"…That's… too strong…"
A Rain shinobi staggered backward, his voice trembling as fear completely overtook him.
He could no longer hold his ground.
Their strongest pillar—Hanzo—had already been forced into retreat.
What was left for them?
Ryujin's power had shattered their confidence beyond repair.
This battle—
Was already over.
"Even Hanzo's summon was erased instantly… and now even he doesn't dare make a move…"
A Konoha Jōnin swallowed hard, staring at Ryujin as if he were something beyond human.
"Other than the Third Hokage… I didn't expect Konoha to have someone this powerful. His strength is at least late Kage-level."
"And that Mangekyō ability… it's terrifying."
"Forget the Sharingan," another ninja added, his voice still unsteady. "Even that fire technique he used earlier… if it hit me, I'd die instantly."
"No kidding. Burning everything across hundreds of meters with a single technique… is that even normal?"
"So this… is the power of the Uchiha Clan…?"
"…Monstrous…"
"It's not just the Mangekyō. Lord Ryujin himself is already beyond reason…"
"That's our Uchiha Clan Head!!!"
What had been expected to become a prolonged clash between Kage-level powerhouses—
Ended in an instant.
So abruptly—
That it felt unreal.
On one side—
The Rain shinobi collapsed into chaos.
Panic spread like wildfire. Some began retreating without waiting for orders. Others turned and ran outright. Their formation broke completely, dissolving into a disorganized rout.
On the other—
Konoha rose from despair.
Their morale surged to its peak.
Step by step, they advanced.
Even Jiraiya and Orochimaru, battered and exhausted, forced themselves forward, gathering what little chakra they had left.
Fatigue no longer mattered.
Pain no longer mattered.
Because now—
They believed.
Even against enemies many times their number—
They felt no fear.
The tide—
Had completely turned.
The Rain shinobi scattered like a collapsing wave.
Retreat turned into flight.
Hanzo stood in silence.
His gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the chaos, the fear, the collapse of his forces—
Before returning to Ryujin.
Reluctance.
Frustration.
Helplessness.
All of it flickered through his eyes.
He slowly shook his head.
This small nation—
Was already fragile.
And now—
With him defeated—
There was nothing left to hold it together.
"…This time… I've lost."
His voice was heavy.
Firm.
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals.
The Body Flicker Technique activated instantly.
Shhhk—!
His figure vanished.
A flare shot into the sky—
Exploding with a thunderous boom.
The signal—
For full retreat.
The Rain shinobi saw it—
And fled in all directions.
Like a tide pulling back from shore.
Ironically, only a few dozen Konoha shinobi remained standing—
Yet they chased the retreating enemy with renewed ferocity, their battle cries echoing through the rain-soaked battlefield.
Soon—
Silence returned.
The battlefield emptied.
Only Konoha remained.
A battle filled with reversals—
Ending in absolute victory.
"They ran quickly."
Ryujin watched Hanzo disappear into the distance, his tone calm and unconcerned.
He made no move to pursue.
There was no need.
And more importantly—
He didn't want to use the Mangekyō again.
The strain on his eyes was already too great.
Besides—
He held no real grudge against Hanzo.
There was no reason to pay such a price just to kill him.
Just as he was about to close his Mangekyō—
Something caught his attention.
Above him—
A line.
A golden line.
"…What is that?"
His gaze lifted, following it upward.
The line stretched endlessly across the sky, branching outward, spreading in all directions—
Connecting everything.
It was unlike anything he had seen before.
Not like causality.
Not like life or death.
This one—
Felt absolute.
His Mangekyō ability—
[All-Seeing Analysis]
Allowed him to perceive all things.
Even truths beyond ordinary comprehension.
But this—
This was different.
This was the first time he had encountered something like this.
"…What kind of line is this?"
Curiosity flickered within his eyes.
Slowly—
He reached out.
And touched it.
The moment his fingers made contact—
His pupils shrank violently.
A surge—
A flood—
An overwhelming torrent of power exploded into his mind.
"—!!"
Information.
Memories.
Concepts.
Endless data poured into his consciousness like a storm without end.
He tried to pull his hand back—
But he couldn't.
It was stuck.
Worse—
Something was being forced into him.
Knowledge.
Relentless.
Infinite.
Including—
The origin of that golden thread.
It wasn't just a line.
It was a network.
A vast web—
Connecting everything.
Binding existence itself.
And its power—
Far exceeded what Ryujin could withstand.
Pain exploded through his body.
His vision blurred.
His mind trembled under the pressure.
Wave after wave of information crashed into him without pause.
The golden thread began to coil around him—
Invisible to everyone else.
"Ryujin! What's wrong?!"
Jiraiya rushed forward, alarm filling his voice.
He had been ready to celebrate—to thank Ryujin for saving them.
But the moment he got closer—
Something was clearly wrong.
Ryujin stood frozen.
His Mangekyō spinning violently.
His expression twisted in pain.
Yet—
Jiraiya saw nothing.
No enemy.
No attack.
No threat.
Because the golden thread—
Existed beyond his perception.
More power surged in.
More knowledge.
More pressure.
Ryujin's body trembled.
His mind screamed.
He understood one thing clearly—
If it had been anyone else—
They would have died instantly.
Their mind destroyed by the overload.
Only because his Mangekyō was so abnormal—
So powerful—
Was he able to endure even this long.
But even that—
Had limits.
His strength gave out.
His vision collapsed into darkness.
And finally—
Ryujin lost consciousness.
Falling—
Into the void.