This would allow Qingshui to better draw upon Onoki's spiritual insights and learn Ninjutsu such as Dust Release and Light-Heavy Stone Release.
"It's about time."
After storing Onoki's soul spirit in a containment Magic Tool, Qingshui surveyed the battlefield once more.
The time it took him to kill Onoki was less than the time Onoki took to impart his knowledge.
At this moment, the battle below had also entered its final stages.
Bolstered by the conviction to defend their village, the Stone Hidden ninjas had indeed unleashed an incredibly powerful fighting force, even causing significant trouble for the Sand Hidden ninjas.
However, in terms of sheer strength, there was ultimately a qualitative gap between the two sides.
Even though the Sand Village had less than half the numbers of the Stone Village, the changes Qingshui had brought over these past few years had created a generational difference between them. It was akin to the late-ancient era armies of the Qing Dynasty facing the modernized armies of the Eight-Nation Alliance.
Of course, since this was a world with Chakra and supernatural abilities, even with a generational gap, they could still bridge the difference to a certain extent. The Stone Hidden still had the capacity to fight back. They had greater numbers and were not like the decadent armies of a declining feudal dynasty; in their desperate struggle, they still managed to inflict some casualties on the Sand Village.
Qingshui did not deliberately intervene to reduce casualties.
As long as the attrition rate remained within an acceptable range, he could accept it.
He couldn't possibly have cultivated so many ninjas over the years only to have to personally step in for a battle like this.
Two Jinchuriki, two Kage-level powerhouses, nearly a hundred experts who met the standards of Elite Jonin, and even more Jonin and Special Jonin level ninjas fighting against the Stone Hidden ninjas, whose high-end combat power was reduced to just Kitsuchi and whose average strength was far inferior to their own—it couldn't be called a massacre, but the scene was undeniably one-sided.
Qingshui, hovering in mid-air, looked down at the fierce battle unfolding below and nodded with satisfaction.
Using the Stone Hidden as a training ground had yielded decent results.
Although his own side had also sustained casualties, the kill-death ratio was very high.
"It's over."
Qingshui, holding Onoki's head, flew silently through the sky, coolly observing the battlefield below.
The Sand Hidden ninjas and the Stone Hidden ninjas below also noticed Qingshui's presence at this moment.
The battle between him and Onoki had been quite impactful, but due to the immense power and range of both Dust Release and Qingshui's techniques, no one dared to approach.
Now, with Qingshui appearing with Onoki's severed head, everyone knew that the Stone Hidden were destined for utter defeat this time.
They had suffered defeats in the past, but this was their most thorough one yet; their village itself was on the verge of ceasing to exist.
Upon witnessing this, the morale of the Sand Hidden ninjas naturally surged.
But what was surprising was that the already heavily damaged Stone Hidden did not surrender or give up.
Some were still gathering their remaining strength to attempt a breakout, while others were trying their utmost to take an enemy down with them in their final moments.
This was already a desperate army.
Even though they were a remnant force, with their numbers reduced to about half, the surviving ninjas were of a more elite caliber.
Under these circumstances, if the Sand Hidden continued to engage them head-on with brute force, their casualties would inevitably increase further.
Any commander with a modicum of strategic thinking could see this.
This is why military treatises often mention the classic tactic of surrounding three sides and leaving one open.
Giving the enemy a glimmer of hope for survival prevents them from fighting with the resolve to die.
The current situation was somewhat different. The Stone Hidden faced the threat of annihilation. While many Stone Hidden ninjas wished to break out and preserve a spark of their lineage, many others simply wanted to fight the Sand Hidden to the bitter end, ideally taking a piece of them down before dying.
Therefore, under the command of Oyakata En, the Sand Hidden quickly adjusted their formation and strategy, focusing on containment and attrition.
This would indeed allow a significant portion of the Stone Hidden's vital forces to escape. However, with the Tsuchikage already killed, as long as they could destroy the main force of the Stone Hidden, breach their village, and bring it under Sand Hidden rule, it would be enough to declare the demise of this top-tier ninja village that had stood for decades in the Ninja World.
The remaining remnants, fewer in number and without strong leadership, would not be able to stir up much trouble.
Of course, the Stone Hidden Village was not just these people. This was the main force of the Stone Hidden. Along their borders, in major cities, at resource mines, and at key transportation hubs, there would be a certain number of Stone Hidden ninjas, as well as those outside the village on missions.
Subsequently, the Sand Village would have to clear out these individuals to formally occupy the Land of Earth.
Because there were people everywhere, even with their superior strength, the Sand Hidden would need to divide their forces for encirclement and elimination. This would undoubtedly take time. No matter how swift their advance, given the Land of Earth's territory, second only to the Land of Wind, and its rugged terrain, it would take at least two to three months for the Sand Village to establish relatively stable control over the Land of Earth, complete the initial assimilation, and truly transform it into their territory.
This was already a very high level of efficiency, made possible by the various miraculous abilities of ninjas and a large amount of advanced technology that was at least decades ahead of the rest of the Ninja World.
For any other country, it would have taken even longer.
During this process, neither Konoha nor Cloud Hidden nor Mist Hidden wanted to see the birth of a behemoth that spanned the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, controlling over 40% of the Ninja World's territory.
If the Land of Rain were also included, over half of the Ninja World would be occupied by the Wind-Rain Alliance.
Even though the lands of the Land of Wind and the Land of Stone were not particularly fertile, if Qingshui were given the Land of Wind, he could turn the Sand Hidden into the strongest hegemonic force in the Ninja World. If the Land of Earth, with its slightly more abundant resources than the Land of Wind, were added, what then?
Not to mention that in the Land of Wind, some areas had already undergone significant environmental changes through scientific methods and the power of Ninjutsu.
If the Sand Hidden were truly allowed to annex the Land of Earth, even with normal development, within ten years, the Sand Hidden would possess the power to dominate the world.
This was something other forces could not help but fear.
Even the Rain Hidden had some reservations.
They were also concerned about the Sand Hidden becoming too powerful and annexing them, because, by this point, they had finally realized that in many aspects, the Land of Rain had become inseparable from the Sand Hidden.
What would happen if the Sand Hidden decided to annex them one day?
This was why the Sand Hidden had to expend so much effort to block other ninja villages, and why they needed the Third Kazekage, the second-in-command of the Sand Village, to appease the Rain Hidden, even ceding some benefits, including two hundred sets of Puppet Armor and a portion of the Land of Earth's territory.
The battle was gradually drawing to a close.
With over ten thousand Stone Hidden ninjas and four thousand Sand Hidden ninjas, this large-scale conflict, rare even in the Ninja World, was not short in duration.
From the outset, the Stone Hidden village knew their protective barrier couldn't hold. They aimed to gather their main forces to block the Tailed Beast and the Sand Hidden army.
After the Tsuchikage's death and the Stone Hidden village's collapse in a single battle, they began a bloody fight with the Sand Hidden village while retreating towards their own village.
Those who wanted to flee and could flee had already done so, their survival depending entirely on their own abilities. The remaining civilians and others had all taken shelter in the evacuation centers. Even if the battlefield were drawn into the village, as long as they didn't deliberately fight near the evacuation centers, it wouldn't be so easy to involve them.
Thus, this battle evolved from an initial defensive engagement into a battle of encounters, and finally into a blocking battle within the Stone Hidden village.
The Stone Hidden ninjas were more familiar with the terrain and could utilize the village's existing structures and defensive fortifications to resist for a while longer, buying time for those fleeing and attempting to kill more enemies.
However, even with a surge of desperate courage, the Stone Hidden village was ultimately outmatched by the sheer disparity in strength.
With over ten thousand Stone Hidden ninjas, if the Sand Village didn't want to lose a few teeth, they wouldn't directly confront them. Instead, they would break them apart, scatter them, and eliminate most of them before sending out pursuit teams to chase and track them.
Meanwhile, the remaining Sand Hidden ninjas, in several cooperating squads, continued to fight the Stone Hidden ninjas within the Stone Hidden village.
You want to rely on buildings for defense?
We'll simply team up and use high-tech ninja tools to destroy both the buildings and the people within them.
Using the environment to maneuver? That's easily countered with a bombardment of cannon fodder.
A great battle, fought from morning until dusk, had basically concluded, leaving only a few scattered points of resistance that were quickly extinguished, with only the last remnant of Stone Hidden ninjas remaining.
A dozen or so quite capable Stone Hidden ninjas, covered in blood, were desperately resisting under the command of a tall, well-built figure over two meters in height, wearing a crimson headband.
He was the leader of the Jonin squad of the Stone Hidden village, the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki – Kitsuchi.
He was a few years older than Rasa and Karura, and was essentially approaching the peak of his ninja career.
Although his strength barely touched the threshold of Kage-level, he had received the true teachings of Onoki in Earth Release.
Among the five elemental Ninjutsu, Earth Release ranked last in terms of offensive power. However, in terms of defense and practicality, Earth Release was the highest.
No matter where they were, as long as people were standing on Earth Release, it was the most convenient.
This was why Kitsuchi had been able to hold out with so many people until now.
Alas, after fighting valiantly through blood to this point, he was also nearing his limit.
Although Uzumaki Ayane lacked combat experience, when it came to attrition, with the boost from her Uzumaki bloodline and her status as a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, few in the Ninja World could outlast her.
Not to mention the assistance of other Sand Hidden ninjas, and another Jinchuriki, Baki, who was providing support from the sidelines.
Baki was already an Elite Jonin and had quickly mastered the power of Shukaku, now possessing considerable Kage-level combat strength.
As for Uzumaki Ayane, she still needed some experience to be trained into a truly qualified Jinchuriki.
Onoki was too powerful; aside from Qingshui, no one else in the Ninja World could easily defeat him. But Kitsuchi was just right for Uzumaki Ayane to train against.
By the time Kitsuchi's mountain-like body finally collapsed, night had fallen over the Land of Earth.
With this, the Stone Hidden village was officially annihilated.
News of this spread, shaking the Ninja World and causing an uproar.
Konoha, Mist Hidden, and Cloud Hidden, just as Qingshui had predicted, upon receiving the news, while sending people to gather more information, also began to mobilize their forces. Some attempted to support the Stone Hidden village, while others employed the strategy of "Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao" by attacking the Land of Wind, hoping to force the Sand Hidden village to withdraw their troops.
To them, in the current Ninja World structure, the Stone Hidden village could not be allowed to fall.
Once it was destroyed, the stalemate that had lasted less than two years would once again shift.
For a time, the Fourth Great Ninja War showed signs of reigniting.
In the past five years, with the rise of the Sand Hidden village, this period had seen the most frequent outbreak of large-scale battles in the Ninja World, even more so than the previous forty years combined.
The Second Great Ninja War had just ended, and only two years later, the Third Great Ninja War broke out. This time, not even two years had passed, and it seemed the Fourth Great Ninja War was imminent.
Even with the considerable foundations of these Great Ninja Villages, they were beginning to struggle with such constant warfare.
However, under the threat of the increasingly powerful Sand Hidden village, they had no choice but to continue fighting.
In the Rain Hidden Village.
The weather was unusually clear.
After a portion of the water vapor was diverted to the Land of Wind, the situation of widespread flooding in the Land of Rain had improved.
Although the rainfall still surpassed that of the entire Ninja World, it was no longer raining almost every day. Instead, there were both sunny and rainy days, with clear days like today occurring occasionally.
Inside the tall tower.
"The main forces of the Stone Hidden village have been wiped out by the Sand Hidden village, and there are no formidable experts left. Most of their remaining strength will be tied down by the Sand Village. There's no need for me, Nagato, and Kakuzu to lead the expedition personally. I want you to go. While you don't lack courage, you are too compassionate towards the weak. This isn't forcing you, but I know that with your personality and abilities, you can pacify the people in the newly occupied territories at this time.
The one who destroyed the Stone Hidden village was the Sand Hidden village; it's not a matter of deep-seated hatred between them and our Rain Hidden village. We are merely seizing this opportunity to gain a share. You can drive away the remnants of the Stone Hidden village, or you can gather them. As long as you give them a little hope, you can win them over and control the lands we have annexed.
In terms of gaining public trust, you understand how to exchange sincerity for sincerity. Therefore, I want you to go on this mission. Konan can also go to assist."
Hanzo, now over sixty years old, wearing a gray half-plate armor and carrying a long-handled kusarigama, instructed Yahiko.
His flowing platinum-blond hair had turned even whiter than before.
The passage of years had not made the old man, who once stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World, decadent.
Even though his physical condition had declined, as the First Rain Kage, his spirit remained undiminished. Although he had fallen from his peak, he was still not to be underestimated.
"I understand, Teacher Hanzo." Yahiko said with a solemn expression.
Although he hadn't forgotten his naive ideals and still felt sympathy for the suffering weak, under Hanzo's tutelage, he had also matured and become much more shrewd, knowing what the most appropriate course of action was. He would simply try to help more people whenever the situation allowed.
"Mm." Hanzo nodded, his gaze sweeping over them as he continued, "The more than a thousand people brought by the Third Kazekage will help us block the Cloud Hidden Village. At this time, most of the Cloud Hidden Village's main forces will be tied down. I will also act together to draw attention. Nagato, and Brother Kakuzu, the rest will be up to you. This is our best chance to pursue the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails."
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