Hiruzen persuaded me to die

Cloud Shinobi Village — Konoha's Temporary Residence

Nara Shikaku had felt uneasy all day.

An invisible tension lingered in the air—like the calm before a storm.

"Lord Naraku… are you sure it's safe for us to remain in Cloud Shinobi Village?"

He had asked this question multiple times over the past few days.

Each time, Hyūga Naraku gave the same calm reply: "There's no need to worry."

"But… remember when the Second Hokage once brought only six men to negotiate peace with Cloud Shinobi Village?" Shikaku rubbed his temple, brows furrowed in concern. "And then… they were ambushed by the Gold and Silver Brothers."

"You're implying Cloud Shinobi still hasn't given up the idea of war?" Naraku replied, eyes gazing distantly out the window, toward the heart of the village.

"I just can't shake the feeling."

Shikaku hesitated, struggling to articulate his instincts. But something felt off—like the whole village was holding its breath.

Still, if he were Cloud Shinobi, he wouldn't dare provoke Naraku.

Everyone had seen the raw terror of the Bashan Mountain Incident—when Naraku hurled an entire mountain to crush an enemy stronghold. It wasn't just Cloud Shinobi that had been shaken. All the Great Nations had felt that tremor.

But… even knowing that, the unease in Shikaku's chest wouldn't settle.

"You're right to be worried," Naraku said at last, his Tenseigan glowing faintly as he locked eyes on a distant point in the village.

"The Fourth Raikage… isn't someone who yields easily. He's just buying time."

Shikaku's eyes narrowed. "So… the peace talks…?"

"They were never real. The negotiations are a stall tactic. Ay has no intention of agreeing to our terms."

Konoha had demanded that Cloud Shinobi allocate 30% of its national revenue to Konoha as reparations—a heavy cost.

The Raikage hadn't outright refused. He'd just… delayed.

But Naraku saw through the ruse. It was all smoke and mirrors.

"He's planning something," Naraku said. "And it's happening… now."

As if on cue, panicked footsteps echoed down the corridor. A Hyūga clansman burst into the room, face pale and drenched in sweat.

"L-Lord Naraku! It's urgent!"

"Calm down," Naraku said gently, his presence instantly grounding the man. "Speak slowly."

The Hyūga ninja took a deep breath. "The chakra signatures throughout Cloud Shinobi Village have… vanished!"

Shikaku's heart skipped a beat.

It hit him—that was the strange feeling he hadn't been able to name. The village had been too quiet. Streets were empty. Windows shuttered. The hum of life was gone.

"Where did they all go…?" he muttered.

It wasn't evacuation.

It was a trap.

"Raikage… what are you planning…?" Shikaku breathed.

Then, a blinding light suddenly flared from a distant peak above the village.

Naraku smiled faintly.

"They're here."

Elsewhere, atop the Chakra Cannon installation...

"Will the blast be strong enough to wipe out the Konoha camp?" the Fourth Raikage barked.

"Yes, sir!" the lead technician shouted, sweat pouring from his brow. "To maximize power, we removed the previous dispersion feature from the energy beam."

Originally, the chakra cannon was designed to split its beam for wider area coverage. But now, they had refocused all its energy into one singular, devastating shot.

"Good," the Raikage growled. "Aim directly at Hyūga Naraku's residence."

"He thinks he can humiliate us... He thinks Cloud Shinobi Village will kneel before him?" Ay slammed a fist into his palm. "Let's send him to hell!"

Dodai, standing nearby, hesitated. "Lord Raikage… are we sure about this?"

Ay shot him a cold glare. "It's too late to turn back."

"That Hyūga brat made a fool of us. Let's see him laugh after this!"

Dodai tried once more. "But… the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, is still with Konoha. We haven't gotten her back."

"I don't give a damn anymore!" Ay roared. "They never intended to return her. They've been stalling us just like we stalled them. No more diplomacy!"

He turned to the platform. "Everyone! Begin chakra transmission!"

"Yes, sir!"

Over two thousand Cloud Shinobi took position around the chakra transfer array. Killer Bee extended his hand, pumping Eight Tails' chakra into the system.

The cannon began to charge.

"Chakra loading: 30%... 70%... 90%... 99%..."

"Chakra fully charged!"

The cannon's core glowed blinding white, trembling with immense power.

"FIRE!" Ay bellowed.

"Oyoy, time to die—goodbye, Naraku guy!" Killer Bee rapped, slamming the activation lever.

A beam of pure chakra, brighter than the sun, roared out of the cannon.

But before the beam could strike the Konoha compound—

A wall of black nothingness erupted into being.

It was a screen of Truth-Seeking Balls, layered into a seamless dome, absorbing the full brunt of the attack.

The chakra beam hit the black screen with a howl—but the darkness didn't even ripple.

Outside the shield's protection, the blast swept across the village, vaporizing buildings in a cascade of annihilation. Entire structures vanished like mist. A rolling explosion surged outward, like a miniature sunrise devouring the horizon.

Fourth Raikage laughed, watching the chaos.

"That's it! That bastard's dead! Ashes!"

But then…

A voice—calm and clear—echoed above the destruction.

"Thank you very much for helping me build the Chakra Cannon. I'll be bringing it back to Konoha now."

Hyūga Naraku stood in the sky, bathed in soft golden light.

He raised a hand toward the cannon.

Suddenly, gravity twisted violently as the entire chakra cannon groaned and lifted off its foundation—pulled by Naraku's overwhelming gravitational force.

"You…"

Ay stared, eyes wide.

Every Cloud Shinobi present stood frozen.

It felt like a hallucination.

No.

It was reality.

Naraku wasn't dead.

He was taking their ultimate weapon—the very thing they'd built to destroy him—back to Konoha.