The consequences would be unimaginable.
This would not be the disaster of a single village or nation—it would be the collapse and slaughter of the entire shinobi power system.
Imagine it.
A creature capable of appearing on any battlefield at any time—instantly stripping every shinobi of their greatest reliance: chakra.
And that creature being controlled by a malicious "Demon Child."
Jiraiya could already picture it: Karin walking the world with that yellow dog at her side, sweeping across the shinobi world unchecked, devouring all resistance.
"We absolutely cannot let her release Wangcai!" Jiraiya growled.
Tsunade's face was even darker. She stared at the latest time-calculation report submitted by Anbu, nearly piercing the paper with her finger.
"…It's too late."
Her voice was dry.
"Based on Karin's movement speed and the transmission delay of our intelligence… she has likely already reached the perimeter of the sealing site. She may have even made contact with the seal."
"What?!" Jiraiya felt as though struck.
"And the shinobi squads stationed nearby?" he demanded. "They can't stop her! And in a suspected Wangcai influence zone, they may not even dare use chakra!"
The thought made his blood run cold.
That would not be a battle.
It would be slaughter.
Silence thickened the Hokage's Office.
Direct interception seemed no longer viable. Worse—interference might provoke Karin further.
Then, unexpectedly, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke.
"Inform the other villages."
"And release the intelligence about the 'weapon.'"
Jiraiya stared at him.
"At a time like this?"
Hiruzen's face was lined with weary realism.
"The combination of the Demon Child and the chakra-devouring beast threatens the entire shinobi world—not just Konoha."
"Withholding information gains us nothing."
"If that 'weapon' truly exists… and if there is even a chance it can be used—"
He exhaled slowly.
"Then it may become a variable in this catastrophe."
"Let the other nations think. Let them prepare. It is better than Konoha standing alone against two extinction-level threats."
He paused.
"The worst outcome? We all perish together."
"But if the weapon can counterbalance this disaster… even slightly… then it is worth the gamble."
It was cold logic.
Brutal.
But undeniable.
Tsunade remained silent longer than anyone else.
As Hokage, she understood the weight of such a decision. Revealing this intelligence could spark chaos, ambition, even preemptive strikes.
But Hiruzen had stripped away illusion.
"…Fine."
Her voice hardened.
"Transmit encrypted messages to Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and the neutral Land of Iron."
"Message: 'Demon Child' Karin has approached the sealing site of the chakra-devouring entity Wangcai. Extreme danger. Request immediate dispatch of elite forces to the designated coordinates along the Land of Fire–Land of Grass border."
"As for the Senju–Uzumaki sealed weapon—details will be disclosed upon joint assembly."
Orders were sent instantly.
Konoha's intelligence network roared to life.
Tsunade inhaled deeply, her eyes blazing with the ferocity of the Senju Clan's legacy.
"We're going," she said to Jiraiya and Hiruzen. "We'll face this Demon Child ourselves."
"Pray the stationed shinobi are still alive."
"And pray the seal holding Wangcai… holds just a little longer."
The Hokage's duty was to protect not only the village—but the final line of order in the shinobi world.
She would not sit and wait.
Fire–Grass Border
Deep within a desolate mountain basin along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, the air felt like the suffocating calm before a storm.
A strange force field shimmered faintly over the depression in the earth.
At the edge of the basin stood Karin.
Her long red hair fluttered lightly in the wind.
A sweet smile curved her lips.
Below her lay the location shown on the Heavenly Screen.
The sealing site of Wangcai.
"So this is it~ Wangcai, big sister came to play with you."
Her tone was bright, almost childlike.
It clashed grotesquely with the oppressive atmosphere.
Behind her stood hundreds.
Men and women in tattered clothes. Civilians. Wanderers. Minor rogue shinobi from small villages.
Their eyes were empty—or glowing with feverish crimson.
Their movements were stiff yet powerful.
They were not volunteers.
They were enthralled.
Karin's bewitching influence had stripped them of self-awareness, turning them into a fanatical servant army.
Across the basin, several hundred shinobi from various stationed units and rapid-response teams stood in tense formation.
They knew what they faced.
They knew chakra might betray them here.
And yet—
They stood their ground.
Because if they didn't—
There would be no world left to protect.
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