Shrugging his shoulders, Aoyama Ryuyun waved his hand, and the two earthen mounds on the battlefield began to crumble.
The Tailed Beasts had vanished.
In their place, Rōshi and Han, the Jinchūriki of Iwagakure, collapsed to the ground—unconscious.
"They're not dead, just knocked out."
"Phew! That's good!"
Seeing that Rōshi and Han were only unconscious, Ōnoki finally let out a long breath of relief.
Still, hesitation clouded his expression. He didn't know what to say anymore.
After all—they had lost this war.
As the defeated side, what right did they have to make any demands?
Aoyama Ryuyun didn't seem to care. Instead, he turned his head slightly toward Hyūga Hiashi, who stood beside him.
"Do we have a sealing squad here?"
Hiashi shook his head. "No. Lord Jiraiya took them all."
"Tch. That idiot really is more trouble than he's worth."
"Uh…"
The moment Aoyama Ryuyun said that, Hiashi and the others fell silent.
Aoyama Ryuyun was strong enough that even if he cursed one of the Three Legendary Sannin, no one dared to object.
But for them—speaking ill of Jiraiya, a Sannin and a Kage-level figure, was unthinkable.
"Alright."
Since there was no sealing squad, Aoyama Ryuyun waved his hand again.
The unconscious Rōshi and Han were lifted by chunks of rock and tossed unceremoniously in front of Ōnoki.
"You—"
Ōnoki had been wondering how to convince Aoyama Ryuyun to return the Jinchūriki, yet before he could even ask, the man handed them back.
'Are you really that kind-hearted?' Ōnoki's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You don't actually think that after I give them back, you'd be able to beat me, do you?" Ryuyun said lazily.
"…"
Ōnoki didn't respond.
Because it was the truth.
Even when Iwagakure had both Jinchūriki, they had been crushed.
Even if Aoyama Ryuyun returned them now, Iwagakure still couldn't win.
When did it come to this?—When did the Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone need to be granted mercy by an enemy?
"Go on—scram. Don't stand around being an eyesore."
With a dismissive wave, Aoyama Ryuyun's tone was full of disdain.
"You…!"
Ōnoki's old face darkened. He glared at Aoyama Ryuyun for a long moment before signaling his men.
"Bring Rōshi and Han back. We're retreating."
The Iwagakure ninjas moved quickly, carrying their fallen comrades.
Before leaving, Ōnoki turned back, his expression solemn.
"Our Iwagakure will never give up on the Third Shinobi World War!"
Even though they had lost this battle, he refused to abandon the war against Konoha.
"Tch."
Aoyama Ryuyun shrugged indifferently. Whether Iwagakure continued or not—it wasn't his concern.
Still, though Ōnoki vowed to fight on, it was clear that another large-scale battle wouldn't come anytime soon.
"Let's move!"
With that, Ōnoki led his forces away. As per Aoyama Ryuyun's demand, they withdrew several kilometers back.
---
With Iwagakure gone, Ryuyun's forces naturally began their own return.
After witnessing his strength firsthand, there was no trace of fear or worry in the camp anymore.
Their commander-in-chief had single-handedly fought two Tailed Beasts and a Tsuchikage—and won.
What was there to fear after that?
All along the way, soldiers whispered among themselves—voices full of awe and admiration.
"He's unbelievably strong…"
"With Lord Liu Yun leading us, we've nothing to fear."
"Even if Iwagakure outnumbers us, they wouldn't dare to move again."
"This is the Golden Lion of Konoha!"
---
"Lord Liu Yun, why did we return the Jinchūriki?"
When there had been many people around, Hiashi hadn't dared to ask. But now that they were back in camp, he finally couldn't hold it in.
Not only Hiashi—many of the clan leaders turned toward Aoyama Ryuyun, equally puzzled.
The Jinchūriki had already been defeated.
Even if Aoyama Ryuyun didn't care whether the enemy had them or not, capturing Iwagakure's two Jinchūriki would've been a major advantage.
"What would you have done if we captured them? Without a sealing squad, are you planning to stand guard yourself?" Ryuyun asked.
If a Jinchūriki's chakra wasn't sealed, they could lose control and go berserk at any time.
Ryuyun could handle that—but the others certainly couldn't.
"Uh! Of course not, but Lord Liu Yun, you could, right?" Hiashi said awkwardly.
He knew full well that asking him to guard two Jinchūriki would be suicide. But with Ryuyun's strength, he thought it would be simple.
"I'm busy, you know," Ryuyun said, waving lazily. "Guarding Jinchūriki all day? Am I insane?"
"Uh…"
Hiashi fell silent, and so did the others.
'Busy?' In their minds, Aoyama Ryuyun spent most of his time lounging around.
In war, he was unmatched. But outside of battle, he was the definition of lazy—never standing when he could sit, never sitting when he could lie down.
Their silence made Ryuyun smirk. He glanced at Hiashi and the others.
"Tell me, Hiashi—do you all really think I'm that idle?"
"…"
They wanted to nod. Badly. But under that smiling gaze, everyone realized something: nodding might get them killed.
"N-no! Of course not! As commander-in-chief, Lord Liu Yun surely has endless duties!"
"Exactly! You're the busiest one in the entire camp!"
"Yes, yes, letting the Jinchūriki go makes perfect sense!"
One after another, they changed their tune instantly.
Ryuyun nodded in satisfaction, hands behind his back, and walked off.
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