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BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!
Another massive explosion erupted, and before the crowd could even begin to process their grief, they turned instinctively toward the source of the sound. What they saw was the partially rebuilt Hokage Monument collapsing once again!
That's right—Mujin's shadow clone hadn't dispelled itself after parting ways with Chiyo and the others. Instead, it had made its way to the Hokage Monument, taking advantage of the weakened defenses to destroy it once more.
The purpose of Mujin's mission this time wasn't just to rescue the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail—it was also to strike a devastating blow to Konoha's reputation, humiliating them publicly. This act sent a clear message: Konoha…
Had grown so weak that it couldn't even protect its own dignity!
And just as everyone stood there in stunned silence—
WHOOSH!!!
The green chakra emanating from Maito Guy's body abruptly turned blue!
This was the unmistakable effect of opening the seventh gate—the Gate of Shock!
His eyes burned with fury as he stared at Shikamaru's lifeless body, his teeth grinding audibly.
"What kind of evil scum would do something like this to a child?! Those two… THEY CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN!!!!!!!!"
BANG!!!
The ground shattered instantly, and the crowd hastily turned their heads—but by then, Guy's figure had already vanished beyond the horizon!
A moment later—
WHOOOOOOSH!!!
The violent gust of wind he left in his wake swept away the remaining debris and rubble!!!
"Guy!!!" Kakashi shouted desperately, but his voice was far too slow to catch up with the speeding ninja.
At the same time, one of the scouts Kakashi had dispatched to gather intelligence returned with news: the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail had been successfully abducted.
One devastating report after another came pouring in, leaving Kakashi feeling overwhelmed. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke. "For now… let's focus on rescuing the injured and reinforcing the defenses of key facilities. We can't afford any more incidents!"
Kakashi's brow furrowed deeply. After over a decade of relative peace, the world seemed to have suddenly accelerated into chaos. Events were unfolding so rapidly that it was almost impossible to keep up.
"Quickly, quickly, quickly!"
Mujin and Karin raced forward at breakneck speed, their forms leaving behind twin trails of crimson light as they streaked away from Konoha like shooting stars.
And then—
RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
Behind them, entire forests collapsed, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. A streak of blue shot across the horizon, chasing after them—
In the opposite direction.
It turned out that changing their route midway had been the right decision.
Karin glanced back, her expression uncertain. "That's Maito Guy, isn't it? He didn't seem this angry even during the Destruction of Konoha. What did you do, Brother Mujin?"
Indeed, even in the original timeline, Guy had never opened the Eight Gates. If he had activated the seventh gate back then, not only would the Sand and Sound Villages have been crushed, but even Orochimaru would've been pummeled into worm food—chopped into pieces for bait.
Though Mujin had anticipated that his actions might enrage Guy, he still responded dryly, "I merely eliminated an enemy ahead of schedule."
Karin thought for a moment before realizing. "Ah, you mean that kid Shikamaru, right? Watching someone you're supposed to protect die right before your eyes… no wonder he went berserk. But if he catches up to us, we're in serious trouble."
Mujin shook his head slightly. "Guy's path is too extreme. I have ways to counter him before he opens the Gate of Death. Otherwise, I wouldn't have risked bringing you to Konoha twice. It's a shame he didn't clash with Uchiha Itachi to mutual destruction—that would've allowed us to eliminate both troublesome individuals at once."
The Vortex had attacked Konoha twice now. When Guy encountered them next, there would be no holding back. The threat of the Gate of Death was immense, and until Mujin found a way to counter it, he preferred to avoid facing Guy directly.
As for Uchiha Itachi, Mujin's goal was simple: he wanted the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan belonging to Uchiha Shisui—the strongest genjutsu, Kotoamatsukami.
Turning to Karin, Mujin said, "Let's go. Until we find a way to counter the Gate of Death, it's best we don't appear within his line of sight. Moreover, with the appearance of Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, Akatsuki will soon come into view. To deal with them, we'll need to acquire some additional means…"
With that, the two blurred into streaks of light, racing along the ground and vanishing into the distance.
As a pure taijutsu user, Guy's reconnaissance capabilities were extremely limited. After failing to locate his targets, he had no choice but to return to Konoha before the effects of the Seven Gates wore off. For a long time afterward, he would be left in a state of extreme weakness.
By evening, Mujin and Karin reunited with Chiyo and her group at their prearranged meeting point. Gaara was tossing logs into the fire, his gaze shifting between Mujin and Karin before settling on the flickering flames with a complicated expression.
In less than half a month, the shinobi world had undergone earth-shattering changes. Personal pain and hatred seemed trivial compared to the looming specter of war engulfing the entire ninja world.
Moreover, Baki had informed Gaara that the Fourth Kazekage had fallen in battle. They had seen the body with their own eyes, courtesy of Mujin, and the village had decided to appoint Gaara as the Fifth Kazekage.
This revelation left Gaara's thoughts in turmoil.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was his father—the man responsible for all the tragedies of his childhood. Gaara had always believed he harbored deep hatred for Rasa, but upon hearing of his death, he realized… perhaps he didn't hate him as much as he thought.
Gaara's name meant "a self-loving demon," but in truth…
What he truly craved was love from others.
Seeing Mujin approach, Baki stepped forward, his expression grim. "Thanks to you, Sunagakure has betrayed Konoha once again. There's no chance of reconciliation now. Everything has unfolded exactly as you wished. Now, can you return the Fourth Kazekage's body to us?"
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Gaara's brows furrowed slightly, but he remained silent, still struggling to sort through his tangled emotions.
Mujin chuckled softly. "You make it sound as though everything is my fault. Sunagakure betraying its allies isn't exactly a new development, is it? Remember when the Third Kazekage went missing? You unilaterally tore up the ceasefire treaty, sparking the Great Ninja War. Don't put on such a terrifying face—do you really think Sunagakure still has any credibility left? Have you forgotten what happened to Yagura, your war hero with Scorch Release? She was sacrificed as a bargaining chip and sent to Kirigakure to die. Harsh as it may sound, betrayal seems to be encoded in your village's DNA."
Mujin's words silenced Chiyo and the others. Back then, Sunagakure had been too exhausted to continue fighting. To secure a ceasefire with Kirigakure, they had no choice but to sacrifice Yagura.
After all, everything they did was…
For the sake of the village.
A ninja's life was rife with betrayal—even the village they gave everything for couldn't be trusted!
Mujin continued, "As for the Fourth Kazekage's body, I'm not naive enough to believe you'll actually keep your promises. Soon, Kusagakure will join forces with you to launch an attack on Konoha. Once the war begins, I'll return the body to you. By then, even if you wanted to back out, it'll be too late."
Baki's face darkened. "Do you really think we'll trust your words? Who knows what schemes you're plotting!"
"Don't worry," Mujin replied with a cold smile. "Once you declare war on Konoha, you'll have no further use to me. Oh, and remember to immediately issue a declaration of war upon your return. Before the real battle begins, let's stir up the atmosphere a bit, shall we?"
Baki retorted sharply, "Declaring war without immediate action will only give Konoha time to prepare!"
Mujin's lips curled into a cruel grin. "Precisely. Because only then will the rivers of blood truly begin to flow."
Three days later, following Kusagakure's lead, Sunagakure officially declared war on Konoha!