บท 65: Death

Thousands of Iwagakure ninjas... annihilated.

No, to be more precise, adding those who perished in the tunnels, more than 2,000 Iwagakure shinobi had been wiped from existence in a matter of minutes.

An atmosphere of desolation hung over the battlefield.

"Is... is this the true strength of Luo Lei-sama?" The question spread through the ranks of Konoha.

"Too much... it's too terrifying!" exclaimed another.

"Luo Lei-sama... he alone has crushed the Iwagakure army..."

The thousands of Konoha ninjas watched the scene with amazement and horror. They knew Luo Lei was powerful, but this... this surpassed all understanding. Thousands of enemy ninjas, reduced to nothing more than ground meat and pulverized bones, defenseless against the unleashed fury of a single man.

Shikaku couldn't help but grimace with concern. "Konoha will face turbulent times," he muttered to himself. With Luo Lei's unpredictable character and power, his return to Konoha would undoubtedly bring new challenges and conflicts. Everyone would suffer the consequences of his presence.

At that moment, he made a silent decision. From now on, although on the surface the Nara clan would continue to support the Third Hokage, their true loyalty would be with Luo Lei. It was the only way to survive in this new order.

Fukasaku and Shima watched the scene in disbelief. "There's no defense against his speed, nor against his strength, not even against his invulnerability," Fukasaku muttered. "What kind of Kekkei Genkai has this monster awakened?"

Seeing Luo Lei resist a Bijūdama with his bare body, shatter combined jutsu and A-rank techniques as if they were children's games was too much.

"Is he even still a ninja?" Shima wondered.

Minato felt his confidence crumbling. "The gap is... too great," he admitted, the bitter taste of defeat filling his mouth. His Hiraishin, a technique that allowed him to decapitate dozens of enemy jōnin in the midst of an army, paled in comparison to Luo Lei's efficient brutality.

Where Luo Lei pierced through defenses and bodies alike with his pure speed, Minato was forced to dodge and retreat from any enemy jutsu. His resistance, his physical strength, everything seemed insignificant in the face of Luo Lei's overwhelming power.

The realization dawned on him: he and Luo Lei weren't even in the same league. The clown, he realized bitterly, had been himself all along.

Observing from a distance, Jiraiya wiped the sweat from his forehead. 'Good thing I held back.' Feeling that the pain in his swollen cheek no longer seemed so important. Compared to Iwagakure's fate, a slap in the face was a small price to pay.

____

On the other side of the battlefield, the reality of their situation hit the survivors of Iwagakure.

Rōshi, Akatsuchi, Shibito, and the few remaining Jōnin - barely forty - exchanged glances.

How could a single man be so ruthless, so monstrously powerful?

More than a thousand elite Iwagakure shinobi, reduced to nothing in a matter of minutes. Adding the losses in the tunnels and the death of the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han, this battle had become an unprecedented catastrophe for their village.

"Excellent!" Luo Lei's voice cut through the silence. "Let's continue..."

He stopped in the center of the battlefield, his feet treading on the blood-soaked earth with calm. His eyes, glowing with that unsettling crimson hue, fixed on Shibito and the other survivors.

The bloodlust in his gaze was so palpable that even the most experienced Jōnin felt a chill run down their spines.

For him, this was more than a battle; it was an intoxicating experience. Although it didn't match the euphoria of absorbing moonlight, the sensation of absolute power filled him with an almost tangible satisfaction.

"ROOOAAR!"

Rōshi's roar shook the earth. "Luo Lei, you damned monster! You'll pay for this!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Luo Lei stopped, he channeled all his chakra. His hands struck the ground with titanic force, and a surge of burning energy burst from his body.

Boom!

The earth around Luo Lei began to bubble and melt, transforming into incandescent magma. In a matter of seconds, a colossal volcano rose from the ground.

"Great Eruption of the Burning River!" Rōshi roared.

To his surprise and horror, Luo Lei made no attempt to dodge. A cruel smile played on the red orangutan's lips.

Had this monster finally underestimated the power of a Bijū?

Sizzle! Hiss!

An avalanche of magma poured over Luo Lei, engulfing him completely. The center of the battlefield transformed into a sea of liquid fire, consuming everything in its path.

"Is it fun?"

Luo Lei's cold voice sounded above all, freezing the blood of everyone present.

To Rōshi's amazement and horror, Luo Lei emerged from the magma step by step. The molten metal slid off his body without causing the slightest damage, the scorching heat apparently as harmless as a spring breeze.

"You...?" His voice, still in his red orangutan form, broke with disbelief. Instinctively, he began to form a Bijūdama in his mouth, the chakra concentrating into a sphere of pure destruction.

But Luo Lei was faster.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Rōshi, his hand connecting with the Bijū's face in a devastating slap.

Crack!

The sound of the impact resonated throughout the battlefield. Rōshi, the powerful Four-Tails Jinchūriki, was sent flying like a rag doll. His colossal body tore through the air, crashing against a rock wall and creating a massive crater.

'He's... too fast,' he thought, struggling to get up. His body, despite being powered by chakra, trembled from the impact.

But Luo Lei wasn't finished. Before Rōshi could recover, he was upon him again. "Four-Tails, are you courting death?"

Boom!

Luo Lei's fist connected with Rōshi's body, the force of the impact comparable to hundreds of tons of TNT.

The ground beneath them cracked and collapsed, forming an even larger crater.

"Rōshi, surrender and admit defeat, or you will die," he warned in his emotionless voice.

Inside Rōshi's mental space, a fierce battle was being waged between him and the Four-Tails.

The Bijū urged Rōshi to surrender. "We can't beat him! This guy is a monster!"

But Rōshi, consumed by anger and the desire for revenge, refused to yield. "No! I must avenge Iwagakure! Even if it costs me my life!"

The chakra in Rōshi's body fluctuated violently, reflecting the internal struggle between Jinchūriki and Bijū.

"Stop fighting. You're all going to die."

Luo Lei's voice sounded.

Boom!

Without warning, he unleashed a devastating blow to Rōshi's head. The impact was so brutal that the ground beneath their feet cracked. But Luo Lei didn't stop there. With speed, he followed up with two consecutive kicks, each more powerful than the last.

Crack! Boom!

The force of the attack not only sank Rōshi dozens of meters into the earth but also triggered an earthquake throughout the field.

The ground trembled incessantly, snaking cracks extended in all directions, and vast areas began to collapse upon themselves.

"AAAAARGH!" Rōshi's cry of agony resonated. Despite being in his complete Bijū form, he felt as if his skull was about to burst under Luo Lei's relentless blows.

Luo Lei's eyes glowed with that unsettling crimson hue. "Go to hell," he murmured, his voice devoid of emotion.

Inside Rōshi's sealing space, the Four-Tails was frantic. "This blow is unbearable!" it roared. "Rōshi, your stubbornness will kill us both!"

The Bijū had wanted to surrender for some time, terrified by Luo Lei's power. But Rōshi, in his obstinacy, refused to yield. Now, facing imminent destruction, the Four-Tails could only watch in horror as Luo Lei's burning eyes prepared for the final blow.

In his last moments of consciousness, he made a silent promise: if he survived this, he would never again bind himself to a Jinchūriki as stubborn as Rōshi.

"Why...?" Rōshi's voice was barely a whisper, ignoring the desperate cries of the Four-Tails within him.

Boom!

The deafening roar of Luo Lei's attack drowned out everything else. The thermal vision struck Rōshi with apocalyptic force. The entire battlefield shook, a shockwave of pure energy sweeping everything in its path.

The few survivors of Iwagakure - Shibito, Akatsuchi, and the scarce remaining jōnin - watched the scene with paralyzing horror. Their minds, unable to process the magnitude of the destruction, buzzed blankly.

Reality hit them: Iwagakure had been completely defeated. Their proud army, their best shinobi, even their powerful Jinchūriki... everything had been annihilated by a single man.

________

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