Chapter 83: The First Fiery Flash of a Thermobaric Bomb in the Ninja World 

"Have they caught those two ninjas yet?" The Fourth Raikage, A, stood atop the Raikage Tower, looking down at the Hidden Cloud Village, unable to resist asking the question.

For some reason, a strange feeling of anxiety gnawed at him. This unease made it impossible for him to stay in his office, so he decided to step outside, hoping the fresh air might help ease his mind.

"I'm sorry, Lord Raikage. Those two ninjas are very good at hiding themselves. C tracked them to a valley but lost their trail after that," an ANBU operative immediately replied.

A's mood soured. C was an exceptional ninja, skilled in sensory ninjutsu, genjutsu, and medical ninjutsu—someone A held in high regard. But even C couldn't find them?

"Tell the Sealing Squad to heighten their alert. If they detect any intruders…" A narrowed his eyes.

Still, he couldn't shake his frustration. The unease inside him made him want to punch a nearby mountain until it crumbled. He needed to vent—needed to find an enemy ninja to unleash his fists on, to ease his restlessness with the solid impact of fist on flesh.

The last time he felt this anxious was the day his father died. That day, A had been consumed by worry for hours, only to later learn that the Third Raikage had fallen.

Now, that same dreadful feeling had returned. He was deeply uneasy. Why? Could something have gone wrong with Bee? But that shouldn't be possible.

He knew Bee's strength well. It would take a large-scale assault—something like the Third Hokage personally leading a massive force, ignoring casualties. And even if Bee were in trouble, he would have found a way to notify him.

As A brooded over these thoughts, his ears suddenly twitched, picking up a faint noise. He raised his head. The sky was as it always was—cloudy and foggy, with nothing out of the ordinary.

But the feeling of unease only grew stronger.

Soon, he saw something—a small black shadow hurtling down at incredible speed. The object was moving so fast that by the time A spotted it, it had already shot toward the barrier protecting the Hidden Cloud Village.

It was then that A finally saw what it was: a cylindrical object, silver-white with a metallic sheen. It wasn't any kind of ninjutsu.

"A foolish attack," A muttered, shaking his head. The village's barrier was always on high alert during wartime. It could repel physical attacks, so a crude metal cylinder like that wouldn't stand a chance.

But the sense of dread within him only grew stronger.

In the instant the cylinder collided with the barrier, it was deflected, falling toward the left side of the village.

A was about to look back at the sky when, suddenly, a blinding light erupted from the left. Instinctively, he wanted to blink, but before his eyelids could drop, a powerful shockwave, carrying intense heat, rushed toward him.

The force of the blast knocked A back several steps, and the scorching wind swept up debris and rubble, some of it mixed with fragments of human bodies.

An eyeball flew through the air, landing on A's face before being vaporized by the lightning armor that cloaked his body.

Then came a strange, suffocating sensation. A was shocked to find he couldn't breathe. Though he tried, it felt like there was nothing to inhale.

Opening his mouth only made it worse—the searing heat rushed into his throat, as if it wanted to burn him from the inside out.

"What kind of jutsu is this?" A thought. If he hadn't realized by now that the Hidden Cloud was under attack by some unknown force, he might as well check into a mental hospital.

At the same time, he saw it—the center of the explosion. A massive cloud of fire rose into the sky, shaped like a giant mushroom.

The shockwave, carrying waves of heat, continued to sweep across the entire village. A's eyes widened in horror. He couldn't—he *wouldn't*—let this destructive force consume the Hidden Cloud Village.

"Defend! Defend now!" A roared in fury. But as his voice rang out, the silence around him was chilling, terrifying.

The thermobaric bomb had sucked all the oxygen out of the air, creating a temporary vacuum.

The shockwave passed, but the village's ninjas were no fools. They quickly cast defensive ninjutsu, managing to block some of the shockwave and heat.

Yet moments later, they discovered they couldn't breathe. Fortunately, the feeling passed quickly, and they soon found themselves able to inhale fresh air again.

But the sight that greeted them was one of devastation. The Hidden Cloud Village lay in ruins. Buildings near the mushroom cloud had been obliterated. Broken walls and the wails of wounded ninjas filled the scene.

Though the ninjas had reacted quickly, the villagers had no such defense. Near the explosion's epicenter, not even a trace of bodies could be found—people had been vaporized like water.

A stood silently, fists clenched, anger burning in his heart as he looked up at the sky. That attack had come from above!

"Phew, didn't breach the barrier? Well, I guess they got lucky." From his vantage point, Amamiya Kenichi clicked his tongue as he watched the mushroom cloud rise below.

After Kenichi had instructed Sasori to use his magnetic powers to drop the thermobaric bomb, its speed had been impressive. Yet it still hadn't broken through the barrier, instead being deflected to the side.

The barrier lasted less than a fraction of a second against the powerful explosion, but it had successfully blocked most of the energy. Otherwise, the devastation would have been even worse.

If the bomb had detonated *inside* the barrier, it would've been far more entertaining—the entire Hidden Cloud Village might have been flattened. Still, the results were satisfying.

A quarter of the village was destroyed, and that was with the barrier's protection. Without it, the damage would've been far worse.

"What kind of jutsu was that?" Sasori, standing nearby, was barely able to contain his excitement. When Kenichi had told him to drop that metal object, he hadn't thought much of it.

But after the drop, Kenichi had quickly used Wind Release to carry their hot air balloon away from the village. Sasori hadn't understood at the time, but now he realized how naive he had been. If that thing had exploded in his hands…

He'd be dead for sure.

A sudden, intense fear gripped Sasori.

Maybe… maybe immortality really was the answer.

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