Iwa Frontline, Iwagakure Command Post.
A clenched fist slammed onto the desk, shaking the entire tent. Ōnoki, hovered mid-air, his old face flushed red, eyes blazing with fury as he stared at the intelligence scroll in front of him.
"The Land of Rain is done?! That trash Hanzo! And those soft-legged Suna cowards!" he roared, the maps and teacups on the table trembling.
He jabbed a shaking finger at the reporting Jōnin, his hand trembling with rage.
The Jōnin's face was pale, sweat pouring down like rain. Under the crushing pressure of a Kage's wrath, he forced himself to continue.
"The intel has been cross-verified, Tsuchikage-sama! Amegakure has been destroyed. Hanzo fled with serious injuries, status unknown! Suna's elites… including Chiyo's Chikamatsu's Ten… nearly all annihilated! Chiyo herself barely escaped with heavy injuries! All of it… was done by a single Konoha Jōnin, Kamiyama Ryo!"
He took a deep breath.
"He released a large-scale mental shock… instantly incapacitating all Chūnin and lower ranks within the battlefield's core. From our agents' estimates, the radius… could exceed fifteen kilometers! The entire shinobi world is now calling him a 'natural disaster', a new 'Asura' from Konoha!"
Ōnoki moved restlessly through the air, his afterimages flickering. This intel shattered his understanding of ninjutsu and war.
Even Dust Release, for all its power, was point-to-point. But a battlefield-wide mental suppression like this? From a brat?! Impossible!
It had to be misinformation… But the hard-earned chain of front-line reports pointed to a terrifying fact he didn't want to acknowledge.
"This Kamiyama Ryo! What are his chakra attributes? Bloodline limit? I want detailed data!" Ōnoki stopped suddenly, his eyes sharp as blades as he stared at the Jōnin.
"Reporting… all core eyewitnesses on the battlefield… are either dead or captured. Our agents were too far. All they sensed… was a surge of annihilating chakra, then… silence. They say it felt like the end. That's all we've gathered. No clear visuals or technique data."
Ōnoki waved him off in frustration, a cold sense of helplessness and growing dread wrapping around his heart.
The Land of Rain campaign was over. Konoha's hands were now free! They could reallocate resources to the prosperous interior, rest and recover, and more importantly… support other war fronts at will. Konoha's population and recovery speed far surpassed Iwa.
And Iwa? Still locked in a bitter, bloody struggle with those Kumo savages, suffering heavy casualties, with manpower and supplies vanishing into a bottomless pit. If this continued, Iwa would be drained dry!
"What about the Raikage? Did A receive the intel? What's his response?" Ōnoki asked hoarsely, his face dark with unwillingness.
The intelligence adjutant stepped forward immediately.
"Urgent report from the border! Kumo forces abruptly ceased all offensives ten minutes ago! Units are retreating in an organized manner, rapidly constructing defensive fortifications! The withdrawal is swift and controlled—"
"Hmph!" Ōnoki snorted heavily, the weight on his chest doubling.
That madman A might be war-hungry, but he wasn't a fool! With Dodai at his side, calculating everything… if they kept grinding against Iwa and used up their full reserves, all they'd do is make Konoha laugh on the sidelines!
That 'Asura'—like a blade hanging over the heads of every force in this war—had shifted the balance in an instant.
"Order!" Ōnoki gritted his molars, squeezing each word out with humiliation. "All fronts! Cease all offensives! Immediately! All units, switch to full defense! Fortify positions! Reinforce! Reinforce again! Turn it into a turtle shell! Pull back from exposed areas, consolidate forces to hold secured territory! Also…"
He paused, took a deep breath.
"Send an envoy… in my name. Secretly contact Kumo's frontline. Tell them… if we keep fighting, the only one who benefits is Konoha's 'Asura' and the Hokage! Tell them… we agree to a ceasefire! Terms… can be negotiated later!"
He nearly choked on the word 'Asura'. No matter how unwilling he was to admit that a brat could force him to back down, he had to swallow his pride.
Preserving strength to face Konoha's pressure in the future was the only realistic choice.
Land of Lightning Frontline – Kumo Command Center
The tent's curtain hung low. The air inside was as heavy as lead.
Third Raikage A sat in the main seat, his muscular torso bare. Bronze skin reflected a cold sheen. His face was set like stone, eyes filled with deep solemnity.
His strategist, Dodai, silently placed a sealed intelligence scroll on the table before A, his voice steady and low.
"A-sama, the battle in the Land of Rain is over. Konoha Jōnin Kamiyama Ryo… single-handedly shattered Ame's defenses and severely damaged Suna's elite units and main forces. Hanzō the Salamander was defeated and fled, status unknown. Suna elder Chiyo was severely injured. Most crucially, he used an unprecedented large-scale mental shockwave."
Dodai paused. The gaze behind his sunglasses was heavy.
"According to captured chakra residue and Suna shinobi testimony… it instantly covered a radius… conservatively estimated at over fifteen kilometers. Within the range, all Chūnin and lower-level combatants, regardless of allegiance, fell unconscious. Suna's assault unit lost all its elites. Command structure collapsed. The remaining forces… were forced to sue for peace with Konoha."
He looked up.
"Konoha… has birthed a strategic-level force.
A didn't respond immediately. His wide hand clenched into a fist. Blue veins bulged like pythons. His muscles tensed, producing a deep snapping sound. A heavy, dangerous pressure spread through the room, making the air groan.
That red-haired brat… A recalled the earlier report of Ryo tearing open Iwa's encirclement. That power was already shocking. But now… he had leaped to a whole new tier?
Kekkei Genkai? Forbidden Jutsu?
No matter what it was, that power was enough to instantly change the course of war!
"Asura?" A growled from deep in his throat. That title reminded him of the two true monsters—Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. If the intel was accurate, Kamiyama Ryo's threat level had risen to rival those two inhuman existences. Perhaps even beyond, due to his unpredictability!
He was no longer a mere genius. He was a walking natural disaster, a force of nature that demanded reevaluation.
A looked up, eyes like lightning as they locked onto Dodai.
"What's Ōnoki's reaction?"
Dodai spoke with precise clarity.
"Latest intel indicates Iwa halted all offensives half an hour after we did. Their troops are using the mountains to rapidly construct multi-layered defenses, digging tunnels, laying traps… It's swift and well-organized. Analysis suggests Ōnoki also fears Konoha's sudden strategic freedom and… the threat posed by Shura, capable of flipping the entire war. A temporary ceasefire… is their most rational move."
"Hmph!" A exhaled sharply, white-hot steam puffing from his nose. His old rival's actions confirmed his judgment. Continuing to clash with Iwa, depleting both sides, would only let Konoha walk away with the spoils.
That emerging Shura was like a massive blade hanging over every nation's head, forcing sober leaders to pause and reconsider.
A suddenly stood. His towering figure cast a heavy shadow.
"Reply to Iwa's covert contact!" he commanded with unshakable authority. "We agree to the ceasefire! But make it clear, this is just a stopgap to prevent Konoha from profiting! Our war with Iwa is Kumo's revenge! Every earned benefit, we will not yield a single inch! At the same time…"
He turned to Dodai, eyes crackling.
"Order all frontline units! Immediately! Begin orderly retreat to pre-designated permanent defensive nodes! Use the fortress clusters and Thundercloud Gorge to build deep defensive layers! Raise alert level to the highest! Cancel all leave! All sensor ninjas, all intel units, tighten surveillance! Listen and observe closely!"
His fist slammed down on the desk. With a dull thud, cracks spread like a spiderweb.
"Main focus… lock onto Konoha! Spare no cost. I want every military movement Konoha makes tracked. Especially… Kamiyama Ryo's whereabouts and status! Designate him as S-rank highest-level threat! Use all means, tap all networks, no matter the cost!"
A's gaze seemed to pierce through the tent, reaching toward the Land of Rain.
In the depths of his eyes, beneath heavy dread, a warrior's feral fighting spirit flickered to life.
A monster? He, the Raikage who earned his name as the strongest spear and shield of the shinobi world, relished the challenge of fighting monsters! With his Hell Stab and Lightning Release Armor!
But… not yet.
Not until they figured out the full scope of his power. Not until Kumo's interests were secured. Preserving strength and stockpiling power—that was a Kage's responsibility.
A future confrontation… might be inevitable. But before that, he needed to uncover Shura's weaknesses and seize control.
Suna – Kazekage Office
Gray clouds hung low. The air inside the office was heavy and bitter. The Third Kazekage sat on the chair symbolizing the highest authority. His back was straight, but he looked weighed down.
Though still in his prime, his eyes were clouded with fatigue and gloom. His fingers tapped the desk with a nervous rhythm, the dull tap tap like a funeral bell. A bloodstained emergency intel scroll lay unrolled on the desk.
"...Useless! Damn it!" He finally exploded, slamming the desk. It groaned under the force. His voice was hoarse, like sand scraping stone.
Elder Chiyo, the village's pillar, master of puppet arts. The elite puppet squad she personally trained—the Chikamatsu's Ten! Along with all the major clan elites involved in the assault… nearly wiped out?!
The fact Chiyo escaped with serious injuries was already a blessing. But that force was Suna's future! How many clan prodigies? How many of the village's backbone? Captured or slain—cut down like dry grass beneath that demon-like red-haired boy's sword!
Suna's foundation, his authority, the spine of the next twenty years… snapped just like that.
What burned and humiliated him more than anything was the official ceasefire request from Konoha's frontline commander, Shimura Danzō. It wasn't an invitation. It was a threat. A blatant power play that trampled on Suna's dignity and the Kazekage's pride.
"Kazekage-sama…" a white-haired elder and longtime confidant of Chiyo spoke with a dry, cautious voice. "Konoha is requesting negotiations. Perhaps we should—"
"I know!" the Kazekage snapped, veins bulging on his forehead.
A Kazekage, being requested to negotiate by the enemy? A disgrace Suna had never suffered before!
But refuse negotiations?
What about the captives? Far more than expected. How many were clan heirs? Core personnel of the village? They were Suna's lifeblood. If they were abandoned, clans would lose faith, and the village would fracture. The consequences would be catastrophic.
Konoha had just won a great victory, riding the momentum of Kamiyama Ryo.
And Suna? Their elite strike force had been ripped out at the root. Chiyo was gravely wounded. Command structure shattered. Morale on the front was already in ruins after that mental shock and the news of total defeat.
Refusing to talk now would be handing a knife to that old fox Danzō. He'd do everything to shift the blame and losses of this war onto Suna.
Damn that Kamiyama Ryo, ruining all my plans!
(To be continued.)
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