Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 76: The Return of the Dead!

"Tch!"

"Always talking about searching for the Child of Prophecy and maintaining peace in the ninja world. But in the end, you turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed right under your nose!"

"You stood by as the Uzumaki clan was destroyed!"

"You schemed to weaken the Senju clan!"

"You drove Konoha's White Fang to commit suicide over a laughable reason!"

"And now you claim the Uchiha were planning a coup, so you wiped them out!"

"Look at your student, Minato Namikaze. He sacrificed himself to save Konoha, sealing the Nine-Tails. But his son Naruto, the child of a hero and a Hokage, has been subjected to scorn and hatred from the villagers every day!"

"Tell me, which of these tragedies has nothing to do with Sarutobi Hiruzen?"

"I truly don't understand, Jiraiya. What right do you have to speak about peace in the ninja world? What qualification do you have to mentor the Child of Prophecy? Do you want to turn him into a coward like yourself?"

"Minato must have been blind to take someone like you as a teacher!"

Since Hiruzen's group had arrived, Uchiha Yi hadn't acted immediately. After all, the range of his Divine Blaze Repulsion was considerable, and the Hyūga clan hadn't yet evacuated. He had no intention of accidentally obliterating them along with the Sarutobi clan.

Thus, he indulged in a little speech.

"..."

Jiraiya had no words to counter this. Deep down, he knew all of it was true.

He had always been caught between two conflicting sides: his loyalty to his teacher, who had elevated him from a nobody to one of the most renowned shinobi, and his commitment to justice and righteousness.

In the end, he chose to avoid confronting the truth.

Now, with his hypocrisy exposed, he felt utterly lost.

"Enough of this nonsense."

"All things return to dust, to ashes."

"Only through pain can people truly understand pain!"

Seeing Jiraiya's silence, Uchiha Yi scoffed.

The time had come. Everything was about to end.

As he raised his right hand, his lips moved slightly, and his voice was barely audible.

Though his actions were subtle, everyone was on high alert, their eyes glued to him.

"Attack!"

Hiruzen bellowed.

No matter what, this was the enemy. It was better to strike first than wait for whatever devastating move he was planning.

At Hiruzen's command, the thousands of Sarutobi shinobi wasted no time, launching kunai and shuriken in a coordinated attack.

Unlike the Sarutobi forces, Uchiha Yi had no such concerns.

"Fire Style: Divine Blaze Repulsion!"

As the kunai and shuriken flew toward him, a red orb formed around Yi, enveloping him entirely.

In the blink of an eye, the orb expanded at an exponential rate, like an unstoppable force of nature. Anything it touched was either pulverized or flattened.

In less than a second, the red barrier reached Hiruzen and his forces.

The speed was so overwhelming that even shinobi of Hiruzen and Jiraiya's caliber couldn't react in time, let alone form any defensive seals.

With no other choice, they channeled chakra to their bodies, attempting to withstand the impact.

But when the barrier collided with them, they realized just how naive their efforts had been. The force was beyond anything a human could endure.

---

Meanwhile, at the Hyūga compound, Hiashi had returned in a hurry. Without explaining much, he issued a direct order for the clan to evacuate Konoha immediately.

Though some members resisted and questioned his decision, Hiashi abandoned his usual gentle demeanor. He resorted to force, compelling compliance.

Within two minutes, he had rallied the entire clan, and they began their retreat from Konoha.

As they exited the village, Hiashi heard a deafening roar from the direction of the Sarutobi compound.

Turning back, he saw a massive red sphere expanding rapidly.

Within seconds, the once-bustling Konoha was reduced to a flat, barren wasteland.

Hiashi and the Hyūga were left in stunned silence, their hearts pounding.

---

In mere seconds, the vibrant village of Konoha had been transformed into ruins.

Corpses littered the ground, and the souls of the dead were absorbed into Yi's system as raw numerical gains.

Yet Yi wasn't in the mood to celebrate.

Despite his thorough sweep, he couldn't find the bodies of Hiruzen or Jiraiya.

This meant they were still alive.

How could that be?

They couldn't have known about Divine Blaze Repulsion, let alone prepared countermeasures.

By all logic, they should have been incapacitated or worse.

Yet they were nowhere to be seen.

"Could the Sage of Six Paths have intervened?"

The thought sent a chill down Yi's spine.

If that were true, he stood no chance against such an enemy.

Perhaps he had acted too hastily in deploying this technique.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, the faint sound of something slicing through the air reached Yi's ears.

Before he could react, a white-haired figure appeared before him, a kunai in hand, aimed directly at his chest.

The weapon pierced through his body effortlessly.

Startled, Yi looked up to see his attacker clearly:

A man with silver hair, black eyes, and a metal headpiece covering his face. Draped in a cloak with white fur trim at the shoulders, the figure was unmistakable.

Tobirama Senju.

A long-dead man now stood before him.

This was no ordinary phenomenon.

Before Yi could fully process the implications, two more figures materialized beside Tobirama.

The dead had returned.

---