There was no doubt about it—Yuki Yoru's current power level was overwhelming. And to Reverse Summon such a being required an astronomical amount of chakra.
Moreover, the duration of that summoning would decrease significantly depending on how much power Yoru unleashed while summoned.
After just two attacks, Yoru's summoning time had already been drastically reduced. At this point, Ichikishimahime had to speak up, warning him not to keep showing off. If he overextended before things were resolved, she'd run out of chakra first and be forced to cancel the Reverse Summoning.
Of course, even this was already a best-case scenario. If the summoner weren't Ichikishimahime, but instead someone like Uchiha Fugaku or Hyuga Hiashi, they likely wouldn't even have been capable of maintaining the Reverse Summoning at all.
When she spoke up, a glimmer of hope actually sparked in the eyes of the Fourth Raikage and the two Jinchūriki.
If the Reverse Summoning technique could no longer be maintained, then Yuki Yoru would be forcibly sent back to Kirigakure. And then...
"If that's the case, you should return first," Yoru said casually.
He glanced at Ichikishimahime, a soft blue light rising around him.
Just moments earlier, Ichikishimahime had felt her Senjutsu chakra draining like water from a pump. But suddenly, that flow ceased—and the Reverse Summoning connection between her and Yoru vanished altogether.
He had just manually terminated the Reverse Summoning, and stabilized the spatial energy in the process?
To confront spatial forces with his own power and dissolve them at will... was that something a normal person could do? Even the White Snake Sage would need time to prepare for something like that.
Is this guy... even human?!
"...Then I'll take my leave," Ichikishimahime muttered.
Her shock and disbelief remained unspoken as she dissolved into a puff of smoke and vanished.
That last thread of hope in the hearts of Kumogakure's shinobi... completely shattered.
Especially the proud, headstrong Fourth Raikage.
Even before Yoru's rise to fame, the Raikage had taken notice of him. After all, during the Third Great Ninja War, he'd already tasted defeat at the hands of Konoha—by the Yellow Flash himself.
So when someone appeared who had singlehandedly destroyed Konoha, the Raikage immediately gathered every bit of intelligence he could on Yuki Yoru.
Master-level kenjutsu, Ice Release capable of freezing entire landscapes and manipulating weather, speed rivaling Space-Time Ninjutsu, and even mastery of a unique space-time technique equal to the Yellow Flash.
These three elements formed the foundation of Yoru's combat system during the Third Ninja War.
However, following the war, rumors began to emerge about strange things like "Soul Master," "Shinigami from the Soul Society," and "Spiritual Power."
The Raikage had dismissed these as misinformation—fabrications by Kirigakure to confuse and distract.
Fake news!
After all, how could someone develop such completely unheard-of powers in just a few years? It had to be a smokescreen.
But once Shinigami from the Soul Society began to appear openly in the Shinobi World—when they even aided Konoha during the last war against Kumo—the Fourth Raikage could no longer deny it.
Those so-called rumors... weren't lies.
And now, as he witnessed Yoru's strength firsthand—on a level utterly beyond his own—it was clear.
"A monster like you..." the Raikage growled hoarsely, his voice cracked with emotion. "Forget Konoha. There's no one in the entire Shinobi World who can stop you."
"You have the power to topple everything, and yet you—someone who seized power from the Third Mizukage, someone with such overwhelming ambition—why the hell would you choose to do nothing?!"
"Topple everything?" Yoru chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That's the problem with people who never leave their own little worlds. You really think the power I possess is enough to overturn the Shinobi World?"
There had always been people in this world—people who, the moment they acquired a bit of power, couldn't wait to jump out and proclaim their dream of unifying the world.
Like Seimei of the Village of Artisans, Hiruko with his forbidden kekkei genkai fusions, the demon Mōryō...
And yet, without exception, they had all ended up as side quests for the protagonist. Nothing more than stepping stones.
The Shinobi World... was never that simple as it appears on the surface!
Even Nagato, who considered himself a god, and the Six Paths of Pain, who dominated the shinobi world for decades, had only just begun to glimpse the threshold of the shinobi world's true powers.
The Old Gods from the Sage of Six Paths' era still clung to life, buried deep beneath volcanoes, healing in the dark.
Even the Shinobi World's Asura, Madara Uchiha, and the God of Shinobi were merely minor skirmishes.
After the deaths of Hagoromo and Hamura, the Ōtsutsuki of the Moon, with their massive Tenseigan, remained silent watchers. They had power enough to destroy the world, yet never dared set foot back in the Shinobi world.
The Three Great Sacred Lands have ancient traditions, and their three Sages possess profound foundations, foretelling the future, discerning destiny, and being inscrutable as gods and demons, yet they can only remain confined to their sacred lands, daring not to act rashly.
This world has never been simple, and they know it deeply. Thus, they dare not act rashly, dare not easily disrupt the hard-won balance of the shinobi world.
And Yoru understood that better than anyone.
It was true—his current strength surpassed that of Madara and Hashirama. But compared to the real monsters, he still had a ways to go.
The Sages of the Three Great Sacred Lands. The Sage of Six Paths in the Pure Land. Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, licking his wounds in a dimensional space. And the far-off alien Ōtsutsuki clans who might descend upon Earth at any time...
A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall.
The first one to stick their neck out is always the one shot down.
Until his grand plans were fully in place—until he reached the pinnacle—Yoru had chosen to proceed with careful restraint.
"The Shinobi World is vast. Far more vast than just the Five Great Nations and a few minor villages. Even I can't do everything you think I can."
"Even if I hadn't stepped in today, Konoha would never have fallen to the three of you. "Let's not forget—Minato's son has already been chosen by the toads of Mount Myōboku as their next 'Child of Prophecy'. Do you think they'd just sit and watch?"
"Mere Mount Myōboku!" the Raikage growled—but even he couldn't hide the hesitation in his voice.
Everyone knew the Three Great Sacred Lands were on a whole different level.
Even the Five Great Nations were wary of getting on their bad side.
"Sometimes, knowing your limits is the only way to avoid paying a price you can't afford." Yoru's voice remained calm as his gaze drifted toward the distant forest.
He could already envision Fugaku reaching the front lines and crushing Kumo's elite troops.
"Three thousand elite shinobi dead. It'll weaken Kumo for a few years at most. But if the three of you die as well... what do you think that means for Kumogakure?"
"It would be like a tiger losing its claws... a swordsman losing his blade... a ninja without chakra."
"Without military strength, Kumogakure will become a fat slab of meat—ripe for the picking—especially now, right after a major war. I'd say... give it a month, and the entire Land of Lightning might be devoured."
"Bastard...!"
That future. That price. That fate.
For the man who had inherited the title of Raikage from his father—the one who dreamed of building Kumo into the greatest hidden village—that was an unacceptable outcome.
"Yuki Yoru..." the Raikage snarled, eyes burning. "What the hell do you want?!"
This man's power was no longer something he could contend with.
If Yoru had the strength to kill them outright—but instead stood here talking so much—it could only mean that they still held something he wanted.
Something more valuable than crushing the Land of Lightning.
Like...
Kumogakure and the Land of Lightning becoming vassals to Kirigakure.
Exploitation of their industry, commerce, population, and resources.
A new site for unethical human experiments and soul research.
"I simply don't want to see people with potential waste away due to ignorance and bad intel." Yoru shrugged.
The Raikage's eyes were filled with rage and unwillingness. Deep down, he wanted nothing more than to cut Yoru into pieces—to annihilate this bastard threatening his homeland.
His pride and honor screamed at him to refuse.
But the weight of responsibility—as Raikage, as son, as protector of his people—crushed down on him like a mountain.
"The Land of Lightning will not fall in my hands... and it will not become someone's colony."
"Naturally," Yoru replied, his tone easy. "I've always respected the customs and autonomy of different lands. I'm not some greedy capitalist. In fact, you could take Konoha as your model."
"At most, I'll just transfer a few... experimental policies and reforms to your territory—things not quite ready to be tested in the Land of Water."
"Aside from that, I won't interfere too much in your domestic affairs. For instance, I'll implement the same policies from the Land of Water here—mutual benefit and shared development."
"So, Raikage—do you want to die and watch the Land of Lightning carved up from the Pure Land? Or stand beside me and secure your nation's future? The choice is yours."
"...Do I even have a choice?" the Raikage muttered.
After a long silence, his towering frame seemed to deflate. He slumped to the ground.
Eyes fixed on the sky, he saw flashes of the past—his father, the Third Raikage, holding off ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi alone, entrusting the village to him before falling in battle.
And now...
"I hope you mean every word you said," the Raikage whispered bitterly, closing his eyes.
"Of course. I always keep my promises."
Yoru smiled, producing a scroll from his sleeve and handing it to the Raikage.
"All the preliminary terms are listed here. If you hurry to the front lines, you might still be able to bring one or two thousand of your shinobi home."
"Oh, and one piece of advice."
"Don't take your Tailed Beasts into battle unless it's absolutely necessary. There are a lot of people in the Shinobi World watching them—people Kumo can't afford to provoke. If you don't want to lose them and force me to kill them... keep them home."
"Also, if you're still interested in using dōjutsu to refine your Lightning Release Armor, your country actually has a dōjutsu clan."
"The Chinoike clan."
"In terms of strength, they're not necessarily weaker than the Sharingan. The reason they've disappeared lies with your own Daimyō. If you want dōjutsu, start with them."
The Chinoike clan?
The Raikage blinked. He'd never even heard of that clan.
But if Yoru mentioned them, then they must be real.
Maybe—just maybe—Kumogakure could develop its own kekkei genkai after all.
He clutched the scroll tightly, took a deep breath, and then burst into lightning—racing into the distance.
The two Jinchūriki, now freed from their restraints, looked uneasily at Yoru. Once they were sure he wouldn't make any sudden moves, they rushed to follow the Raikage.
Yoru smiled faintly, then glanced toward a certain corner of the forest.
A pale yellow beam of light engulfed him—and he vanished.
Long after they were all gone... a pair of black-and-red eyes remained in the shadows, filled with a storm of conflicting emotions.
"He definitely noticed you, Obito."
"I know. He took the brunt of the Reverse Summoning's spatial backlash directly. His grasp of space-time ninjutsu has only deepened." Obito's eye narrowed with a bitter smile. "He never even considered me a threat. To him, I'm just a clown."
"But that's our chance," Black Zetsu said, voice excited. "Arrogance is the downfall of the strong. If we can seize this moment—we might turn the tide."
"Besides... we're only one Kekkei Genkai away from completion."
"But can Nagato really hold off Yuki Yoru?" Tobi asked, uncertain. "He crushed the Fourth Raikage and two perfect Jinchūriki like they were nothing."
"If it's raw power... I know someone."
Black Zetsu fell silent for a long moment.
"With that person, we might not defeat Yoru—but stalling him? Definitely possible."
"There's someone else that powerful in the Shinobi World?" Obito frowned. "Are you sure we can control them?"
"This is the trump card Madara left me. I've never wanted to use it unless absolutely necessary."
"And as for control... that's not a problem."
"Because that person..."
"...is Uchiha's Ultimate Weapon."