"Good, good! What a touching father-son bond, what a deep ruler-subject relationship!" Uchiha Ryun stood atop the giant Buddha, clapping like a classic villain.
"Are you going to say next that Konoha is evil, that Uchiha Ryun is the sinner of the ninja world?" Ryun said coldly.
"Isn't that the case? You, Uchiha Ryun, are bullying us with your strength, picking on our Tsuchikage!"
"That's right! If you had this kind of power, why didn't you show it earlier? You just want to kill people, you demon!"
"Pah! The Uchiha clan has always been like this, warlike since the Warring States period, no wonder they were defeated by Lord Hashirama Senju!"
"If you're so capable, why don't you wipe out the other three great nations and all the minor countries too?"
The barrage of reckless comments below made the Konoha shinobi twitch. Some even insulted the Uchiha clan, stirring up old conflicts.
Ryun sneered at these insignificant voices. He had no interest in wasting words with them.
"Sage Art: True Several Thousand Hands, Top Transformation Buddha!"
The colossal Buddha's thousand arms stretched out and slammed downward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After more than twenty strikes, the Earth-Style Wall, even reinforced, began to crack. Ōnoki's face turned pale as he pressed his hands against the wall, channeling chakra to repair it.
"Get out of here!"
The True Several Thousand Hands continued its assault. By the fiftieth strike, a section of the wall shattered. Kitsuchi and the others, exhausting their remaining chakra, erected new Earth-Style Walls.
"Ants trying to shake a tree. You see me as a mayfly sees the vast sky!" Ryun's voice echoed as the Buddha's fists rained down. At the hundredth strike, the Earth-Style Wall finally collapsed.
Ōnoki slammed his hands on the ground, summoning an even larger and sturdier wall. He reinforced it with the Weighted Boulder Technique.
"All of you, retreat now!" Ōnoki roared, his hair disheveled, face twisted in desperation.
The True Several Thousand Hands kept attacking. After another three hundred strikes, Ōnoki's wall was also smashed to pieces.
Ryun's eyes gleamed with mockery. Did they really think they could stop him?
At that moment, the entire Iwagakure force—thirteen thousand shinobi—arrived. They leaped into formation, each casting Earth-Style Walls. Though inferior in quality to Ōnoki's, their sheer numbers created a defensive barrier.
Ōnoki trembled. "Leave! You are Iwagakure's future, its hope! You can't die here!"
Ignoring his own limits, he forcibly extracted more chakra to reinforce the walls, coughing up blood.
"Father! (Tsuchikage-sama!)" The shinobi cried out in concern.
"With twelve thousand of us, can't we defeat Uchiha Ryun?"
"That's right! What Lord Kitsuchi says makes sense. With the entire village's strength, how can we lose to one man?"
Ōnoki smiled bitterly. These shinobi had no idea what they were up against.
The True Several Thousand Hands kept striking. Though the Iwa shinobi's walls were weaker, their numbers made up for it, barely holding the line.
Orochimaru's expression darkened. 'Damn it, how did this escalate to a full-scale war?'
He had only brought three thousand Konoha shinobi, while the enemy had twelve thousand.
He quickly activated his communication device.
"Sensei! Ryun is single-handedly holding off twelve thousand Iwa shinobi with his Buddha!"
Silence fell in the Hokage's office. Orochimaru's voice, mixed with the sounds of destruction, sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Orochimaru, how is Ryun?" Tsunade demanded. Fighting twelve thousand alone—even her grandfather would struggle!
(Hashirama Senju: 'Would I?'
Madara Uchiha: 'Pathetic.')
"Hm? Tsunade? Ryun is just sitting on the Buddha, watching. The True Several Thousand Hands has already struck over six hundred times. The Iwa shinobi's walls keep breaking, but they keep making new ones." Orochimaru smirked, excitement creeping into his voice.
Tsunade's lips parted in shock. The others exchanged uneasy glances. How had Ryun grown so powerful after visiting the Sage Region? Fighting twelve thousand alone, forcing them into pure defense?
"Still, I'm worried Ryun might exhaust himself. I only have three thousand here, and the enemy outnumbers us four to one in open battle." Orochimaru voiced his concern.
"Lord Hokage, dispatch ten thousand reinforcements immediately! We must ensure the safe return of Konoha's Second Shinobi God!" Uzumaki Mito spoke up, her gaze pressuring Hiruzen.
Normally, she avoided using her status, but now, with her future grandson-in-law—the leader of the Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans—under siege, she had to step in.
Orochimaru stayed silent. Uzumaki Mito, wife of the First Hokage, carried immense authority.
Tsunade also turned to Hiruzen. Danzō and the other elders did the same. The pressure on Hiruzen intensified. Hearing 'twelve thousand' and 'Ryun might exhaust himself,' he felt tempted.
As Hokage, he had many concerns—Ryun threatening his rule, possibly usurping his position. Part of him wanted to refuse, to let Ryun be crippled or die.
But Mito's intervention forced his hand. If he refused and word got out, how would the village see him? Worse, Ryun was Mito's future grandson-in-law. If he died, she might turn on him, ending his reign.
Hiruzen immediately declared, "Send reinforcements! Ten thousand, as Lady Mito ordered." (Subtext: 'I agree, but Mito is responsible.')
Mito nodded. 'Fine, I'll take responsibility. If we save Ryun now, who will truly lead Konoha in the future?'
This was a clash between Konoha's noble clans and the civilian faction.
Hiruzen spread the order. The Uchiha, Senju, and Uzumaki clans mobilized fully—eight thousand shinobi, from genin to jōnin. The Ino-Shika-Chō sent all their jōnin—five hundred—while other clans contributed another fifteen hundred.
Their goal was singular: protect Uchiha Ryun, the Second Shinobi God.
Hiruzen's face darkened as he looked at Danzō, who ignored him.
Danzō was furious. 'Konoha has a guardian deity, and you hesitate? Is this how you honor the Hokage's legacy?'
Danzō commanded, "All forces, move out immediately! Uchiha Ryun's safety is our priority!"