Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bodies fell one after another, slamming into the ground with deafening force.
The earth trembled continuously, as if a massive earthquake had struck.
The echoes of impact rolled across the battlefield, spreading far into the distance. Soon after, the thick smell of blood filled the air, so heavy that even those several kilometers away could sense it.
It was overwhelming.
After all, it was the blood of over thirty thousand shinobi, pooling together across the land. Calling it a river of blood was not an exaggeration.
Time passed, though no one could tell how long.
Eventually, the tremors faded. The noise died down.
Silence took over.
Across the battlefield, corpses lay scattered in every direction, unmoving, lifeless. The dark mass stretched endlessly, enough to make anyone's scalp tighten at the sight.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Every shinobi present stood frozen, as if turned to stone. Many had even forgotten to breathe, their eyes locked onto the scene before them.
It made no sense.
It took several seconds before the silence shattered.
"How is that possible? The Fifth Hokage wiped out thirty thousand shinobi with a single strike?"
A sharp intake of breath followed.
"This is insane… is he even human?"
"They didn't even get close to him…"
Disbelief spread like wildfire.
A force of thirty thousand shinobi, even standing still, would be enough to crush morale.
Yet in front of Uchiha Ryūjin, they had been erased without resistance.
What kind of monster was he?
"…This is ridiculous."
Even Obito could not hide his shock.
He had believed Ryūjin would win, but not like this.
Not so easily.
"The Allied Forces… wiped out just like that…"
Nara Shikaku stared blankly at the battlefield, his voice low and unsteady.
Even Konoha's own shinobi were shaken.
That single strike had rewritten everything they thought they knew about power.
Then it hit him.
"We won… Konoha actually won."
Shikaku's voice trembled, excitement breaking through the shock.
This victory meant more than survival.
It meant dominance.
The era of the Five Great Villages was over.
From this point on, there would only be one true power in the Ninja World.
Konoha.
Hizashi, Ibiki, and the others quickly realized the same thing. The shock on their faces turned into something else, something sharper, something almost feverish.
A faint distortion appeared in the air.
A spiraling vortex formed.
Ryūjin stepped out of it.
His expression had not changed.
It was as if he had done nothing worth mentioning.
"Hokage-sama!"
Shikaku and the others bowed deeply, their voices filled with respect, even reverence.
At this moment, their loyalty had solidified completely.
"I'll leave the rest to you," Ryūjin said casually.
Without waiting for a response, he vanished again into the vortex.
Only after he disappeared did Shikaku and the others straighten up and begin issuing orders to handle the aftermath.
The war was over.
The invasion led by Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure had ended in total annihilation.
When the news spread, the entire Ninja World erupted.
"He killed thirty thousand shinobi with one strike!"
"This is beyond anything we've ever seen!"
"He's surpassed the God of Shinobi!"
"There's no Five Great Villages anymore, only Konoha remains!"
"Unless the Sage of Six Paths himself appears, no one can stop him!"
Everywhere, people spoke of Uchiha Ryūjin.
Fear. Shock. Awe.
All of it mixed together.
One conclusion became universal.
No matter what, do not provoke him.
Do not touch Konoha.
On December 12th, Year 51 of Konoha, Uchiha Ryūjin wiped out the Allied Forces alone.
From that day on, his name became a taboo.
Within Konoha, however, the reaction was completely different.
His popularity soared to unprecedented heights.
Even Senju Hashirama's legacy was overshadowed.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Hokage-sama!"
Whenever Ryūjin appeared, crowds gathered instantly.
People treated him like a living legend. Young girls approached him with flowers, asking for attention, their faces flushed with excitement.
At first, he found it entertaining.
After a few days, it got old.
So he stopped going out.
December 15th.
Hokage Office.
"Hokage-sama, after discussions with Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, a preliminary armistice agreement has been drafted."
Nara Shikaku placed a document on the desk.
"Please review it. Let me know if anything needs to be changed."
Ryūjin flipped through it briefly.
Terms, conditions, compensation.
The defeated villages would pay heavily despite their losses.
He closed it and handed it back.
"Handle it."
Shikaku accepted it without hesitation.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Anything else?"
"No."
"Then leave."
Once Shikaku was gone, Ryūjin summoned the leaders of ANBU and Root.
"Maintain basic defense," he said. "Everything else, spread out and search for the Four-Tails and Six-Tails jinchūriki."
They acknowledged the order and disappeared.
He gave the same instruction to Orochimaru's side, including Kisame.
Even so, Ryūjin knew this would not be quick.
The Ninja World was vast. Finding two people who were actively hiding was not simple.
There had been no progress so far.
Most likely, they had already gone underground after hearing the news.
That only made things more troublesome.
There was also the Sage of Six Paths to consider.
If he interfered, things could become even more complicated.
Ryūjin clicked his tongue softly.
"If I had White Zetsu, this would be easy."
They could travel anywhere using the Mayfly Technique.
Perfect for gathering intelligence.
"…Guess I'll talk to Black Zetsu."
With that thought, he vanished.
A vortex opened.
The next moment, he appeared in the Kamui dimension.
Dark. Silent. Empty.
Floating in the void was a massive sphere, formed by Chibaku Tensei.
Inside it was Kaguya's prison.
Ryūjin glanced at it briefly.
A thousand years trapped like that.
He shook his head.
"Yeah, that's rough."
His eyes shifted.
The Tenseigan activated.
A golden blade formed.
With a single motion, he cut the sphere open.
Black liquid flowed out.
Black Zetsu.
The White Zetsu body it had possessed was long gone, crushed by the pressure.
"Uchiha Ryūjin…"
Black Zetsu's voice carried both shock and caution.
"Why release me? What are you planning?"
"No need to get worked up," Ryūjin replied. "We're not enemies."
Black Zetsu stared at him, silent.
"You're only against me because of Kaguya," Ryūjin continued. "That's not personal."
"…Who are you?"
The question came out low and tense.
"How do you know all this?"
"Doesn't matter," Ryūjin said. "What matters is this, do you still want to bring her back?"
Black Zetsu's reaction was immediate.
"There hasn't been a single moment in a thousand years where I didn't!"
He paused, then narrowed his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"Simple. Help me find the Four-Tails and Six-Tails jinchūriki within three days. I'll bring Kaguya back."
Black Zetsu did not answer immediately.
Instead, he asked, "You know the Eye of the Moon Plan. You know the Tailed Beasts are necessary. So what exactly are you planning?"
If Ryūjin intended to become the Ten-Tails jinchūriki, then cooperation was impossible.
Ryūjin looked unimpressed.
"Pointless question."
He leaned slightly, his tone dismissive.
"I get what you're worried about. But the Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails belong to Konoha now. I'm not handing them over."
"Then how do you expect to revive her?" Black Zetsu snapped.
Ryūjin let out a quiet scoff.
"You're more rigid than I thought."
He looked directly at him.
"There's more than one way to bring Kaguya back. The Eye of the Moon Plan isn't the only option."