After gaining control of Hashirama Senju, Ryūjin simply shrugged and patted him on the shoulder.
"Go back to the old Senju clan grounds. Stay there for three days, then leave."
"Sōka."
Hashirama responded without hesitation. His will had already been altered, leaving no room for resistance. He turned and walked out of the Hokage's office without a second thought.
Ryūjin watched his departing figure, a faint anticipation rising in his eyes.
That was the entire reason he used Kotoamatsukami on Hashirama. Nothing more, nothing less.
The moment he encountered Hashirama, the Sign-in System had issued a notification: a special check-in event had been triggered.
As long as Hashirama remained within the Senju clan territory for three days, a new check-in location, "Hashirama Senju's Residence," would be generated.
Once that happened, Ryūjin could complete the check-in.
And the reward?
The Sage Body that once belonged to Hashirama himself.
"Good," Ryūjin muttered under his breath, his gaze sharpening. "Now it's time to deal with the Hidden Cloud."
He leaned back into the Hokage's seat, his expression indifferent as he spoke.
"Someone."
A shadow flickered.
An ANBU operative appeared instantly, kneeling before him. "Hokage-sama, your orders?"
"Call in all the higher-ups."
"Yes."
The ANBU vanished just as quickly as he had appeared.
Not long after, the key figures of the village gathered inside the office, including Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyūga, and Shikaku Nara.
Shikaku was the first to speak. "Hokage-sama, is this about taking action against the Hidden Cloud?"
"Yeah." Ryūjin didn't bother dressing it up. "I said it already. The day I became Hokage is the day the Hidden Cloud gets wiped out. Time to collect."
The room fell silent for a moment.
"I'm giving you one hour. Assemble five hundred shinobi. I'll lead them myself."
"The rest stay behind and defend the village. Handle the details however you want."
His tone remained casual, as if he were assigning routine work.
At first, the order sounded absurd. Five hundred shinobi to destroy an entire great village?
But that doubt vanished almost instantly.
With Ryūjin's strength, he could wipe out the Hidden Cloud alone if he felt like it. Bringing five hundred along was practically symbolic.
No one questioned him further.
The higher-ups quickly dispersed to carry out their tasks.
In less than half an hour, the force was ready.
Five hundred shinobi stood assembled, led by Fugaku, Hiashi, and Shikaku. The rest of the village's forces remained behind to maintain security.
Everything was prepared with remarkable efficiency.
Ryūjin stepped forward, glancing over the assembled group.
"Let's go. We're destroying the Hidden Cloud."
That was all he said before moving out.
No speech, no theatrics.
And yet, the morale of the shinobi surged.
Just following him into battle was more than enough.
The sound of synchronized footsteps echoed as the force advanced, their presence impossible to ignore.
A unit of five hundred shinobi was no small movement, especially in the aftermath of the Hidden Cloud's recent defeat.
The entire ninja world quickly took notice.
"Ryūjin Uchiha is leading troops out of the village?"
"The direction… that's the Hidden Cloud."
"He's attacking them?"
Speculation spread rapidly.
"Hidden Cloud is finished."
"They already lost their Raikage, their Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and even the Eight-Tails itself."
"How are they supposed to stop Ryūjin Uchiha now?"
For once, no one sided with the Hidden Cloud.
Their past arrogance had earned them little sympathy.
Meanwhile, inside the Hidden Cloud Village, panic spread like wildfire.
"What? Ryūjin Uchiha is coming here himself?"
In the Raikage's office, tension filled the air.
The remaining high-ranking shinobi had gathered, their expressions grim.
"What do we do?" C asked, his voice tight. "We can't stop him."
At the center stood the acting leader, an elder trusted by the previous Raikage.
Even he looked troubled.
Before he could respond, Samui spoke up.
"We just received confirmation. Ryūjin Uchiha fought Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End… and won."
Silence.
"He was acknowledged as the new God of Shinobi."
The words hit like a hammer.
Even Hashirama had lost.
What hope did they have?
The acting leader slammed his fist onto the table.
"Damn it."
They had been planning negotiations, even preparing to make heavy concessions.
But Ryūjin didn't care.
He didn't negotiate.
He moved.
"Even if it costs my life, I'll protect the village," said Yugito Nii, her voice firm.
"No." The elder shook his head. "Your job is to survive."
"Killer B's fate already proved it. Tailed Beasts mean nothing against him."
"If we lose you too, we lose everything."
The room fell quiet again.
Then, after a brief pause, he spoke.
"It's time to use the Chakra Cannon."
Some were confused.
Others immediately understood.
"You've all wondered what Laboratory Eight has been doing," he continued. "Since the time of the Second Raikage, we've been developing a weapon… something stronger than a Tailed Beast."
"A Chakra Cannon."
Shock spread across the room.
"A single shot can kill Ryūjin Uchiha," he said with confidence.
The weapon was terrifying in scale, capable of targeting even enemies at extreme distances. Its only flaw was the charging time, which took at least thirty minutes.
But now, they had advance warning.
They could prepare.
"We evacuate civilians immediately," he ordered. "Minimize casualties."
"And contact the other villages."
His eyes narrowed.
"If we fall, the balance of the Five Great Nations collapses."
"This isn't just our problem."
Soon after, contact was established with Onoki, the Tsuchikage.
"Ryūjin Uchiha is coming for us," the elder said directly. "You understand what that means."
He laid everything out clearly.
Ryūjin had defeated Hashirama.
He already held the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails.
If the Two-Tails fell next, no village could stand against Konoha.
"Today it's us," he said. "Tomorrow it's you."
Onoki fell silent.
And that silence said enough.
One by one, the Hidden Cloud reached out to the other Kage, including Yagura Karatachi and Rasa.
By the end of it, an agreement was reached.
Not out of trust.
But necessity.
The remaining great villages would stand together.
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