Chapter 1170 Bloody Dawn

The sirens of Konoha Village ripped through the morning tranquility.

Naruto stood atop Hokage Rock, his deep blue cape lifted by the morning breeze. He gazed at the crimson mist spreading across the eastern sky, the Rasengan in his palm faintly burning. That wasn't just ordinary ninjutsu mist, but a blend of bloodline limits and forbidden techniques, the "Bone-Eroding Mist," capable of disintegrating a ninja's chakra network within ten minutes.

"Seventh Hokage, urgent news has arrived from the Sunagakure border: the Hollow Organization has breached the third line of defense." Shikamaru's voice was unusually solemn. On the scroll in his hand, red dots representing the enemy's presence were devouring the coalition's defenses at an alarming rate. "The jutsu they're using is very strange. It seems... they've compressed the tailed beast's chakra into a solid weapon."

Naruto's pupils shrank. The peace treaty that ended the Fourth Shinobi World War fifteen years ago had ultimately failed to curb human greed. The "Hollow," centered around the remnants of the former Akatsuki organization, declared their intention to completely destroy all ninja villages and establish a so-called "Ninja Paradise without Borders," while secretly plundering the remaining chakra of the Tailed Beasts from various nations.

"Any news from Sasuke?" "Eagle Squad is pursuing the enemy leader, Mukuro, but he seems to be able to tear through space and make short jumps." Sakura's medical ninja kit made a metallic clanging sound, and the ninja hospital behind her had a red light on. "The wounded are being sent back continuously, and their chakra pathways seem to have been corroded by strong acid."

Before he could finish his words, the ground suddenly shook violently. Three giant wolves covered in bone armor burst through Konoha's east gate, their fangs dripping with slime, corroding the stone slabs into honeycomb-like holes. Konohamaru, guarding the gate, formed hand seals with his hands: "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" The crimson fireball slammed into the giant wolf, only stirring up a puff of white smoke. The monster shook its head, dark red chakra seeping from beneath its bone armor. "Is this what you call the ninja coalition? They can't even catch the scraps of the tailed beasts."

Naruto vanished instantly. When he reappeared, he was standing atop the giant wolf. His fist, brimming with senjutsu chakra, brought down with it a powerful force, creating web-like cracks in the wolf's solid bone armor. "Don't underestimate us!" The wolf roared in pain, and the other two immediately turned and lunged. Chakra erupted from Naruto's feet, slicing golden arcs through the air. Three successive spiral shurikens precisely struck the monster's joints—the weak points of chakra flow. Fifteen years as Hokage had given him a deeper understanding of the tailed beasts' chakra than even the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of his day. "Seventh Daeme!" Boruto arrived with the new generation of ninja, blue lightning techniques crackling in his palms. "Let's join the fight!" Naruto gazed at the young faces, suddenly remembering himself fifteen years ago. He grinned, the Nine-Tails' chakra coalescing behind him into a giant fox-shaped phantom. "Alright, let's show them just how strong Konoha's new generation is!" On the battlefield of Sand Village, Sasuke's Susanoo clashed with Mukuro's Bone Prison.

The other party manipulated the chakra of the tailed beasts plundered from various countries, solidifying it into thorn-like bone spikes, each one containing enough power to pierce Susanoo's armor. "Uchiha remnant, you should understand the corruption of the ninja village system."

Mukuro's voice rang out from the bone spurs, carrying the texture of metallic friction. "Only by destroying all villages and allowing chakra to return to nature can the war end." Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotated, black magatama flowing in his blood-red pupils. "You are just like Obito back then, using destruction to cover up your ambitions."

He lashed out his sword, and a flash of light from his Kusanagi sword arced across the air, severing the incoming bone spurs. "True peace lies not in destroying the past, but in reminding those who survive of the pain of war." Six pairs of wings unfurled from Susanoo's back, each feather a razor-sharp blade of light. As the rain of blades descended, Sasuke loomed behind Mukuro, the tip of his sword only three inches from his throat. Mukuro's body suddenly transformed into countless leech-like streams of chakra, reorganizing ten meters away. "You cannot kill me. I have become one with the chakra of the tailed beasts." Sasuke did not pursue.

He looked at the red mist that was expanding in the distance, and suddenly remembered Naruto's words before he left:

"We must not only win this war, but also ensure that future generations will never have to experience it again." At dawn, the coalition's counterattack finally began.