Faint sparks of electricity coiled around his palm. As the chakra within his body converged, the arc-like energy gradually transformed into brilliant white lightning, visible to the naked eye.
The Black Rock Hound beneath his feet lunged forward in a single bound, rushing toward Konan, who was just about to spread her wings and retreat.
At that moment, Kakashi and Konan's gazes locked.
Konan gritted her teeth as she stared at the man before her. She had never imagined that he could escape from that sea of 600 billion paper bombs, let alone launch a counterattack so quickly.
"You...!"
Without hesitation, Konan beat her wings, attempting to fly higher into the sky.
"Trying to run?"
Standing nearby, Hikari's expression sharpened. She attempted to manifest her Susanoo again to give chase, but Kakashi reached out and stopped her.
"I'll handle it."
Before Hikari could process his words, Kakashi was already surging through the air, propelled by magnetic forces. With the White Lightning held firmly in his hand, he closed the distance to Konan.
To Kakashi, Konan's flight speed was simply too slow. Furthermore, she had just exhausted a massive amount of chakra to maintain a technique of such colossal scale. At this moment, she was nothing more than a spent force.
Although some chakra remained in her body, it was far from enough to change the outcome of this encounter.
The lightning in Kakashi's hand branched out like a sprawling tree, surging toward Konan at high speed. Supported by his immense chakra reserves, the white, branch-like bolts expanded with terrifying speed and range.
In a mere instant, her pristine paper wings were riddled with holes by the lightning.
Kakashi's gaze remained cold, devoid of any pity or hesitation. Under his control, the white lightning didn't falter for a second, piercing straight through her heart.
Bright red blood stained the branching white bolts. Looking down at the white "branch" protruding from her chest and feeling the agonizing pain radiating through her body, a sense of daze flickered in Konan's eyes.
It hurts.
Yahiko... did you experience this same pain back then?
Infused with Yang Release, the white lightning possessed a physical, solid form, literally propping Konan up in mid-air.
Having landed a decisive blow, Kakashi didn't stop. He manipulated the White Bolt, causing successive branches of lightning to grow wildly, skewering Konan's limbs and torso. With her body impaled and paralyzed by the electricity, she was unable to launch any final, desperate counterattack.
Seeing that she was completely subdued, Kakashi tightened his grip on the lightning in his palm. In a flash, the brilliant white transformed into a deep, regal purple.
The white branches stretching across the sky turned violet as a deafening thunderclap erupted, completely extinguishing Konan's life force.
Paralyzed and dying, she could no longer maintain the Dance of the Shikigami. With this single strike, Konan was well and truly dead.
Seeing the light fade from her eyes, Kakashi dispelled the technique, and the lightning in the sky vanished into nothingness.
The sea of paper bombs beneath the Black Rock Hound's feet dissolved as Konan fell. Kakashi likewise dispelled the hound summon.
As they watched Konan's body hit the ground, Kakashi and Hikari walked toward her.
"What do you plan to do next?" Hikari asked, looking down at the fallen woman before turning to Kakashi.
Kakashi looked toward the horizon, sensing his surroundings. He found no trace of Nagato. The time Konan had bought with her life was enough for Nagato to flee far away.
"Bury her with that Pain," Kakashi said, glancing at the nearby corpse of the Deva Path.
Hikari looked a bit surprised, but she didn't argue. Invoking Earth Style, she created a pit where the Deva Path puppet and Konan's body were laid to rest together, covered by a small earthen mound.
After a final look at the grave, Kakashi turned and left with Hikari without further hesitation.
In this battle, the "White Tiger" of Akatsuki had fallen, and Pain had been defeated. The only minor regret was Nagato's escape, which introduced a degree of uncertainty for the future.
However, compared to Nagato, the overall state of the war was more important.
Now that the Akatsuki headquarters was destroyed, the members stationed at the battlefronts in the Land of Grass, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Frost would surely receive the news. If they had the sense to flee, so be it; if they remained obstinate, Kakashi didn't mind personally sending them on their way.
It had been less than five days since the war was declared. In that time, the Hidden Mist Village's naval force had already been crushed. The Hidden Sand (Suna) forces in the Land of Rivers had been pushed back to the border. Might Guy was currently "fishing" in the Land of Frost to force the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki onto the field. Meanwhile, Yamato had joined the Land of Grass battlefield, where Jiraiya and Tsunade were contending with the Four-Tails, the Five-Tails, Ōnoki the Tsuchikage, and Akatsuki's Kisame Hoshigaki.
"We're going straight to the Land of Rivers," Kakashi said calmly, looking toward the distant sky.
Currently, Shirakumo Hayama back at the village needed medical treatment. Shizune and Tsunade were in the Land of Rivers and the Land of Grass, respectively—two countries situated on opposite sides of the Land of Rain.
Kakashi had two choices. While Tsunade's medical skills were superior to Shizune's, it was clear that the situation with the Sand Ninja in the Land of Rivers could be resolved more quickly.
Once the Sand were dealt with, he could have Shizune return to the village to stabilize Hayama's condition. Simultaneously, Kakashi could then join the Land of Grass battlefield, allowing Tsunade to return and work with Shizune on the final treatment.
"Understood!" Hikari nodded heavily.
Kakashi had no intention of letting Hikari do the heavy lifting. Since he intended to step onto the battlefield personally as the ultimate "weight" on the scales, the outcome of the war was no longer in question. The only thing left to wonder was how long it would take him to finish it.
The Land of Rivers was one of the few small nations with lush vegetation and fertile land, yet no military power of its own. It had always been an ideal living environment for civilians. However, because it was sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind, it was forced to serve as a buffer zone. Despite its prime location, the population remained sparse.
After an hour of travel, Kakashi and Hikari arrived at the Konoha camp.
"Lord Hokage."
Inside the central command tent, Shizune, who had received the news early, hurried back from the front lines to meet Kakashi.
"How is the battle today?" Kakashi asked, closing the battle report as he looked at her.
The latest reports indicated that while the Sand Ninja had retreated to the Land of Wind, using the desert as a natural defense against tanks, they were unable to defend against the aerial bombardment from the Ancor Vantian. They were already showing signs of exhaustion. At most, the Suna forces would collapse within five days.
"Three days. Give me three days, and we will take down the Sand," Shizune said. She thought Kakashi had come to hold her accountable for the slow progress, especially since news from the Mist front had already arrived.
On the first day of the campaign, Shirakumo Hayama had slain the Mist's top combatant, Mei Terumī. The Fourth Mizukage was missing, and even the mastermind "Uchiha Madara" had fallen to his blade. Compared to that, her progress seemed sluggish.
"You misunderstand. Hayama was seriously injured on the Mist battlefield. I need you to go and treat him," Kakashi explained, seeing her gritted teeth.
Shizune breathed a slight sigh of relief, then looked at Kakashi. "Are you planning to take command personally?"
If Shizune stepped down to treat Hayama, someone had to take over the Suna front. Though Itachi Uchiha was powerful, he was too young to command the full respect of the troops. Changing generals mid-battle was usually a taboo, but if the Hokage himself took the lead, there would be no issue. When the supreme power and strongest combatant takes charge, the usual rules don't apply.
"That is the plan. I want to resolve the Sand issue as quickly as possible. What was the situation today?" Kakashi nodded.
"The tanks are too heavy to move quickly through the desert, so we've been relying on the Ancor Vantian. Furthermore, our numbers are fewer than the enemy's. Aside from the current stalemate, we generally hold the advantage," Shizune reported without hesitation, adding, "However, it wasn't without gain. Today, Itachi managed to take down Deidara, who specializes in aerial combat."
Kakashi nodded. In previous encounters, Deidara had stayed in the air, leaving Itachi with few options. It seemed he had finally used a lure to draw Deidara into the range of his Genjutsu and took him down decisively.
"In that case, I'll head out now," Kakashi said, setting down the report.
"Now?" Shizune was startled. "Today's skirmish just ended. The troops are exhausted. If we move now..."
"Just you and Itachi come with me. That's enough," Kakashi said, standing up and walking out of the tent.
"Yes, sir!"
Hearing this, Shizune's eyes brightened. It had been a long time... actually, she had almost never seen Kakashi fight seriously. Although everyone knew how strong the Hokage was, few had witnessed the true extent of that power.
Soon, Itachi Uchiha, who had just finished sealing Deidara's chakra and locking him in a cell, arrived upon hearing the news.
"Lord Hokage," Itachi said respectfully.
"You've done well lately. Now, follow me," Kakashi praised.
Itachi felt a bit of shame. Compared to his fellow Guard member Shirakumo Hayama, he felt like he hadn't quite lived up to the reputation of the Hokage's personal guard.
The three of them reached the edge of the Sand Ninja's territory at top speed. Looking at the Suna camp standing in the distance amidst the dunes, both Shizune and Itachi felt a surge of anticipation. They both wanted to see the Hokage's true strength.
Unlike Shizune, Itachi was a member of the Guard, and Kakashi would occasionally find time to point out flaws in his training. But beyond routine sparring, he had never seen Kakashi go all out.
By now, their presence had been detected by Sand scouts, who immediately rushed back to the camp to report. Kakashi glanced at the scouts—who thought they were hidden but were glaringly obvious to him—and didn't pay them much mind.
He had more important things to do.
Before the eyes of Itachi and Shizune, Kakashi brought his hands together. Chakra surged violently within him. Despite having fought Pain and Konan and then traveling from the Land of Rain to the Land of Rivers, he still possessed a staggering amount of chakra.
As the energy roared through his coils, Kakashi wove a series of hand signs and whispered the technique's name.
"Water Style: Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave!"
Using Water Style in a place without a water source was a massive test of a ninja's mastery. Furthermore, Water Style was one of the most chakra-demanding of the five elements. Without sufficient reserves, a technique that should create a massive tidal wave might only result in a fountain-sized spray.
But Kakashi's chakra capacity was beyond question. Even in a desert like this, he could manifest a terrifying force.
And then... a flood appeared.
Countless tons of water surged from thin air, transforming into a raging deluge that roared and tumbled forward! A flood in the middle of a vast desert—it was a sight that defied logic. Even though the sand's capacity to absorb water was immense, the sheer volume of this flood was more than the desert could swallow!
The violent torrent roared like a giant beast of the sea, charging toward the distant Sand camp.
Shizune and Itachi watched in shock. Though they never doubted his power, the amount of chakra required to perform a Water Style of this scale in the desert was nothing short of monstrous.
Yet, after releasing such a massive technique, Kakashi's expression didn't even change. It was as if a feat of this magnitude was nothing more than a casual gesture.
"We can go now," Kakashi said calmly, slowly releasing his hand seal.
"Yes!"
Shizune was shaken to her core. Looking at the scene, she couldn't help but recall an old battle report from years ago about the Land of Frost, where the Hidden Cloud (Kumo) had been flooded. Although it was just a written account, she could now imagine the scene. That report had attributed the plan to Jiraiya. Looking at the man before her, Shizune finally realized who the true mastermind behind that plan had been.
The flood surged toward the Sand camp like a monstrous beast. Such a massive disturbance naturally couldn't be hidden. Even before the scouts reached the camp, Chiyo had already stepped out of her tent, her expression grim as she watched the roaring water heading their way.
Even after participating in three Great Ninja Wars, she had never seen a Water Style of this scale.
"Pass the order... full retreat," Chiyo said, her face pale.
In a desert, with a Water Style like this, there was no need to guess the identity of the attacker. In this war that spanned the entire ninja world, Konoha had deployed all its masters, but the Hokage had yet to move. Among the Konoha ninja currently facing them, neither Shizune nor Itachi Uchiha possessed such means.
The answer was obvious.
"Truly impressive..."
"Against an opponent of this level, even the two of us together won't get a good result, right?"
Sasori of the Red Sand stood beside Chiyo. His face remained expressionless. It had only been an hour since Pain's defeat and Konan's death, and Sasori had not yet received the news. If he had, given his personality, he would have fled long ago rather than continue working for the Sand.
Of course, looking at the flood, he already had the urge to run.
"No more useless talk. Prepare for battle," Chiyo said, a trace of sorrow appearing on her face.
If the Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, had personally arrived and struck without hesitation, thinking they could retreat safely was wishful thinking. A battle was inevitable.
Chiyo looked at her withered palms and sighed inwardly. She was prepared to die.
"Battle?" Sasori glanced at his grandmother. "You overestimate me. I have no intention of throwing my life away for the Sand."
"Sasori?!" Chiyo looked at her grandson with a mix of shock and anger, but her expression quickly softened. She said calmly, "In that case... go."
No matter what, Chiyo was Sasori's grandmother. Even if he had committed acts that invited the wrath of gods and men, she did not want to see him die a meaningless death. With the arrival of the Hokage and this display of power, the Sand's defeat was certain. There was no need for Sasori to die here.
"Trying to leave?"
"Isn't it a bit too late for that?"
Just as Chiyo was about to let Sasori depart, a voice drifted in from the distance.
Accompanying the voice was a massive flash of blade light that obscured the horizon—a strike so immense it looked as if it would cleave the entire Sand camp in two!