At the gates of Iwagakure—hidden among jagged stone cliffs—the scene shifted.
When the live broadcast camera turned toward the village, viewers saw only a lone, cold figure.
There was no cameraman. No entourage.
Just a hovering drone… and a man with calm eyes and an unreadable expression.
"It's an Uchiha… so it's finally their turn?"
"That's Uchiha Itachi. I recognize him—the prodigy of the Uchiha clan."
"No one's seen him fight in years… no one knows how strong he is now."
"That's exactly what makes him terrifying."
"And this time… Konoha sent only him."
"My god… does that mean he's even more dangerous than Nagato?"
All eyes turned to Iwagakure's leader—Onoki, the Tsuchikage—floating in the air, staring at Itachi.
His expression was grim.
He didn't need to hear the audience to understand the situation.
Deep down… he already knew the outcome.
Sunagakure had fallen.
Kirigakure had fallen.
Kumogakure had fallen.
Every village that resisted had been crushed.
"No matter what we do… defeat is inevitable," he thought bitterly.
The only question was—
How much blood would be spilled before it ended?
Ohnoki exhaled slowly.
"Have all Konoha's ninjas been taking some kind of miracle drug…?"
His gaze sharpened.
Before him stood Itachi—calm, silent… but overwhelmingly dangerous.
Even without activating his Sharingan, the pressure alone was suffocating.
Back during the Chūnin Exams, only Naruto Uzumaki had truly frightened the other Kage.
But now?
Almost any Konoha ninja could rival—or surpass—a Kage.
That realization felt crushing.
Behind him, Iwagakure's shinobi stood tense.
They understood the situation just as well.
At first, they had wanted to fight.
Now?
That courage was gone.
Replaced by fear.
Still… Ohnoki made his decision.
Even if defeat was certain—
They had to try.
For dignity, if nothing else.
"Uchiha Itachi," Ohnoki said slowly, "I understand your goal—unifying the ninja world."
"I share that vision."
"If it's for peace… then even dismantling Iwagakure is acceptable."
"But we cannot surrender without resistance."
"Let's fight."
"If I lose—this village will surrender without complaint."
"If I win…"
He paused.
Then laughed bitterly.
He didn't believe he could win.
"Very well," Itachi replied calmly.
His eyes turned crimson.
The tomoe of the Sharingan began to spin.
Ohnoki immediately avoided eye contact.
Everyone knew—
Looking into an Uchiha's eyes was a death sentence.
"Let's begin."
Ohnoki attacked first.
Fire and earth techniques erupted one after another—
Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
Stone collapse.
Flame bullets.
Earth fissures.
The battlefield exploded with power.
From the outside, it looked like a fierce, high-level battle.
Even Ohnoki felt the pressure.
"This… is within my limits," he thought.
Then—finally—he saw an opening.
"Dust Release — Particle Style!"
A blinding white cube shot forward.
Everything in its path disintegrated into dust.
Itachi tried to dodge—
But one arm vanished.
And yet—
His expression didn't change.
Ohnoki narrowed his eyes.
"Release!"
The illusion shattered.
And suddenly—
Itachi stood there, completely unharmed.
Ohnoki froze.
"…That was… an illusion?"
"When did it start?"
He gritted his teeth.
"Fine. I won't fall for it again."
He attacked again.
Relentlessly.
Again and again.
But something was wrong.
To the watching Iwagakure shinobi—
Their Tsuchikage wasn't fighting Itachi.
He was fighting… empty air.
Launching powerful jutsu at nothing.
While Itachi stood perfectly still.
Watching.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Like a spectator.
The villagers felt their faces burn with humiliation.
"This… how many times has he tried to break the illusion?"
"He still hasn't escaped?"
"Is the Sharingan really this terrifying…?"
"No… this isn't just Sharingan."
"This is Itachi's mastery."
"He doesn't even need eye contact anymore."
"He can trap someone instantly."
"Even a Kage can't tell what's real."
"That's why he came alone…"
"It doesn't matter how many people we have."
"In an illusion… we're all helpless."
The audience watching worldwide was stunned.
Ohnoki—the mighty Tsuchikage—
Was being toyed with.
And Itachi hadn't even moved a finger.
Finally—
Ohnoki stopped.
Lowered his head.
"…I surrender."
"Iwagakure… submits."
He had done everything he could.
Used every technique.
Even Dust Release multiple times.
But none of it mattered.
He had never escaped the illusion.
Not even once.
The entire battle—
Had been against nothing.
"Then that's it… all five great ninja villages are under Konoha now?"
"Not quite. There are still smaller nations."
"Come on… after seeing this, who would dare resist?"
"The real problem is control—can Konoha manage the entire world?"
"Yeah… I'm honestly scared to even step outside right now."
"I just hope this ends soon…"
Across the world, people waited anxiously.
Waiting for one person.
Waiting for peace to be declared.
Inside Konoha…
Shikamaru Nara reported calmly:
"The plan is progressing smoothly."
"We've secured the Land of Wind and Land of Water."
"Their daimyo and nobles are under control."
"The Land of Lightning and Earth still have resistance—but it's manageable."
Naruto tapped his desk lightly.
His expression calm.
"Continue."
"Update me every ten minutes."
With advanced communication systems, information from across the world flowed into Konoha instantly.
Everything was under control.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"Sasuke…"
"The last variable… is yours."
"How will you face your ancestor?"
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Because what was coming next—
Was inevitable.
Sasuke Uchiha vs Madara Uchiha.
And that—
Would be a battle worth watching.
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