PART 5.

With a sigh of satisfaction, he placed the cans of food and candy in the hollow of a tree, sheltered among the branches laden with green leaves that hid the hiding place.

He had smuggled that food through the basket, leaving it hidden among the clump of flowers that Osuka had refused to pick during the day's search. He didn't need to use his Byakugan to remember where he had hidden it; The white light of the moon illuminated much of the floral area.

Himawari nimbly leapt from the branch after making sure to hide the food well between the leaves. If it was covered, birds nesting nearby would not notice its presence.

"That's it, that's all." She muttered to herself. "I won't come back until I bring more canned food... although if we are lucky with the flowers, I will be able to find a way to buy more without attracting attention."

He had walked far enough into the forest, far enough away from the village. Although he wasn't too far away to worry, he knew he could reach his position in a few minutes if he ran from the south gate. However, Himawari made sure that the food hiding place was safe.

He was supposed to have returned home more than five minutes ago. The doors would soon close, and Osuka would surely be eager to retrieve her pendant.

But Himawari had taken the lead in the preparations and might find a way to slip away if the doors closed. Moreover, the pendant was already in her possession since she, Sumire, and Osuka left the flower field. It was the only way to secure food.

"I'm so sorry, Osuka-chan. I've been very careless." He sincerely apologized. 

Himawari knew his friends well enough to detect any changes in their behavior. She wasn't a fortune teller, but she was on the lookout for any hint that something wasn't right, especially with those she had promised to understand in secret.

For Osuka, the most important thing was her mother. Although her relationship with her father was not so close, she mentioned him fondly, crediting him with her toys and suitors.

As the owner of a cheap but precious jewel, Himawari understood the meaning of having something of her own while fleeing the cataclysm.

Osuka would never part with her pendant, not even when they were running away or when they were in the hospital. This last habit explained why she always slept covered up to her head.

The forgiveness that Osuka had previously offered, and which Himawari had gratefully accepted, was due to this reason. Despite that, she felt terribly guilty. Osuka saw her as a sincere and kind friend, not a liar.

He hoped not to show any suspicious expressions when he returned the pendant to Osuka. Sumire-san was very attentive to everything, and she didn't want to ruin her effort to approach her for information.

His brother was outside, which meant that the others must be there as well. Sarada-san, Shikadai-san, Inojin-kun, all of them were very close to Boruto, so it was unlikely that they weren't together.

Even if she didn't know how, she was determined to get them back. For them to return, Konoha had to be safe. I had to give them a reason to come back and make sure they were okay.

What dangers awaited them outside? It was a question that she was determined to solve.

During the first few days, Himawari witnessed numerous conversations between Sumire and the Anbu. However, he had not heard anything else since the last two were absent.

They used to show up at home to exchange basic information with Sumire and make sure she was okay, and then disappear again. When Himawari asked how they were or if they had eaten, Sumire replied that, like Anbu, they could take care of themselves in the forest and that they were experts in espionage.

Himawari already knew the first part. He remembered how his brother would ask his mother the same questions when his father was away on a three-day trip to the Sand Village and couldn't take him with him.

The Hokage's work was demanding and could not be left alone, so Shikamaru-san could not accompany his father. On that occasion, it was Anbu and the Hokage's personal escorts who accompanied him.

However, Boruto was disappointed to learn that, due to the change in the seasons, the Anbu no longer needed to sleep with one eye open.

This time, disappointment came to Himawari, as he realized that now conversations with the Anbu at home were ridiculously short. His source of information had been reduced.

As I ran back quickly, I could only think of one thing: finding a way to listen to the plans without intervening. He knew that if he intervened, he would reveal the whereabouts of the rest of his friends, something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Fuck it!"

A shrill voice broke the silence of the night in the forest. Himawari stopped short, his feet slipping on the ground.

She hadn't lied when he told Sumire that his small size gave him speed, so he quickly hid behind a tree.

"Are we going to go in and kill at once? Weren't we going to take a break? I've barely had time to get my entire Chakra back, damn it!"

It was the voice of an angry man, uttering more curses than Mama would ever allow him to hear. His voice seemed to echo in the forest, and Himawari remained hidden. She wasn't scared, but she was nervous about being discovered.

The voice belonged to a man accompanied by someone else, as he had clearly heard an answer:

"You can tell you don't care about money at all." The second voice replied, more severe and focused on not raising his voice so much. However, its thick and gloomy tone caused Himawari to swallow. "I wouldn't be surprised if you died for your foolishness."

"As if that were going to happen!" Protested the companion, also excited. "Anyway, going in and killing like crazy for something as material as money is ridiculous. Fuck your nonsense!"

" Kill?" Himawari couldn't help but let out those words. " Are they serious... To kill?

He poked his eyes as far as he could around the tree. He did not move while the forest seemed to beg for help; Two assassins were approaching, and they were both hungry.

His blood froze completely, and he almost let out a scream that got stuck in his throat. They were there, a few steps from her, advancing in the direction of the village. Soon they would pass right in front of her, and if that happened... he didn't think he would even have a chance to warn Sumire-san.

"Sumire-san!"

Himawari covered his mouth with his hands, intertwining his fingers as he shrank in his hiding place.

Two men, one twice as big as Dad, were walking near her. He managed to see them clearly thanks to the white glow of the moon.

Both wore black capes, or perhaps robes, with red cloud print. The shorter one was practically half naked, with his chest exposed and a ninja headband tied around his neck. His partner also had a headband of his own, but Himawari could not see where the bandanas came from from his position.

The largest had dark skin, although she wasn't sure if it was due to the effect of the moonshine. His mouth and head were covered by a kind of black cloth, from which he could not determine whether it was leather or other similar material. That man was, without a doubt, the darker of the two.

Something black adorned her forehead, like a base for the diadem she wore. His presence was heavy, and his bloodlust was immeasurable, as was his lack of empathy and experience in slaughter.

"Can't we take a break?" One of them complained. 

"No, we have to be quick. We already lost a lot of time with the Bijuu."

The word was not new to the youngest of the Uzumaki.

Every trace of fear and dread intensified in his limbs. He was not in absolute fear of dying, but rather towards the safety of those on the other side of Konoha's walls.

Hinoko-san and Ro-san worked together with Sumire to prevent anyone from the outside from harming the village, mainly protecting the people of the past.

Himawari had no idea what kind of people the Anbu were looking for, nor their methods of acting.

He simply knew that no one should harm the village, because that would lead to disaster. The past was extremely delicate, as the female Anbu had told him the last time he saw her, when Himawari proposed to leave clues to the Hokage to protect himself from the ninjas of the future.

"Once the path is broken, the spark spreads everywhere." Quoted the lavender-haired girl in his mind. Himawari swallowed nervously. " But they're talking about the Bijuu, how do I know if it's someone from the past or the present?"

He knew the Bijuus, as well as the identities of each one. His father had told him about them in a way he could understand.

The Bijuus were beasts with an immense Chakra, whose power was measured by the number of tails they had. Even Shukaku, an old friend Himawari missed, was very powerful, capable of razing an entire village if he wanted to.

But they were more than that. They were conscious creatures, with feelings and emotions. Like humans, they didn't like to be controlled or used as military weapons. They felt helpless to be reduced to numbers of tails, and thanks to their father and Gaara, people began to refer to them by their names.

But he also understood the danger they posed if they fell under the control of the wrong people. Someone capable of claiming the existence of a living creature as his own was unfit to be a loyal companion to tailed beasts, let alone people with as little power as Himawari.

So she pricked up her ears as much as she could, remaining as still as possible. The footsteps grew closer and closer, while both voices discussed something that Himawari did not quite understand.

"If you can already see from miles away what you really want, Kakuzu." One of the voices said. Himawari strove to impress that name in his mind. "Yes, it's obvious that many will oppose it, and most of those ninjas are very valuable people. You're a interested person. Sinful bastard."

"So you finally realize it, don't you?" The other voice answered. "We need the money."

"They need." The first voice emphasized. "I don't. My religion is based on offering sincere sacrifices, and you know it! Jashin-sama will punish me if I offer him a sacrifice whose head is worth millions or trillions of yen...."

"Shut up and walk faster, Hidan." The other interrupted the conversation. 

Himawari's face turned pale. His whole body felt cold, but at the same time he was sweating. A strange sensation ran through the tips of his fingers, both his hands and his feet.

There was no doubt.

Those two men wanted to kill. They planned to enter Konoha to murder people.

Himawari felt that at any moment he could vomit his heart. He swallowed hard several times, but his mouth still felt dry. He kept his eyes open as much as possible, as if he couldn't look away.

He knew that doing that was dangerous, it could even cost him his life. But he just couldn't take his eyes off, they were fixed on the scythe that the white-haired man carried on his back. It seemed to have some kind of mechanism that would facilitate its work of extermination.

She began to stagger, determined to put her plan B into action: the one she would use if the doors closed before her arrival, to go in search of Sumire to warn her. Even if it gave away his position, he would not ignore this so easily.

He couldn't find an opportunity to escape and raise the alarm.

"Well? Do you have a plan in mind?" The man, exaggerated in confidence and rudeness, asked while spitting. "Don't tell me you don't have any, or I'll curse you for the rest of my life!"

His cry echoed through the forest, as his companion hissed.

"You're already telling them that we've arrived, you idiot. You don't think about the consequences."

The man with the obscene vocabulary spat out again in disbelief. The other took a few seconds before answering; seconds in which Himawari did not move due to the closeness.

"I don't know where the cemetery is or where his grave is." He said. "Go there and wreak havoc. In the meantime, leave the strongest ninjas, the recognizable ones. We'll take them away."

Himawari froze, just as the other man exclaimed.

"What do you say? Kaku-! Go away! Don't use me as a funeral home!" The unbridled religious pointed it out scandalously. "And how do you plan to take them? Hire a cart for that?"

"We could. Konoha is full of them."

"No, don't with me, Kakuzu!"

The thinner man grabbed his scythe, though Himawari couldn't discern whether he intended to hurt his companion or was simply showing instability. His way of shouting uncontrollably, his way of referring to others. They were people I should avoid, especially if it was an adult who proved to be a dangerous ninja.

At that moment, the one who hid his mouth silenced the exclamations with another firm command.

"And, in addition, remember his face." He said, his voice firm and serious.

His companion made a sound of protest. Himawari didn't understand what they were talking about.

"The brat." He reminded him. "The Jinchūriki. We also come for him. From the way they talk about him, it won't take long for you to find him."

The request seemed to be important, because even the deep-voiced man fell silent. He passed the subject with a gesture, as if to say "Understood, I'll take care of that. You go and take care of your part, you filthy one."

Perhaps Himawari understood what he meant, for the man muttered it with irritation between his teeth.

Then, a metallic sound resounded in his mind.

Himawari had heard everything, and his thoughts connected fluidly as the conversation unfolded. So when the real reason for his intentions came to light, Himawari held back a gasp, which he had to choke with his hands, squeezing his mouth tightly. Her cheeks flushed from the pressure of her thumbs.

A Jinchūriki.

If I hadn't grown up in this village, I wouldn't have understood the meaning of being one of the Jinchūriki. They were people chosen as containers for the tailed beasts. And, above all, they were people who had suffered with the presence of these beasts in their lives.

He knew this because his father was one of them. Uzumaki Naruto, formerly known as the vessel that sealed the power of Kurama, the nine-tailed fox; world famous as "The Kyuubi".

The image of his father was etched in his mind.

All the laughs, talks, photographs. Everything was so close that it was hard to think that this man, the one she loved so much, was dead. And, moreover, out of reach of his hands.

Dad was the Hokage of the village. But long before that, he was known for being the boy who guarded the Kyuubi inside.

Himawari was startled in position, nerves dominating his legs. His own weight took its toll, and nerves didn't allow him to squat down, until he finally fell on his back.

The sound, so faint but audible in the midst of the silence, alarmed the two men dressed in black. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing to disappear into the earth and escape. The cold silence that followed was even more unsettling, and for a moment he feared that they might hear his racing heartbeat.

One step, then another, and it took a few more seconds of silence before Himawari heard another footstep, so close to his position that he felt short of breath. They were definitely Jōnin-level ninjas. Only they were able to move so stealthily.

She felt like a small animal in the field, watched by two pairs of eyes that searched for her without knowing exactly who she was or what she was. The simple fact that they knew she was there gave them reason to keep going, not disappearing until they were done with her.

Summoning all his courage, Himawari stepped forward and poked his head through a small hole in the bushes beside the tree. His heart was pounding in fear, begging him to get away as quickly as possible. But Himawari knew that running now would only give her away.

However, there were no changes. The man who had been talking so loudly before stood there, next to the taller man, scanning everything with his eyes. He remained as still as he could, making the most of his knowledge of strategy and position.

"I'm lost, I can't do anything." He thought, hiding his hurried breathing under his hands. Sweat ran down his body. "The Jinchūriki... Bijuus... These are ninjas from the past. I have to warn Sumire-san somehow!" He swallowed hard. " If only I knew where Hinoko-san and Ro-san were... I have to tell someone! To this country..."

Then, something, with a strength she had never experienced in her life, grabbed her by the collar of her sweater.

She didn't have time to react before she felt the fabric tighten against her neck, depriving her of air. A scream escaped his lips, his feet no longer touching the ground.

The disturbed ninja turned in reaction. His companion was not by his side.

(~~~)

Two girls walked through the narrow neighborhoods of Konoha, among the drunks who sang and the young ladies who convinced them to spend their money at the nearby stalls.

Although the neighborhoods were comfortable, they were small and well-lit. However, a detonation shook the windows and doors, causing many heads to turn upwards.

"What happened?"

"A detonation. Although I don't know where it came from..."

Everyone looked up, confused, looking for any smoke sign that would indicate the direction of the accident. But the detonation resounded again, this time louder, like thunder gaining strength.

It didn't come from the ground, although it caused tremors on the ground that caused people to stagger and push each other. He didn't come from the village either, but he rattled the windows and shook the decorations on the walls.

The night sky was clear, illuminated by a crescent moon with dark outlines. It wasn't unusual, but something about that glow disturbed a little girl among the civilians, something she could feel in the background.

The detonation was ascending, or what appeared to be a detonation. It was heard everywhere and made the ground tremble. The buildings swayed, while a single violet-eyed gaze stared worriedly at the shape of the moon.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Land of Fire, the phenomenon was manifesting. Houses in the middle of large crop fields shook with the force of the earth, while a deafening sound announced something great approaching. Neighbors who lived apart came out of their homes, and dogs barked in response.

A young woman dressed in yellow staggered from the force of the tremor. The moon shone brighter, but only a few, the chosen ones, could perceive the tiny particles of brightness that its light gave off.

The children in the Land of the Wind looked up at the sky, while the dunes howled just like the earth. The latter rejected them, as if she knew they did not belong there. The Great Old Woman clung to her staff, while a crowd of her male followers came out armed only with their skills.

The children exclaimed in confusion:

"What's going on?!"

"Uwa!"

"Enko!"

In the midst of the wobble, the girl in gloves fell, but the earth continued to demonstrate its power. They were all caught in an earthquake under the constant light of a crescent.

The inhabitants of Rouran.

The people of the Sand Village.

The refugees on the Parchment and all those who had been brought with difficulty through the portals, watched the sky as they struggled to stay on their feet.

Among the various points of view that converged, one stood out: that of a young man with golden hair and mustaches on his cheeks, plunged into the deepest darkness of himself as the building seemed about to collapse on him. Neighbors could be heard coming out of their apartments, running for safety.

But no one knocked on his door. No one cared about him.

Only a sleeping presence, as alien as the Kyuubi; as reflective as he himself.

"Wake up. Wake up." The voice in the darkness resounded, penetrating Naruto's mind. 

"Who's there?" Naruto shouted, groping in the darkness around him. He moved his arms frantically, but he didn't hit anything. "Show yourself, you coward!"

A trickle made him turn around. In front of him, imposing and imprisoned in the deepest darkness, stood nothingness. He knew who was there, without having to get close. A growl rose from the darkness, as huge, bloodthirsty eyes watched him.

A smell of sulfur invaded his nostrils, making him cough. He felt the terrifying Kyuubi Chakra, but felt incomplete seeing only him. It wasn't until a splash was heard behind him that Naruto turned. He had tried to reach for his weaponry, but there was nothing.

The nightmare had caught him asleep and, even if he had weapons, they would be useless if the attacker appeared in his dreams.

One step after another, and the being was not revealed. It was as if the darkness around him didn't want to release him.

Only his black boots and pants were visible. Judging by the shadow, he was taller than Naruto, about 1.72 meters. His back was hunched over and seemed to be out of control. A cloth covered him from his shoulders to his knees.

"Who are you!?" Naruto shouted. 

The presence remained silent for a few long seconds. The three of them, Kyuubi, Naruto and the mysterious shadow, were unaware of the terror that was unleashed outside.

Naruto was on the verge of despair, incapacitated, when the shadow repeated the words:

"Wake up. Wake up... Wake up." His voice was low and without conscious control. 

"What... What are you saying?" Naruto tried to ask, sweat bathing his face. 

Just as he was waiting for an answer, a deafening roar shook Naruto's consciousness. The Kyuubi roared like a beast, pounding the water around it with its nine tails. His fangs opened, releasing a rumble, and the air nearly knocked him forward.

Naruto covered his ears, surprised by the Kyuubi's reaction. If the demon within was so altered, it meant that the presence also affected him in some way.

But the Kyuubi was not afraid of anything, was he? Not even Jiraiya had inspired such a reaction in him. Naruto remembered his master's words: the Kyuubi was too much even for him, and controlling it required controlling Naruto himself, something impossible to achieve.

With that thought in mind, he opened his eyes. He was alert but disturbed. The feeling I had experienced before was now confirmed as a real presence. Someone else was on his mind, along with the Kyuubi.

"I don't understand what you're saying." Naruto spoke in a firm voice, getting into a fighting position, despite being dressed only in his nightshirt and black shorts. "Answer me before I have to face you! Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The black figure formed a seal with his hands, but nothing happened, despite Naruto's expectations.

"I want to save you all..." Murmured the presence, whose gestures could hardly be distinguished in the darkness. 

"Go to hell!"

Naruto shouted, exhausted from the evasiveness and threats of the shadow. 

Without waiting any longer, he rushed forward. He was determined to face this unknown entity that had invaded his mind.

Suddenly, something stopped him in his tracks.

The environment changed in the blink of an eye. Déjà vu enveloped him, and suddenly, a multitude of voices, mostly children's, echoed in his head, but their words were lost in the cacophony.

Everything around him, normally grayish and dull, became a palette of colors that faded into nothingness, like a blackened and empty galaxy. It was as if he was seeing a world that did not belong to his subconscious. His heart was pounding, and he could feel the tremor that amounted to an earthquake.

"What's going on? What's happening outside?"

Naruto stopped abruptly when he saw him.

"Huh?"

"How...?"

"..."

"..."

A child.

The boy was not much younger than Konohamaru, with a dirty, disheveled face, wearing gray rags. His blonde hair was a mess, and Naruto noticed two whiskers on his cheeks. The blue eyes looked at him with even more surprise than Naruto felt.

The youngest boy was paralyzed, his nerves running high, and his eyes wouldn't leave Naruto's.

Naruto asked incredulously:

"So you're...? It's you? Just a child?"

The world around him crumbled as the sounds of both worlds mingled with the tremors outside. People were crying out for help, and buildings were shaking like jelly.

The last thing Naruto saw before being thrown out of bed by the tremor was the mark of a crescent moon on the boy's forehead, as a mass of white light forced him to look straight ahead.

"Boruto!!"

Sarada screamed as the lone Uzumaki's body tensed and he fell to the ground, his eyes as wide as pale eggs. Sarada Uchiha, who had been silent for days, screamed at the top of her lungs as she watched her childhood friend fall into the rain of whitish light.

At that moment, as if the same thought had crossed the minds of the three people at the same time, an individual concern invaded them.

"Eida...!" Sumire hugged Osuka with all her strength to protect her from the crowd and opened her eyes in surprise. "There is no doubt... The others don't see it, but we... That...! It has affected her too!"

"Sumire-san! Ah!"

Osuka stumbled, and her basket of flowers spilled on the ground. Sumire held it tightly, and seeing the flowers in terror, she felt a lump in her throat at the fateful idea.

He took Osuka by the shoulders and spoke loudly to her between the screams.

"Go home and protect yourself with others! Fast!"

The pink-haired girl answered him with a scream.

"And what will you do? And... Himawari-san!"

"I'm going to look for her!" Sumire let out a cry between her words. "Run fast and protect yourself! If Ro-san and Hinoko-san arrive, tell them where to find me."

"Yes!"

Driven by Sumire, Osuka ran no matter stepping on the flowers. Sumire used all her strength and ninja skill; the work she had left to others because she considered it too much for her.

"All in, now!"

The Great Elder roared like never before. His voice surpassed that of all the children, and the movements of his arm indicated that they should all go inward. Sarada realized that the old woman had noticed something.

"Don't stay in the moonlight! You are...!"

Suddenly, Sarada felt her heart pounding, as if it was the last time.

Only by instinct, he spotted his childhood friend, who was on his lap, unconscious. On his forehead, a crescent shone minimally, but in a hypnotizing way.

Sarada thought she had given it little importance, but her instinct screamed at her that no, that the fact that Boruto had that was a bad thing. Boruto had the Karma, and she had promised to protect him when Dad taught her the Chidori.

"What is it...?!" Hidan almost screamed. "What's that shit shining in your face?!"

"Do you think I'm going to know?!" Kakuzu protested. "She heard everything, I'm going to kill her. That doesn't matter."

The lavender-haired girl complained under Kakuzu's grasp. His eyes closed tightly and he gritted his teeth in pain.

She was being held by the collar of her sweater, and the man's height gave her a distinct disadvantage. His vision was blurred and the sound, very similar to the one that razed his home, faded in his ears.

She, with what little strength she had left, grabbed Kakuzu's wrist. He was trying to take a breath and think clearly, but it was all happening too fast and his limbs were barely responding.

Hidan complained, squeezing a swear word in a whisper.

"It's not that I wouldn't have done it, but I don't like to end up with children. They are too young to sacrifice! Jashin-sama only accepts people who have lived long enough to suffer the pain of loss!"

"Is that something official or something that you, like a madman, invented for yourself?"

"Neither one thing nor the other!" Hidan roared. "I am not opposed to doing so! But I'm very strict with my sacrifices! If I have an entire village to sacrifice, why waste my time with a little girl?! You want to collect the reward! No?! Do it then!"

Himawari complained again, opening his eyes to test his vision.

Kakuzu was watching her deeply. Like a mouse caught by a lion, Himawari felt helpless. He squeezed the man's wrist, which seemed to be made of steel or metal, and stood there.

The last thing he could do was move his feet suspended in the air, with little force to kick his enemy.

Kakuzu suspended his other hand in the air.

He squeezed it, spreading his fingers like sharp blades. His entire right arm took on a black hue and his eyes didn't lose sight of the fighting Hyuga.

But before he could make any more moves, a buzzing sound came at the speed of light. A sparkling, orange light shot towards him before he had time to react.

Although it did not hit him directly, it grazed his arm and the tree in which Himawari had hidden suffered the consequences, causing debris to fly and Himawari to be released in a storm of smoke and tremors.

"Kakuzu!

To Hidan's boo, the other ninja slipped onto his feet and appeared not far from Hidan's side.

"What was that?" Hidan asked. 

"What do I know..." Kakuzu replied. 

Himawari's cough echoed and soon after, some Shuriken emerged from the cloud of debris. Hidan simply deflected the Shuriken with simple movements of his scythe.

The two members of Akatsuki knew what that meant: they had been discovered. And they were not cowards, they had come for a goal and they would accomplish it.

"I see... So that's what it's all about." Kakuzu said. 

Hidan questioned beside him.

Kakuzu sharpened his gaze, trying to find more presences hiding around, but he only found those two people.

"Anbu from Konoha." He said. "Why am I not surprised that they have arrived so late? After all, they're known to die before anyone else in the village."

And he was right.

The people in front of Himawari in recovery were two Anbu from Konoha: a young woman and a large man.

The woman's brown hair was visible even under the mask, and the man maintained a firm posture, but he was ready to face anyone who challenged him.

However, for some reason, they both backed away once they saw the two members of Akatsuki.

Kakuzu, who was not in the habit of prolonging matches, found the situation amusing. But before he had a chance to say anything, a brief exchange of glances intensified.

As Hidan hurled his profanity into the air, a palpable tension enveloped them all. Not only Konoha, but the whole world witnessed that event.

A shockwave in the sky pushed them all away. Faster than the cataclysm, and much shorter than it. It was only a few seconds, but a deafening roar filled the air and a white gust streaked across the sky, dispelling the clouds and leaving them behind like dust.

The Sand Village staggered, while the metal that had shattered a hospital room was affected by the wave of light that threw it into uselessness.

In the sand dunes, the ninja children took refuge in the underground hideout, guided by the grandmother in charge of their protection, who stared stunned at the sky along with her followers, who had protected her from the wave.

In Konoha, a purple-haired girl was running to the outskirts, stopped by two Chunin on the way. His heart skipped a beat as he witnessed the event in heaven.

Despite her attempts to escape, an impact knocked her to the ground, causing a metal object to fall that resonated as it hit the ground.

Sumire was determined to continue, even though she felt dizzy. With effort, he raised his head and prepared to get up and continue his career.

But something on the ground caught his attention. A small, white glow that lit up the ground as his face approached. At that moment, the voices of the ninjas chasing her came closer.

"Stop there!"

On the outskirts, four ninjas were facing each other. A lavender-haired girl rose from the ground to stand behind the Anbu.

They muttered to each other, baffling their potential opponents. Confusion reigned both in them and in their opponents.

"What was that?" One of the Anbu asked. 

"I don't know, but it didn't come from here." The other replied, with a tone of voice that went so fast that it was abnormal how they understood each other. "They..."

"Yes." The woman confirmed, looking to the side. "It was Chakra. He shook the barrier. They will not be long in coming."

"Damn..."

"Hey! How much you whisper to each other, huh?!" Akatsuki's religious member protested, letting out his words furiously. "Any nonsense they make up won't stop me! No one is capable of killing me, damn you!"

The Anbu hesitated at the shout. They didn't seem willing to meddle in the fight they'd been involved in by a simple coincidence. The icy wind was increasing, and the shaking of the earth had stopped.

Himawari was panting heavily.

Hinoko, in her role as Anbu, could barely stifle a gasp. If he gave the enemy a chance, he could find his weak spot, and that wouldn't be ideal.

"Hey, hey, hey... What's all that madness?" Hidan exclaimed, holding his scythe as he shouted. "What's on that girl's face? And what about that in heaven? It has something to do with your Jinchūriki, doesn't it?!"

Both Anbu blanched at the question.

Himawari was still panting, knowing that his intentions to report had already been advanced by the enemy's mouth.

Both they and she knew who this Jinchūriki was. But, unlike little Uzumaki, they had realized the identity of this pair present: Akatsuki. A criminal organization that had hunted down the vast majority of the Bijuus, and from which one of the most powerful Uchiha emerged, Uchiha Obito.

"We have to go, we can't stay here." The woman whispered quickly to her partner. 

Neither of them took their eyes off the pair.

"We're between a rock and a hard place." He answered. "If we stay, we fight. We cannot evade such a taboo."

The Anbu woman clenched her fists and added:

"And if we run away with the girl... We will be misunderstood."

Ro's silence confirmed his dark assumptions. They were trapped.

They knew what was coming, what they were listening to. From among the trees, five minutes away, presences approached that, with each jump between the canopies, shortened the time to reach them.

Konoha had already surrounded them.