"Everyone, return to Konoha!"
After Uchiha Ryūjin disappeared from sight, Nara Shikaku stepped forward, his voice filled with undisguised excitement as he issued the order.
Shua, shua, shua!
The Konoha shinobi immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique, retreating toward the village at high speed.
In mere moments, the dense formation that had once filled the battlefield vanished completely, leaving behind only the corpses of three thousand Kumogakure shinobi, scattered and battered under the cold wind.
Those who had been hiding in the shadows to observe the battle remained frozen in place, unable to process what they had just witnessed.
"Let's return. This information must be reported to the village immediately. From now on, our stance toward Konoha must change."
After a long silence, Onoki spoke in a low voice, then left with his guards.
Yagura Karatachi, Rasa, and the others followed suit, each returning to their respective villages in haste, shock written clearly on their faces.
Upon returning, they immediately convened emergency meetings with their high councils, recounting every detail of the battle between Kumogakure and Konoha.
Under such circumstances, the news spread like wildfire.
The entire shinobi world trembled as if struck by a devastating explosion.
The name Uchiha Ryūjin echoed across every land.
He became the most discussed shinobi in the world, without exception.
"Have you heard? Someone killed the Fourth Raikage!"
"Of course I have. It's everywhere now. Uchiha Ryūjin didn't just kill the Raikage, he wiped out three thousand shinobi in a single move!"
"One move? That's impossible. Not even the Sage of Six Paths could do that."
"This came directly from the Tsuchikage. It can't be false."
"What kind of monster is this Uchiha Ryūjin?"
"Every village is saying the same thing now. You can provoke anyone, just not Konoha."
Similar conversations echoed across countless villages, large and small.
Meanwhile, Kumogakure fell into complete silence.
"The Raikage… is dead?"
"Killer Bee-sama… also gone?"
"The entire invading force… wiped out? Not a single survivor?"
At first, the Kumogakure council refused to believe it. The report sounded absurd, like a poorly told story.
But after confirming the facts, disbelief turned into fear.
Every detail was true.
The entire force had been annihilated.
Including the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.
Even the Gyuki had been forcibly extracted.
Inside the Raikage's office, silence lingered like a suffocating weight. Every council member sat pale-faced, drenched in cold sweat.
It felt as if the sky itself had collapsed.
In contrast, Konoha had been gripped by anxiety before the news arrived.
"Almost all our shinobi have been deployed. I wonder how it's going."
"Please, let Konoha win this war."
"Kumogakure is too strong. How are we supposed to fight them now?"
"This might be our worst crisis in years."
The entire village was weighed down by worry. No one felt confident about the outcome.
Then everything changed.
"Good news! Konoha has won!"
"The Kumogakure army has been annihilated!"
"Ryūjin-sama killed them all, we've achieved total victory!"
A figure dashed through the streets at high speed, shouting at the top of his lungs.
It was none other than Might Guy.
Having witnessed everything firsthand, he could not contain his excitement.
The entire village stirred.
"That's ridiculous. How could Konoha win so quickly?"
"Who's spreading nonsense? The Raikage being killed?"
"Exactly. Who in Konoha could even do that?"
At first, no one believed him.
But as more returning shinobi repeated the same claims, doubt began to creep in.
Could it actually be true?
Soon, the Konoha high council gathered the villagers in the central square.
Standing before everyone, Utatane Koharu spoke with a serious expression.
"We have called you here to announce two important matters."
"First, the war between Konoha and Kumogakure has ended. Konoha has achieved complete victory, annihilating all invading forces without suffering a single casualty."
"This includes the Fourth Raikage, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee, and all enemy leadership."
The square erupted.
Shock and joy spread through the crowd.
So the rumors were true.
"And the greatest contributor to this victory is Acting Hokage Uchiha Ryūjin."
"The Raikage was killed by him. Killer Bee was killed by him. The three thousand shinobi were also eliminated by him alone."
"I understand this sounds unbelievable, but it is the truth."
"Ryūjin-sama possesses power that can only be described as divine."
"In the entire history of Konoha, only one person has reached such a level, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju."
"Uchiha Ryūjin stands on the same level as him."
The crowd fell into stunned silence before bursting into even louder discussions.
Everything had been done by one man.
The Konoha army had merely been present.
The comparison to Hashirama carried immense weight, yet no one dared to refute it.
Gradually, disbelief gave way to acceptance.
"Ryūjin-sama is really that strong?"
"A shinobi equal to the First Hokage…"
"Incredible…"
The crowd buzzed with amazement.
After allowing some time for the villagers to process the information, Utatane Koharu continued.
"The second matter, in three days, a Jonin vote will be held."
"If it passes, Ryūjin-sama will officially become the Fifth Hokage of Konoha."
This time, the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
Any lingering prejudice toward the Uchiha clan had been completely erased by Ryūjin's overwhelming display of power.
Among both civilians and shinobi, support for him had reached an unprecedented level.
"Oh, one more thing."
Utatane Koharu added, her tone serious.
"The Eight-Tails, Gyūki, has been subdued by Ryūjin-sama."
"It will remain in Konoha and will not be sealed into a Jinchuriki."
"If you encounter it, do not panic. However, do not approach it carelessly."
The villagers were stunned once again.
Keeping a Tailed Beast inside the village like a guard beast was something no one had ever imagined.
After the assembly ended, Konoha erupted into celebration.
The despair from earlier had vanished completely, replaced by excitement and pride.
Meanwhile, within a temporary meeting room, Konoha's high-ranking officials gathered once more.
Nara Shikaku looked toward Ryūjin, who sat at the head of the room.
"Ryūjin-sama, since the establishment of the One Country, One Village system, Tailed Beasts have been used to maintain balance between villages."
"If we keep the Eight-Tails, it may provoke strong reactions from the other nations."
Ryūjin waved his hand dismissively.
"No need to think about that."
"The Eight-Tails is our war trophy. If anyone has a problem with it, they can come talk to me."
The room fell silent.
Compared to the cautious diplomacy of Hiruzen Sarutobi, Ryūjin's approach was direct and uncompromising.
It was unfamiliar.
Yet undeniably satisfying.
"Then regarding Kumogakure," Shikaku continued, "what are your plans moving forward?"
Ryūjin leaned back slightly, his expression indifferent.
"They broke the agreement first."
"So…"
He spoke as if discussing something trivial.
"We'll just take Kumogakure."