"Naruto... Naruto?!"
"How... how could it be you!?"
Hiruzen's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. The expressions on everyone else's faces weren't much better. None of them could have imagined that the mastermind behind such a terrifying act was a child.
Only Kakashi and Might Guy reacted quickly after the initial shock. As the one was responsible for protecting and monitoring Naruto, Kakashi had actually noticed many of Naruto's strange behaviors. However, he rarely reported them to Hiruzen.
As for Guy, the elbow strike earlier had already made him suspicious of Naruto's identity. Although they had only trained together for a month, Naruto had left a deep impression on Guy. Among the younger generation, no one but Naruto had ever acknowledged the value of his Taijutsu.
"Why couldn't it be me?"
Naruto suddenly grinned, revealing sharp fangs.
"I am the demon fox!"
Boom!
A violent and terrifying surge of chakra erupted from Naruto's body. Four tails whipped wildly behind him, and a massive fox silhouette appeared at his back.
To all the ninja present, it was as if they were seeing the Nine-Tails' colossal figure blotting out the sky once again, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"The demon fox... damn it, stop him!" Someone shouted loudly.
They saw Naruto using his Chakra to pull the signal flares from the ground.
"Stop, Naruto!" Hiruzen roared, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.
However, it was already too late.
Naruto's eyes were cold as he flicked his fingers, releasing all four signal flares at once.
Brilliant lights, like fireworks, lit up the Uchiha Clan's compound, and even more dazzling light illuminated the entire Konoha.
Naruto knew very well that these four Great Spiralling Ring weren't enough to destroy Konoha. Unlike Uzumaki Menma, who possessed the full Nine-Tails and the Red Moon Scroll, Naruto couldn't yet create a Spiralling Ring powerful enough to obliterate the entire village.
But that was fine. At least there were a few friends in the village he still cared about. Their locations were far from the Sarutobi and Utatane Clans, so they wouldn't be in much danger.
However, with Konoha suddenly weakened, the other four great villages would surely set their sights on it again. This time, the main battlefield would likely be within the Land of Fire. And when that time came, true suffering would descend upon Konoha.
"Uzumaki Naruto!"
Hiruzen let out a heart-wrenching roar, his eyes filled with regret and rage, as if he wanted to tear Naruto apart.
"I should have locked you up from the start! Your inherently evil nature can never be redeemed! You're nothing but a tool, devoid of any thought!"
"For the sake of Konoha, I will stop you here!"
"Five Release Great Combo Technique!"
Shinnosuke had already been thrown to the back by Hiruzen. Five Hiruzens now stood before Naruto.
One prepared the Fire Release: Flame Bullet, another gathered the dazzling Lightning Release: Thunderbolt, the third amassed the terrifying Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere, the last two formed hand seals, and the Water and Earth Dragon Bullets began to take shape.
Even the same jutsu could have vastly different effects depending on who used it. Hiruzen's Five Elements Jutsu now carried a fraction of the oppression that had once earned him the title of 'The Professor'.
"You're slightly better than your disappointing son."
Naruto raised his hand, with his palm facing Hiruzen. Black and blue Chakra gathered, and the four tails wrapped around a small black orb.
Two beams of Chakra collided in mid-air, erupting into a blinding light.
When the light faded, Hiruzen dodged Naruto's attack in a panic, but Naruto stood there motionless.
The difference in Chakra Reserves was clear. No matter how skilled Hiruzen's Five Elements Jutsu was, Naruto could easily block it by simply compressing his Chakra.
Brute force for the wins.
"Gate of View: Open!"
"Naruto, I can't let you harm the village any further."
A furious voice rang out, followed by a green figure enveloped in a green Chakra steam appearing in front of Naruto. A side kick aimed straight for Naruto's head.
Naruto tried to dodge, but found that his body was restrained for a moment. At this time, a long, narrow shadow connected him to Shikaku.
Though it was only for a moment, it was enough to prevent Naruto from dodging with the conventional means.
Naruto could already feel the gust of wind from Guy's kick on his cheek. Then, his figure vanished from the spot.
"What?"
Guy was shocked. His kick had once again landed on empty air, demolishing a house several meters away.
"It's the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
As a former comrade of Minato, Shikaku immediately recognized the technique Naruto used just now.
Naruto reappeared near the Uchiha side, looking at the eager Uchiha clansmen.
"All of you, head to the Naka Shrine."
Uchiha Tekka, who had been ready to fight, froze and asked subconsciously: "Why?"
Naruto just gave him a cold glance.
"You will only get in the way."
Chirp chirp chirp!
At that moment, a sharp piercing sound rang out.
Kakashi, with his Raikiri in hand, charged at Naruto, aiming straight for his chest.
Naruto simply grabbed Kakashi's Raikiri with a hand covered in Nine-Tails' chakra.
With a backhand punch to Kakashi's stomach, Naruto sent him flying. Kakashi crashed through several houses before falling silent.
Naruto gave him a deep look but didn't bother with him further.
Just as Naruto was about to take the initiative, he felt his body being restrained again, but more forcefully this time. Several members of the Nara Clan were jointly using the Shadow Imitation Technique.
"Seize the opportunity!" Shikaku shouted.
Several Aburame Clan's members, dressed in trench coats, raised their hands.
Buzz buzz buzz!!
A swarm of black insects surged out from their sleeves like a dark storm, rushing toward Naruto.
The black storm swept past, and countless insects clung to Naruto's Tailed Beast Cloak. However, in an instant, the insects became uncontrollably violent, attacking each other.
In just a moment, the ground was littered with the corpses of black insects.
"How is it possible?"
The Aburame Clan's members were shocked. Feeling the emotions transmitted by their insects, their eyes turned bloodshot, and they collapsed to the ground, twitching.
Rage, cruelty, hatred.
"You have no idea what the Nine-Tails' Chakra is."
A blue Chakra Sphere formed in Naruto's hand. He vanished and reappeared above the Aburame Clan's members, slamming the sphere down like a basketball dunk.
"Damn it!"
"Morning Peacock!"
Seeing his teammates taken out, Guy began throwing punches from a distance. Waves of air and flames shot toward Naruto, forcing him to continuously dodge using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Watching Naruto constantly evade, Uchiha Tekka hesitated, glancing at Uchiha Shisui, who was preparing to leave, and asked: "We really don't need to help?"
Shisui shook his head and said: "No need. Naruto can handle it. Our priority is ensuring the safety of our clansmen."
Shisui knew Naruto hadn't even used his real trump cards yet. Seeing the panicked expressions on the faces of the twenty or so Uchiha civilians, Shisui quickly stepped forward to reassure them, planning to lead them to safety first.
This scene was naturally noticed by the Anbu, who immediately reported to Hiruzen, who was currently recovering.
"Hokage-sama, what about the Uchiha?"
Hiruzen frowned and said, "Ignore them for now. Our top priority is dealing with Uzumaki Naruto. With the Flying Thunder God Technique and the power of a Tailed Beast, he is the greatest threat to the village!"