But all of that had nothing to do with Shiki.
Just as he turned around, ready to leave the crater...
a familiar mechanical tone echoed in his mind.
[Hidden Mission Achieved: Defeat Shukaku]
[Reward: Template Sync +5%]
[Reward: Great Blades — Oto & Kogarashi]
"...Huh?"
Shiki froze mid-step.
Hidden mission?
What hidden mission?
And these rewards…
Almost as if reading his confusion, the system spoke again:
[Hidden missions appear randomly. No pattern, no trigger rules.]
"...Tch. So there's no way to farm them, huh."
For a moment Shiki had imagined:
If defeating a tailed beast always gave rewards…
Couldn't I just go around hunting them all?
But that fantasy shattered instantly.
"Well, whatever. A reward is a reward. I'm not complaining."
He wasn't the type to be greedy.
Stumbling into a hidden task and getting something this good was already more than enough.
He opened his status calmly:
★ God-Level Template System
Template: Golden Lion Shiki
Sync Rate: 58.77%
Abilities Gained:
• Intermediate Conqueror's Haki
• Advanced Armament Haki (UPGRADED)
• Intermediate Observation Haki
• Swordsman: Blade Mastery
• Float-Float Fruit (Basic)
Skills:
• Basic Three-Body Technique
• Body Flicker Technique
Daily Task:
• Swing the sword 10,000 times (Incomplete)
"...Advanced Armament, huh."
Shiki raised his right hand.
Pitch-black Armament Haki wrapped around his skin like living ink—
denser, sharper, far fiercer than before.
"Yeah… that's a big upgrade."
But even more exciting were the two blades newly materialized in front of him.
Oto.
Kogarashi.
Two of the Ō Wazamono grade swords—
weapons he'd wanted since the moment he gained the Golden Lion template.
Shiki drew them slowly, running his thumb along the edge.
"Sharp… dangerously sharp. Just looking at them, you can tell."
He slid them into the scabbards hanging from his waist, unable to hold back a grin.
"Hahahahaha! Finally! Proper blades!"
His laughter echoed across the ruined desert—
and the battlefield fell silent.
Every shinobi present—Leaf and Sand alike—
turned toward the crater where the boy stood laughing, two legendary blades at his waist.
Because they understood.
The fight was over.
And Konoha…
had won.
"Sister!"
Ebizō had finally snapped out of his daze.
The moment he remembered that he, an elite jōnin, had been knocked unconscious purely by Shiki's killing intent… his entire face twisted with humiliation and fear.
But more than anything—he was terrified of Shiki's power.
"How's Bunpuku?"
Chiyo stopped her puppets mid-attack and turned to her younger brother, voice low and heavy.
Ebizō hesitated for only a moment before answering honestly:
"Shukaku… has been defeated. And Bunpuku… is dead."
"…"
Chiyo said nothing.
What could she say?
Her son, her daughter-in-law…
And now even Bunpuku…
Her silence spread across the battlefield like a cold wind.
Every shinobi within earshot froze.
The Third Kazekage—who had been locked in a tense three-way stalemate with Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chōza—stopped forming hand seals.
His expression darkened.
Without another word, he turned away from the Ino–Shika–Chō trio and walked toward Chiyo's side.
Shikaku and the others didn't attempt to stop him.
They were too exhausted even to move.
"Haah… he's a monster."
The moment the Kazekage left their range, Inoichi collapsed onto the sand, breathing heavily.
Chōza fell back with a thud.
"It really is true… he's the strongest Kazekage in history," Inoichi muttered, wiping cold sweat from his brow.
Even restraining him—just restraining him—had pushed the three to their limit.
Shikaku dropped to one knee, fatigue showing through even his calm demeanor.
But his lips curled into a tired, relieved smile.
"We won."
"Yeah… we really won."
Inoichi and Chōza exchanged a weary grin before pulling themselves up and following after Tsunade.
Meanwhile...
"Chiyo."
The Third Kazekage stood beside her, his tone flat, almost emotionless.
"It's over."
He surveyed the battlefield—the fallen Sand shinobi, Shukaku's silence, the sight of Shiki standing tall with twin great blades, drenched in battle-dust but completely undefeated.
Sand had no power left to continue this war.
"I understand."
Chiyo finally lowered her head.
Her voice was thin, exhausted...not defeated by Konoha, but defeated by fate itself.
Her son, her daughter-in-law… Bunpuku… Shukaku…
Everything had slipped through her fingers.
The Third Kazekage watched her quietly.
He understood her pain…
But understanding didn't change the truth.
From today onward, authority in Sunagakure was his alone.
He straightened up.
"All units—retreat!"
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
Every Sand shinobi froze.
Heads lowered.
Faces full of shame and grief.
They understood what this command meant.
The war was over.
They had lost.
The Third Kazekage let his gaze sweep across the Konoha side—Tsunade with her cracked knuckles, the Ino–Shika–Chō trio panting heavily…
And Shiki.
The blond boy standing with the aura of a conquering lion, sand still dripping from his new great blades.
The Kazekage exhaled softly.
"…Konoha's geniuses truly are terrifying."
White Fang had fallen, yet another monster had already risen in his place.
"Negotiations… compensation… all of that will be dealt with later."
The Kazekage spoke without emotion.
Then he turned away and led Chiyo, Ebizō, and the surviving Sand forces from the battlefield.
As for Shukaku?
They weren't concerned.
A tailed beast doesn't truly die.
When Shukaku reformed somewhere in the desert, they would hunt him down again.
Soon, the Sand shinobi vanished beyond the horizon—nothing left but their footprints and the bitter taste of defeat.
With the enemy gone, only Konoha's forces remained.
At first, there was silence.
Then Tsunade raised her hand and shouted:
"Victory!!"
The battlefield erupted.
"Victory!!"
"We won!!"
"The war is finally over!"
"Hahaha—finally, we can go home!"
The cheers carried through the wind, raw and overflowing after years of bloodshed.
Many were crying.
Many were laughing.
Some simply dropped to their knees and let the relief wash over them.
Only now did Tsunade finally rush toward Shiki.
She didn't even let him speak.
Her hands flashed with green chakra as she checked him head to toe—pulse, bones, muscles, chakra flow—again and again.
Only when she was absolutely sure he was unharmed…did she finally breathe out.
And then she glared at him, eyes trembling ever so slightly.
"You scared me to near heart attack, you idiot… do you know that?"
When she saw him slice a Tailed Beast Bomb in half…her soul nearly left her body.
If Shiki had been even a second slower…
or if his blades had failed…
or if his footing had slipped…
She didn't even want to imagine it.
But the outcome was clear now:
Shiki won.
And Tsunade's eyes revealed everything—
just how deeply she cared for him.
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