"Sage Art · Wood Release · True Several Thousand Hands!"
With a low murmur from Ren, chakra erupted like a blazing comet piercing the heavens.
The colossal Buddha that blotted out the sky finally moved.
Its countless arms swung down at once.
Fists descended in a dense, overwhelming barrage, each strike carrying a force that seemed capable of shattering the world itself. In that instant, it felt as though heaven and earth were collapsing together.
"Damn it!"
Ōnoki roared, and for the first time in decades, genuine fear surged through him.
His hands flew through seals frantically.
"Earth Release · Gōremu no Jutsu!"
The massive stone giant reformed before him. He poured chakra into it without restraint, forcing it to regenerate again and again.
Even if it could only buy a few more seconds—
"Damn—!"
The Fourth Raikage's face had gone pale. Killer B could only grit his teeth and rely on the Eight-Tails' chakra to withstand the incoming catastrophe.
"Madman…"
Chiyo and Ebizō exchanged a glance. Regret flickered in their eyes.
Why had they provoked someone like this?
Only Nagato's gaze grew brighter.
He possessed the Rinnegan—the Sage's eyes.
The stronger Ren's Sage Body became, the greater his potential. And that excited him.
"Let me see… just how far your Sage Body has reached."
He still wasn't sure whether Ren was going all out.
Ren hadn't used that golden blade capable of splitting heaven and earth.
Instead, he had chosen Wood Release—the symbol of the Senju.
Nagato didn't care which form it took.
It was Sage power.
And clashing with it thrilled him.
Under his control, countless summoned creatures surged forward to act as shields.
At the same time—
"Shinra Tensei!"
He wouldn't risk his lifespan with Chō Shinra Tensei, but this would suffice for a test.
An invisible repulsive force collided with the thousand-meter Buddha.
For a moment, the descending fists slowed.
Only slightly.
The force was insufficient.
Under the Buddha's overwhelming might, the repulsion fractured.
And then—
The fists fell.
The sky seemed to change color.
The earth trembled violently beneath the impact. The Eight-Tails howled in agony. Nagato's summons split apart and were crushed.
Ōnoki's stone giant shattered, reformed, and shattered again under relentless strikes. Puppets hurled themselves forward only to be obliterated like insects.
The roaring never stopped.
Canyon-like fissures spread in every direction.
With each impact, it felt as though the world itself was breaking.
Centered on the Land of Grass, the surrounding nations trembled under the shockwaves.
—
Rain poured over Konoha.
Thunder split the sky as Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by his window, pipe in hand.
His thoughts lingered on Danzo.
The intelligence Ren had submitted was horrifying. Once, he might have doubted it.
Now?
Danzo's defection removed all doubt.
"Danzo…"
Sixty years of bonds.
Shattered.
Had he been too indulgent?
Was this his failure as Hokage?
The building trembled suddenly.
He frowned.
An earthquake?
A knock burst through his thoughts.
"Lord Hokage! There's an emergency!"
Inoichi Yamanaka rushed in, pale.
"In the direction of the Land of Grass… a massive chakra eruption. Vast. Beyond normal comprehension."
"Artificial?" Hiruzen asked quietly.
Then realization struck.
Kakashi's unit had departed toward the Land of Grass.
"…Does it feel familiar?"
Inoichi hesitated.
"It resembles… Shihara Ren's chakra. But it's different."
Relief and unease warred within Hiruzen.
If it truly was Ren—
Konoha's strength had risen to terrifying heights.
But Danzo…
He likely wouldn't survive.
—
Across the continent, the shockwaves rippled through Kumogakure and Sunagakure alike.
Reports arrived. Panic spread.
The epicenter—
The Land of Grass.
—
When the thunder finally faded, what remained was devastation.
The once-lush forest had become a wasteland.
The ground was cratered like the moon's surface. Chasms split the earth, filling with rainwater that cascaded into newly formed waterfalls.
Kakashi and the ANBU stared blankly at the transformed landscape.
"Everyone alive?" Kakashi asked, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Minor injuries. No casualties," Tenzō replied.
"…Was that Wood Release?"
"…You tell me," Kakashi muttered.
He looked forward.
"We continue. Danzo—alive or dead—we confirm."
—
Ren descended slowly.
His chakra reserves were strained.
"Forcing True Several Thousand Hands at my current level… inefficient."
He could meet the threshold.
But his Wood Release mastery wasn't yet perfect.
He'd expended far more chakra than necessary.
Still—
The scale of destruction before him was undeniable.
Even Hashirama had used this technique only once.
He had held back.
Nagato was still a useful ally.
Chiyo and Ebizō were leverage.
And dead enemies couldn't be harvested twice.
He sensed them.
Ōnoki. The Raikage. Nagato's presence retreating.
Alive.
Barely.
"Fortunate," Ren murmured.
A figure approached.
"Ren."
He turned.
Hikari walked toward him, calm despite the faint haze in her eyes.
"You pushed too far," she said quietly. "Your eyes can handle it?"
"I wanted to see my limit."
She blinked once.
"I protected your people. They're alive. Others… weren't my concern."
Ren studied her for a moment, then nodded.
"I'll deal with your eyes."
He extended a finger to her forehead. Chakra flowed gently, stabilizing.
"You took Danzo away," she said suddenly. "Why?"
"He won't escape," Ren replied softly. "I simply want witnesses."
Konan and Pakura arrived shortly after.
"They're alive," Ren said before they could ask. "But not in good condition."
They moved together toward the survivors.
Ōnoki struggled to his feet, blood trailing from his eyes and mouth.
The Raikage clutched Killer B, whose life flickered like a dying ember.
Chiyo and Ebizō lay breathing shallowly.
"You're alive," Ōnoki rasped bitterly.
"You're resilient," Ren replied evenly. "But others weren't."
Silence hung heavy.
"You intend to start a war?" Ōnoki demanded.
Ren tilted his head slightly.
"With you?"
The words struck harder than any fist.
Ōnoki's rage cracked.
"You may be strong," he snarled, "but you cannot do what Hashirama couldn't! The era has changed!"
Ren sighed lightly.
"Konoha has no interest in your lands. But interfering with our pursuit of Danzo? That requires explanation."
A flicker passed between Ōnoki and the Raikage.
They understood.
They were alive not because they had won—
But because Ren allowed it.
"Recover in Konoha," Ren continued. "We'll discuss compensation."
Then he turned away.
The matter was finished.
—
Elsewhere—
Within a warped dimension—
Obito's voice echoed in fury.
"What was that?! Who is that woman?! What is Ren?!"
No one answered.
Black Zetsu remained silent, mind racing.
The reincarnations were deviating.
The balance was shifting.
—
At the edge of the devastated battlefield, Danzo stood trembling.
He had seen the destruction.
He had felt the terror.
Shihara Ren had surpassed him.
Still—
"There's opportunity," Danzo muttered. "He hides an Uchiha woman. That secret—"
A voice interrupted behind him.
"Opportunity?"
Danzo turned.
"Orochimaru—"
Pain exploded through his chest.
A black rod pierced him cleanly.
His eyes widened.
The "Orochimaru" before him stiffened—
Turning to wood.
A clone.
Footsteps approached.
Ren walked forward calmly.
Behind him stood Hikari, Kabuto, Konan, and a battered but burning Nagato.
Recognition dawned in Danzo's eyes.
"Rain… you…"
"I crawled back from hell," Nagato said coldly. "For you."
Konan's paper fluttered violently.
Kabuto smiled faintly.
"Do you remember the orphanage?"
Danzo turned desperately toward Ren.
"You betray Konoha!"
Ren laughed softly.
"A traitor, defined by a fugitive? That's amusing."
"You consort with Akatsuki!"
"Root acts for Konoha. That's what you taught me."
Danzo trembled.
"When did you decide this?"
"From the day you broke me," Ren replied calmly.
"And the Hokage—?"
"You misjudged him. He only wanted to talk."
Danzo's body shook.
"…You manipulated everything?"
"Yes."
Silence stretched.
Chakra surged from Danzo's body.
"Planning to use Reverse Four Symbols Seal?" Ren asked lightly.
Danzo froze.
"Or Izanagi?"
Ren's eyes were cold.
"In front of me, you won't get the chance."
Wood Release surged instantly, binding every limb.
Chakra suppression seals activated simultaneously.
Danzo struggled.
For the first time in his life—
He felt powerless.
"You wanted to be Hokage," Ren said quietly.
"But you lacked the will to trust anyone."
A blade formed in Ren's hand.
Not golden.
Simple.
Direct.
"For everything you've done," Ren continued softly, "this is mercy."
The blade pierced through Danzo's heart.
No seal activated.
No illusion triggered.
No escape.
Shimura Danzo's eyes widened—
Then dimmed.
Silence fell.
The rain continued to fall over the ruined land.
And for the first time in decades—
Danzo's shadow was gone.
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