As if drawn by an unseen force, the spheres became streaks of light that ignored all obstacles and flew toward Fugaku Uchiha's residence.
Inside the underground Secret Chamber beneath Fugaku Uchiha's residence, the air was heavy and cold. Stone walls pressed close, and faint seals glimmered along the floor. The space felt sealed off from the waking world above.
Danzo stared in excitement at the figure before him, a nearly completed transformation of a "Crimson giant." His breathing quickened as he leaned forward, unable to hide his delight. What stood there was no longer just a Crimson giant.
No, it was turning into something stronger and far more terrifying, a true "Ryoma Clan." The huge, twisted body radiated a chill that sank into the bones. To him, this was the power he had dreamed of for years.
As long as he could kill it, he could take that power for himself. The strength sealed within his arm would rise to a new level. His thoughts raced as he imagined the result.
Then, in the next instant, everything changed. A thunderous roar echoed through the chamber. Golden flames burst out from within the forming body of Fugaku Uchiha, igniting from the inside and swallowing it whole.
"What?" Danzo's face twisted in shock. The searing heat forced him to stagger back several steps. His excitement vanished in an instant.
Two Root Ninja who had been hiding behind him appeared with Body Flicker flashes. They positioned themselves in front of him and stared at the sudden blaze with rigid caution. Their bodies tensed, ready to react.
What kind of power was this? Was it some mutation born from the Crimson giant itself? For a moment, that explanation seemed possible.
But they quickly realized this was not an ability of a Crimson giant. The truth became clear the next second.
"Ahhh!" Fugaku Uchiha, wrapped in golden fire, let out a scream far more shrill and painful than any previous Crimson giant. The sound cut through the chamber and echoed off the stone. It was a cry of complete agony.
The caution and excitement on Danzo's face froze solid. His single eye widened as he finally sensed that something was terribly wrong. Cold fear replaced his earlier thrill.
"What is going on?" Danzo shouted in panic, his voice sharp and hoarse with rage. "Quick, put out that fire. Do not let it ruin my Crimson giant!"
At his command, one Root Ninja moved without hesitation. His hands formed seals at high speed, his expression tense and focused.
"Water Release·Water Disorder Wave!"
A violent stream of water blasted from his mouth like a high pressure cannon. It slammed directly into the burning body of Fugaku Uchiha. The force echoed loudly in the chamber.
However, when the water struck the golden flames, it had no effect at all. The fire did not weaken or flicker. The water passed through it uselessly, as if nothing were there.
The flames were not burning on a physical level. The water could not touch the nature of the fire at all. Even Root's effort meant nothing in the face of it.
"What is this damn thing?" Danzo cried out in shock and fury. His voice trembled as panic set in. He watched his creation unravel before his eyes.
Seeing the Ryoma Clan he had cultivated with such effort about to be destroyed, he could no longer hold back. He shoved the Root Ninja aside and stepped forward himself. His patience snapped.
"Get out of the way, trash. I will do it myself."
He extended his right hand from his sleeve and aimed it at the screaming Crimson giant, whose form was already fading within the flames. The body shook as it wailed, barely holding together.
"Wood Release·Baoqiang Tree!"
With a shout, veins bulged along Danzo's arm. Dark red, twisted vines burst forth in an instant. They writhed violently, spreading with unnatural speed.
The vines intertwined and grew into a massive, grotesque blood-colored tree. Its branches opened wide and swallowed the Crimson giant along with the golden flames. The tree pulsed as if alive.
The blood tree writhed, using powerful life and mental energy to suppress and devour the fire. For a moment, the golden flames really did dim. The pressure seemed to work.
"Good," Danzo said, his single eye flashing with cruel excitement. His breathing steadied as hope returned. He tightened his stance.
"No matter what you are, as long as you are tied to Chakra or mental power, you will not burn away my life's work."
The instant his words ended, the dimmed golden flames flared again. With a deafening roar, they erupted outward. The fire shattered the blood tree's restraint in an instant.
The flames raced along the branches at terrifying speed, burning back toward Danzo's arm. The spread was unstoppable, like a living thing.
"What?" Danzo's pupils shrank sharply. A wave of dread hit him all at once. His heart nearly stopped.
He reacted fast, forming his other hand into a blade shape coated with sharp Chakra. Without hesitation, he swung down with full force. The strike was clean and brutal.
With a tearing sound, the hand connected to the blood tree was severed. No blood sprayed out, yet a trace of golden flame still clung to his arm. It burned instantly.
"Gah!" Danzo screamed in agony. The pain felt like his soul itself was being burned away. He collapsed to the ground, curling up and rolling as he cried out.
The Ryoma Clan he had placed such high hopes in was finally destroyed. Under the relentless golden flames, it turned completely to ash. Nothing of the body remained.
Only a black sphere was left behind. It was larger and denser than those of other Crimson giant, filled with thick resentment. It floated away into the distance.
"No, no, stop!" Danzo shouted in despair. He endured the pain tearing through his soul while watching his long planned power vanish. His voice cracked as he reached out helplessly.
His eyes bulged with pain and wrath, bloodshot and wild. He howled with tearing fury, "Who was it? Who did this?"
"Who destroyed my Crimson giant? I will kill him!"
At the same time, the cold morning wind swept across Hokage Rock. The stone faces of past Hokage loomed in silence. A sharp chill passed through the air.
Shadow stood quietly atop the statue of Hashirama. His black robe blended with the brightening sky. A black cat rested lazily in his arms.
He gently stroked the cat's smooth fur. The cat let out a soft purr, calm despite the distance. His gaze reached far toward Ryoma Clan Compound.
There, a golden pillar of light connected heaven and earth. It illuminated half of Konoha like daylight. The glow was impossible to ignore.
Sharp, miserable screams carried faintly through the distance. They drifted from the direction of Ryoma Clan Compound, tearing through the quiet of Konoha. The sound lingered in the air.
At the horizon, a thin band of pale light struggled to tear open the deep blue night. The long and bloody night was finally coming to an end. Dawn seemed close at hand.
Beneath the shadows, Shadow slowly formed a smile. His expression held quiet certainty. He did not look surprised.
Under the faint morning sky, countless tiny black dots appeared. There were hundreds of them, moving fast and in tight formation. They rushed straight toward Konoha.
In the next moment, the "flock" above Konoha moved as one. They lowered their altitude slightly. Then they released what they carried.
Cold glinting objects fell like rain. They dropped toward the half of Konoha still wrapped in pre dawn calm. The fall was silent for a brief instant.