Title at the end

I was going to wait a couple of days, but since I see you motivated by the chapter...

Well, surprise.

-----

The news of Mikoto's death left my mind blank for a second. Not only because I felt rage growing inside me, but also because I had given her a fruit that made it quite difficult to harm her through conventional means.

Bartolomeo's Barrier Fruit!

Fu made it clear that Mikoto had erected a barrier around our group to protect everyone, so the person who killed Mikoto must have resorted to some special trick not only to pass through the barrier but also to eliminate Mikoto in a way that Mariko's seal didn't activate in time.

I took out a special flare that I hoped I wouldn't have to use and shot it into the sky, creating a unique sound that everyone in the village could recognize.

Pakura's looting frenzy stopped when she heard the sound, gritting her teeth. Ameyuri's smile, after eliminating Homura, seemed to disappear as both of them jumped out.

Suddenly, in different places in Konoha, three giants embodying the force of nature seemed to grow and materialize as they rushed towards the stadium.

A man bathed in thunder, with wind-whipped hair, holding an enormous trident containing a thunderous power while a gleaming dragon roared at his feet.

A sandstorm that seemed to have gained consciousness, occasionally showing the face of a furious woman indiscriminately draining the water from all the unfortunate ninjas who failed to react in time and move away.

A torrent of flames exploded in the sky and converged into a huge bird of pure fire that plummeted from the sky, leaving behind a red trail of heat. Thunder sprouted from its claws, falling like rain on the unfortunate ones.

When the three arrived above the stadium, their words combined to resonate powerfully, making all the ninjas, whether from Sunagakure, Otogakure, or Konoha, look at them horrified by the display of pure power.

"Inoichi Yamanaka, pay for your mistake with your life!"

Before anyone could even process the words, the giant thunder-man attacked a specific spot in the stadium, where the Yamanaka clan patriarch watched them with a completely pale expression, and in the next half-second, the other two giants unleashed massive attacks without caring about anything else in the same place.

Sandstorms capable of tearing flesh from bones, fire extinguishing all forms of life, and thunder that would eliminate any chance of survival.

Under the Mantra, no matter what desperate trick or trump card Inoichi tried to perform, he had no chance of escaping once he was targeted.

Even the battle between Orochimaru and Sarutobi was momentarily suspended as they watched without understanding what had just happened for someone to deserve such a display of power.

Orochimaru suddenly felt that provoking Seimeigakure for some interesting individuals might not be such a good idea, while Sarutobi inwardly regretted the death of the patriarch of one of the clans most loyal to his cause and faction.

After all, he had ordered him that if the opportunity arose, he should target some members of Seimeigakure to gather information from their minds, regardless of the cost.

Clearly, the Yamanaka patriarch considered that the chaos in the village was a good cover, and he used the secret techniques of his clan to steal the information. But something must have gone wrong during the process, and he accidentally killed the person he possessed, resulting in this reaction.

(Do you remember the crack that Mikoto had in her soul? Well, let's say that the Yamanaka clan's techniques are the worst for her condition, that's why the seal to save her couldn't activate in time. Just clarifying in case someone didn't understand.)

The worst part is that even with everything said and done, Inoichi didn't manage to pass the precious stolen information in time before dying!

It was a complete loss for Konoha.

After this incident, he will declare Seimeigakure an enemy of Konoha! Decided.

"Did the Yamanaka clan patriarch provoke someone?" the ninja next to him asked confused.

"It seems so, brother, things have fallen into a regrettable state in our absence," sighed another figure. "Although I am interested in learning more about these people, I have never seen a jutsu like this."

Hashirama and Tobirama still retained their consciousness as they watched in amazement the disproportionate attack against one of their most famous clans. But both could see that it was not planned; clearly, it was a reaction to something the current-generation patriarch had done.

"Didn't the Mizuki clan have something similar?" Hashirama asked with doubts.

"It's not like the hydration jutsu," Tobirama denied as he covered his face with his palm, recognizing the difference with his keen eye.

"Enough talk!" Orochimaru suddenly felt a bit impatient and placed a kunai with a special seal he developed on their heads. He wanted to finish off his master before there was a chance for those people to change their minds and end up becoming an obstacle.

...Meanwhile, outside Konoha...

Shukaku had finally emerged from Gaara and was facing Naruto and Gamabunta transformed into the Nine-Tails Fox. The battle seemed to be at its climax when the ground suddenly shook, and the three unconsciously looked at the source of the tremor.

They saw three figures even larger than Shukaku attacking the same point again and again.

For a second, Shukaku couldn't comprehend what he was seeing since he had never encountered anything that could be bigger than him or his brothers.

Could they have more siblings, and the old man didn't tell them?

It shouldn't be possible; there was no more chakra from the Ten-Tails to use after its creation.

But...

That gigantic sand figure could very well be their mother...

The strange thing was that, although he could feel the chakra in two of the three giants, it didn't seem to match their sizes at all, which left him even more confused.

Title: Shukaku's Mother?

------

Drop some power stones or something, you know I don't usually ask for them. I have the feeling that he wanted to say something else, which was...

I don't remember if I said it, so just in case: The corresponding Sunagakure FF has already started on my Patreon and we're almost 50 chapters in, you can join if you're interested.

In a while I will upload it here as always, be patient if you prefer to wait.

Now a question for you: If you came to the world of Naruto, which of the Three Wise Lands would you make a contract with if you were given a chance?