(Compensation for the wrong chapter)
No one could have expected it—the Allied Shinobi Forces, upon whom all hopes rested, were annihilated.
No, to call it a defeat would be an understatement. It was a complete massacre.
The tailed beast bombs from the Eight-Tails, the charges led by the Third Raikage, Fugaku Uchiha, A, and Sakumo Hatake…
And above all, Yuzuru Uchiha's final strike—it claimed the lives of thousands in a single instant.
Out of the ten thousand ninja that made up the Allied Forces, fewer than a hundred survived, excluding the rear-line commanders.
Those lucky enough to live were forever shrouded in terror.
Even Danzo Shimura and the other generals didn't bother to hold a meeting to discuss follow-up actions—they simply returned home in silence.
At the start, when facing the Third Raikage and the others, they still had confidence that with enough reinforcements, victory could be achieved.
But Yuzuru Uchiha's final, world-shaking strike shattered that hope completely.
Everyone knew power that great had a price—but none were willing to gamble their comrades' lives on whether Yuzuru's weapon still had any bullets left.
The news of the Allied Forces' collapse spread swiftly, shaking the entire ninja world.
——
——
Iwagakure.
Kitsuchi looked at Ōnoki with open admiration.
During the Allied Forces' assault on Kumogakure, Iwagakure had sent only a thousand shinobi.
Most were genin, while the few chūnin among them were already past their prime—shinobi with little room for growth.
Though their deaths were still tragic, compared to the devastation other villages suffered, Iwagakure's losses were almost negligible.
"Lord Tsuchikage, you truly have foresight," Kitsuchi said earnestly.
"You didn't see it, but that final slash from Yuzuru Uchiha was absolutely terrifying. Thousands—gone, in an instant!"
Even now, Kitsuchi still felt a chill down his spine.
If Danzo hadn't insisted they stay in the rear, he would have been among the dead.
Hearing his son's words, Ōnoki let out a heavy sigh.
"It wasn't foresight. I once witnessed the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan myself."
"When my teacher and I faced Madara Uchiha all those years ago, that feeling of despair—Kitsuchi, you can't imagine it."
Remembering the past, Ōnoki shook his head slowly.
"With what I know of the Uchiha, this won't be the end of it."
"Kitsuchi, start stockpiling food—and prepare money for reparations if necessary."
Kitsuchi frowned. "Father, our village's funds are already stretched thin. Between maintaining our ninja forces and daily expenses, we can barely manage. Buying food and paying reparations… we just don't have enough."
Ōnoki snorted coldly. "Have you forgotten what I told you before?"
"If Kumogakure could do it, then so can we."
"As long as we replace the daimyō and take full control of the Land of Earth, do you think we'll still lack money?"
Once, such a thought might have been unthinkable. But now that Kumogakure had set the precedent, why should Iwagakure remain obedient to its daimyō?
Wasn't it better to be master of one's own fate?
And besides—Ōnoki doubted that after this catastrophe, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, or even Konohagakure would dare form another alliance to attack them.
——
——
Kirigakure.
Inside the Mizukage's office, the atmosphere was heavy.
"Lord Fourth, we failed. Nearly every shinobi we sent was killed. Kumogakure's power… it's far beyond what we imagined."
Facing the battered Genji, Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, showed a rare smile on his boyish face.
"Genji, isn't that a good thing?"
He wasn't particularly concerned with the outcome of the battle. Kumogakure's strength didn't matter to him.
From beginning to end, he had only one goal—to weaken the bloodline clans that held power within his own village.
And by that measure, the plan was going smoothly.
Genji hesitated, torn. "Even if our goal succeeded, what happens now? Kumogakure is full of battle-hungry maniacs. What if they turn their attention to us next?"
Yagura's smile faded. "What matters now is consolidating our hold on the village's authority. Everything else can wait."
'Short-sighted fool,' Genji cursed inwardly. Then aloud, he said coldly, "The bloodline clans suffered massive losses. They won't take this quietly."
"Lord Fourth, you'd better decide what you're going to do about it."
With that, Genji turned and left the office.
Once he was gone, Yagura sighed.
Of course he knew the village faced external threats—but what could he do?
If only he possessed power like Yuzuru Uchiha's, he could make those clans obey without question.
But he didn't.
In strength and in reputation, they would never submit to him.
If he couldn't subdue them… then he would have to erase them.
Still, Genji was right—the clans wouldn't stay quiet after losing so many elite shinobi. He'd need to offer them something in return.
After a moment of thought, Yagura clapped his hands. An Anbu appeared before him.
"Tell the Seven Ninja Swordsmen," Yagura ordered coldly, "within one week, I want to see the daimyō's corpse."
——
——
Sunagakure.
The Third Kazekage slammed his fist against the wall, fury twisting his face.
Elder Ebizō had just delivered the news: all three thousand shinobi they had sent were dead.
And not just any shinobi—these were the elite of the village, the very backbone of Sunagakure's strength.
The Third Kazekage felt as though his heart were bleeding.
Chiyo's tone was icy. "Third, our village has suffered devastating losses, and the civilians grow more dissatisfied by the day. What's your plan?"
"What plan?" the Kazekage roared. "We'll do what Kumogakure did—kill the daimyō and use his wealth to pacify the people!"
"And tell Rasa to go out and collect more gold dust. The daimyō brought this upon us; he'll pay for it!"
Chiyo let out a sharp, derisive laugh.
So easily washing his hands of all responsibility. As if he hadn't been the one pushing the daimyō's orders in the first place.
Sensing the tension rising, Ebizō quickly interjected, "If you ask me, the real culprits are those fools in Konoha!"
"If they hadn't handed over the Uchiha clan and Sakumo Hatake to Kumogakure, no village would've grown strong enough to upset the balance of the entire world!"
At that, both the Kazekage and Chiyo nodded grimly.
Yes—the true blame lay with Konoha.
If not for their stupidity, none of this chaos would've happened.
Still, the thought brought them a small measure of satisfaction.
If losing three thousand shinobi hurt this much, how much worse would Konoha's pain be after losing nearly four thousand elite troops?
And the most ironic part of all—the two warriors who had shown such godlike might on the battlefield, Yuzuru Uchiha and Sakumo Hatake, were supposed to have been Konoha's own.