C 78

In the middle of the night, the sky was like a pitch-black curtain, completely obscuring the stars. Kain, who only needed about three hours of sleep to maintain his energy, was wide awake, studying biology. 

He felt it was a waste not to develop his talent further—especially since his goal of becoming stronger would rely heavily on advances in human biology.

He wasn't one to hand over control of his body entirely to researchers, though he allowed them to handle certain parts of his work. The new Extremis virus served not so much to enhance the human body but as to unlock its potential for evolution, enabling Kain's body to continually repair and optimize itself. 

Each repair nudged him closer to becoming the perfect life form. With every additional gene or ability he integrated, he gained more skills to handle any threats, inching ever closer to omnipotence. 

This path, however, was long; for now, he was only attempted to fuse Hashirama cells, and now successful, he would try to incorporate Phoenix and Dragon genes.

"Hm," Kain murmured as he noticed an intrusion on his surveillance system. Several figures had triggered sensors near his residence. 

Since the last incident with the Cloud Shinobi, he'd reinforced his property, layering iron sheets under the floor to prevent Earth Style users from sneaking in and upgrading his cameras with thermal imaging to detect activity even in the darkest corners.

"Moving stealthily—there are at least four of them. So, Sarutobi Hiruzen really did send his men," Kain muttered. These weren't mere spies; no ordinary infiltration squad would be so bold as to send out so many agents at once. 

They seemed to think the Konoha Guard was blind. But the village guard, still led by the Uchiha clan, patrolled the village every night.

"No one around to interfere this time, huh? Let's give Sarutobi a little surprise." Deciding to take drastic action, Kain reached into his space backpack and pulled out 20 kilograms of TNT—enough to destroy everything within a radius of tens of meters. 

The surrounding area, developed into a commercial street under Kain's management, had already been cleared of civilians, so there was no risk of collateral damage. At worst, he'd lose a store, which he could always rebuild or buy back later.

"Oh, they're setting up the barrier now. Let's make things more interesting," Kain observed through his camera, noticing a dark red barrier being erected in the night sky around him. 

The barrier was nearly invisible in the darkness, distinguishable only under close observation, yet he could see it clearly from any camera angle.

Regarding Konoha's actions, Kain wasn't holding back. He took out an additional 30 kilograms of TNT. The barrier's coverage was relatively small, which meant the TNT's power would be fully contained within it. 

He just hoped Konoha's barrier was strong enough; otherwise, the blast would definitely extend far beyond it.

"That should be enough," he muttered.

Sensing someone approaching his house, Kain quickly teleported back to the Marvel world through the system's space, waiting to return moments later.

Meanwhile, Anbu and Root agents were sneaking into the house through various windows, only to realize it was empty.

Kain's property wasn't small. Over time, he'd acquired nearly half the street, including a large warehouse in addition to his living quarters behind the dessert shop.

"Captain, something's wrong—no one's here," reported one of the Anbu operatives, using sensory ninjutsu to confirm that the only people in the building were from Anbu and Root.

Yet, just minutes earlier, they'd been certain someone was inside.

"Search for hiding spots!" the Anbu sub-captain commanded.

Not all twelve Anbu and eight Root agents had entered; half of them were still stationed outside, guarding other points around the barrier to prevent Kain from breaking through.

The 200-square-meter house was quickly searched by the ten operatives inside, but they found no one. Eventually, they all gathered around the TNT explosives, with one of the Anbu members asking, "Captain, what is this?"

"Clocks and some kind of machinery... but we don't have much time left. Where could the target have gone?"

They'd used perception ninjutsu immediately after setting up the barrier, confirming the target's presence in the house. But after entering, he seemed to have vanished.

"Keep looking for a secret passage—"

The Anbu team leader's words were cut off as a blinding flash erupted in the room.

Boom!

A deafening blast echoed, and Kain's house exploded in a fiery surge. Smoke billowed into the sky like a storm cloud, while scarlet flames blossomed inside the barrier, destroying everything within. 

The inferno was as deadly as it was beautiful, like an otherworldly flower blooming in destruction.

Under the power of this explosion, no one could have survived. Even someone like Nawaki would face a 90% chance of death in that inferno. 

After all, for the Extremis virus to repair the body, the head and most of the torso needed to remain intact—but 50 kilograms of TNT would obliterate anyone. Putting the pieces back together would require divine intervention from Kaguya herself.

The entire village of Konoha heard the blast; even civilians at the farthest reaches were jolted awake by the thunderous noise.

"What was that sound?!"

Tsunade shot up from her bed, wrapping herself quickly and wiping away some lingering sleepiness. She hastily threw on her clothes and rushed outside.

"Kushina, stay here—there are people assigned to protect you. Nawaki… never mind, come with me!"

Initially, Tsunade wanted Nawaki to stay within the clan compound, but he was already dressed in his ninja gear, while Kushina was still in her pajamas.

The explosion had roused everyone. Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Hatake Sakumo, Kato Dan, and members of the Uchiha Guard were all on alert, while the Ino–Shika–Cho and Hyuga clans swiftly changed into their Jōnin vests. 

The blast was so intense that they suspected an enemy infiltration.

"Danzo, what's going on?!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen demanded, his face grim. The explosion had not only shattered the space-time isolation barrier but had also killed six members of the Barrier Team who'd set it up. 

Hiruzen could only imagine the fate of the Anbu and Root members within the barrier's range.

With three Anbu teams likely dead, Sarutobi felt a pang of anguish. His Anbu forces were limited, with only around 70 members in total, and he'd just lost 12 of them.

"How should I know? I was with you the whole time! Are you accusing me, Hiruzen?"

Danzo's face was equally dark. He'd lost two full Root teams, and Hiruzen's accusatory tone implied he might be blamed for the failure. 

That was unacceptable. 

Although Danzo had originally proposed the operation, only Hiruzen, as Hokage, could authorize mobilizing the Barrier and Sealing Teams. Most of the fallen were Anbu under Hiruzen's command, so Danzo refused to take sole responsibility for this debacle.

"Hiruzen, you—"

"Danzo, tonight's events were your fault. You will confine yourself and reflect on your actions," Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted, his tone severe and his presence imposing.

"Wars could break out at any moment in the ninja world. The truth behind tonight's events may come out sooner or later. I won't restrict Root's actions, as their external contributions remain essential."

Based on the massive explosion, both Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo suspected that Kain had survived. The blast was even more intense than the last one, and it was clear that their opponent had prepared a way to escape. 

They had sorely miscalculated in thinking that a space-time isolation barrier could hold him.

"What happened? Stay alert! Search for survivors or bodies nearby!"

The Uchiha Guard was the first to arrive. With ninjas patrolling the area overnight, they reacted before Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo could appear. 

Surveying the devastation, the Uchiha ninjas immediately activated their Sharingan, carefully scanning the area.

Soon, ninjas from the Hyuga, Ino–Shika–Cho, and other clans gathered as well. The Uchiha Guard quickly enlisted the help of the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, as it was more effective than Sharingan in detecting hidden threats. 

They were on high alert, wary that untriggered explosive tags could still be present and pose a danger.

"What happened? Where is everyone inside?!"

Tsunade, using her Body Flicker Technique, arrived and shouted angrily upon seeing the wreckage of Kain's dessert shop. As she tried to move closer, the Uchiha Guard stepped in to stop her.

"Tsunade Jōnin, please don't go any further. There may still be undetonated explosives that could injure you," one guard cautioned.

Even they were hesitant to approach until the Hyuga clan could assess the situation more thoroughly.

Jiraiya stepped forward to stop Tsunade. "Tsunade, let the guards handle this. Going over there won't help right now."

The explosion had been so intense that any survivors were unlikely left. If Kain had been inside, they'd need the corpse collection team instead.

As more ninjas arrived, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, and the two advisor elders finally appeared on the scene.

"Captain Tomisuke, have the security team secure the surrounding area. Anbu will take over from here. The rest of you, return to your posts—don't let an enemy use this to distract us. Once we've clarified what happened, I'll hold a Jōnin meeting tomorrow," Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered, swiftly dispersing the crowd. 

He wanted the other ninjas gone before any bodies of Anbu operatives could be found in the ruins, avoiding a scandal.

Just as the crowd began to disperse, a lone figure approached from a distance. Surveying the destruction, he shouted loudly,

"What happened here? Where's my house?!"

…

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