The chakra from the five elemental releases clashed violently with one another, surpassing the critical threshold in their turbulent interaction—then detonated.
This was not a fire-style explosion.
It was an attribute-conflict detonation, a formless blast born purely from elemental opposition.
After the explosion, the flames, water torrents, lightning spears, flying gravel, and raging winds were hurled outward, forming distinct shockwaves of varying destructive properties.
Yako froze for a moment.
He had greatly underestimated the power of the Five Elements Great Barrage.
This technique, regarded by Sarutobi Hiruzen as a trump card, possessed astonishing destructive potential.
No wonder it was classified as an S-rank jutsu.
This level of explosion… it was practically a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb.
Root shinobi caught in the blast had no chance to resist.
Even those who attempted Clone or Substitution techniques were erased—the blast radius was simply too vast. No matter where their real bodies moved, they were swallowed by annihilation.
The canyon's unique terrain amplified the explosion, like detonating a bomb inside a sealed container.
After a long while, the blast subsided.
The mountainsides on both sides of the canyon collapsed with thunderous crashes.
Danzo stood on the water's surface, panting heavily, staring up at White Zetsu atop the waterfall.
Fragments of broken bodies drifted downstream, carried by the rushing current past his feet.
Yako thought to himself, Even the "Pot Shadow" is still a Kage-level figure. Even an S-rank forbidden technique couldn't kill him.
But Root… was finished.
Including C, five official members with codenames and over a dozen trainees were dead.
Konoha's internal struggles had always been like this.
Who couldn't be ruthless?
Bandages fell away from Danzo's arm, revealing a ruined Sharingan beneath.
Another Izanagi.
How many of those did Danzo have stockpiled?
At this rate, even wiping out the Uchiha clan might not provide enough eyes for him.
"If Lord Madara had been here, you would already be dead, Danzo.
Anyone who dares defile Lord Madara's monument—I, Sarutobi Kanosuke, will not forgive!"
Danzo stood frozen in shock, throat dry as he swallowed hard.
Sarutobi… Sarutobi Kanosuke?
A rogue from the Sarutobi clan… serving Uchiha Madara?
The four shadow clones burst into smoke, dispersing sideways in the wind.
Yako's body slowly sank, disappearing into the water.
Danzo was so stunned that his reaction lagged by half a beat.
"Vacuum Bullets!"
He spat more than a dozen compressed air bullets toward the waterfall's peak.
But Sarutobi Kanosuke had already vanished.
Ten minutes later, Yako appeared beneath the izakaya.
After sealing away the spiral mask, he entered the main shop.
"Yuka, give me a bottle of sake."
He was in an excellent mood.
Being here created a perfect alibi.
No one would believe someone could travel from the Valley of the End to Konoha in ten minutes, pass through the barrier, evade sensory sentries on the walls, and then casually drink here.
Lifting one corner of his mask, he downed the entire bottle in one go.
An hour later, he heard a distinctive bird call.
Stepping outside, he recognized the patterned cry of a ninja hawk.
An emergency ANBU summons.
Jonin across Konoha looked up at the hawk in confusion. Whatever had happened must be enormous—ANBU was being mobilized in full.
Yako vanished with Body Flicker, pulling on his ANBU mask along the way.
When he reached the ANBU base entrance, Yellow Dog had already assembled most of the unit.
Aside from the Nine-Tails jinchūriki surveillance squad, all ANBU present in the village were here.
Purple Cat handed him the squad leader's white hooded cloak. He draped it over himself.
His gaze swept over Yak Squad—White Crane stood among them, shrinking behind Yak, fear evident behind her mask.
Yellow Dog beckoned.
Yako approached quickly.
"Didn't you suspect Madara had a base in the Valley of the End? Somehow, Advisor Danzo learned of the intelligence first.
I never reported this to him.
He took Root and their trainees there—and encountered one of Madara's subordinates.
The result…"
Yellow Dog recalled the Five Elements Great Barrage and felt a deep sense of absurdity.
He himself hadn't mastered it—so how could one of Madara's subordinates use the Third Hokage's signature technique?
That was Hiruzen's self-created S-rank forbidden jutsu.
"The outcome wasn't good?" Yako asked.
"Very bad. Root was almost completely wiped out. Only Advisor Danzo and A, who didn't go, survived."
"So tragic…"
Yako thought, That's extremely tragic indeed.
Suddenly, Jonin Commander Nara Shikakaku appeared with Body Flicker.
"Yellow Dog, the Hokage has already headed toward the village gates. ANBU is to move out immediately."
"Understood, Shikakaku-sama."
At the village gates, Yako saw Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Orochimaru.
Following the leadership, the group departed quickly.
Shinobi entering the village stared in shock at the gathering of high-ranking figures and ANBU, unsure what had happened.
Outside the village, a genin squad froze as the procession raced overhead.
They were only on a C-rank mission—was there some hidden significance?
Were the village's elites mobilizing to save them?
The leaders and ANBU passed overhead, leaving them deflated.
Apparently… not.
When they reached the Valley of the End, Yako saw Danzo standing alone beside the waterfall.
The wind whipped his tattered clothing, giving him a bleak, tragic aura.
Looking down into the canyon, Yako observed the terrifying blast marks.
Calling it a miniature Tailed Beast Bomb would not be an exaggeration.
The Five Elements Great Barrage was truly formidable.
Several mutilated corpses lay along the riverbank.
Danzo was meticulous—though he sent subordinates to die, he still gathered their remains afterward.
Including C, five official Root members and over a dozen trainees had perished.
Danzo now stood alone.
Mitokado Homura examined the different scorch marks—fire, lightning, wind—and glanced at Hiruzen in confusion.
What are you doing, Hiruzen?
Orochimaru studied the battlefield carefully.
"It is indeed the Five Elements Great Barrage. Five impact-type techniques… culminating in a secondary detonation caused by elemental conflict."
He turned toward Hiruzen, disappointment in his eyes.
"Hiruzen-sensei… this is a technique even I have never learned. Who did you teach?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Hiruzen snapped.
"The Five Elements Great Barrage demands extremely high mastery. Just preparing five compatible impact-type techniques requires years.
Then comes years of elemental counterbalance training.
Even I only mastered it at age twenty-five.
How could I possibly have taught it to someone else—especially someone who would use it against Konoha?"