Land of Wind.
At this moment, Sunagakure was shrouded in a bleak atmosphere.
Facing Tsunade and Orochimaru's powerful army, they had been retreating step by step!
By now, more than half of the Land of Wind's territory had been lost. Sunagakure could only huddle together, barely slowing Tsunade and the others' advance.
And yet, they had never even seen the legendary Uchiha Kaede.
Rasa and Chiyo didn't dare to imagine—if Uchiha Kaede himself arrived, would they crumble instantly?
"What should we do? Are we really going to submit to Uchiha Kaede?"
Chiyo looked at Rasa with a pained expression. At her age, her greatest fear was seeing Sunagakure vanish from history in her hands.
Rasa sighed, his face full of hesitation.
"Let's… wait a little longer."
Truth be told, he had long since considered surrendering. Continuing to resist would only guarantee Sunagakure's destruction.
But he didn't want to submit to Tsunade and the others—at least let him meet Kaede, the true leader behind this, so he could save some face.
The two fell silent.
After a long pause, Chiyo sighed. "Forget it… just a few years, right? No matter how powerful a man is, there will come a day when he dies."
Rasa stayed quiet, but he shared the same thought. Seeing this old relic finally relent brought him a measure of relief.
"Then… we'll wait a bit longer."
They had reached a consensus.
Suddenly—
"Bad news!"
A Suna ninja rushed in, panic in his voice.
"Tsunade and Orochimaru… they're leading an attack again!"
"What?!" Rasa's brow furrowed deeply.
"Didn't they just attack yesterday? Why are they coming again?!"
Chiyo shook her head and sighed. "They don't intend to give us any time to recover."
Rasa snorted coldly. "Hmph! Without Uchiha Kaede, what's there for them to be so arrogant about? Come on! If they want to fight, we'll give it back to them hard!"
Rasa and Chiyo left the command tent, rallied their forces, and moved to confront Tsunade's army.
Looking at the Suna troops, Tsunade frowned slightly.
"It seems you really don't know what's good for you."
She had already given Sunagakure plenty of chances over the past two days, yet each time they chose to resist. Her patience was now gone.
"Tsunade!"
Rasa stepped forward, his face cold. "Do you really have to push us to extinction?!"
Tsunade curled her lip. "I've already given you a chance—you didn't cherish it. Since you chose resistance, be ready for your entire village to be wiped out!"
With a wave of her hand, several figures leapt to her side—Orochimaru, Mifune, the Three Snake Princesses. Other than Naruto, who was enjoying time with his loved ones, all the Kage-level fighters were here.
"Damn it!"
Rasa's pupils shrank. In the last two days, facing Tsunade and Orochimaru going easy on them had already pushed him and Chiyo to their limits.
Now, with these additional fighters…
He swallowed hard, reconsidering whether he should surrender now.
What was he waiting for Uchiha Kaede for? The people in front of him could destroy Sunagakure right now.
Just as he was about to speak, a cold voice cut through the air:
"Oh? You haven't finished here yet?"
Tsunade and the others knew immediately—Uchiha Kaede had arrived.
The next second, Kaede descended from the sky.
"It seems you truly don't know your place."
Gazing at the stiffened Sunagakure army, Kaede narrowed his eyes and raised his hand.
"In that case, there's no need for you to exist."
"Wait!"
Rasa's face went pale as he quickly spoke up. "Don't misunderstand—we are willing to submit! But we only wanted to submit to a true powerhouse like you, so we waited for your arrival!"
Hearing this, Tsunade and the others glared. Were they being looked down on?
Tsunade snorted. "If it weren't for you possibly being useful to Kaede, I alone could destroy you."
With Sage Mode in her grasp, Tsunade's power had skyrocketed. She wasn't afraid of Rasa, Chiyo, or even Shukaku together.
Kaede raised his hand to stop her, then said:
"I think you've misunderstood something. The reason I offered you the chance to submit wasn't because I valued you—it's because I couldn't be bothered to waste effort on ants. But now that you've wasted my time… you must pay the price."
He extended his hand toward the Suna forces.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A massive repulsive force exploded outward!
In an instant, Sunagakure's formation shattered. Countless Suna nin were flung into the air, coughing blood as they crashed to the ground under the crushing force.
"Not bad." Kaede nodded in satisfaction at the technique, then turned away, not sparing them another glance.
"Kill them."
Tsunade and the others charged, beginning the slaughter.
Those who had just faced Kaede's Shinra Tensei had already lost their fighting ability. Even Rasa and Chiyo were heavily weakened—there was no resisting the onslaught.
The golden sands soon turned crimson, screams echoing across the desert.
Kaede, however, had already located his real target, diving into the earth.
The next second, he emerged before a red-haired boy—Gaara.
"…Come with me."
Without giving him a chance to react, Kaede took him back to Kirigakure.
The only thing Kaede had done for Rasa while he lived was to completely shatter Gaara. Now, he'd bring him back for Naruto—after all, their pasts were strikingly similar.
…
In Iwagakure, Ōnoki stood in the Tsuchikage's office, staring at the sky.
"What are you thinking about, old man?"
A crisp voice broke his thoughts—his granddaughter Kurotsuchi and his student Deidara had entered without him noticing.
He chuckled bitterly. "Didn't even notice you come in… I really am getting old."
Kurotsuchi pouted. "That's why you should hand your position over to the younger generation already."
Ōnoki shook his head, resting his hands on both their heads.
"I'm afraid I can't step down, even if I want to…"
Deidara glanced at him, then lowered his head, thinking about his latest "Art of Explosion" experiments.
Kurotsuchi tilted her head and asked with a frown:
"Is it because… we've already submitted to Uchiha Kaede?"
Ōnoki nodded helplessly. "Right now, no one can stand against him. Since the news from Konoha reached us—Kaede defeating even the legendary 'God of Shinobi' Senju Hashirama—tell me, who else in the shinobi world could oppose him?"
"That's why our hope lies in the next generation."
He looked at the two most talented young ninja in the village. Deidara was troublesome, but Kurotsuchi was sensible.
If Iwagakure was ever to rise again, it would have to be after the day Kaede died. But as an old man nearing his end, he knew he wouldn't live to see that day.
Looking at them, he spoke with grave seriousness:
"From now on, the future of Iwagakure is in your hands. No matter what you go through in the decades to come—never forget this village."
(End of Chapter)
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