Watching Samui being escorted away by Konoha forces, Jiraiya couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
"Now that the Hidden Cloud Village has been crushed and lost nearly five thousand ninja in a single battle, they'll be licking their wounds for a while." He crossed his arms, satisfaction evident in his voice. "They won't dare attack Konoha again for the next five or six years. Hell, maybe no one will dare to attack us for the next few decades."
The battle had ended in an almost crushing victory. Konoha had defeated thousands of Cloud ninja without suffering a single casualty. The result would definitely send shockwaves through the entire ninja world.
As for Victor and the others who'd defeated the main force of the Hidden Cloud Village, their names would soon spread throughout every hidden village. And as allies of these powerful individuals, anyone thinking of attacking Konoha would first have to consider whether they could withstand Victor's wrath.
"Jiraiya, what are you thinking?" Victor's question pulled the Sannin from his thoughts. "Why are you just waiting for others to invade Konoha?"
Jiraiya blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"As long as the enemy isn't eliminated, they'll always be a threat." Victor's tone was matter-of-fact, almost casual. "One day, if they find an opportunity, they'll bite you again. Enemies like this should be completely destroyed with overwhelming force."
Jiraiya's eyes widened. "Do you want to destroy the Hidden Cloud Village directly?"
"It's not just the Hidden Cloud Village." Victor's smile turned cold. "We'll destroy all of them eventually. The entire ninja world needs to be unified."
The words hung in the air like a death sentence.
"That's too cruel! Many people will die!" Jiraiya's voice rose with alarm.
"Yes, but those who die will all be enemies."
"But even enemies are living people. How many families will be shattered?"
Jiraiya, who'd always believed himself destined to be a savior, found it difficult to accept such a dangerous ideology. He understood Victor was pursuing peace, a world where future generations could live without war. But he couldn't accept the idea of achieving stability through such brutal means.
Victor's response came with obvious exasperation. "Jiraiya, you're too naive. You've been a ninja for decades, don't you understand the saying 'To be kind to your enemy is to be cruel to yourself'?"
"Besides, a moment of slaughter will bring eternal peace to the future. Don't you understand that?"
"I can tell you this with certainty: the number of people who died in the First, Second, and Third Great Ninja Wars combined is probably more than the number who will die in what's coming next."
Jiraiya fell silent. He couldn't argue with that logic.
Can we really exchange a moment of slaughter for eternal peace in the future?
"Does Tsunade think the same way?" he finally asked.
Victor nodded. "Tsunade's already preparing to unify the ninja world. According to her original plan, the unification war would begin at the end of this year at the latest. However, the Hidden Cloud Village's sudden attack forced her to advance the timeline."
A long silence stretched between them before Jiraiya sighed heavily. "I understand. I have no objection to your plan. I just hope that during the unification process, you'll try to avoid harming civilians."
Even Tsunade thought this way. In the end, Jiraiya had no choice but to accept it. And he believed Tsunade wasn't a cruel person. Since she'd decided to unify the ninja world, she would definitely do her best to control the war and spare innocent lives.
"You don't need to worry about that," Victor assured him.
He turned to Kujo Sara, Nakiri Erina, and Nakiri Alice. "You three head back to Konoha and wait for me. I'll be back soon."
"Where are you going?" Sara asked immediately.
"To destroy the Hidden Cloud Village, of course."
Since they'd volunteered to die this time, he might as well start with them.
Erina frowned. "Don't you want us to come with you?"
Victor shook his head. "No need. The purpose of bringing you here has been achieved, after this bloody baptism, you're no longer just pretty faces. I need to make a quick strike next, so you don't need to follow. I can handle this alone."
Destroying the Hidden Cloud Village would be simple enough.
"Alright then."
Victor rose into the air. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to Jiraiya. "Take some people to the Land of Lightning. After today, the Hidden Cloud Village will no longer exist, but someone needs to take over that territory."
Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Understood."
The Land of Lightning. The Hidden Cloud Village.
A village built upon a mountain that towered into the clouds, perpetually shrouded in mist and deafening thunder.
BOOM!
A loud crash echoed throughout the Raikage's office, but this time, it wasn't caused by thunder. It was the final scream of the Raikage's desk as it shattered under his fist.
"What did you say?" The Fourth Raikage glared at his secretary Mabui in disbelief.
Mabui could only repeat the devastating news. "The frontline forces were defeated by Konoha. Some died, some were captured. No one escaped."
BOOM, !
Powerful blue lightning chakra exploded from the Raikage's body, his hair standing on end under the influence of his chakra. For a moment, he almost resembled a Super Saiyan.
"Are you kidding me? How could Konoha have such strength?"
It wasn't hard to understand that Konoha had defeated his ninja army. But the problem was that both the main force and the reinforcements had been crushed in less than half an hour. With Konoha's current known strength, there was no way they could defeat so many Cloud ninja in such a short time.
Mabui's expression remained grave. "It's hard for me to believe it either, but the message sent back by our spirit beasts can't be wrong."
"Damn Konoha!" Rage consumed the Raikage's features. He wished he could charge to the front lines immediately and slaughter every last Konoha ninja.
BOOM, !
Another massive sound reverberated throughout the Hidden Cloud Village, accompanied by violent tremors that shook the very foundations.
Both the Raikage and Mabui's expressions changed instantly. That noise clearly wasn't thunder either.
They both used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing outside in seconds.
What they saw made their blood run cold.
The entire Hidden Cloud Village had been split in two. A massive, bottomless chasm stretched from the south gate to the north gate, cutting through the heart of their village like a surgical incision.
"What happened?" Mabui's voice trembled with shock.
The Raikage's jaw clenched. He quickly looked up at the sky.
A slender figure stood bathed in sunlight, looking down at the Hidden Cloud Village below with cold indifference.
"Did you do this?" the Raikage demanded, his voice tight with fury.
"Yes."
Victor nodded slightly, his expression unchanged.
Hearing this confirmation, the Raikage could no longer suppress his rage.
Bang!
He stomped the ground with explosive force and launched himself toward Victor like a missile. Lightning chakra gathered around his arms as he accelerated, his body wreathed in crackling blue energy.
"Lightning Release: Liger Bomb!"