"Hunt me down? Ambush me?" Hiromi revealed a dangerous smile.
Orange flames erupted from his body. Then, a crown, gilded patterns, bracelets, anklets...
A noble aura, accompanied by intense heat, swept across the entire area.
Hiromi's eyes turned golden and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan shifted into the Rinnegan, hidden within, making the pressure even more intense.
He pressed one hand to the ground, his voice ringing out. "Purgatory."
The forest became deathly silent in an instant. It was as if the whole world had stopped.
The next second, the ground erupted in chaos, followed by endless wailing.
Boom!
The scorching golden flames burst through the earth. Fissures several meters wide cracked open with Hiromi at the center, spreading for several kilometers—a terrifying sight.
A Kumogakure scout hiding a kilometer away from Hiromi looked on in terror as the orange flames erupted from the ground, engulfing him and driving him to despair. The terrifying heat made his sweat pour down and his throat go dry.
Even though he was extremely careful, he was still touched by the golden flames, which clung to his skin. The tyranny of those golden flames, with a heat that seemed not to spare even his bone marrow, drove him to the brink of madness from the pain.
In the moment before his mind went blank and he was about to scream, he bit down on the poison hidden in his molars and committed suicide.
His twisted expression eased and he collapsed, letting the golden flames crawl over his eyes, flesh, and bones, burning everything he was.
This scene repeated five or six times.
The Kumogakure scouts within several kilometers of Hiromi all committed suicide, lying quietly on the ground as they were consumed by the golden flames.
...
Ten kilometers behind Hiromi.
Shisui looked at the sea of golden flames ahead and couldn't help but frown.
"Is it Purgatory? Not Annihilation?"
He pondered for a moment, believing that Kumogakure would not be stupid enough to use numbers to suppress Hiromi. After all, Iwagakure and Kumogakure were aware of the intelligence regarding Annihilation. Therefore, they could only have dispatched powerful enemies to confront Hiromi.
But if they were encountering powerful enemies, Purgatory was not as effective as Annihilation. The effect of Purgatory was a terrain advantage, while Annihilation annihilated everything.
Thinking of this, Shisui guessed that Hiromi had not yet encountered the enemy, which was why he acted this way.
'Is he trying to lure Kumogakure out? Or does he have some other purpose?'
He couldn't quite grasp Hiromi's intentions but he could determine one thing—Kumogakure's position was still over ten kilometers away, so the Uchiha clan could boldly push forward a few kilometers.
Thus, he sent the message to Fugaku and Itachi, and led the main force to push forward.
...
Ten kilometers in front of Hiromi.
Inside a cave.
A looked at the scorching sea of fire rising into the sky with a heavy expression. The terrifying heat and the rushing wave of sweltering air made his hair curl.
A few Kumogakure scouts escaped. One of them had lost a leg because his foot had been touched by the golden flames, and he had severed his leg to escape before it could spread to his entire body.
The others, while having all their limbs, were covered in cold sweat and stained with dust, weeds, and hair. Their mouths were muttering in a seemingly insane, barely audible way: "Monster... Monster... Monster..."
Their pupils were trembling uncontrollably, filled with terror.
Seeing this scene, A remained expressionless. He had long known of Hiromi's formidable strength but the people behind him did not know. Seeing it for the first time, their expressions all shifted slightly, and their smiles vanished.
Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee was no longer rapping, his expression heavy.
Two-Tails Jinchuriki Nii Yugito's pupils contracted sharply. She could not believe the golden flames before her were Fire Release.
Darui, the only successor to the Third Raikage's Black Lightning and a user of the Kekkei Genkai "Storm Release," stared silently at the sea of golden flames, expressionless, with seemingly murderous intent permeating the air.
Samui, Bee's student, who had a stunning figure and short blonde hair, was no longer calm. Only shock remained, her pupils constricted.
The Raikage's secretary, Mabui, who knew the Heavenly Transfer Technique, gripped her hands tightly and remained silent.
C, a versatile Jonin skilled in three rare abilities—Genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and sensory perception—had a complex expression.
The remaining person, dressed somewhat like a wandering monk, wearing a hat and an eyepatch, with light stubble, was a courtier to successive Raikage. In his youth, he had been deeply trusted by the Third Raikage. He was now in his forties and was named Dōdai.
He possessed the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, but his Lava Release had a larger earth-attribute component, transforming earth into a rubber-like substance. Calling it Lava Release was less accurate than calling it Rubber Release.
He was the Kumogakure commander for this invasion of Konoha.
In the silent and sweltering cave, his voice was low and hoarse, filled with murderous intent, as he said, "Hiromi must absolutely not be left alive."
A said nothing.
Darui nodded slightly.
Although the others agreed as well, they were somewhat puzzled.
"Why is he causing such a disturbance there?" C asked.
Their ambush point was not there, nor were there any important figures. Why would Hiromi expend so much Chakra to do this?
He could not understand the significance of this move.
Samui, Bee, and the others also looked at Dōdai.
Dōdai said gloomily, "He intends to burn the entire forest to force us out. If we don't come out, he will cut off our path forward with fire. If we go around, he will cut off our path of retreat. No matter what, we must come out and stop him now. Compared to his combat power, this mindset is even more dangerous."
A and Darui remained expressionless, as if they had already realized this.
C, Samui, and the others widened their eyes, their faces filled with dull shock.