From an altitude of 3,800 meters, Sasuke had been sniped across dimensions.
There was no longer anyone whose abilities could counter Isshiki's mechanisms.
Boom!
Isshiki descended vertically, delivering a simple, unadorned kick to the dome of the Yin-Yang Barrier.
Crack!!
The dome shattered, dragging the four walls with it, exploding into countless fragments of light.
A barrier whose defensive power surpassed the Four Crimson Ray Formation—the most advanced barrier technique in the ninja world—could not withstand a casual kick from Isshiki in his current state.
Boom!
As Isshiki landed, the ground collapsed beneath him. Hundreds of pillar-style wooden houses tilted with the shifting earth, yet astonishingly did not collapse. Their structure was truly stable.
Isshiki stood up and casually swept his gaze.
—Sukunahikona.
Pop, pop, pop.
All the tall wooden houses were instantly compressed to the size of peanuts, floating in midair.
Those who hadn't managed to leave in time—men or women, adults or children, jonin or genin—were crushed indiscriminately into pulp.
Thick red fluid seeped from the peanut-sized husks, dripping to the ground and forming streams of blood that flowed down the sloped earth to Isshiki's feet.
There wasn't even a need for cremation anymore.
In that instant, 5,000 people were reduced beyond recognition. Their DNA was mixed together beyond extraction—even Edo Tensei was no longer possible.
Out of Konoha's remaining 8,000 survivors, 5,000 had died. Only 3,000 remained—those who had already stepped outside after the earlier explosion.
But in truth… they would soon envy those who had died silently.
At least they wouldn't be trapped in a lifetime of hellish nightmares.
"Who are you!? Why are you doing this!?" a Konoha chunin shouted in fury.
Isshiki was not one to forget his manners. Even with overwhelming power, he maintained his composure.
He answered calmly, "Before setting up that barrier, your Hokage should have told you… that I, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, would return."
The crowd erupted.
"Isshiki! It's Isshiki!"
"But the Hokage said you were finished! On the verge of death!"
Isshiki smiled faintly. "Oh? Is that what he told you?"
"Better to die fighting than wait for death!"
"That's right! My family, my friends, my children—they're all gone! There's nothing left!"
"Ahhh! I'm coming too!"
Out of the 3,000 survivors, 1,000 charged forward in suffocating despair.
"Suicide, is it? I'll grant your wish."
Isshiki's black eye gleamed.
—Daikokuten.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Wooden stakes exploded through their bodies, reducing them to blood and flesh smeared across wooden spheres.
The spheres dropped to the ground, becoming grotesque decorations on what remained of Konoha.
The remaining 2,000 stood frozen.
Their faces were ashen, their eyes lifeless, following Isshiki's movement as he turned toward the only intact structure left—
Naruto Uzumaki and Kawaki's home.
The Sage of Six Paths was shaken. Isshiki… it's Isshiki! How did he become this powerful so suddenly!? This chakra… it rivals even my mother at her peak! And he destroyed my Yin-Yang Barrier instantly… even killed Sasuke!?
Naruto knelt on the ground.
Sasuke… I can't feel Sasuke's chakra…
That's never happened before. Never… no… this isn't real…
Hinata stood frozen. Kawaki trembled behind Naruto.
Feeling Isshiki's overwhelming chakra approaching, the Sage shouted within Naruto's mind, "Naruto! Run! You'll die if you stay!"
Naruto didn't respond.
Crash!
The floor split, the walls tore apart—Isshiki stepped inside.
—Tenseigan: Gravitational Pull.
Whoosh!
Kawaki was suddenly yanked away from Naruto and seized in Isshiki's grasp.
Isshiki looked at him. "What kind of expression is that, Kawaki? Are you going to cry… or laugh?"
Kawaki's thoughts trembled.
Knowing I'll be marked with Karma again… why… why am I… excited?
Damn it… at a time like this…
"I'll go with you! Just let my father go!"
"Father?" Isshiki raised an eyebrow.
"The Seventh Hokage… is my father!"
Isshiki chuckled. "How amusing."
"What are you going to do to my son!? Let him go!" Naruto forced himself out of his suffocating despair. His Soul-Endowed Truth-Seeking Orbs shot forward!
Isshiki glanced at them.
"Daikokuten."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His own Truth-Seeking Orbs expanded inside Naruto's, bursting them apart into fragments too broken for even souls to inhabit.
"RAAAAH!!" Naruto erupted into Kurama's golden avatar and charged forward.
The Sage shouted, "Stop! That won't work on him!"
Crack!
Without even looking, Isshiki summoned a grotesque black tree from the ground, impaling Naruto and Kurama together into the air.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
Naruto's face twisted in agony as Kurama's form flickered and began to fade.
The Sage trembled. How…!? Even the Tailed Beasts' power is suppressed by this tree… even my power can't flow through!!
Isshiki said calmly, "This is Binding Bone Wood. I crushed my broken horn and the sealing vessel into Ten-Tails Wood Release to create it. Anyone pierced by it is finished. Though you were already finished to begin with."
"You monster! Let my father go! Or even if you give me Karma again, I'll kill myself!" Kawaki roared.
Crack!
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!"
Kawaki's arm twisted grotesquely, forcing him to his knees in agony.
Isshiki said coldly, "Kawaki, someone as selfish and insecure as you would never truly take your own life for someone else. You'd curse and scream… while greedily using the power I gave you."
"Well, use it however you like. In the end, you'll repay it all—with interest."
Hiss!
Scorching steam rose as Karma was branded onto Kawaki's palm once more.
Overwhelmed, Kawaki collapsed unconscious.
With Isshiki's current power, no one could stop him from marking Kawaki again.
Now… nothing remained unfinished.
Soon, I will reincarnate through Kawaki… becoming a different kind of Ten-Tails existence.
Forever unable to consume a chakra fruit… forever cut off from my clan's ultimate power.
And all of this… is because of you, Six Paths… Uzumaki Naruto.
Killing you wouldn't be enough to satisfy me.
Crack!
A tree grew beside him, extending toward Hinata and dragging her before him.
Pinned on the Binding Bone Wood, Naruto gasped, "W-what are you doing!?"
Isshiki summoned a wine glass from Daikokuten, swirling it elegantly.
Naruto's eyes turned red. "Let her go! Please… I'm begging you! Do whatever you want to me—kill me, torture me—but don't hurt Hinata!"
Isshiki took a slow sip.
"Now you beg? Do you even understand what you've cost me, Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Compared to what I've lost, even if you died ten thousand times, it wouldn't be enough."
"So I'll let you live… and suffer a pain ten thousand times worse than death."
With that, Isshiki raised his glass—
And poured the wine over Hinata's head, right in front of Naruto.
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