The assault—
Was fast.
Too fast.
From the moment Konoha's forces shattered the Rain Village's outer defenses to the instant they reached the supposed core—
Less than ten minutes had passed.
Faster than expected.
Much faster.
And everyone present understood exactly why.
Uchiha Ryujin.
The man who hadn't issued a single command, hadn't raised his voice once—yet carried the entire battlefield forward through sheer presence alone.
There were no orders.
No coordination calls.
Only—
Absolute destruction.
By now, Jiraiya and Orochimaru had long since stopped being surprised.
At first, it had been shock.
Then disbelief.
Now—
It was numbness.
Because everything about him—his ninjutsu, his chakra reserves, his control—existed on a level that simply didn't make sense.
"…This guy is a monster," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, unable to hide the truth any longer.
Now he finally understood why the proud Uchiha Clan followed Ryujin without hesitation.
Not because of status.
Not because of authority.
But because of overwhelming strength.
"Damn you… invaders!!"
A Rain ninja roared, his body drenched in blood, voice trembling with both rage and despair as he lunged forward.
But it didn't matter.
Nothing could stop the advance.
Konoha's forces moved like a blade through flesh—unstoppable, merciless, precise.
Not because the Rain ninja were weak—
But because they had no choice.
They had never wanted this war.
They weren't seeking conquest.
They weren't chasing power.
And yet—
Because of the ambitions of the great nations—
They were dragged into hell.
Jiraiya hesitated.
Just for a fraction of a second.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
A flicker of humanity.
But in the next instant—
Instinct took over.
A sharp motion.
A flash of steel.
The kunai pierced cleanly through the enemy's chest.
Quick.
Efficient.
Fatal.
"…Jiraiya."
Orochimaru's voice cut in, cold and unyielding.
"This is war."
He had seen it.
That hesitation.
And he did not approve.
"In a real fight… hesitation gets you killed."
Jiraiya clenched his fists, his expression darkening as the weight of those words settled over him.
"…When will this war end?"
His voice was low.
Heavy.
Almost lost beneath the sound of rain.
Orochimaru's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Win first."
"Then ask questions."
Simple.
Cruel.
Real.
"…Yeah. I know."
Jiraiya exhaled slowly.
But his thoughts were already drifting elsewhere.
The prophecy.
The Child of Destiny.
The one who would change the world.
"…How do you even fix a world like this?"
Blood.
Death.
Endless war.
Could anyone truly bring peace to something so broken?
For a brief moment—
His gaze shifted.
Toward the man walking at the very front.
Ryujin.
If not for his identity…
If not for the name Uchiha—
Jiraiya might have believed…
That man was the answer.
Rain poured endlessly from the sky, turning the battlefield into a swamp of mud and blood. Screams echoed through the forest as bodies fell one after another, piling into a grim testament of war's cruelty.
Time passed.
Fifteen minutes.
The casualties were brutal.
Over a hundred Rain ninja lay dead.
Konoha had lost dozens.
Even with Ryujin carving a path ahead—
Even with Orochimaru and Jiraiya suppressing the main forces—
War was never clean.
Never easy.
Even elite Jōnin—
Could fall at any moment.
Jiraiya was wounded.
Orochimaru too.
But one man—
Remained untouched.
At the very front—
Ryujin walked forward.
Unharmed.
Unstained.
Not even a speck of blood touched his clothes.
It was as if he wasn't fighting a war at all—
But simply…
Walking through it.
Calm.
Silent.
Unstoppable.
Every enemy fell in a single motion.
No wasted effort.
No unnecessary movement.
Only—
Perfect execution.
The Konoha shinobi watching from behind felt a chill crawl up their spines.
"…This is insane…"
"Is he even human…?"
"Lord Ryujin… is too strong…"
Now they understood.
Why Hiruzen treated him as an equal.
Why Danzo watched him so carefully.
Because this man—
Was not just powerful.
He was something else entirely.
Something—
Unfathomable.
"Finally…!"
Jiraiya exhaled sharply as they broke through the final line of resistance.
They had reached it.
The target.
The enemy's logistics base.
The entire purpose of this mission.
After everything they had lost—
They had made it.
Relief spread subtly through the ranks.
"Destroy the supplies!!"
Orochimaru roared, already forming hand seals as chakra surged violently around him, preparing to incinerate everything in sight.
Then—
He stopped.
Something was wrong.
Too quiet.
Too still.
"Wait."
Jiraiya stepped forward, his expression shifting instantly.
No guards.
No defenders.
No supplies.
Nothing.
The entire base—
Was empty.
Completely.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Then—
Realization struck.
Cold.
Sharp.
Deadly.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru's hearts sank at the same time.
"…This is bad."
Because they both understood—
At that exact moment—
What had just happened.
This wasn't a victory.
It was a trap.