"Now! Attack! Leave no one alive!"
The order was a raw scream from the upper stands. Containment broke and terror was unleashed. Dozens of ninjas with Sound and Sand headbands emerged from the crowd. They leaped to the lower levels and the main arena, moving with a mix of grace and brutality. The midday sun drew deadly glints from the kunai and short swords as they were unsheathed.
The first civilian scream tore through the air, a sharp, horrific note that was instantly followed by a chorus of thousands. The people became a stampede, desperate to escape. They ran without direction, stumbling, falling, and shoving one another in a frantic attempt to get away from the steel.
But in the midst of that chaos, four figures remained in a tense calm.
Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Karin stood back to back. Their improvised defensive formation was a point of order in the middle of the chaos. They watched as the invaders attacked the civilians.
There was no hesitation. Not a second of doubt.
"It's time." Naruto's voice cut through the air. His face, normally so expressive, hardened. "The plan is simple: protect the people."
"What about the invasion? The ones on the roof?" Sakura asked, her green eyes already scanning the exits.
"The old man and the Jōnin will handle that. Our job is down here," Naruto replied, his eyes fixed on the carnage. "Sakura, Hinata, create a perimeter! I need you to keep the enemy away from the evacuation routes! Guide the civilians! Don't let anyone get left behind!"
Sakura nodded, a spark of fierce determination in her eyes. "Got it. There's a blockage at the main west exit."
She said no more. She ran toward the exit corridor, which was blocked by a huge chunk of a collapsed wall. A dozen civilians were trapped, pounding on the rock with their bare hands, their faces twisted in panic.
Sakura focused chakra into her fist and, with a war cry that channeled all her frustration and power, she struck the obstacle.
The crash was dry and deafening. The rock, weighing several tons, disintegrated, sending gravel and dust everywhere. The civilians froze, staring at her in awe. A woman holding a child fell backward, shielding her son with her body.
Sakura dusted off her knuckles. "This way! This exit is safe!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the newly cleared hallway. Her tone left no room for argument. "Now move! Don't just stand there! Go, go, go!"
Her command broke the spell. The people scrambled to their feet and began running through the gap she had created, some murmuring a nearly inaudible "thank you" as they passed her.
Meanwhile, Hinata had already activated her Byakugan. The world around her transformed into a web of chakra flows. The civilians' panic appeared as a chaotic mass of pale blue chakra, while the invaders' glowed with a malicious red. She could see circulatory systems, hearts beating at a frantic pace.
"Three enemies approaching from the left flank," she announced in a calm, precise voice that contrasted with the surrounding din. "They're targeting a group of children who got separated from their parents."
Naruto nodded, meeting her eyes. "Go. We'll handle this."
Hinata needed no other encouragement. She wove through the panicked crowd without touching anyone, a silent and lethal figure with indigo blue hair.
Naruto remained with Karin. The red haired girl was visibly terrified, her hands trembling and her breathing shallow, but she held her ground behind him. Naruto surveyed the battlefield. A group of at least fifteen Sound ninjas, the largest to descend into their section, was heading straight for them. They were the operation's shock force.
"Karin, stay behind me, okay?" Naruto said, his voice low and reassuring, never taking his eyes off the approaching threat.
"What… what are you going to do? There are too many," she stammered, gripping her arm tightly. "Shouldn't we fall back? We could lead them into a trap."
Naruto smirked, a tense grin full of a confidence that seemed insane under the circumstances. "No time for traps. Every second I distract them here is another second Sakura and Hinata gain to get people out." He turned to look at her for an instant. "Besides, I'm going to do what I do best."
He flexed his fingers, the sound of his knuckles cracking almost lost in the chaos.
"And what's that?" Karin asked in a whisper.
"Causing trouble!" he exclaimed.
He braced himself to charge and draw all enemy fire to himself. Just as he was about to leap, a shadow passed over his head. A figure landed beside him with silent elegance.
It was Shizune. Her normally kind face was a mask of lethal concentration. She held a handful of dark steel senbon between her fingers, each needle gleaming with a faint violet luster. She had Tonton, the piglet, tucked safely inside her vest.
"Looks like you need a dance partner, Naruto," she said, her eyes locked on the approaching group of enemies. Her voice was calm.
The tension in Naruto's shoulders vanished, replaced by a contagious euphoria. A genuine smile spread across his face, erasing his earlier seriousness. "Shizune-neechan! Awesome! Just in time for the party!"
"Lady Tsunade is... busy on the roof," she explained, adjusting her grip on her needles. "She asked me to make sure you didn't break everything all by yourself."
"Busy? She looked like she was having a great time!" Naruto retorted. "I thought I'd have to have all the fun down here."
"Well, try to leave some for the rest of us, will you?" she joked, a small smile curving her lips. The familiarity between them was a comfortable rhythm that not even a full scale invasion could disrupt.
The leader of the Sound squad, a burly man with sound markings on his arms, stopped a few feet away and laughed mockingly. "Fun? Look at this, boys. Konoha sends a dumb kid and a babysitter to stop us." His gaze swept over Shizune with disdain. "What are you going to do, heal us to death?"
Shizune didn't flinch. Her smile vanished, replaced by a cold professionalism. "Something like that. Although the word you're looking for isn't 'heal,' it's 'paralyze.'"
The Sound leader grunted. "Finish them! Don't waste my time!"
The fifteen ninjas charged as one.
"Ready, Shizune-neechan?" Naruto asked, dropping into a fighting stance.
"Always," she replied. "But listen, Naruto." Her tone turned serious as she effortlessly tilted her head to dodge a kunai that whistled past her ear. "Remember your training with Lady Tsunade. Don't rush in without thinking. Power alone is useless if you waste it."
Naruto gave her a sly look. "Right! Got it! Don't worry, I'll use my head." He formed a hand seal with incredible speed. "I'll use my head to rush headfirst at them... but from four directions at once!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three identical shadow clones appeared around him. Without another word, all four Narutos launched their attack.
The battle that followed was a contrast of styles. Naruto and his clones attacked with total chaos. They crashed into the Sound formation, breaking its cohesion with a barrage of unpredictable punches, kicks, and tackles. The original Naruto was the center of the assault, drawing the strongest enemies to him. His stamina was monstrous.
A Sound ninja landed a punch to his face that sent him tumbling across the ground. He got up instantly, spitting out a bit of blood and grinning. "Is that all you've got? My grandma hits harder, and she's dead, believe it!" he yelled, dodging a sonic blast that cracked the ground where he had been standing.
While Naruto absorbed and returned blows, Shizune attacked with precision. She moved with fluid grace through the openings Naruto's onslaught created. As one Sound ninja was busy blocking a clone, Shizune's arm blurred in a nearly invisible arc. She fired three senbon, each aimed at a different pressure point: the neck, the shoulder, and the knee.
The ninja didn't even have time to scream. His eyes widened, his legs buckled, and his arms fell limp as he collapsed to the ground, completely paralyzed by the poison.
"Five," Shizune murmured to herself, leaping back to avoid another enemy's sword and launching two more needles in the process. The new enemy collapsed on top of the previous one. "Six."
"Hey, don't take them all for yourself!" a Naruto clone shouted as he headbutted an opponent.
"You handle the big ones, I'll clean up the trash," Shizune replied without missing a beat.
The Sound squad leader watched the scene with growing fury. The kid was an incredibly resilient nuisance, but the woman was dangerous. She was dismantling his men one by one without even breaking a sweat.
"Ignore the clones! They're just a distraction! Get the woman!" he roared, pointing at Shizune.
Four ninjas switched their targets and rushed her from different angles. Shizune frowned. There were too many to handle at once in such a confined space. She prepared for a tactical retreat.
But it wasn't necessary.
"Hey, idiot! You forgot about me!" a voice shouted from behind her.
"RASENGAN!"
Naruto's yell echoed with incredible force. The original Naruto, a swirling sphere of bright blue chakra in his hand, appeared out of nowhere, having used his clones as a decoy. He slammed into the group attacking Shizune.
The impact was devastating. The sphere of energy ground them up and threw them into the air. Their bodies spun uncontrollably before crashing violently against the rows of empty seats, leaving them broken and unconscious.
Naruto landed in front of Shizune, dispelling the jutsu. He stood between her and the remaining enemies. "Nobody touches my teammate," he growled.
Shizune looked at him, a mixture of surprise and genuine gratitude in her eyes. A small smile formed on her lips. "Thanks, Naruto. Good use of your head."
"Told you!" he grinned, before nodding with his chin toward the Sound leader, who was now alone with just a couple of his men. "I think only the main course is left."
"Looks like it," Shizune agreed. "I'll take the side dishes. The big guy is all yours."
"Sounds like a good plan to me!" Naruto exclaimed before charging back into the fray.
They covered each other's weaknesses perfectly. When Naruto was overwhelmed by numbers, Shizune would launch a volley of needles to force the enemies back. When Shizune found herself in a vulnerable position, Naruto would create a distraction or simply bulldoze the threat.
While Naruto and Shizune's battle kept the main group occupied, a Sand Chunin watched the scene from a distance. He ignored Naruto and Shizune. His gaze fell on the figure standing further back: Karin. He saw the way her chakra fluctuated, the way her eyes tracked the flows of energy. He saw how she tensed a second before a surprise attack was launched.
She was a sensor type ninja. He had to eliminate her. Now.
He made his decision in a split second. Ignoring Naruto's clones, he launched himself from the stands.
Naruto was locked in a fight with the Sound leader, but he caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He saw the Sand Chunin diving straight for a defenseless Karin.
Instinct took over.
"DON'T YOU DARE!!"
Naruto's roar was guttural. A blast of bubbling red chakra, an overwhelming power, erupted from him. The invisible shockwave sent the Sound leader and his two remaining henchmen flying.
Using that momentum, he moved. He covered the twenty meters separating him from Karin in an instant.
The Sand Chunin was about to reach Karin, his fist wrapped in sharp wind chakra, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Suddenly, an orange figure blocked his path.
Naruto planted himself between the Chunin and Karin, taking the full force of the punch on his crossed forearms.
The impact was brutal. The ground beneath Naruto's feet cracked, but he didn't move. He didn't budge an inch.
The Chunin stared at him in absolute disbelief. He had put nearly all his strength into that blow, and this kid had just stopped it. He could feel the kid's bones crack under the impact, but still, he didn't move.
Naruto endured the wave of pain, gritting his teeth hard. He turned slightly, without breaking the block, to look at Karin over his shoulder. A fierce, savage, and yet incredibly reassuring smile appeared on his face.
"It's okay! I'm here!" he said, his voice a low growl but filled with absolute conviction. "I won't let a single finger touch you, believe it!"
For Karin, those words hit her deeply. The warmth in his voice, the unconditional promise of protection… from a fellow Uzumaki… it was everything she had never had.
She stood frozen, her eyes wide. A blush so deep it burned her cheeks spread across her face. It was a wave of emotion so overwhelming it left her breathless. Gratitude, amazement, and a sense of belonging. For the first time in her life, she felt… safe.
And that emotion was the trigger.
The Sand Chunin, frustrated, shoved Naruto to break free. "Get out of the way, kid!" he snarled, starting to weave seals. "You'll die with her!"
In that instant, something activated inside Karin. Her fear evaporated, replaced by rage. She extended a hand toward the enemy.
And then, it happened.
A blinding, golden chakra erupted from her back. With a metallic and supernatural sound, a grinding of chains clashing together, a solid Adamantine Sealing Chain shot out, guided by her outstretched hand.
The chain whipped through the air with incredible speed. It slammed into the Sand ninja's chest with unbelievable force. The Chunin was thrown backward with tremendous power. He flew through the air, breaking through several rows of stone seats before crashing into the stadium's far wall and collapsing in the rubble, unconscious.
Silence fell over that section of the battlefield. Everyone, from a stunned Naruto and a speechless Shizune to the last few Sound ninjas, just stared, mouths agape, at the trail of destruction.
Karin slowly lowered her hand, looking at her own palm in absolute disbelief. The golden chain, still hovering in the air, flickered before vanishing into particles of light. "What… what was that?" she whispered to herself.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the sector, heroism was taking different forms.
One of the explosions on the roof had destabilized the stands. A huge slab of concrete and steel beams broke loose and began to fall directly onto a family trying to flee.
Their terrified screams were lost in the roar. There was no escape.
But Sakura saw it. She moved with a speed that belied her delicate frame. She slid under the massive falling slab and placed herself between it and the family.
She planted her feet on the ground, channeled every ounce of chakra into her arms, and with a scream of effort that tore her throat, she raised her hands.
The slab, weighing several tons, crashed onto her palms. Her knees buckled from the impact and the ground beneath her feet cracked, but she held. She supported the slab above her head, her muscles screaming in protest.
Two Sound ninjas, seeing her trapped, smiled maliciously. "Look, the strong girl is busy! Let's finish the job!" one said. They lunged at her, kunai in hand.
It was their last mistake.
While she held the heavy slab with her left arm, her right arm moved like lightning. Without even looking, she threw two consecutive punches into the air. The sheer air pressure displaced by her chakra loaded knuckles was enough. The two Sound ninjas were hit by invisible shockwaves and sent flying sideways, crashing unconscious against the walls.
With a final roar, Sakura shoved the slab to the side, sending it into an empty area. She turned to the family she had saved.
"Go!" she ordered, her voice ragged but firm. The father could only nod, grab his wife and daughter, and run. "Don't look back!"
Meanwhile, Hinata's Byakugan saw everything. She saw a Sound ninja who had cornered a group of three academy children against a wall, looming over them with a cruel smile.
Hinata reacted.
The Sound ninja turned to find himself facing two pale, emotionless eyes. Before he could react, she was already inside his guard. There was no exchange of blows. Only a silent, lethal display of her technique.
Her fingers moved with inhuman precision in a series of swift strikes: the Gentle Fist. A touch to the shoulder, another to the elbow, two to the knee, and a final one at the base of the neck. Each strike sealed a key tenketsu.
The man opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. His arms fell, his legs refused to obey. He collapsed to the ground, completely inert.
Hinata knelt beside the terrified children. She gave them a small, reassuring smile. "It's all right now," she whispered. "That exit over there is clear. Go carefully and stay together."
The children nodded, stunned, and ran in the direction she pointed. Hinata watched them for a second before melting back into the chaos, searching for her next target.
Slowly, the first wave of the assault in their sector began to die down. The team regrouped. Around them lay the bodies of Sound and Sand ninjas. The last of the civilians were being evacuated.
They were panting, covered in sweat and dirt, but in one piece. Sakura rubbed her shoulder, Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, and Naruto watched as Shizune tended to an injured civilian.
"There you go, you'll be fine," Shizune told the man with a tired smile. "Now get to safety."
Once the man left, all their eyes fell on Karin.
The girl was still standing in the same spot, staring at her hand with a mixture of awe and fear. Naruto walked over to her, his left arm hanging limp at his side, clearly broken. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, his voice softer.
Karin looked up. "I… I don't know. It just… came out. I don't know how I did it."
Shizune approached, assessing Karin. "Let me see your hand," she requested. Hesitantly, Karin showed it to her. The eyes of Shizune, one of the world's best medical ninja, recognized a power she thought was lost to time.
"Incredible…" Shizune whispered, her admiration almost reverent. She felt the residue of golden chakra still emanating from Karin's skin. "I never thought I'd see it in my lifetime…"
Sakura and Hinata joined the group. "What is it?" Sakura asked. "I've never felt chakra like that. It was unbelievably potent."
Shizune looked up. "Those are the legendary Adamantine Sealing Chains of the Uzumaki clan."
There was a moment of silence.
Naruto's gaze locked onto Karin, a new understanding dawning in his eyes. Uzumaki. The word thundered in his mind.
"Alright, no time to waste," Shizune said, shifting back into practical mode. She turned to Naruto. "That arm is a mess. Come here."
Naruto winced. "I'm fine, it's nothing."
"Don't be an idiot," Shizune replied, grabbing his arm. Her hands glowed with green chakra and she began to work. "Lady Tsunade would kill me if I let you get crippled. Besides, we still need you."