Naruto: Power in Play

Chapter 36

The inferno raged.

The combined firestorm of Gamayu Endan and Daitoppa roared toward its target, the very air distorting under the sheer heat. Shinno, caught in the heart of it, could do nothing. The battlefield glowed a blinding orange as flames surged forward, an unrelenting tide of destruction.

Konoha had victory within its grasp.

But fate wouldn't let them claim Shinno's life.

Thick, obsidian gates burst from the ground, ancient and foreboding.

The Demonic Incarnation Gates.

Towering monoliths of cursed energy slammed into place, each one etched with grotesque markings, resembling the head of demons. They blocked the attack in its entirety. Not even letting a flicker of ember pass.

Jiraiya's breath hitched. Impossible.

Hiruzen's grip tightened around his staff. He recognized the technique. His eyes narrowed, trying to pierce through the flickers of embers, and soon settled on a figure.

A slow, familiar chuckle echoed through. From behind the massive gates, a lone figure emerged.

His golden eyes gleaming with unnatural clarity. His pale, snake-like features stretched into a mocking smirk as he took in the stunned expressions of his audience.

"Looks like you need a little hand, Shinno."

Jiraiya's expression twisted into rage. "OROCHIMARU!"

His furious cry ripped through the battlefield, but the man before him merely smiled—calm, unfazed, acting as if they were nothing more than old acquaintances meeting by chance.

"Jiraiya," he greeted, inclining his head slightly. "Hiruzen-sensei... you both look well, all things considered."

Jiraiya bristled, his hands clenching into fists, but Orochimaru had already turned his attention back to Shinno.

"That was quite the spectacle," he mused. "But it seems the tides have turned, haven't they?"

Shinno exhaled sharply, his shoulders rising and falling as his chakra struggled to stabilize. Even with the Reibi's power, he was wounded—the battle had drained him. He studied Orochimaru for a long moment before finally giving a small nod.

"Perhaps it is time to leave."

Orochimaru's smirk widened. "A wise decision."

And then—the sky shifted.

A low hum vibrated through the battlefield, eerie and unnatural. Shadows coiled around Shinno's form, his body pulsating with Reibi's power as his chakra connected to something far beyond.

The Ancor Vantian—the massive fortress of the Sky Ninja—began to tremble. Engines roared to life.

The ground beneath them quaked, a deep rumble reverberating through the ruins of Konoha as a massive chakra surge flooded the air. Shinno's form blurred, merging with the energy, his presence melding into the very core of the vessel.

Orochimaru, standing behind the gates, looked upon the village with an unreadable expression. Then, slowly, he turned his gaze toward Jiraiya.

A flicker light passed through his golden eyes—a challenge? A taunt? A promise? And before the Toad Sage could react. They were gone.

The Ancor Vantian vanished. Along with every last Sky Ninja.

A massive, deafening silence followed.

Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and the remaining Konoha forces could only watch as the behemoth of a fortress faded from existence. The oppressive energy that had filled the battlefield moments ago was now gone, leaving behind only destruction.