Chapter 267: Five Hours
Naruto met her gaze for a moment, offering no redundant questions or words of comfort.
He had already integrated her into the very core of his plan.
"Good."
The corners of Hikari's mouth twitched upward almost imperceptibly before she regained her composure.
"What do I need to prepare?"
"Be in a state where you can set out at any time."
Regarding personnel, Naruto did not intend to bring a large force.
For raids, decapitation strikes, and demonstrations of absolute military power, quality mattered more than quantity.
He already had candidates in mind:
Uchiha Hikari—she was a vital core combatant.
Before he mastered Sage Mode, facing potential stubborn resistance or unexpected situations, "Susanoo-clad Great Buddha" or even "Susanoo-clad Nine-Tailed" would be necessary and efficient means to break through solid defenses and deliver devastating blows.
Hikari's own combat strength was also formidable.
And then there was Karin.
Naruto wanted her to witness the downfall of the Grass Ninja Village with her own eyes.
Naruto was well aware of the subhuman treatment Karin and her mother had endured in the Grass Ninja Village—the humiliation and pain of being treated as mere "blood bags" and tools.
Taking her along was about letting her personally participate in this revenge, watching those Grass Ninja who once enslaved and harmed her and her mother face judgment and their end before her.
She was, after all, someone who thought of revenge even while trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi!
——————————
A golden energy fox galloped across the land.
Kurama was extremely depressed; his first full Tailed Beast transformation was being used as a mere means of transportation.
In the latter half of the night, the three arrived outside the Grass Ninja Village.
Looking at the familiar Village in the distance, Karin's suppressed emotions from the night finally erupted.
The Grass Ninja Village!
The place that held all her childhood nightmares, all her mother's blood and tears, and gave them both endless pain and humiliation!
Karin's body shook violently, her breathing instantly becoming heavy and ragged.
She whipped her head around, her hands tightly gripping Naruto's arm.
"Naruto-kun!"
Her voice was sharp and trembling with extreme agitation, carrying a sob and a nearly frantic urgency.
She reached out toward the shadow of the Village in the night, which looked like a crouching giant beast, her eyes flashing with a terrifying light:
"Use that... that big black ball of yours!"
"Destroy them!"
Karin screamed hoarsely, every word seemingly soaked in an indictment of blood and tears.
The flames of revenge burned fiercely in her chest, incinerating the last shred of rational restraint.
Years of accumulated hatred, the grief of witnessing her mother's tragic death, the humiliation of being repeatedly bitten and used as a tool... everything transformed at this moment into the most primal and violent urge for destruction.
She didn't want tactics or declarations of war; she only wanted this man, who had given her a new life and trust, to use his mountain-moving, sea-filling power to completely erase that den of iniquity from the map.
Uchiha Hikari glanced sideways at Karin, who had completely lost control of her emotions. She frowned slightly but remained silent.
Knowing Karin's past, she could understand this hatred.
In the Sengoku period, the destruction of families was not an uncommon occurrence.
Naruto allowed Karin to grip his arm, neither pulling away nor responding immediately.
His gaze was also fixed on the distant Grass Ninja Village, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
He could feel the trembling and the screams from the depths of Karin's Soul.
"Calm down, Karin."
Naruto's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a strange, stabilizing power.
He glanced at the declaration of war in his arms, which Nara Shikaku had rushed to finish and still smelled of fresh ink.
"I will give you a satisfying result when this is over."
The golden figure of the Nine-Tailed slowly came to a halt on a hilltop several miles outside the Grass Ninja Village. Like a Divine Beast of the sun descending to the mortal realm, its massive Chakra pressure spread silently, startling countless birds in the forest and instantly alerting the Grass Ninja Village's perimeter outposts.
In the darkest hour before dawn, the prelude to slaughter was about to be played in the most formal and overbearing manner.
And the destructive fire in Karin's eyes, under Naruto's calm words, temporarily transformed into a deeper, more persistent wait.
She knew the moment of revenge was right before her eyes.
"En... enemy attack!"
"What is that thing?"
"A monster! Is it a Tailed Beast? How can it be so huge?!"
"Alert! Maximum alert! Go report to the Village Head and the Elders immediately!"
The outposts and patrols on the outskirts of the Grass Ninja Village were instantly thrown into chaos.
Piercing alarms shrieked through the night sky. More Grass Ninja were roused, swarming onto the walls or defensive fortifications in panic and confusion.
The Grass Ninja pushed to the front line to handle the shouting suppressed a Soul-level shudder. Mustering a lifetime of courage, he screamed at the golden giant beast, his voice distorted and off-key from extreme terror:
"Who... who goes there? This is Grass Ninja Village territory. State your identity and purpose immediately!"
They looked up at the mountain-like fox head and those crimson beast eyes peering coldly down through the golden Chakra. Their legs felt weak, nearly collapsing to the ground.
What kind of monster is this?!
They had never seen such a massive, solid, and terrifyingly pressurized convergence of Chakra.
They had heard rumors of the legendary Tailed Beasts, but this one... seemed even more terrifying than the rumors!
As the Grass Ninja wavered in suspicion and panic spread, the Nine-Tailed's massive head lowered slightly.
The giant beast's mouth slowly opened.
There was no roar, no condensing of a Tailed Beast Ball.
Under the terrified gaze of the Grass Ninja, a figure stepped out from the beast's open mouth, descending calmly as if walking down invisible stairs.
Uzumaki Naruto held a very ordinary envelope in his hand.
Naruto walked to the edge of the Nine-Tailed's maw, still dozens of meters above the ground.
He looked down from his height at the cluttered cluster of buildings in the Grass Ninja Village, where lights were flickering on in panic.
Then, with a light flick of his wrist.
The envelope shot out with a "whoosh," heading straight for the central area of the Grass Ninja Village, toward the most prominent building—likely the administrative center or council hall.
The envelope wasn't moving fast, yet it was infused with Wind-style Chakra, allowing it to precisely pierce the Grass Ninja Village's fragile sensory barrier and defensive shield before disappearing into the central building.
Having done this, Naruto finally turned his gaze back to the nearly petrified Grass Ninja below.
His voice rang out—not booming, but clearly reaching the entire outskirts of the Grass Ninja Village, and perhaps even the ears of every panicked villager deep within:
"In there, the past sins of your Grass Ninja Village are detailed."
His tone was flat, as if stating an already established fact.
"Today, your doom is inescapable."
Naruto raised a finger to point at the eastern horizon, where a sliver of white was beginning to appear.
"It is now five o'clock in the morning."
His gaze swept over the Grass Ninja Village; it wasn't the look of someone seeing an enemy stronghold about to be attacked, but more like someone planning a site that was about to be cleared.
"In the name of the Sixth Hokage of Konoha Village, I give you five hours."
"Immediately evacuate all non-combatants, civilians, women, children, and any Ninja unwilling to be buried with the Grass Ninja Village.
Have them leave the Village, the further the better."
He gave a clear time limit and a seemingly "merciful" choice.
"At ten o'clock sharp."
Naruto's voice suddenly grew heavy, carrying a steel-like resolve and unquestionable authority:
"I will attack the Grass Ninja Village on time."
"At that time, those remaining here, regardless of identity or reason, will be deemed enemies of Konoha Village."
Loving Book So Far? Check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/FictionOP