Chapter 256: The Fall of the Leaf, the Weight of Belief

The second night, Konoha entered first-level emergency alert. On the third day at noon, the village barrier was broken. The collapse of the barrier lasted only three seconds. By the fourth second, a massive technique engulfed the entire village. One minute later, figures in red-cloud black cloaks appeared within the forest that had replaced the village.

No one could accurately count how many had died beneath that colossal Wood Release technique. And no one could tell how many more would die in this invasion that followed. With a single indiscriminate strike, Obito left those unprepared with nothing but luck to decide their survival. Then came a massive Shinra Tensei that flattened what remained of Konoha, erasing even the towering sea of trees.

At the center of the devastation was a vast crater carved into the earth. And within it stood the members of Akatsuki.

To strike one's homeland is an indescribable feeling. Whether Itachi felt the same, Sakura did not know. At least Sakura did. She didn't want to fight. But seeing Kakashi-sensei's condition, seeing what happened to Karin and the others, seeing the once-great village reduced to barely a hundred survivors, she decided that throwing her fist into the earth was no longer something she could hesitate over.

The ground shattered. A single, rage-filled strike split the earth apart. Even those standing within Akatsuki were forced off balance, but Deidara and Hidan, trained through years of hardship, managed to remain airborne. For a brief moment, they looked almost divine, standing high above the ruined world like false gods.

And then, everyone arrived. Jiraiya, wounded but standing. Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage. And many others, familiar faces, nameless faces, all of them powerful enough to change the battlefield. But conspicuously absent were the Sixth Hokage, Sasuke Uchiha, and Uzumaki Naruto.

Nagato slowly descended from the sky. His gaze swept across the battlefield before settling on Jiraiya, who had recently been gravely injured by Kakashi's earlier attack.

Nagato spoke first. "You are not my opponent in your current state, sensei. Even at your peak, you would not defeat me. Leave. I don't want to fight you."

Jiraiya's condition was indeed poor. Kakashi's Purple Lightning had left injuries that even Tsunade's healing could not fully erase in time. But Jiraiya was still Jiraiya. He stepped forward anyway. Jiraiya did not waste words. Instead, white smoke erupted. Gamabunta appeared beneath him, dramatic as ever, his voice booming with laughter.

"Hahahaha! Long time no see! You've really grown, Nagato! As your teacher, this makes me kinda lonely!"

Nagato observed quietly. This was fine. No pleading. No preaching. That suited him. At least Jiraiya was still Jiraiya, the man who once saved children from war, only to return to war himself. And so, battle began.

Sakura never imagined she would fight her own teacher. This was not something she expected. Not something she wanted. In her imagination, there would have been drinks, conversation, stories of what had changed in three years. Not this.

Dodging Tsunade's attacks, Sakura's mind drifted briefly. And then Tsunade saw an opening. "Right here!" A fatal gap. Sakura flipped upward. Tsunade's punch struck the ground with devastating force. The earth shattered again, reduced almost to dust. To Tsunade, it was a guaranteed hit. But Sakura had already escaped it. She had surpassed what she was once capable of. Like Orochimaru once said, she had surpassed her master.

"Sakura... you've truly grown." There was genuine emotion in Tsunade's voice.

Sakura faltered for a moment. Just for a moment. Because even in war, praise from her teacher still carried weight. And in that brief hesitation, "SENSEI... I'M SORRY!" Her voice was firm. Determined. The same voice she had when she left Konoha.

The Hundred Seal spread across her body. The same pattern as Tsunade's. The same technique. They clashed. Fists met fists. And everything within a hundred meters collapsed into ruin.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Nagato's battlefield was eerily quiet. Gamabunta was powerful, but useless against Nagato. Shinra Tensei negated every attack. What once required a five-second cooldown now required less than a second. Black rods pierced Jiraiya's body. Nagato deliberately avoided vital organs. Jiraiya collapsed, unable to move. Gamabunta vanished.

Nagato stepped forward and crouched beside his teacher. "Sensei, don't worry. The Otsutsuki will never appear in this world again."

Jiraiya exhaled, relieved. "...I see. That's good." Then, softly, "Sorry, Nagato." Sorry he couldn't be there when they needed him. Sorry he failed as a teacher. Sorry he let children carry burdens meant for adults. Too many apologies.

Nagato shook his head. "Being a student means doing what your teacher couldn't." He raised his hand. A barrier formed around Jiraiya. "Thank you, sensei."

The battlefield was chaos, but not balance. Even overwhelming numbers meant nothing against Akatsuki. Their bodies had been enhanced beyond normal limits. Normal attacks were ineffective. Even Tsunade's healing could not change that.

Might Guy entered the battlefield. Eight Gates opened. A living storm of red chakra. His power was terrifying. Even Nagato had to acknowledge it. But it ended the same way. A single exchange. Guy pushed beyond human limits, and Nagato endured. Guy collapsed. But did not die. Nagato saved him. Six Paths Yang Release restored his life force.

Guy did not hear Nagato's words. "You once visited our village before the war, and gave all your money to Tenten. For that alone, I won't kill you."

Then a blond figure arrived. Blue eyes burning with rage. "Uzumaki Naruto." He stood in the ruins of his village. "This is my home. What did you do to it?!"

He arrived at the battlefield, but Sasuke and Kakashi were still nowhere to be seen.