The blood-colored colossal dragon of Dust Release: Remaining Sun Prison of Blood plunged headfirst into the very center of Kirigakure.
In an instant, absolute silence fell over the surroundings—there wasn't the slightest sound.
Then, in the next moment, a deafening explosion erupted.
At the center of Kirigakure, a spherical orb of light appeared.
The orb continuously expanded outward, and wherever its radiance reached, everything was utterly erased—reduced to nothingness.
Mei Terumi stared at the devastated Kirigakure. Her mind exploded with a loud boom. Her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
Yosuke, however, merely watched the destruction of Kirigakure with a calm, indifferent expression.
Mei Terumi demanded in a trembling voice,
"Didn't you say you wanted to stop the war? Then why?!"
Yosuke shook his head.
"I think you've misunderstood something. The war I intended to stop was the war between the Five Great Ninja Villages. Since you insisted on joining that war, the only thing I could do was make sure you were unable to participate."
Mei Terumi was in extreme agony.
"So you destroyed Kirigakure because of that?! All the peace you showed from the beginning—was it all fake?!"
Yosuke replied expressionlessly,
"I would very much like to see a peaceful world. But the moment you chose to kill Yagura, you chose to become our enemy.
This world has never had a solution that satisfies everyone. When you choose to act, you must also bear the consequences."
Killing intent flooded Mei Terumi's eyes.
"All ninja still capable of fighting—follow me and attack!"
Yosuke turned to Itachi and the others beside him and said,
"Our objective has already been achieved. There's no need to fight them anymore. Let's go—to Iwagakure."
Itachi nodded. He closed his left eye, his right eye wide open.
"Amaterasu!"
Black flames suddenly ignited ahead, completely blocking the advance route of the Kirigakure ninja.
Yosuke and the others vanished from their sight.
A light drizzle began to fall from the sky.
Mei Terumi stared at Kirigakure, now reduced to ruins, and completely broke down, letting out a hysterical roar of rage.
Chōjūrō and the other Kirigakure jōnin lowered their heads, their hearts heavy with grief.
An elderly man leaning on a cane emerged from the ruins of Kirigakure.
All the Kirigakure ninja present respectfully stepped aside, making way for him.
This old man was Elder Ao—no, Gen'yō, an elder who held authority equal to that of the Mizukage.
Gen'yō walked up to Mei Terumi and scolded her sternly,
"Mei Terumi! As the Mizukage of Kirigakure, you don't have time to wallow in grief!"
Mei Terumi choked back tears as she replied,
"Gen'yō… Kirigakure has been destroyed…"
"The villagers are almost all still alive," Gen'yō said calmly. "As long as people live, Kirigakure can be rebuilt."
Mei Terumi retorted in disbelief,
"How is that possible?! That explosion clearly destroyed the entire village—how could everyone be fine?!"
"The fact that I'm standing here is the best proof," Gen'yō replied.
"The buildings in Kirigakure were almost completely destroyed, but after they collapsed, most villagers were only injured by debris. Those people showed mercy."
Gen'yō then announced loudly,
"From this moment onward, the advisor position in Kirigakure is abolished! All village affairs shall be decided solely by the Mizukage!
Including myself—I will no longer interfere in the Mizukage's decisions!"
After making the announcement, Gen'yō turned to Mei Terumi and said,
"Mizukage-sama, please issue your orders."
Mei Terumi wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and gave her command with resolute determination:
"Issue a bounty! Place those five individuals on the wanted list! Demand accountability from Sunagakure!
From this moment on, Kirigakure officially withdraws from the war!
Recall all Kirigakure ninja stationed at the borders of the Land of Fire!
Begin rebuilding Kirigakure!"
All the ninja present responded in unison,
"Yes!"
After several days of travel, Yosuke's group of five arrived at the Iwagakure war front, having crossed from the Land of Water.
Just as they approached the Iwagakure forces stationed outside the Land of Fire's border, a short figure suddenly appeared in midair.
"Earth Release: Ground Motion Core!"
The ground beneath Yosuke and the others began to sink, forming a massive pit that trapped them within.
"As expected," the figure said, "just as the Mizukage claimed—you five really did come here next."
The short figure in the sky was none other than the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure—Ōnoki of the Two Scales.
Ōnoki suddenly fixed his gaze on the masked Deidara.
"Hm? You're Deidara?"
With his identity exposed, Deidara simply removed his mask.
"Old man, didn't think you'd recognize me so fast."
Veins bulged on Ōnoki's forehead as he angrily scolded him,
"You're my disciple! How could I not recognize you?! You brat—leaving Iwagakure without a word and becoming a rogue ninja—do you have any respect left for me?!"
Deidara turned his head away arrogantly.
"Tch. You're the one who kept blocking my pursuit of art. Besides, I didn't defect from Iwagakure."
Ōnoki suppressed his rage.
"Didn't defect? Then what about the slashed headband you left behind?"
Deidara lied shamelessly with a straight face.
"It got scratched accidentally. Didn't meet my artistic standards, so I left it there."
Ōnoki was so furious that his nose turned red.
From above, a black-haired girl leaned over the edge of the pit and looked down.
"Brother Deidara, you've played around enough—it's time to come back. Grandpa isn't angry at you."
Seeing his junior disciple Kurotsuchi, Deidara bluntly refused,
"Kurotsuchi, I haven't proven my art yet. I'm not going back."
Ōnoki turned his gaze to Yosuke at the front.
"You're the one who took Deidara away, aren't you?!"
Yosuke nodded calmly.
"That's right. Since you already know what happened in Kirigakure, Tsuchikage, you should also understand this—
with both Kirigakure and Kumogakure withdrawn, a war with only Sunagakure and Iwagakure cannot continue."
Ōnoki snorted coldly.
"We'll discuss that later. But since it's you… this will be simple.
Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
He brought his hands together, forming a transparent cubic barrier between his palms, and launched it straight toward Yang Jie.
Seeing this jutsu, Deidara cursed loudly,
"Old man! Are you insane?!"
Ōnoki sneered.
"I'm not insane. Anyone capable of making a stubborn brat like you follow them—I want to see just how strong they really are."
Yosuke stared solemnly at the transparent cube, as he could clearly sense the threat it posed.
"Blood Demon Art: Shadow Wolves!"
Yosuke summoned several shadow wolves formed entirely from blood, which leapt toward the transparent cube.
The moment the cube touched the wolves, it suddenly expanded, enveloping and imprisoning them.
In the next second, all the shadow wolves vanished—and a massive explosion followed.
Only then did Yosuke truly grasp the terror of this jutsu.
The shadow wolves hadn't been destroyed—they had been erased from existence on every level.
If Yosuke himself were trapped inside and annihilated like that, then no matter how powerful his regeneration was, recovery would be nearly impossible.
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