"All Hyūga coalition shinobi, obey my command! In the name of the coalition leader, I order you—put down your weapons!"
Hyūga Tennin's voice carried across the battlefield, deep and hoarse, but firm.
His body swayed from blood loss, yet his presence still pressed on the hearts of every shinobi present.
The entire Hyūga coalition froze, their disbelief rippling like shockwaves through the ranks.
For a long moment, no one moved. Then came the noise—angry shouts, confusion, panic.
Some of the smaller clans, terrified after witnessing Raizen's devastation, immediately threw down their weapons. Others, prideful or desperate, refused to believe their enemy could still stand.
"Hyūga-sama! War isn't a child's game!" one Jōnin roared, veins bulging on his temple. "How can you just order us to surrender like that!?"
The tension ignited like oil on fire. The army split in an instant—half trembling, half furious.
Tennin's pale eyes swept over them, cold and unflinching. "Do you really think you can defeat Patriarch Amamiya?"
His voice cut through the chaos like steel. "He has given his word. Any who surrender will be spared. Your families will not be touched. This war ends here—today!"
His Byakugan flared, veins branching at his temples. There was no hesitation in his gaze, only grim resolve.
The effect was immediate. Two hundred shinobi laid down their weapons. Then two hundred more. The sound of steel hitting the dirt echoed across the valley, until the once-proud Hyūga coalition began to crumble under the weight of their fear.
But not everyone followed.
"Don't forget!" someone screamed, voice cracking with hatred. "He's the demon who killed our comrades!"
Tennin's expression hardened. He turned, eyes flashing, and gestured sharply.
"Hibiscus shinobi—detain them. Anyone who refuses to surrender will be taken by force!"
The loyalists hesitated only a heartbeat before obeying. Chaos followed—scuffles, shouts, bursts of chakra—but it didn't last. The surrendering outnumbered the defiant nine to one. Within minutes, resistance was crushed beneath sheer numbers.
When the last rebel was disarmed, Tennin stood among his kneeling soldiers and exhaled slowly. The battlefield was finally silent.
He turned and walked toward Raizen.
Amamiya Raizen was waiting—calm, unreadable, the crimson glow of the Eternal Mangekyō fading from his eyes.
With a single hand seal, he pressed his palm to the ground. The Three Tails vanished in a burst of smoke, leaving only a faint echo of its power in the air.
Raizen stepped forward, his boots crunching against shattered stone.
Every Hyūga ninja lowered their gaze as he passed; none dared to meet his eyes. The terror he'd carved into their memory ran deeper than any wound.
He stopped, his voice echoing over the ruins.
"I, Amamiya Raizen, declare this: those who join the Konoha Alliance are my comrades. Comrades are never targets of the blade. But those who refuse—are enemies.
And there is only one way we deal with enemies in this world."
He let the silence stretch before finishing.
"We kill them."
The words struck like a hammer. Even the air felt heavier. No one dared breathe wrong.
Raizen turned to Tennin. "Hyūga Tennin."
"In!" Tennin straightened, chest heaving.
"Take your men. Head to Qishui Gorge and stop the fighting between our alliances."
"Yes, sir!"
Tennin didn't hesitate. He gathered the surviving Hyūga and Hibiscus forces—thousands still standing—and marched toward Qishui Gorge, where the next disaster was already brewing.
At Qishui Gorge, the situation was dire.
The Hyūga defensive line clung to the canyon walls, using the narrow terrain to hold back the advancing Konoha Alliance. Every inch of rock was stained with blood. Kunai and shuriken littered the ground like fallen leaves.
The Konoha forces attacked again and again, only to be repelled each time.
The terrain favored the defenders, and every push cost lives.
Then came the sound—marching, rumbling, hundreds of footsteps in unison.
The Hyūga scouts on the cliffs looked up, and their hearts leapt. Reinforcements!
They saw the banners of the Hyūga coalition returning from the main front and believed victory had come.
"Lord Tennin must have slain Raizen!" one shouted. "The enemy is finished!"
But in the Konoha ranks, dread rippled like cold wind through the grass.
Something about that formation—too calm, too quiet.
When Tennin arrived, he raised his voice, chakra resonating through the canyon.
"All Hyūga coalition shinobi, obey my command! Lay down your weapons and end the battle!"
Both sides froze mid-fight.
The Hyūga defenders stared in disbelief. The Konoha attackers hesitated, kunai half-raised.
Some Hyūga soldiers obeyed on instinct—only to be cut down in confusion by Konoha blades that hadn't yet received the same order. Screams echoed; chaos began to rise again.
Raizen's voice thundered across the gorge, carried by chakra.
"Konoha coalition—stop fighting! Lay down your weapons!"
The sound struck like lightning through the ranks.
For a moment, everyone just stood there—stunned, blinking, realizing what was happening.
Then slowly, both sides began to fall back. Step by step, they retreated to opposite ends of the gorge, lowering their weapons but keeping their eyes locked on one another.
At last, the valley fell silent. Smoke drifted over the scorched ground.
Raizen and Tennin faced each other across the ravine and nodded. The war that had devoured thousands… was finally over.
...
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