Hiruzen persuaded me to die

BOOM!

Under the crushing gravitational force of the Tenseigan, the massive Chakra Cannon tore from its moorings and rose into the air, shaking the very foundation of the Hidden Cloud Village.

"Damn it! Stop him!"

Only now did the Fourth Raikage awaken from the delusion that he had triumphed. His shout echoed with desperation.

But it was far too late.

The cannon floated above them, glowing ominously as it descended into the awaiting hands of Hyūga Naraku.

Several Cloud shinobi leapt to stop him—but an invisible repulsive force flung them away like insects hitting a windshield.

"You bastard! How are you still alive?!" the Fourth Raikage roared, his voice hoarse with disbelief. "You should have been vaporized!"

A twisted sneer curled his lips as a thought crossed his mind. "So that's it. You survived—but only by abandoning your comrades, didn't you? Escaped the blast alone like a coward?"

He was grasping at straws now.

In his eyes, no matter how strong Naraku was, he couldn't possibly have shielded everyone from the cannon's destruction. Surely, the rest of the Konoha shinobi were annihilated.

Only Naraku remained.

But Naraku merely tilted his head, his glowing Tenseigan calm.

"Isn't it ironic?" he said. "You abandoned your Jinchūriki first. Yugito Nii—she's still under Konoha's custody."

The Raikage's expression darkened.

He had known it was a gamble. He'd hoped sacrificing the Two-Tails would be worth it if it meant eliminating their greatest threat—Naraku.

"If removing you means losing Yugito," the Raikage said through clenched teeth, "then it's worth the price."

"…Really?" Naraku's lips curled in amusement.

Just then, the thick smoke from the Chakra Cannon's explosion finally dispersed.

And there it stood—untouched.

The residence of the Konoha shinobi. Not a single tile displaced.

The buildings surrounding it, however, were obliterated, reduced to ash and gaping craters by the sheer power of the blast.

Everyone from Konoha—including Yugito Nii—stood unharmed behind Naraku's barrier of shimmering, obsidian light.

"...Master Raikage..." Yugito muttered, her voice heavy with emotion. Abandonment. Betrayal. Confusion.

"Impossible!" the Raikage's eyes bulged. "This can't be real—how?!"

He staggered a step back, beholding the truth with incredulous eyes.

All around the Konoha residence were deep gouges in the earth, the aftermath of the Chakra Cannon's destructive path. And yet… the shinobi he meant to annihilate were untouched, protected as if the blast had never occurred.

"You... You shielded everyone?" he rasped.

"You really know nothing about power, do you?" Naraku replied coldly, eyes glowing with ancient clarity.

Truth-Seeking Balls hovered behind him like black suns. These were no ordinary ninjutsu. This was the domain of the gods.

"And how," the Raikage growled, "did you time your defense so perfectly?"

A dawning horror twisted his features. "You... You knew we were going to fire the cannon! Didn't you?!"

Naraku chuckled softly.

"Of course. Why else would I tolerate your stalling tactics?" he said, lifting the Chakra Cannon effortlessly with one hand. "I let you finish building it—for me."

"Bastard!!!"

The Raikage's rage burst. His body ignited in crackling chakra as he rocketed toward Naraku like a thunderbolt.

But—

THOOM.

A single kick. That was all it took.

Naraku's foot collided with his chest, and the mighty Raikage was sent crashing into rubble, coughing up blood.

"Why?!" the Raikage shouted, crawling to his knees. "Why are you tormenting the Hidden Cloud like this?!"

Naraku's expression darkened.

"You think this is unwarranted?" he asked coldly. "Let me remind you."

"You tried to steal the Byakugan under the guise of a peace treaty."

"You accused me of murder and demanded I be handed over."

"You sent troops to ally with enemies of the Leaf."

"And just now… you tried to kill me with a weapon built by my own hands."

Cloud shinobi flinched at his words.

"You've done nothing but take, lie, and destroy," Naraku continued, his voice low and merciless. "The Hidden Cloud is a den of thieves. You should be thankful you've never met someone you couldn't rob."

A pause.

"…Until now."

He took a step forward. Truth-Seeking Balls began to hum with power.

The Raikage's fury reached its limit.

"ENOUGH! ALL UNITS—KILL HIM!!"

"Yes, sir!!" roared the Cloud shinobi.

Rage, resentment, fear—all converged. Two thousand strong, they surged forward.

But Naraku… was unmoved.

He raised his hand.

Nine Truth-Seeking Balls spiraled into position before him, spinning so fast they blurred into a glowing ring.

"Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."

The moment the words left his lips, a devastating vortex burst forth.

A storm. A cataclysm. A celestial force.

The Hidden Cloud Village was shredded.

Mountains collapsed.

Stone disintegrated.

Homes obliterated.

Silence followed.

When the storm finally ceased, the village was unrecognizable—a sea of shattered stone and broken earth.

Then—

BOOM.

A colossal body erupted from the rubble.

The Eight-Tails, Gyūki, emerged with a snarl, shaking off debris as his massive tentacles unfurled.

From beneath those limbs, a few dozen Cloud shinobi—the survivors—tumbled out, gasping for breath.

The Raikage's mouth dropped open.

"…That's it?" he muttered, stunned. "Only that many…?"

Dodai stood next to him, pale. "We should have never provoked him…"

Naraku floated gently to the ground, eyes calm as still water.

"To rescue even that many..." he murmured. "The Eight-Tails earns its praise."

The Raikage's grief twisted into hatred.

"DAMN YOU!" he bellowed. "YOU DESTROYED MY VILLAGE—DON'T YOU DARE PRETEND TO BE MERCIFUL!"

He charged again, blinded by fury.

Naraku sighed.

"…So be it."

The nine Truth-Seeking Balls rose once more, aligning behind him.

Then—

A golden sword of divine magnitude took shape.

A beam of burning sunlight that split the heavens.

"Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion."

Naraku's voice rang out like the decree of a god.

The golden blade descended—a blazing meteor, a judgment from the sky.

And the earth trembled beneath its fall.