Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 232 The Akatsuki's Split Ends

First comes the seismic waves, then the shock waves, followed by high-pressure, high-temperature airflow, and finally the storm of flames.

Rocks melted, magma evaporated, and torrential rain poured down, the raindrops themselves being magma radiating an orange glow.

The Konoha ninja initially huddled against the rock walls to avoid the direct impact of the shockwaves and high-temperature air currents, but later had to dig holes in the rocks to escape the torrential lava.

In the midst of this cataclysmic disaster, the ninjas huddled like quails in their caves, anxiously awaiting the end of the calamity.

Because there was no high-energy radiation, the Fifth Hokage's "Mind Network" was able to function normally. He could see that his subordinates were safe and sound, and he could also see that all the buildings of the ancient Loulan Kingdom had disappeared.

He also saw the magnificent and splendid "dragon" that, after the black sun erupted, gently twisted its body, deflecting the impact of boundless light and heat, and even swallowing a considerable amount of energy in return.

Then, the enormous dragon, whose head and tail were nowhere to be seen, seemed to have eaten its fill. After wriggling slightly, it lay back down and slowly fell silent.

Seeing that the dragon vein had returned to calm and the purpose of demolishing the buildings had been achieved, Xia Zuo began to repeatedly use [Water Release: Great Explosive Water Wave] to cool down Loulan by artificially bringing rain.

A massive amount of water vapor evaporated and burst forth, rising with the hot air and catching up with the huge orange-black mushroom cloud, merging with it.

As the temperature dropped and the lava downpour subsided, the Konoha ninjas emerged from the caves in the rock wall, jumped onto the crumbling rock wall, and looked towards the ancient kingdom of Loulan.

A waterfall cascaded down from the sky like a ribbon, while white mist rose from the ground, forming an incredibly thick column of white smoke, topped by an enormous canopy overhead.

Yamashiro Aoba murmured, "White stem, black cap, and orange accents—what a towering, deadly poisonous mushroom."

Another Konoha Jonin remarked, "It's just demolishing a building, but the Fifth Hokage did it with such gusto—it was truly impressive!"

The Konoha ninja, who revered violence, cheered: "So intense! So powerful! Truly worthy of the Fifth Hokage!"

"No wonder the Hokage isn't afraid of the Four Great Ninja Villages' nonsense. If I had that kind of power, I would definitely swat anyone who dared to mess with me."

"Exactly! The Fifth Hokage is invincible; he can do whatever he wants!"

"Hahaha!"

Actually, the other Konoha ninjas also liked it, but because they were getting older, they had to maintain a so-called mature image and couldn't jump around like young people.

This is their Fifth Hokage. I've always heard that he's the strongest ninja in the ninja world, but I've never seen him in person. I always have a feeling of unease.

Now they saw a small country, much larger than Konoha Village, instantly destroyed by the Fifth Hokage.

Not only did the towering buildings disappear completely, but the ground itself sank at least 50 meters, turning into a huge lava lake.

No matter which ninja village it is, if the Fifth Hokage were to deliver such a blow, it would only result in total annihilation.

Having witnessed the power of the Fifth Hokage firsthand and learned just how strong he was, the Konoha ninjas were filled with pride and gained boundless confidence.

Our Konoha Village possesses the strongest violence in the ninja world!

The strongest ninja world, supported by this concept, is so profound and solid.

For decades, the Third Hokage promoted himself as the "strongest Hokage of all time," yet he was obsequious to foreign ninjas, which completely dispelled the unease and guilt that Konoha ninjas felt.

At this moment, standing on the huge but dilapidated rock wall were not only Konoha ninjas.

The ninjas from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure are all present, with the Sunagakure ninjas being the most numerous. There are also a few ninjas from smaller ninja villages such as Kusagakure, Kawagakure, Hoshigakure, and Ishigakure.

Faced with this devastating sight, the Konoha ninja were overjoyed, while the ninja from other villages were ashen-faced, as if their own village was beneath that giant mushroom.

A few days later, the mushroom cloud had long since disappeared, the lava lake on the ground had cooled down, the surrounding rock walls had become neat again, the blocked underground water channels had been cleared, and the infrastructure construction of the Loulan Kingdom had officially begun.

Now the Konoha ninjas have discovered that they can no longer see ninjas from other villages spying on them.

Seeing the Fifth Hokage's violent demolition methods, the various ninja villages naturally interpreted it as a warning.

Otherwise, why didn't the Fifth Hokage, who was most skilled in Wood Release, use [Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees] to demolish the ruins of Loulan?

When he used Wood Release to replace the buildings in Sunagakure, it was quick, efficient, and safe.

Therefore, this must be a warning. The Fifth Hokage is telling all the ninja villages: This is Konoha Village's territory. Anyone who dares to spy on us will be hit by this forbidden technique.

Having witnessed the power of forbidden techniques firsthand, who would dare risk their family's survival?

Perhaps other ninjas will come to spy, but those who dare to risk coming must be the most powerful ninjas, or the most skilled in reconnaissance and concealment, the kind that ordinary Konoha Jonin could not detect.

The weakest is Gaara from Sunagakure.

Taking advantage of a natural sandstorm, he lurked in the strong winds and approached Loulan, where he saw the enormous crater that covered a small country.

Gaara glanced at it once and burst into tears of anguish, completely abandoning any thought of avenging his father.

The stronger one is Deidara, who returned to the Akatsuki organization.

Upon hearing about this unprecedented explosion, this explosion art fanatic immediately set off, riding his giant bird to the Land of Wind.

Deidara, positioned near Shazo, had a commanding view of the entire explosion.

He saw many sights that could only be seen at an altitude of tens of thousands of meters, such as the shadows of skyscrapers that remain to this day under the intense light radiation, and the desert waves that extend thousands of kilometers away.

Deidara shouted excitedly, "I'm impressed! The Fifth Hokage is amazing!"

"Indeed, explosions are art!"

"The Fifth Hokage's art far surpasses mine!"

"I won't give up! I'll study hard, I'll train wholeheartedly, I'll explode like the Fifth Hokage, I'll explode even more fiercely!!"

Two people floated beside Deidara: the paper angel Konan and Nagato himself. They had come along to witness the display of the power representing the Fifth Hokage.

Originally, Konan and Nagato hadn't flown this high; they were only a few hundred meters above the ground when they felt a tremendous shock.

Only after hearing Deidara's fanatical shouts transmitted through the ring did they fly to an altitude of ten thousand meters and witness the full extent of the destruction of the country caused by the explosion.

Not only was Konan stunned, but Nagato was also speechless. He even felt that the Gedo Mazo could not have launched such a terrifying attack.

For a moment, Nagato felt somewhat disheartened and couldn't help but doubt whether he was truly destined to save the ninja world.

If he can't even defeat the Fifth Hokage, how can he possibly save the ninja world?

After returning to Amegakure, Nagato went to his room, closed the door, and fell into deep thought, without even noticing Konan.

After a long time, a spiral vortex appeared in Nagato's room, and Obito Uchiha emerged from the vortex.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the room, a black and white mimosa plant sprouted, and Zetsu appeared in front of Nagato.

Nagato looked at Obito Uchiha, who was still wearing his mask, and said coldly, "You scoundrel who calls himself Madara Uchiha."

"I heard you got a severe beating from the Fifth Hokage. Are you completely desperate, which is why you've swallowed your pride and come to see me?"

"Even now, you still won't take off your mask and face me with your own face?"

Obito Uchiha said in a hoarse voice, "Nagato, you're right. I've been driven to a dead end by the Fifth Hokage's dominance."

He raised his hands and removed his mask, revealing a face that was half normal, half distorted and discolored, and missing an eye.

Obito Uchiha said, "Let's get to know each other formally. My name is Obito Uchiha, and I am the successor of Lord Madara Uchiha."

Nagato examined him carefully for a long time, then turned to Zetsu and asked, "And who are you?"

Black Zetsu detached himself from White Zetsu in front of Nagato and said, "I am Madara-sama's creation. Nagato-sama, you can call me Black Zetsu."

Nagato sneered, "A very fitting name. So, this pale-faced person is called White Zetsu?"

Black Zetsu respectfully replied, "Lord Nagato, you guessed correctly, they are White Zetsu."

Nagato pondered the name for a moment, then asked again, "White Zetsu—the cells that were injected into my body, were they cells from this thing?"

Obito Uchiha replied, "Yes."

Nagato turned back and asked, "Are Black Zetsu and White Zetsu related to Madara Uchiha?"

Obito Uchiha replied, "Black Zetsu is a Yin Release chakra creature created from the soul by Madara Uchiha using the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan. It is skilled in infiltration, stealth, and genjutsu, and is intelligent but lacks substantial offensive power."

"White Zetsu is a Yang Release chakra creature created by Madara Uchiha using the flesh and blood of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju. It is skilled in using Wood Release, taijutsu, and self-healing. Although it is not very bright, it has considerable combat power."

"Of course, the greatest value of White Zetsu is its self-healing ability."

Obito Uchiha pointed to his half-body and said, "I was seriously injured in the Land of Rivers and lost half of my body. I survived only because of the White Zetsu half-body transplanted by Lord Madara."

"Your physical disability was also cured by white leukemia cells."

Nagato sneered, "In that case, I should thank you. You waited for me for five or six years and finally decided to cure me."

Although he was sneering and his words were very harsh, his tone had softened considerably, which made both Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

They really have no other choice now.

They had previously learned about Xia Zuo's trap, "Konoha Crush Plan," and unfortunately became the unlucky ones who fell into the trap.

Itachi Uchiha was alright; he was only ganged up on by Izumi Uchiha and Jiraiya, and his injuries weren't serious.

But Obito Uchiha fared much worse.

His heart was shattered by Uchiha Shisui; this was his plan—to use Uchiha Shisui's hand to destroy the seal that controlled his heart.

Even though half of his neck was severed by Izumi Uchiha, Obito's self-healing ability was enough to withstand it.

But the final blow from the Fifth Hokage, Natsume, to the sole of his foot was extremely powerful, almost costing him his life.

That unprecedented torrent of chakra surged along the meridians in his legs all the way to his chest and abdomen before spreading out and shattering his body.

Before Obito Uchiha could react, half of his body was sliced ​​to pieces, and even his bones were shattered.

Fortunately, he was not destined to die; the Fifth Hokage struck half of the White Zetsu, which is why he did not die immediately in the Kamui dimension.

The corrupted Obito Uchiha was an extremely ruthless person. Despite losing half of his body, he not only did not lose consciousness, but also actively promoted his plan.

Obito gritted his teeth and tore off the shattered heart fragments that Shisui had smashed. Seeing the runes appearing on the newly grown heart, he immediately cut it off, forcing his body to regenerate the heart.

After cutting off his own heart five times in a row, Obito finally saw a clean heart without any sealing runes on it, and only then did he faint in relief.

Relying on the remaining White Zetsu cells and utilizing the residual flesh and blood that had fallen into the Kamui dimension, Obito Uchiha's lost half of his body gradually grew back.

The entire process lasted three days and three nights before the ruthless Uchiha Obito finally stood up again and burst into maniacal laughter.

He felt that his luck had turned around. Not only did he survive the Fifth Hokage's trap, but he also used Uchiha Shisui's hand to resolve the hidden danger to his heart.

But what he didn't know was that his ordeal was not over; on the contrary, his most dangerous moment was about to arrive.

Overcome with excitement, Obito Uchiha didn't thoroughly examine the Kamui dimension and failed to find the metal card covered in blood before hastily reopening it.

After the vortex gate opened, the Fifth Hokage, Natsume, sensed his Flying Thunder God Beacon.

The next second, on the metal card in the Divine Might Space, dense runes unfolded into a spirit communication array.

Under Obito Uchiha's dumbfounded gaze, a cloud of white smoke exploded on the summoning circle, and the Fifth Hokage's wood clone appeared.

Wood clone Xia Zuo grinned: "Finally caught you, Uchiha Obito!"

He picked up the metal card from his feet and said with a smile, "You're quite lucky. The moment you activated it just happened to coincide with a crucial point in my grand scheme, leaving me with very little chakra to deal with you."

"Otherwise, the wooden clone you're seeing now is definitely not just me."

Wood clone Natsume comforted Obito, saying, "Don't look so desperate, like you're about to die. I already told you, you're very lucky."

"This body only possesses the power of the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, which doesn't qualify it as Kage-level combat strength. You have a very good chance of defeating me."

Xia Zuo's words of comfort were meaningless. The moment Obito Uchiha saw him, he felt his scalp tingle and his whole body felt like it was floating.

Madara Uchiha's name was his most trusted source of confidence, intimidating countless powerful ninjas.

Now that Xia Zuo's wood clone had exposed him, Obito Uchiha felt as if he had suddenly been stripped naked, and his fear exploded uncontrollably.

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