Uchiha orphan, so what if I'm ruthless?

Outside Kumogakure, everyone quietly watched the figure in midair.

Some had their mouths wide open, breathing heavily.

Some had their eyes wide, their pupils reflecting the slowly ascending black dot.

No one spoke, no one moved; everyone just tilted their heads back, watching the youth float up from the rocks, rising higher and higher.

Their expressions varied—some were nervous, some terrified, some pale, and others gritted their teeth—but regardless of their expressions, they all knew they were facing a terrifying enemy.

Yugito Nii had returned to the village ahead of time, and the news she brought back had sent Kumogakure into an uproar.

Lord Raikage and Lord Bee had teamed up, only to be suppressed by a single youth. Out of dozens of elite ninjas, less than ten made it back alive. This news spread through the village like a plague, sending a chill down the spine of everyone who heard it.

Therefore, they had gathered outside the village early. Jonin, Chunin, ANBU, the Medical Squad, the Sealing Squad—everyone who could come, came.

The stone walls were packed, the village entrance was crowded, and there were even ninjas lying in ambush on the surrounding vantage points.

They knew that youth would come.

But in their understanding, Yugito Nii was the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and Raikage A was one of the strongest men in the ninja world.

With these three joining forces, plus dozens of elite ninjas, no one should have been able to withstand them.

Yet the result was death and injury, with even Lord Raikage forced to carry Killer Bee on his back and flee all the way back to the village.

They couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of opponent they were about to face.

Meanwhile, high in the air, Uchiha Taiga looked down upon everything below.

His feet dangled in the air, his body hovering steadily hundreds of meters in the sky. The wind whipped at the hem of his clothes, making them flutter loudly.

The fact that he could fly was no secret.

This technique was a weight-lightening method he had developed based on the Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Jutsu, combined with the nature transformation of Wind Style.

The principle was simple: use Earth Style to reduce his own weight, and use Wind Style to propel his body into the air and fly.

It wasn't particularly profound, nor was it a Kekkei Genkai; it was simply a pure method of flight.

With his current foundational abilities, developing such a jutsu wasn't difficult.

Taiga then spread his arms and lowered his head slightly, preparing to say something.

He wanted to deliver some fitting, iconic lines from Pain. He had already dropped the "Have you ever experienced pain?" line, so the next one should be, "From here on, let the world know pain."

But before the words could leave his mouth, a loud shout rang out from below.

"Everyone, attack!"

Within the crowd, an elder with graying hair, wearing the robes of a village elder, raised his arm high and swung it down fiercely.

The Kumogakure ninjas didn't hesitate. They were belligerent and brave, never backing down in the face of an enemy.

Even against an enemy like Uchiha Taiga, they still dared to take the initiative and attack.

In an instant, beams of light of various colors shot into the sky from below.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon!"

Thick bolts of lightning shot out from the crowd, taking the shape of roaring lightning dragons that lunged at Uchiha Taiga in midair with their massive jaws wide open.

The lightning dragons' bodies zigzagged through the air, emitting deafening roars. Wherever they passed, the air was ionized, crackling with electricity.

"Lightning Style: Lightning Net!"

Dozens of ninjas wove hand signs simultaneously. The lightning shooting from their palms intertwined in the air to form a massive electrical net that descended upon Uchiha Taiga.

The net's mesh was dense, and every strand of lightning carried a high-voltage current capable of instantly electrocuting a person into a charred husk.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"

Several Wind Style jutsu were released at once, sending howling gales upward.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

"Fire Style: Great Flame Sphere!"

Dozens of fireballs flew out from the crowd, the smallest of which was over a meter in diameter.

The fireballs tumbled through the air, carrying a scorching heat as they flew toward Uchiha Taiga.

The fireballs and lightning collided in midair, exploding into bursts of sparks and electrical arcs, forming a tidal wave of ninjutsu.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Water dragons and earth dragons rose from the ground, lunging into the sky.

The water dragons' bodies were crystal clear, shimmering with blue light in the sun.

The earth dragons' bodies were made of rock and soil, thick and solid.

The two types of dragons flanked from the left and right, forming a four-pronged pincer attack with the lightning and fire dragons.

Even more ninjas were unleashing various ninjutsu. Shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags flew toward the sky from different directions.

Some were weaving signs, some were throwing weapons, and some were gathering chakra—everyone's target was the exact same person.

Thousands of attacks erupted at the exact same moment.

Lightning, fire, water... lights of all colors intertwined in midair, completely submerging Uchiha Taiga's figure.

Explosions rang out one after another, sounding like a hundred thunderbolts detonating simultaneously.

Flames soared into the sky, smoke and dust filled the air, and shockwaves rippled outward from the center of the blast, blowing away the surrounding clouds and forming a visible ring in the sky.

The ground trembled, the air vibrated, and even the snow on the distant mountains was shaken loose, triggering an avalanche.

All the Kumogakure ninjas waited for the result.

They tilted their heads back, staring at the area in midair swallowed by smoke and light. No one spoke; no one moved.

Some clenched their fists and gritted their teeth; others held their breath and closed their eyes.

Their hearts were racing, their adrenaline was spiking, and sweat rolled down their cheeks, dripping onto the ground with faint splatters.

These people were incredibly tense.

But they were all hoping that the youth had been defeated, killed, and would plummet from the sky.

The smoke gradually cleared, the light faded, and the aftermath of the explosions slowly subsided.

In midair, the area previously covered by smoke and light revealed the scene within.

A golden chakra skeleton tightly enveloped Uchiha Taiga's body. A half-body skeletal frame floated in the air, every single bone glowing with a golden light.

Those ninjutsu—Lightning Style, Wind Style, Fire Style, Water Style, Earth Style—all the attacks had struck that skeleton. They only managed to leave some deep cracks on the bones, but those cracks were already beginning to mend at an astonishing speed.

Uchiha Taiga stood at the chest of the skeleton. There wasn't a speck of dust on his clothes, not a single wound on his body, and not even a hair out of place.

He looked down at the dumbfounded Kumogakure ninjas below, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smile.

The ninjas' hearts sank.

Someone's ninja sword dropped to the ground, emitting a crisp clatter.

Someone unconsciously took two steps back, bumping into the person behind them.

Someone stood with their mouth agape, eyes wide and round, pupils filled with terror.

Someone trembled all over, their legs turning to jelly, barely able to stand.

Their full-force strike, the combined attack of thousands of people, couldn't even break that youth's defense.

Just what kind of monster was this?

Uchiha Taiga didn't give them a chance to catch their breath.

He extended his hands from his sleeves, spreading them open with his palms facing upward. Golden chakra surged from his body, rapidly condensing and expanding in midair.

The half-body skeletal frame began to grow. Flesh, meridians, skin, and armor layered over it one by one. The ribs became a chest, the spine became a torso, the arms became complete limbs, and wings sprouted from its back.

Perfect Susanoo.

A hundred-meter-tall golden giant stood in midair, its feet dangling, its wings spread wide, blotting out half the sky.

The sunlight shone from behind it, casting a massive shadow on the ground that enveloped the entire village of Kumogakure. Its face was indistinct, with only the position of its two eyes flashing with a crimson light as it looked down at the village built atop the mountain peak.

The giant raised its right hand, palm facing up.

Chakra converged in its palm, surging from all directions, frantically spinning, compressing, and condensing. Natural energy also joined in, fusing with the chakra. The color shifted from gold to purplish-red, and then from purplish-red to dark purple.

A sphere took shape above its palm.

The sphere was over fifty meters in diameter. The dark purple ripples on its surface pulsed violently, as if incubating something terrifying.

Around the sphere, the air distorted, light bent, and even space itself seemed to be devoured by it.

On the ground, the rocks directly beneath the sphere began to tremble before being crushed into powder by an invisible force.

Uchiha Taiga stood at the chest of the Susanoo giant. His eyes, illuminated by the purplish-red light, were as red as blood. His voice drifted down from the sky—not loud, but clear enough for everyone to hear.

"Villages that actively bring pain to others seem to have never known what true pain is."

He paused and spread his arms.

"So... feel pain, contemplate pain, accept pain, know pain."

His voice rose a pitch.

"Those who do not know pain will never understand true peace."

His mouth split into a wide grin.

"From here on... let the world know pain."

The next moment, he gave a gentle push with his hand.

"Super Rasen Tailed Beast Bomb."

At this moment, Uchiha Taiga felt incredibly satisfied. He had finally managed to deliver Pain's iconic lines in their entirety.

It felt so damn good!

At the same time, the dark purple sphere began to fall toward Kumogakure below.

The sphere's speed was neither fast nor slow. It slowly rotated in the air, carrying an unstoppable sense of oppression. The dark purple ripples on its surface pulsed violently, as if mocking the insignificant lives below.

Everyone watched this scene in despair.

The ninjas on the stone walls, the ninjas at the village entrance, the ninjas on the vantage points, the civilians on the streets, the elderly in their homes, the mothers holding their children... everyone looked up, watching that dark purple sphere plummet from the sky.

Some fell to their knees, some hugged the people next to them, some closed their eyes, and some covered their children's eyes.

People were crying, shouting, praying, and cursing.

But no one could stop that sphere; everyone seemed to have succumbed to despair.