Chapter 78: Where Is My Home?

In the depths of night, darkness draped the sky like a pitch-black curtain, blotting out every trace of starlight.

Karn never slept through the night. With his current physique and energy, three hours of rest a day was more than enough to sustain him. In the evenings, he typically immersed himself in biological studies, unwilling to squander his innate talent—especially since any future pursuit of greater strength would surely depend on mastering the secrets of the human body.

He would never entrust his entire being to his researchers; at best, they might handle a portion of the work. The new Despair Virus offered little direct enhancement, but it functioned as a key unlocking evolution, enabling Karn’s body to continuously repair and optimize itself. Each iteration brought him closer to becoming the perfect life form.

As he accumulated more fused genes and abilities, his arsenal to confront danger would only grow, until, one day, he became truly omnipotent. Yet that road was distant. For now, he had merely fused with one set of Hashirama cells; with luck, the next would be the Phoenix gene and Dragon gene.

“Hm...” Karn’s gaze swept across the surroundings and suddenly he noticed several figures approaching his residence—no less than four, by his estimation.

Since the Cloud Shinobi incident, Karn had taken the opportunity of renovating his shop to reinforce his home as well: iron plates were installed beneath the floorboards to prevent intruders using Earth Style to tunnel in, and the cameras now boasted thermal imaging, making it easy to spot anyone in the dark.

“Sneaking around, and with so many at once... Hiruzen Sarutobi, you really...” Karn shook his head. No spy would ever act so brazenly, nor appear in such numbers at once. Did they take the Konoha Police Force for fools? This was not the post-Nine Tails Uchiha, after all; the Police Force was responsible for the village's security and patrolled every night.

“Hardly anyone around... This time, I’ll give you something memorable!” Karn’s resolve was ironclad—he would strike hard against Hiruzen Sarutobi, even if it meant sacrificing his own business. He retrieved twenty kilograms of TNT from his spatial backpack—a force sufficient to obliterate every structure within dozens of meters.

Half the street here had been redeveloped by Karn into a commercial district, and the local civilians had already been relocated, so there was no risk of collateral damage—at worst, he’d lose a shop or two. If Konoha refused to compensate him afterward, he would simply buy the area and rebuild.

“Oh? They’re setting up a barrier as well... then I’ll prepare a little extra.” Through the cameras, Karn noticed a faint blood-red barrier shimmering in the night sky—barely perceptible unless you looked closely. No matter which camera he checked, the barrier was visible.

Unconcerned by Konoha’s actions, Karn pulled out another thirty kilograms of TNT. The barrier’s range was small—just enough for the explosives’ power to be fully unleashed. He only hoped the barrier was sturdy enough; otherwise, the shockwave would spread much farther than intended.

“That should do it!” Sensing the approach of his assailants, Karn instantly teleported via his system to the Marvel world, then returned just as quickly.

Members of the ANBU and Root units crept silently through the windows, only to find the house apparently empty.

Karn’s residence was spacious—after years of acquisitions, he owned half the street. Behind the dessert shop was his living quarters and a sizable warehouse.

“Captain, something’s off—there’s no one here,” one ANBU reported after a sensory jutsu sweep. Apart from themselves, the house was deserted.

Yet just minutes before, they’d confirmed someone was home.

“Search for any possible hiding places!” the ANBU squad leader ordered. Twelve ANBU and eight Root operatives were involved, but only half had entered; the rest stood guard elsewhere inside the barrier, ready to intercept should the target make a break for it.

The house, about two hundred square meters, was quickly searched by ten men—but no trace of anyone was found. Eventually, they gathered in front of the TNT. One ANBU asked, “Captain, what’s this?”

“Some kind of clock, maybe? The time’s all wrong... Where did the target go?”

After setting up the barrier, they’d used sensory jutsu again—at the time, the target had still been inside. Now, he was nowhere to be found.

“Search—” The squad leader had only just spoken when a blinding flash lit up the room.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion ripped through the house, sending a scorching shockwave roaring out with earth-shattering force. Billowing smoke towered into the sky like a sandstorm, blotting out the night.

Scarlet flames blossomed with a macabre beauty, annihilating every structure within the barrier in an instant—like a garden of deadly, mesmerizing flowers competing for supremacy.

No one could have survived such devastation; even if Nawaki were thrown inside, the chances of survival would be less than one in ten. The Despair Virus could only repair a body if the head and most of the body remained intact—but fifty kilograms of TNT would reduce anyone to fragments. Even Kaguya’s blessing would not suffice to reassemble them.

The blast was so immense that the entire village of Konoha heard it; everyone, even those at the farthest edge, was startled awake by the thunderous detonation.

“What was that!?” Tsunade woke with a jolt, hastily covering her bare, fair skin, wiping the drool from her lips, and changing clothes before rushing outside.

“Kushina, stay home—there’s someone to protect you. Nawaki... never mind, come with me!” Tsunade had wanted her brother to remain at the clan compound, but he was already dressed in ninja gear while Kushina was still in her pajamas.

Others were similarly roused: Orochimaru, Jiraiya, Sakumo Hatake, Dan Kato, the Uchiha Police Force, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and the Hyuga clan all donned their flak jackets at once.

The blast was so shocking, they suspected the village was under attack.

“Danzo, what is the meaning of this?” Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face was ashen with rage. The explosion had instantly shattered the time-space isolating barrier; even the six ninja who had set the barrier were killed by the shockwave.

If the barrier team had fared so poorly, the ANBU and Root operatives inside must all be dead.

Three entire ANBU squads! The thought made Hiruzen’s heart bleed—his personal ANBU force numbered just over seventy, and now twelve were gone in an instant.

“How should I know? I was with you the whole time, Hiruzen. Do you suspect me?” Danzo’s face was equally grim. He, too, had lost two Root squads, and judging by Hiruzen’s tone, he was being set up to take the fall.

Impossible—absolutely not! True, it had been his idea, but only the Hokage could mobilize the barrier and sealing teams. The majority of the operatives had been ANBU—why should he bear all the blame?

“Hiruzen, you—” “Danzo, this is your failure tonight. You will confine yourself in reflection,” Hiruzen intoned gravely, the aura of a true shinobi hero radiating from him.

“The ninja world is ever on the brink of war. This matter must be swiftly resolved. However, I will not restrict Root’s movements—the village still needs their service.”

Given the intensity of the explosion, both Hiruzen and Danzo were certain Karn had survived; just as before, the enemy must have had a way to escape. They had underestimated him, thinking a time-space barrier would suffice to trap him.

“What happened here? Secure the area, search for survivors and bodies!” The Uchiha Police Force arrived first—armed guards were always on duty at night—so in the absence of Hiruzen and Danzo, they were first on the scene.

Surveying the devastation, the Uchiha immediately activated their Sharingan, scanning the area with utmost vigilance.

Soon the Hyuga, Ino-Shika-Cho, and other ninja clans arrived. The Police Force requested the Hyuga’s assistance—with their Byakugan, they could detect hidden dangers more effectively than the Sharingan.

One glance revealed this was a massive explosion; if any explosive tags remained, they would be in grave danger.

“What happened here? Where are the people inside?” Tsunade flashed to the scene, her fury erupting at the sight of Karn’s dessert shop reduced to rubble.

Seeing her about to charge forward, the Uchiha quickly intervened: “Lady Tsunade, please stay back—if there are unexploded tags, you could be hurt.”

Even they dared not approach until the Hyuga finished their inspection.

Jiraiya also stepped forward to restrain her. “Tsunade, let the Police handle this. There’s nothing you can do now. With a blast like this, there won’t be any survivors. If anyone was inside, it’s best to call the body recovery unit.”

Gradually, more and more ninja gathered. Hiruzen, Danzo, and the two elder advisors soon appeared as well.

“Captain Fuse, have the Police secure the perimeter. ANBU will take over here. The rest of you, return to your posts—we can’t let the enemy use this as a distraction. Once the facts are clear, I’ll convene a jonin council tomorrow,” Hiruzen ordered, swiftly organizing the scene and dispersing the crowd. He had no desire for anyone to see ANBU corpses dragged from the wreckage.

As the surrounding ninja began to disperse, a figure approached from afar. On seeing the destruction, he shouted loudly:

“What happened here? Where is my home?”

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Chapter 78: Where Is My Home?