mangekyō awakened, Yatagarasu sensed the danger and flew straight toward him.
When the twenty-six Akiras attacked, twenty-five vanished instantly.
Only the real one remained—
And even he fell unconscious mid-air.
Yatagarasu caught him and carried him high into the sky, far outside the blast radius, saving him from the destruction he himself had created.
---
The moment the explosion roared across Konoha, every ninja—
from genin to ANBU—froze in shock.
In recent years, the village had endured horrors no other shinobi nation had imagined:
First, Konoha's high level officials were assassinated inside the Hokage building.
Then the Hokage himself was killed inside his own office.
So when today's explosion erupted with the same terrifying force, every shinobi felt a chill in their spine.
A collective instinct rose inside them:
"Something terrible has happened again."
Within seconds, dozens of shinobi shot toward the blast site.
And among them—
Itachi Uchiha moved fastest, tearing through the air with silent urgency.
---
When they reached Training Ground Four, all of them stopped in disbelief.
The entire field…
was gone.
Where trees once stood, where soil and rock once formed the terrain—
Now there was only dust, smoke, and pulverized debris.
And at the center lay a colossal crater, as if a meteor had slammed into Konoha.
If Akira had been conscious, he would've said it himself:
"Did Pain use Shinra Tensei here?"
The scale was identical.
---
Then—it happened.
Someone inside the crater moved.
Itachi was the first to react, instantly leaping down.
What he saw froze his blood.
Inside the crater, surrounded by cracked earth and dust, lay:
Two of the Three Legendary Sannin
His own father, Fugaku Uchiha
Kakashi Hatake
All of them were severely injured, bleeding heavily, their bodies trembling, bones possibly shattered.
These were shinobi whom even the strongest respected.
Yet now they looked like they had barely survived a war.
Just seeing the state of his father and the Sannin made Itachi's hands shake.
He had never seen his father wounded like this.
Never seen Jiraiya and Tsunade crushed like this.
Itachi took a step forward—
But then he sensed movement above.
---
A shadow descended.
A raven glided down, wings beating slowly, strained from the weight.
It landed lightly on the broken ground.
And in its talons…
hung a limp, unconscious body.
The moment Itachi saw the face, his breath caught.
Akira Uchiha.
He was barely breathing.
Bleeding.
Chakra flickering like a dying flame.
The raven released him gently.
Itachi caught him before he hit the ground.
And for the first time in years…
Itachi Uchiha felt true horror.
---
The moment Itachi gathered the unconscious Akira in his arms, he raised his head and shouted:
"We're moving!
All injured shinobi—priority transport to Konoha Hospital!"
His voice echoed across the crater.
Immediately, the elite shinobi present reacted with urgency.
ANBU, jonin, and medics sprinted into motion.
---
Four of Konoha's fastest jonin appeared in a blur—
the same team Itachi often commanded during high-level operations.
Without hesitation, they lifted:
Jiraiya
Tsunade
Fugaku
Kakashi
Each of them heavily injured.
The jonin moved carefully but swiftly, carrying the legendary shinobi toward the village.
At the same time, Itachi turned to the medics behind him.
"Shizune! Handle immediate treatment.
Stabilize everyone—NOW."
Shizune rushed forward with a full team, her face pale as she examined the extent of the injuries.
Just then—
A gust of wind brushed past.
Tsunade, who had been carried only a few steps, suddenly regained the slightest consciousness. Her chakra reserves were nearly empty, but she forced her trembling hands to glow faintly with green light.
Using the last drop of chakra, she healed her internal bleeding and stabilized her own organs—just enough so that she could stand and walk.
She pushed away the support of the medics and began walking toward the village.
Every shinobi cleared a path for her without a word.
Even in that broken, near-collapsed state,
Tsunade Senju walked like the Hokage.
---
Itachi addressed the remaining crowd:
"None of what happened today leaves this area.
This was a battle gone out of control—nothing more.
Is that understood?"
Every shinobi nodded immediately.
Itachi wasn't worried they would leak anything.
Even if someone tried, ANBU Root would erase the problem before it became a threat.
But there was no need—every ninja present knew:
Today's event must never reach the outside world.
Konoha was too unstable already.
---
With swift coordination:
Eight jonin escorted the Sannin, Fugaku, and Kakashi.
ANBU carried Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—still unconscious from the shockwave.
Another ANBU squad cleared the perimeter, scanning for danger.
Itachi himself, carrying Akira, vanished with a flicker of the Body Flicker Technique, heading toward the hospital.
Behind him, dozens of shinobi followed.
That night was silent.
Too silent.
Everyone understood something terrifying:
This was not a simple spar.
This was a disaster.
---