The sight before him froze Minato Namikaze in place.
"This… is Konoha?!"
Moments after Yuzuru left the Valley of the End, Minato had seen a blinding white light erupt into the sky. A violent gale followed, then the ground heaved under his feet. Finally came a deafening explosion that shook the entire valley.
He immediately realized something had happened to the village and tried to return using the Flying Thunder God. But every Flying Thunder God mark he left in the village had vanished—completely impossible to sense.
By the time he ran all the way back on foot… he saw this.
Beneath the shattered Hokage Rock was a massive crater. It spiraled downward layer after layer, filled with rubble and broken stone piled in chaotic heaps. Everything around was silent. Dead silent.
"This… really is Konoha…"
Minato knelt on the ground, two streams of hot tears silently tracing down his cheeks.
He already knew—Yuzuru must have used some forbidden technique to turn the entire village into this.
Even Kurama, who had seen centuries of chaos, trembled at the sight.
"Yuzuru's power is far too overwhelming… Even if I used a Tailed Beast Bomb, I could never destroy the entire village in one blow."
"Minato… it seems you've angered a madman."
Even if Kurama ever wanted to vent his hatred toward humans, this level of destruction was beyond him. Just how much did Yuzuru hate Konoha?
"Minato, I can sense something. There are many living people to the east."
Kurama's voice snapped him back to awareness.
His figure burst into golden light as he rushed toward the direction indicated.
————
————
In front of the underground shelter, Konoha's surviving civilians slowly emerged.
When they saw their village reduced to ruins, many collapsed in despair. Some stared blankly, some wept, some whispered thanks for surviving by sheer luck.
It took a long while before their emotions settled and their gazes drifted to the sea of rubble.
"For one ordinary person… Yuzuru did all this. Does he have no conscience?"
"Why destroy our whole village? How are we supposed to live now?!"
"Who was it? Who provoked that madman? Come out and slit your own throat!"
"A heartless bastard… No matter how strong he is, I'll never acknowledge someone like him."
"And what if he comes back again? What are we supposed to do then?!"
They all fell silent, their hearts full of darkness.
Fear. Anger. Anxiety. Jealousy. Hatred. Their emotions churned together.
Finally, someone broke down and screamed, "Apologize! We should all apologize to Yuzuru! It was our fault the Uchiha left!"
"If only we treasured them, acknowledged their contributions, and didn't suppress them, none of this would've happened!"
"This is the retribution we deserve! Think about how much the Uchiha suffered—to the point they abandoned the village they helped create!"
Before the ruins of Konoha, its people suddenly became enlightened. They began to repent, to reflect on everything they had done to the Uchiha clan.
"Next time we see an Uchiha, kneel and beg them for forgiveness! Even if they kill us, we must earn their mercy!"
Hands pressed together, they knelt in prayer—so focused that none of them noticed Minato's arrival.
"What… are you all doing?"
Minato asked, bewildered. Surely the priority was gathering water and supplies to begin rebuilding.
But the moment they heard his voice, the once-pious civilians turned hateful.
"Minato Namikaze, you're still alive? Where did you run off to at the end?!"
"You coward! You must have hidden because you were terrified of Yuzuru's power!"
"This is all your fault! If you'd just let Yuzuru finish venting his anger, he wouldn't have needed to go all out!"
"If you decide to fight, then fight to the end! If you fear death, don't provoke the enemy! The whole village is gone because of you!"
"You're the village's sinner! You should kill yourself to repay the dead!"
Having found a target for their rage, the crowd glared at Minato with venom, spitting curses one after another.
Minato stared blankly, a chill spreading through his body.
He truly believed he had done everything he could in his fight against Yuzuru. Even if he failed to stop him, he had given it his all.
But instead of gratitude, he was condemned as a criminal?
Kurama let out a low chuckle.
"Heh… Minato, do you want to borrow my power?"
"Konoha is already ruined. Why not kill the rest as well?"
"You saw them—ungrateful beasts. Have you forgotten what they did to Sakumo Hatake?"
Minato's Chakra surged uncontrollably under Kurama's temptation. The cold, violent aura made the crowd fall silent instantly. They scrambled back in terror.
Just then, an Anbu appeared before them.
"Wood Release: Four-Pillar Bind!"
Thick wooden pillars burst from the ground, wrapping around Minato and locking him in place.
The Anbu pressed a palm to Minato's back.
"Pain Suppression Seal!"
Under the power of Wood Release, Kurama's Chakra slowly receded.
"Minato, get a hold of yourself!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang in his ears.
"What... what just happened to me?"
Minato blinked, clarity returning to his eyes.
"You almost lost control."
"…I'm sorry."
He lowered his head, ashamed.
"Kohan, take Minato back. Keep him under strict watch."
Kohan glanced toward the shadows where Shimura Danzo hid. After receiving a nod of approval, he said, "Understood, Hokage-sama."
The moment Minato was taken away, the civilians erupted again.
"He destroyed our village and almost went berserk just now! Why isn't he executed?"
"He should die! We don't need someone so dangerous protecting us!"
"Send him to the Hidden Cloud! Offer his life to apologize to Yuzuru—they might forgive us!"
"Enough!" Hiruzen roared, his pressure silencing the crowd instantly.
"Stay quiet! Do not speak of this again!"
He turned and led the remaining shinobi away.
Send Minato to the Hidden Cloud…?
What were these idiots thinking?
———