Naruto: The Honored One(Discontinued)

38

Chapter 38: Crimson Eye, Shattered Mask

The rain, a relentless dirge over Kirigakure’s ravaged forest, did little to dampen the oppressive silence that had fallen. The Curtain still shimmered, a translucent dome sealing the devastation within. Outside, the Kiri ANBU and shinobi, their earlier frantic assaults now ceased, stared with wide, disbelieving eyes. Whispers, sharp and fearful, cut through the rhythmic drumming of the downpour.

“The Fourth Mizukage… Yagura-sama… that masked man was controlling him all along?” an ANBU captain murmured, his voice hollow with shock. The realization that years of tyranny, the entire Bloody Mist era, might have been orchestrated by this single, shadowy figure was a truth too horrifying to easily digest.

“And he spoke of the Nine-Tails,” another added, voice trembling. “He mentioned thirteen years ago… Konoha’s tragedy… Is he the one who attacked them, who unleashed that monstrous fox upon their village?” The name "Nine-Tails" itself was a specter, a legend of unimaginable destruction.

Further back, hidden amongst the storm-lashed trees, Mei Terumī’s fiery hair was plastered to her face, but her gaze burned with a new, intense focus. “And Naruto Uzumaki… or Gojo, as he calls himself… is the Yondaime Hokage’s son,” she breathed, the pieces clicking into a terrifying, awe-inspiring mosaic. “The Yellow Flash’s heir, wielding powers we’ve never seen, now facing the architect of his own village’s near-destruction, the manipulator of our Mizukage.”

Ao nodded, his Byakugan, though unable to pierce the Curtain effectively from this distance, still conveyed the sheer magnitude of the energies clashing within. “This isn't just a battle for Kirigakure's freedom, or for the Three-Tails. This is a confrontation with a ghost from the past, one that has haunted kiri and Konoha.” The rebels braced themselves, understanding that the fate of more than just their village hung in the balance.

Inside the Curtain, the air was thick with Naruto’s challenge. “Getting tired yet? Because I’m just getting warmed up.”

Obito Uchiha stood amidst the devastation Naruto’s Maximum Output: Red had wrought. His orange mask, though physically intact, seemed to carry the weight of dawning, unpleasant truths. ‘This boy… his spatial manipulation is… superior. My Kamui, my greatest defense, my most versatile tool… he reads it, he counters it, he even anchors space against it. The dimensional gateway itself is vulnerable to his interference. This is not a power I can simply phase through or outmaneuver with Kamui alone.’ The realization was a cold knot in his gut. He had always prided himself on the impenetrability and unique nature of his Mangekyō ability. To see it so thoroughly deconstructed, so casually outplayed, was infuriating.

He pushed the frustration down, his mind racing through his vast arsenal. ‘No matter. Kamui is but one tool. I have others. Madara’s teachings, Hashirama’s power… this brat will learn true despair.’

“Warmed up?” Obito’s voice, no longer light or mocking, was flat, cold, edged with a nascent fury. “You’ve merely seen the prelude, boy.”

He slammed his hand onto the muddy earth. “Wood Release: Sea of Trees Erosion!”

The ground beneath Naruto erupted. Massive, gnarled roots, thick as pythons and imbued with potent chakra, tore through the soil, lunging at him from all directions. They were not mere wood; they were extensions of Hashirama Senju’s legendary power, seeking to bind, to crush, to impale.

Naruto’s smirk didn’t falter. His Six Eyes tracked the chaotic surge of wood and earth chakra. “Playing with splinters now, are we?” He raised a hand, index finger extended, a crimson orb, dense and pulsating with repulsive force, blossoming at its tip. Cursed Technique Reversal: Red. With a flick, the orb shot forward, not at Obito, but directly into the heart of the oncoming wooden tsunami.