Konoha: Starting by giving Hinata the Tenseigan!

"Nani???"

Inside the Hokage Tower, the elderly Third Hokage received the news and immediately activated his Crystal Ball.

Using his Telescope Technique, he observed the Hyūga Clan's situation and sensed that this giant black sphere was trouble.

He was about to continue watching how the Hyūgam and possibly the Uchiha police force, would deal with the black sphere when Hyūga Hiashi's attack unexpectedly sent it flying right toward the Hokage Tower?

No matter how he looked at it, something felt off.

"Enemy attack!"

"Protect the Hokage!"

"Defend the Hokage Tower!"

Near the Hokage Tower, the on-duty ANBU members noticed the falling black sphere at once.

"Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

Several figures leapt to the front of the tower, hands flashing through hand seals. In the blink of an eye, walls of earth and water rose from the ground.

But—

Boom!!!

They barely lasted a second. The barriers were pierced clean through, and the black sphere smashed into the Hokage Tower.

Rumble!!!

A lone figure streaked through the air as the once-imposing Hokage Tower instantly turned to rubble.

Wearing his kage hat and ceremonial robe, the Third Hokage landed on a nearby rooftop, his face grim.

"It's Lord Hokage!"

"Is he all right?!"

People rushed over from all directions. In the distance, large groups also converged on the scene, including members of both the Hyūga Clan and the Uchiha Clan.

"Hiashi, what is going on here? You must have a serious grudge against this old man!"

Hiruzen glared at the approaching Hiashi and demanded an explanation.

He had every reason to suspect this incident was orchestrated by the Hyūga themselves.

When Hinata was three, she was nearly abducted by a Kumogakure ninja but was rescued by Hiashi before they escaped.

The Kumo emissaries took advantage of that incident to stir up conflict, threatening war.

For the good of the clan and the sake of letting Konoha recover after the Nine-Tails' Rampage, the Hyūga had to sacrifice Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi.

Now it seemed very possible Hiashi was retaliating, staging some elaborate act, even destroying the Hokage Tower. 

Had Hiruzen not moved quickly enough, who knew if he could have escaped unharmed?

But he had to admit, this black sphere was indeed troublesome.

What a tumultuous time, he'd only just placed the plan with Uchinha on the agenda, and now the Hyūga were stirring up trouble too!

"I apologize, Lord Hokage! It was purely an accident," Hiashi said with some embarrassment.

"My daughter has disappeared, leaving only this black sphere behind. We have no idea how to deal with it. My earlier strike didn't actually shake it enough to send it here."

"Hmph!"

Hiruzen gave no further reply. His main priority right now was dealing with the Uchiha. He couldn't afford more surprises.

"Look, th-the black sphere hasn't vanished!"

At that moment, a ninja cried out. Sure enough, within the dust and debris of the collapsed building, the black sphere slowly rose again.

"What the hell?! Someone must be controlling it!"

"Could it be the one who controlled the Nine-Tails?"

"Do they really think they can waltz in and out of Konoha as they please?"

"All squads, tear this thing apart!"

With the Third Hokage's command, a dense flurry of ninjutsu and thrown weapons rained down.

Rumble!!!

The remains of the Hokage Tower were leveled completely in an instant.

"Damn…there were still some important documents inside."

Hiruzen's heart sank.

That was careless order!

When the dust settled, the black sphere appeared intact, hovering in everyone's field of vision. Then it began ascending even faster.

"Impossible!"

"So many people attacked at once, even a weaker Tailed Beast would've been blasted down with this much firepower!"

Everyone was in shock. This time, it wasn't just the Hyūga Clan, ANBU and the Uchiha had used their signature moves, and still it was useless.

"Could it really be that we have to do as Hiashi did and resort to taijutsu?"

"Be careful not to touch the sphere. So far, everything that's come into contact with it has dissolved."

Just as Hiashi prepared to launch another long-range taijutsu attack, the black sphere, which had stayed perfectly intact until now, began to crack apart and fold in on itself, revealing Hinata within.

"That…that's Hyūga Hinata!"

"It's Lady Hinata! She's safe!"

Down below, the Hyūga ninjas were overjoyed to see that Hinata, whom they'd been searching for, was indeed inside the black sphere.

At that moment, the black sphere condensed into a small, ping-pong-sized black orb, floating before Hinata's forehead.

Then Hinata slowly opened her eyes, and in her bright-blue pupils was reflected that tiny Truth-Seeking Orb hovering before her.

A streak of gold spread across the Truth-Seeking Orb, compressing it into a razor-sharp blade made entirely of light.

A terrifying aura swept over the scene.

Moments ago, Hinata had been dreaming that countless people were attacking her. 

She kept running until she couldn't run any further.

Facing what felt like a life-threatening, desperate situation, a new ability surfaced in her mind:

Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!

Normally, she wouldn't be able to use such a technique, but the residual power from her newly awakened eyes, combined with absorbing some of the energy from the countless attacks in her dream, finally enabled her to unleash it temporarily.

Her intent was clear.

Tear the villains who attacked her into pieces!

In a flash, she snapped her eyes open.

"Hinata!"

Someone called out, waking her.

Only then did she realize she was floating high in the air, with countless people below staring up at her in shock.

The villains, the ones she was about to destroy, turned out to be the residents of Konoha and her own clan.

"No, this isn't right!"

Realizing there were no actual enemies, the lethal aura spawned by her dream-state defense vanished.

But the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion was already in motion.

A crushing pressure loomed overhead, threatening to pulverize her.

I can't hold it in. I have to release it, but not down into the crowd!

"Everyone, get away! I can't control it anymore!"

Hinata shouted urgently.

"What kind of jutsu is that? That pressure is terrifying. That black sphere belongs to Hinata?"

"When did the Hyūga produce such a powerful ninja?"

"Listen! Lady Hinata seems to be yelling something."

All of Konoha's attention was fixed on the sky.

As the terrible aura intensified, everyone sensed imminent disaster.

"Don't cluster in the centre, SPREAD OUT!"

At the same time, another shout came from above. By now, the golden radiance atop Hinata's head was brighter than the sun.

"Everyone, scatter to the outskirts of Konoha!"

"All available shinobi, spread out and block off the main roads. Protect the civilians!"

Hiruzen made a snap decision, issuing orders immediately. 

He himself wasn't sure he could withstand a direct hit from that kind of power; the best option was to evacuate everyone as quickly as possible.

"Yes, sir!"

All the shinobi began evacuating civilians from the area, erecting defensive jutsu along Konoha's major streets.

Just when Hinata could no longer suppress this power and tried her best to fling it away from the crowds—

A figure flashed through the air.

With a simple beckoning gesture of his right hand, a powerful gravitational force eased Hinata's burden.

In the next instant, the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion whistled forth!

Buzz!!!

Originally, it would have sliced Konoha clean in half. 

But with that intervention, it veered off course, cutting past Konoha and landing outside the village.

Swiizzz!!!

Rumble!!!

Like a chasm opening from the heavens, it split the forest outside of Konoha right down the middle.

A massive canyon stretched beyond the edge of sight.

Boom!!!

Crack!

The final fissure extended all the way into another of Konoha's famous landmarks, the Hokage Rock, and it happened to slice the Third Hokage's face in half.

Hiruzen's mouth twitched at the ominous sign, an uneasy feeling welling up in his heart.

Gazing at the canyon that disappeared into the horizon, all of Konoha fell silent…

And in the sky, there quietly floated two small silhouettes…