The news of Saiki's arrival—how he had effortlessly slaughtered a combined elite squad of Stone and Rain ninja in a desolate valley—spread across the front like a plague.
This wasn't by chance. An invisible hand was carefully nudging the information along.
Orochimaru's network had already permeated every corner of the battlefield.
He didn't just exaggerate Saiki's terrifying strength; he deliberately leaked the boy's "background."
The new powerhouse of the Leaf. Tsunade's personal enforcer. Young, ruthless, and... currently hunting alone in enemy territory for a personal vendetta.
When the report reached the Iwagakure command post, Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, hovered in the air.
His tiny body radiated a suffocating pressure that filled the room.
The scroll before him detailed the "results" of the valley clash: Total annihilation. No survivors.
The scene was described as a bloodbath—severed limbs and pulverized meat, suggesting a strike of extreme velocity or an unknown lethality.
The attacker's strength was assessed to be far beyond that of a standard Jonin.
"Saiki... Shiroya..." Onoki chewed on the name.
His eyes, though aged, were brilliantly clear and burning with a cold light.
"The Lightning Fang of the Leaf... when did they produce such a monster? To take down a squad alone..."
"Lord Tsuchikage, according to our moles and the intel 'leaked' from Orochimaru's camp, this boy is a central figure in the recent coup. He possesses an undocumented bloodline or secret art. He is currently operating solo in our territory. His target is confirmed: Gari of the Explosion Corps."
The Jonin strategist delivered the report with a heavy voice.
"Solo? Seeking revenge?" A sneer of derision crossed Onoki's face.
"Arrogant brat! Does he think Iwagakure is a village of cripples?"
He slammed his hand onto the desk.
"Issue the order! Deploy the sensory units and the assassination squads! Find this boy. Once located, execute him on sight! Spare no expense!"
But Onoki was a cunning fox. Once the initial rage faded, he calmed down rapidly.
"The Leaf just underwent a violent purge. Tsunade's position is likely unstable. Why would she send such a vital asset on a suicide mission into our lines? Is it confidence, or a trap? Or perhaps... is she trying to get him killed to remove a threat to her own power?"
He pondered for a moment, a sharp glint in his eyes.
"Order all frontline units to high alert. Secretly begin massing troops near Kannabi Bridge. If the intel is true, this is a perfect chance to decapitate the Leaf's vanguard and seize control of the entire Land of Grass!"
An execution order, coupled with the command for a secret troop surge, was broadcast from the Stone command.
The air of the war zone grew hyper-tense because of one boy's intrusion.
...
In a far more secretive location deep underground, the massive Gedo Mazo loomed in the shadows.
A thick tube connected the statue to the withered figure at its base.
Madara Uchiha, even as he clung to life through artificial means, still had a fire burning in his ancient Sharingan.
White Zetsu merged out of the floor, delivering a comprehensive update on the front lines.
He detailed Saiki's massacre and his brief encounter with the Akatsuki trio.
"Oh? Yahiko's brats ran into him too?" Madara's voice was a raspy, low scrape. He sounded intrigued.
He had spent decades looking down upon the Shinobi world, but Saiki's sudden, explosive rise had finally caused a ripple in his stagnant mind.
At only ten years old, the boy demonstrated a level of power, temperament, and sheer lethality that defied logic.
To slaughter the Konoha Council on a whim...
Madara realized he was looking at the most terrifying talent he had seen in his entire long life.
"The boy is growing too fast. His heart is unreadable. If he continues to develop, he will become an uncontrollable variable in the Eye of the Moon plan."
A grim shadow passed through Madara's cold gaze.
His two most important chess pieces—Nagato, the vessel for the Rinnegan, still needed years of grooming.
And his intended enforcer, Obito Uchiha, was still a naive brat obsessed with "bonds" and "teammates."
Madara had briefly considered if he could engineer a scenario to "blacken" Saiki's heart, much like he planned for Obito.
He wanted to bring the boy under his thumb.
But after analyzing Saiki's actions and style, he discarded the idea.
Saiki appeared casual, yet he was fiercely autonomous. His will was like iron; he couldn't be manipulated by standard psychological traps.
More importantly, in his current state, Madara wasn't entirely sure he could take a healthy Saiki down, even with the Gedo Mazo's power.
Could he kill Tsunade to drive the boy into a rampage?
Ignoring the success rate, the current situation in the Leaf and the Uchiha's unrest had already delivered the Nine-Tails back into his hands.
That was a much "safer" investment than trying to catch a monster like Saiki.
"Fortunately... the Nine-Tails is secure." Madara looked up at the Gedo Mazo, sensing the massive chakra within.
"With its power, the Mazo is recovering. Perhaps... I can attempt..."
A blurry plan began to form in his mind—a plan targeting Saiki, and the rest of the world along with him.
Saiki had disrupted his rhythm, but he had also brought new possibilities.
The Ghost of the Uchiha began to weave a much more cautious web.
...
In the eye of the storm, Saiki seemed oblivious to the tremors he was causing.
Or rather, he simply didn't care.
He moved like a phantom in the dark.
Relying on his godly Divine Sense, he blurred through the forests and canyons of the front lines.
The Stone patrol squads and sensory ninja sent to find him were often dead before they even knew he was in the area.
His hunting was efficient, cruel, and absolute.
Whenever he encountered a squad, he crushed them with overwhelming force in seconds.
A flash of steel meant blood, decapitation, or a body shredded by lightning and vacuum-blades.
He remained perfectly clean, as if he were merely pruning weeds on a garden path.
Several days later, deep within a fog-shrouded forest.
A five-man Stone scouting unit was moving with extreme caution.
Suddenly, the ninja bringing up the rear collapsed silently. A hairline fracture appeared on his throat, followed by a spray of red.
"ENEMY!" the captain shouted, but his voice was cut off.
A silhouette moved through them like a ghost. The blade was a scythe of death.
SPLAT! CRACK!
The screams were short and panicked.
In less than three seconds, the four male ninjas were reduced to mangled corpses cooling on the mossy floor.
Only one remained: a female ninja.
She clutched her kunai, backing against a massive tree. She was shivering violently, her face devoid of color. Her eyes were wide with a soul-crushing terror.
She watched the demon-boy walk toward her. His steps were steady, his eyes flat. He didn't have a single drop of blood on his person.
Saiki stopped in front of her.
He didn't draw his blade. Instead, his right hand shot out like a viper, clamping around her slender throat and hoisting her off the ground.
The woman's name was Zilin. As Saiki noted, she was a first-class beauty with a stunning, curvaceous body that was highlighted by her tight-fitting Stone uniform.
Even in the grips of mortal terror, her delicate features were captivating.
She struggled fruitlessly, her legs kicking at the air as the shadow of death closed in.
"Where is Gari of the Explosion Corps?" Saiki asked.
His voice was a monotone of ice, as if he were asking for directions to a grocery store.
Zilin's pupils dilated. Her survival instinct finally crushed her loyalty.
She raised a trembling hand, pointing deep into the forest.
"S-southeast... thirty miles... the canyon... a hidden base... they... they use it... for resupply..."
To save her life, she sold out her village without a second thought.
Once the words were out, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end.
Saiki looked at her face—twisted by fear, yet undeniably exquisite.
He was silent for a moment.
He generally avoided killing women, especially those who were aesthetically pleasing (though he'd never admit that was a factor).
Besides, killing a high-quality "collection" piece felt like a waste of resources.
Furthermore, this woman had actually given him what he wanted.
Saiki wasn't a master of torture or Genjutsu interrogation; he'd been killing every squad he met because it was easier than talking to them.
Finding a shortcut was a pleasant surprise.
He released his grip.
Zilin hit the ground hard, clutching her throat and coughing violently.
She gasped for air, her relief at being alive mixing with the crushing guilt of her betrayal. Tears streamed down her face.
"Lead the way," Saiki said, his voice remaining cold. "Or die."
Zilin shivered, looking up into his bottomless eyes. She knew she had no choice.
The moment she spoke, she had crossed a line she could never return from.
She stood up on shaky legs. "...Follow me."
Under Zilin's guidance, Saiki soon reached the hidden canyon.
The entrance was masked by high-level Genjutsu and thick vines. Without a guide, it was practically invisible.
Saiki gestured for Zilin to stay outside. He melted into the shadows and entered the base alone.
The canyon was a bustle of activity—a forward supply hub for Iwagakure.
There were roughly twenty ninja stationed there. Among them, Saiki's senses locked onto a volatile, scorching chakra signature.
His target: Gari.
Saiki didn't bother with stealth. He stepped into the clearing.
"Who's there?!" "INTRUDER!"
The Stone ninja reacted with the speed of veterans.
A barrage of Ninjutsu and projectiles rained down on him instantly.
Fire, Earth, Wind, and Steel—they wove a dense web of death.
Faced with an assault that would have vaporized a standard squad, Saiki didn't even raise his arms.
Above his head, the white Auspicious Cloud manifested.
It began to rain a gentle, yet indestructible mist of spiritual energy, forming an absolute barrier around him.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Every strike—the raging flames, the crushing boulders—vanished the moment they touched the mist.
They were neutralized and extinguished as if they had never existed.
Kunai and shuriken bounced off the field with a rhythmic clink-clink-clink, unable to get within a foot of him.
"Impossible!"
"What kind of jutsu is that?!"
The Stone ninja were paralyzed by shock.
Then, Saiki moved.
He drew his blade. Sage Chakra condensed along the steel, radiating an edge that felt as if it could sever the soul.
He became a blur of motion, diving into the crowd.
No fancy moves. Just the geometry of slaughter.
A flash of white, and a Stone Jonin was bisected along with his sword.
A backhand sweep, and another head was sent spinning into the trees.
He sidestepped a stone spear, flicked his wrist, and the caster's heart was pierced before he could blink.
He was too fast. Too strong. The Auspicious Cloud made him an immortal god.
The Stone ninja's attacks were a joke, while his every swing was a funeral.
It wasn't a fight. it was a harvest.
Screams, roars, and the sound of steel shattering filled the canyon. The ground was quickly painted a slick, warm red.
Gari watched his men fall like wheat before a scythe, his eyes turning bloodshot with rage.
He let out a roar, his hands blurring into signs. "Blast Style: Landmine Fist!"
His right fist glowed with hyper-condensed explosive chakra, radiating a heat that distorted the air.
He lunged, aiming a full-power strike at Saiki's spine.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion swallowed Saiki's position, throwing up a mountain of dust.
Gari panted, a cruel smirk crossing his face. "Die, you brat!"
But as the dust settled, Saiki was still standing.
The mist from the cloud rippled slightly but didn't even flicker.
Saiki didn't even turn around. He reached behind his back and slashed.
The Stone ninja attempting a sneak attack from the rear was carved in half.
Saiki slowly turned to face Gari. The smirk on the captain's face froze, slowly being replaced by the ashen pallor of despair.
"Blast Style?" Saiki's lips curled into a faint, mocking sneer. "Is that all?"
Gari looked at his strongest strike. It hadn't even scratched the boy's barrier.
He looked at the corpses of his entire unit littering the canyon.
A bone-chilling dread traveled from his feet to the crown of his head.
The Blast Style he had built his legend on was nothing more than a child's toy to this monster.
"M-monster!" Gari's voice cracked. He turned to flee.
But Saiki wasn't done.
The blade flashed again.
It was like a glimpse of a falling star.
Gari's running motion froze. He looked down to see a perfectly smooth diagonal cut opening across his chest. Blood began to seep out.
He opened his mouth to speak, but only a thick froth of blood escaped.
His eyes went dull, and he collapsed into the dirt, his spirit departing his body.
The base was erased. Every Stone ninja was dead.
Saiki sheathed his blade. The Auspicious Cloud vanished into his body.
He stood in the center of the graveyard, his expression as peaceful as if he had just finished a walk in the park.
The thrill of revenge?
He didn't feel much. It was just a promise kept to his teacher. He felt a light sense of relief.
He walked out of the canyon.
Zilin was waiting there. Hearing the sudden, crushing silence and smelling the heavy scent of gore, her body began to shake again.
She looked at the boy with a fear that bordered on worship, mixed with an inexpressible confusion.
This youth was powerful, cold, and mysterious. He viewed human life as dust, yet he had spared her.
Saiki didn't look at her. He stared into the distance—toward the horizon where the main Stone army was massing.
Orochimaru's schemes. Onoki's traps.
He could feel the undercurrents. He wasn't blind.
"Who's next?"
He whispered to the wind.
His silhouette merged back into the shadows of the forest.
He was stepping deeper into the eye of the hurricane, one blood-soaked step at a time.
Trailing behind him, Zilin watched his back, her heart full of a nameless dread, wondering where her future would end.