Swish!
With a casual motion of his hand, a dazzling beam of light cut across the battlefield, sweeping through everyone in front of him, including Ōnoki and Yagura Karatachi, at a speed that left no room for reaction.
"This is bad!"
"He's serious!"
"He actually attacked!"
Shock flooded their faces. None of them expected Ryūjin to act without hesitation, to strike with killing intent against them, the Kage of the great villages.
Instinct took over.
Ōnoki, Yagura, and Rasa pushed their chakra to the limit, activating the Body Flicker Technique in an attempt to escape.
Their figures blurred, vanishing in an instant.
But it was meaningless.
No matter how fast they moved, they could not outrun the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
At such close range, escape was never an option.
A sharp, tearing sound echoed.
In the next moment, their blurred figures reappeared, forcibly dragged out of motion by overwhelming force.
They were sent flying backward as blood burst from their bodies.
All of them had been struck.
Ōnoki, Yagura Karatachi, and Rasa, none were spared.
Even with strength far beyond ordinary shinobi, it made no difference. The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion existed on a level that surpassed conventional ninjutsu.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Their bodies slammed heavily onto the ground.
They struggled to turn their heads, only to see a horrifying scene.
Every shinobi present had fallen.
Kumogakure ninja, guards, all of them lay in pools of blood, lifeless.
Only the Kage still clung to a final thread of life, and even that was fading fast.
Their vitality had already been severed.
Ōnoki's vision blurred as disbelief consumed him. His entire body trembled.
"This… how…"
He raised a shaking hand toward Ryūjin, his lips moving, but before he could finish a sentence, his arm dropped lifelessly.
His breath stopped.
Beside him, Yagura Karatachi and Rasa followed, their bodies going still one after another.
In a single strike, the alliance of four great villages had been wiped out.
Silence fell.
Then came the faint, repeated sound of swallowing.
The Konoha shinobi behind Ryūjin stood frozen, their minds blank. Even Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hizashi, and Nara Shikaku were unable to speak.
They had seen Ryūjin's strength before.
But this… this was something else entirely.
Their Hokage had slaughtered multiple Kage without hesitation.
That level of dominance left even allies shaken.
Hidden in the shadows, Obito's expression stiffened.
"This guy… he actually did it."
A chill ran down his spine.
Black and White Zetsu also felt the weight of the situation.
"This is bad. Obito cannot deal with him. We need Madara revived as soon as possible."
Without Ryūjin, the Eye of the Moon Plan would have been simple. Now, everything had changed.
"Obito, move now. Capture the Two-Tails Jinchūriki before Ryūjin interferes," Zetsu urged.
Obito did not argue. His Mangekyō activated, and his body twisted into a vortex as he vanished with Kamui.
Meanwhile, inside Kumogakure, the observing shinobi were in complete shock.
"Hokage… has he gone insane?"
"He killed them all?"
"Quick, report to Karui-sama!"
The message reached Karui immediately.
Despite her shock, she did not hesitate.
Initiate the second plan.
Use the Chakra Cannon to annihilate Ryūjin and the Konoha forces in one strike.
But just as she prepared to act, a cold voice sounded behind her.
"You won't get the chance."
Karui's body stiffened. She turned slowly, her face draining of color.
"U… Uchiha Ryūjin…"
"Kamui."
There was no hesitation.
In an instant, her head was severed.
Her body collapsed, lifeless.
Ryūjin did not spare her a glance. He placed his hand on the Chakra Cannon and activated Kamui at close range.
The massive weapon distorted and vanished into his Kamui dimension.
A weapon like this, impractical as it was, still had its uses.
With that done, Ryūjin disappeared again.
Moments later, he returned to the Konoha forces.
"Move. We're entering the village."
His tone was casual, as if nothing significant had just happened.
Inside Kumogakure, confusion spread rapidly.
"Why hasn't Karui-sama fired yet?"
"Something's wrong…"
On a plateau within the village, the remaining Kumogakure shinobi had gathered.
They had already received news. Dodai was dead. The Kage were dead. The second plan had been activated.
But the Chakra Cannon never fired.
Two ANBU appeared in a rush.
"Omoi-sama, bad news. Karui-sama has been killed!"
"What?"
Shock rippled through the group.
"And… the Chakra Cannon is gone."
Silence.
Omoi stood frozen, his mind blank.
Their final trump card… gone.
No explanation. No warning.
Panic began to spread.
"What do we do, Omoi-sama?"
All eyes turned to him.
With the deaths of their leaders, Omoi had become the one in command.
Cold sweat rolled down his face. His thoughts were a mess.
Then, space twisted.
A vortex appeared before them.
Ryūjin stepped out.
Instantly, fear gripped every shinobi present.
To them, he was no longer human. He was a disaster given form.
"Listen carefully."
Ryūjin's voice was steady.
"From today onward, Kumogakure belongs to Konoha."
"You have half an hour to decide."
"After that, anyone who refuses dies."
He paused briefly.
"I won't touch civilians. This is only about shinobi."
With that, space warped again, and he vanished.
The remaining Kumogakure ninja stood in silence, the weight of his words pressing down on them.
At the village center, Konoha forces had already taken position under Fugaku and Hizashi's command.
The village was eerily empty. Civilians had been evacuated earlier for the Chakra Cannon operation.
There was no resistance.
Only tension.
"You hold this position," Ryūjin said upon returning. "If anything happens, deal with it."
Before anyone could respond, he disappeared again.
A moment later.
He appeared inside a room.
Three figures stood within.
Uchiha Obito.
Black and White Zetsu.
And lying unconscious on the ground, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii.
Ryūjin's gaze swept across the room.
He had already sensed it earlier. Obito had been targeting the Two-Tails.
That was not happening.
Using the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed on Obito years ago, Ryūjin had arrived instantly.
Obito's expression darkened the moment he saw him.
"Uchiha Ryūjin… you again."
Zetsu's gaze sharpened.
Ryūjin glanced at Yugito, then back at Obito.
"What are you planning to do with her?"
Obito did not answer directly.
"And you? What do you want with her?"
Ryūjin shrugged slightly.
"Same thing as you, probably."
Zetsu spoke, his tone heavy.
"So your goal really is the Tailed Beasts. What exactly are you planning?"
Their investigation had already revealed enough. Ryūjin had acted against multiple Jinchūriki.
His objective was obvious.
But his purpose remained unclear.
Ryūjin looked at them, a faint smirk forming.
"That part doesn't matter."
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"What matters is this…"
"We're enemies now."