331-335

Chapter 331: No Room for Mercy  

"But…"  

Yoru’s gaze was icy as it locked onto Natsume Yūki, his voice devoid of warmth.  

"If we had lost today, those ‘innocent boys’ you pity would have become butchers—burning, looting, and slaughtering their way through the Land of Water."  

"No one is born a monster."  

"But a world of cruelty breeds cruel men. Once the demon inside is unleashed, there’s no going back."  

"We cannot—and will not—gamble the lives of our comrades on mercy for the enemy. An enemy is an enemy. They will never be friends."  

"War is a game of survival. Hesitation kills. Spare the enemy today, and tomorrow, they’ll repay you with a blade to your throat."  

With a flick of his wrist, Yoru deflected a shuriken aimed at them.  

"Save your humanity for after the war. When we’ve won, even our foes will listen."  

"Blood and brutality—that’s the language of battle."  

"Do you understand now?"  

Natsume’s grip on her sword tightened. "...I think so."  

"Good. The rest will come with time."  

As the doubt faded from her eyes, Yoru allowed a faint smile. With a sharp breath, Natsume charged toward the enemy.  

Yoru watched her go, then sighed.  

"Let them have their fun."  

If he joined the fray, the "game" would end too quickly.  

By the time Moonview Gorge became Moonview Lake, the battle was over.  

60,000 enemy troops:  

• 30,000 dead.  

• 15,000 wounded.  

• 15,000 captured. 

Kirigakure’s casualties:  

• 100 injured.  

• Zero fatalities. 

In the mist-shrouded camp, two bound figures glared up at Yoru.  

"An Jūichirō. Hama Gorō. Fancy meeting you here."  

Yoru’s grin was razor-edged. "Your army folded faster than wet paper. We barely broke a sweat."  

The victor’s taunts always cut deepest—and the defeated had no choice but to swallow them.  

"Tch! Winning with tricks isn’t real strength!" An spat. "Fight us fairly, like you did the other Kage!"  

"Oh?" Yoru’s laugh was cold. "Strategy is strength. A shinobi who can’t scheme is just a blunt tool."  

Leaning closer, his voice dropped to a whisper.  

"Now, tell me about your ‘master,’ Keinoshita. What power does he have that makes you so confident—even against me?"  

Genuine curiosity flickered in his eyes.  

Not arrogance—just fact.  

In this world, only a handful could challenge him: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the celestial Ōtsutsuki Clan, or perhaps the hidden Isshiki.  

Yet he felt no foreboding. No ripple in the world’s chakra.  

So what was Keinoshita’s edge?  

"You’ll see soon enough," Hama sneered. "When our master arrives, you’ll crumble."  

"Oh?" Yoru’s smirk widened. "Now I’m intrigued."  

Meanwhile…  

Muranaka Yū lounged in his command tent, sipping tea.  

Victory was assured.  

"An and Hama should’ve crushed them by now," he mused, watching distant dust settle.  

"Yoru’s ‘legend’ ends today. I’ll carve my name over his corpse."  

Then—a scout stumbled in, bloodied and wild-eyed.  

"M-Muranaka-sama! D-disaster! Our forces—annihilated! Six thousand… gone!"  

Chapter 332: You Guys Are Trash  

The moment these words were spoken, Muranishi Yū and the others turned deathly pale.  

Especially Muranishi.  

He shot to his feet, eyes bulging in disbelief. "HOW did we lose?!"  

As the messenger stumbled closer, Muranishi grabbed him by the collar and roared:  

"What the hell happened?! Six thousand troops—wiped out in less than an hour?! Even six thousand PIGS wouldn’t have died that fast!"  

He refused to believe it.  

No one could annihilate an army of that size so effortlessly.  

"Yoru… He lured us into a canyon… and blew open the dam."  

The messenger trembled, his voice shaking. "A tidal wave— millions of tons of water —came crashing down. The entire army was swept away like lambs to slaughter. The Kiri-nin picked us off like target practice… The gorge turned red with blood."  

"Tch."  

Muranishi and his men sucked in a sharp breath.  

Just the mental image was enough to make their skin crawl.  

"That bastard Yoru! Since when does a man of his stature resort to such underhanded tactics ?!" one ninja spat, furious.  

"He should’ve fought us head-on! What kind of coward uses tricks ?!" another added, as if war had rules.  

Then—a voice, dripping with contempt, cut through the air.  

"Oh? Blaming the enemy for being smarter than you? Pathetic. A ninja who can’t even use strategy is just trash with a headband."  

Muranishi whirled around—  

And froze.  

Three figures stood before them:  

• A eyeless man wrapped in bandages.  

• A sharp-toothed girl with wild hair.  

• A silver-haired youth carrying a massive scroll-like sword. 

"The Demon of the Hidden Mist…* Zabuza Momochi !"  

"The Exploding Blade’s heir… Suigetsu Hōzuki !"  

"The Thunderbolt… Ameyuri Ringo !"  

Muranishi’s face tightened.  

These three… were not opponents he could handle.  

"Oh, and don’t forget— look behind you !" Suigetsu grinned.  

"What—?!"  

Muranishi spun around—  

Nothing.  

"Hah! You actually fell for that? Adorable. "  

Before Muranishi could react, Suigetsu’s Exploding Blade smashed into his chest—  

BOOM.  

"Fire Release: Detonate."  

A blazing seal ignited on Muranishi’s torso—  

KABOOM!  

"GYAAAAAH—!"  

The allied forces gasped.  

Muranishi’s chest was obliterated, flesh and bone reduced to gory wreckage.  

"You got time to worry about him?"  

Ameyuri’s voice was sing-song as she swung Raijin’s Fang—  

CRACKLE-BOOM!  

Lightning vaporized a dozen men in one strike.  

"Wow. You guys suck. " She rested the blade on her shoulder. "And you thought you could take Kirigakure ? Don’t make me laugh."  

"Ah well. Guess I’ll teach you what real power looks like."  

"Lightning Release: Heaven’s Wrath!"  

The sky split open—  

Bolts of white fury rained down, turning the battlefield into a charred graveyard.  

Meanwhile, Suigetsu danced through the chaos, his Exploding Blade turning screams into symphonies.  

A Few Minutes Later…  

"Tch. That’s it? Boring. "  

Suigetsu kicked at the corpses littering the ground, unimpressed.  

He stomped on Muranishi’s barely-breathing body.  

"You were gonna conquer the Mist ? Really? Could’ve fooled me."  

His smirk was razor-sharp.  

"At least try to make your delusions believable. I was hoping for a decent fight —but you guys folded like wet paper."  

"Seriously, what a joke. "  

Muranishi wanted to vomit blood.  

Six thousand men. Gone in an hour.  

And this monster had the nerve to act disappointed?!  

"Eh, whatever. Lucky for you, Yoru-sama wants you alive. " Suigetsu sighed, hoisting Muranishi onto his shoulder like a sack of meat.  

"Otherwise, I’d have tested some new techniques on you."  

Muranishi shivered.  

To these people… was he just lab rat?  

Was human life that cheap to them?  

"Let’s go. Mission’s over." Zabuza turned away.  

"Ugh. Fine. " Suigetsu adjusted his grip on Muranishi. "But this was zero fun. "  

When Muranishi saw Yoru again, his entire body locked up.  

Every cell in his body screamed:  

DANGER.  

Even the threats he’d prepared died in his throat.  

"Tell me about your master ," Yoru said, voice silk over steel.  

"Refuse… and I’ll find another way to make you talk."  

He pointed behind Muranishi.  

"See that? That’s what happens to people who waste my time. "  

Muranishi turned—  

And choked.  

Ten severed heads—one from each allied village—were neatly arranged on a table.  

Their empty eyes stared right at him.  

Muranishi’s face drained of color.  

If he stayed silent…  

He’d be the eleventh.  

And so—  

He broke.  

Chapter 333: Watching Him Slowly Despair  

He didn’t doubt for a second that Yoru would hesitate to kill him. 

A man who’d drown 60,000 troops wouldn’t bat an eye at taking one more life. 

No way.  

"Councilman Muranaka, would you care to answer my question?"  

Hearing Yoru’s voice again, Muranaka shuddered.  

Clutching his bleeding abdomen, he stammered, "M-My master… is Keishirou. He… he commands a hundred Edo Tensei soldiers—all resurrected legends of the past. And… two special reanimated corpses."  

He glanced at Yoru, fear flashing in his eyes. "Even you… wouldn’t stand a chance against those two."  

"Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, right?" Yoru said, utterly unfazed.  

"H-How did you know?!" Muranaka gasped, his voice cracking. "Did you… already figure it out?"  

His hands trembled. For the first time, he truly grasped how terrifying this man was—how fathomless.  

"Figure it out?" Yoru chuckled, tilting his head. "Wasn’t it obvious? In this entire shinobi world, who else could overpower me besides them?"  

Then, with a smile dripping with honeyed malice, he leaned closer. "Do you want to live?"  

Muranaka froze—then nodded frantically, desperation erasing all traces of his earlier arrogance. Gone was the man who’d sneered at Yoru just an hour ago. Now? Survival was all that mattered.  

He was only forty. He still had so much to live for. Dying here would be… such a waste.  

"Then… become my spy." Yoru propped his chin on his hand, amused. "Just lure your master’s forces to my chosen battlefield. Easy, right?"  

His confidence was absolute. Refusal wasn’t even an option.  

"Well?" Yoru’s grin widened.  

Muranaka swallowed hard, wrestling with his conscience—then caved. "I’ll do it."  

Survival had its price. Betrayal? A small cost for living.  

"Take him to Medical." With a lazy wave, Yoru ordered the med-nin to haul Muranaka away—half-dead, but obedient.  

"We already outnumber them. Why bother with schemes?" Yugito frowned. "What’s your game, Yoru?"  

"Watching a man certain of victory… slowly realize he’s stepped into a trap?" His eyes glinted, darkly amused. "Where’s the fun in skipping despair?"  

He stretched, savoring the thought. "Keishirou dreams of ruling the shinobi world? Fine. Let me remind him—I stand in his way."  

"Honestly," Yugito sighed, "must you toy with them before killing them?"  

Just imagining it gave her chills. Monster.  

A silent prayer for Keishirou: May heaven spare him from Yoru.  

Meanwhile… Land of Rice Paddies  

"Kukuku… The ‘White Flash’ lives up to his name. Drowning an army? Ruthless."  

Orochimaru—now in a fresh vessel—studied the report from his white snake spy. A low, guttural laugh escaped him.  

"Keishirou… soon you’ll learn what true despair feels like."  

For all his arrogance, even Orochimaru feared two men in this world:  

• Itachi Uchiha (half a threat).  

• And Yoru (a full-blown nightmare). 

No—he wouldn’t provoke Yoru blindly. Not without absolute certainty.  

Keishirou? Just a pawn. A test to gauge Yoru’s limits.  

Until then? Orochimaru could wait.  

Patience was his virtue.  

Land of Fire – Konoha’s Frontlines  

"Dammit! Why won’t they stay dead?!"  

"Every grunt has chunin-level strength?!"  

"This is Orochimaru’s Edo Tensei! Is he behind this?!"  

Konoha’s forces reeled under the assault of reanimated legends and 10,000 White Zetsu clones. Barely recovered from Yoru’s rampage, they now faced another war.  

Tsunade’s Crisis  

"Dan?! Nii-chan?!"  

Her hands shook as Dan Katou and Nawaki Senju—her fallen loved ones—attacked against their will.  

"Tsunade… I can’t stop—!"  

"Nee-chan, run—!"  

She couldn’t strike back.  

"Hah! The Hokage? Just a sentimental fool!"  

The puppeteer, Yuui, sneered. "Konoha’s led by a woman? No wonder it’s weak!"  

Jiraiya’s Rage  

"You bastard—defiling the dead?!"  

"Sage Art: Wild Lion’s Mane!"  

His hair lashed out like a whip—only to be severed mid-air by a golden flash.  

Jiraiya’s blood ran cold.  

"…Minato?"  

The Fourth Hokage stood before him—empty. No soul. Just a blade in a corpse’s grip.  

"Shocked?" Yuui smirked. "Then brace yourself."  

A seal slammed into the earth. Another coffin rose.  

From it stepped—  

"Kushina?!"  

The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. The Nine-Tails’ former vessel.  

Now… a hollow weapon.  

Chapter 334: Reunion with the Departed  

"You... you bastard!!!!"  

Seeing his disciple and the man's wife being toyed with by Yuichi, Jiraiya erupted with killing intent unlike anything he'd ever shown before.  

"Jiraiya, calm down!"  

Just then, the Third Hokage rushed over, his voice stern.  

"Heh. The Third Hokage telling others to calm down? Let’s see if you can keep your cool!"  

At the sight of the Third, Yuichi smirked, his expression dripping with amusement. His hands began forming seals.  

"Don’t tell me—"  

The Third’s stomach dropped at Yuichi’s words.  

"Come forth—Second Hokage!"  

Yuichi slammed his palm onto the ground. A coffin erupted from the earth, and from it emerged the cold, detached figure of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.  

Now it was the Third’s turn to lose his composure.  

"Oh, right—almost forgot him!"  

Yuichi suddenly grinned, as if remembering something hilarious, and formed another set of seals.  

A second coffin, marked with the character "Dan", rose beside the first.  

When the lid fell away, the man who stepped out could be none other than Shimura Danzō—though unlike the others, he retained his consciousness. Yet despite his awareness, his body moved against his will.  

At the sight of Danzō, the Third’s fury boiled over. "His remains were reduced to ashes! How the hell could you summon him?! Where did you even get his DNA?!"  

It was true—Danzō had been incinerated by Uchiha Sasuke, leaving nothing behind. So how was this possible?  

"Ha! Why don’t you ask your precious student, Orochimaru?"  

Yuichi laughed triumphantly before pointing at the Third and barking orders to Tobirama and Danzō:  

"Kill him."  

"I... never imagined... my return... would force me... to fight Konoha... What... a disgrace..."  

Danzō strained against the control, but to no avail.  

"Save your breath, Shimura Danzō. Orochimaru reinforced these puppets with Senju Hashirama’s cells. Only he can break free—you don’t stand a chance."  

Despite his confident words, the tension on Yuichi’s face betrayed the effort it took to maintain control.  

"Forgive me... Hiruzen..."  

Danzō’s voice was thick with struggle, yet his body lunged forward without hesitation.  

Tobirama moved even faster—a blur of lethal intent.  

The Third gritted his teeth. The wounds Yarano had inflicted days ago still hadn’t healed, and now he had to face two powerhouses like Tobirama and Danzō?  

This was going to be rough.  

Meanwhile, Jiraiya was locked in his own desperate battle against Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.  

Damn it... Jiraiya thought, sweating. Neither of these two is someone I can half-ass against.  

Elsewhere on the battlefield:  

"Tsunade, fall back! Let me handle them—go help Hiruzen!"  

As Tsunade found herself cornered, Koharu Utatane intercepted the attackers, shoving her aside.  

"Go! Now!" Koharu barked when Tsunade hesitated.  

"...Don’t die on me."  

With a clenched jaw, Tsunade forced herself to retreat, sprinting toward the Third’s position.  

"Jiraiya! I’ve got your back!"  

Just as Jiraiya began to buckle under the combined assault of Minato and Kushina, Homura Mitokado joined the fray.  

"To think even the Second and Fourth have been revived... These monsters will pay for this!"  

Yamashiro Aoba and Iwashi Tatami seethed with rage.  

"Focus! Our enemies aren’t pushovers either," Shiranui Genma warned, his usual lazy demeanor replaced by sharp intensity.  

Genma vs. Moonlight Hayate:  

"Hayate... Never thought I’d face you like this."  

"Neither did I," Hayate replied, his voice laced with remorse. "I can’t control my body—be careful."  

In an instant, he vanished—Transparency Jutsu activated.  

"Aoba!" Genma yelled, signaling for sensory backup.  

Kakashi vs. White Fang:  

"...Father."  

Kakashi’s gaze was a storm of emotions as he stared at Sakumo Hatake—now little more than a hollow puppet.  

Might Guy vs. Might Dai:  

"YOSH, Guy! Look at you—stronger than ever! Let’s have a youthful showdown!"  

Unlike the others, Dai’s personality remained intact—his low rank made him unworthy of suppression.  

"YOSH, DAD!!" Guy roared, tears streaming.  

Neji & Hiashi vs. Hizashi:  

"Neji... You’ve grown. And Brother... It’s been a while."  

Hizashi Hyūga smiled warmly at his son and elder twin.  

"I’ve named Neji as the Hyūga clan’s successor," Hiashi said firmly. "He’ll carry our future."  

Hizashi’s eyes gleamed. "Is that so? Then—show me your progress, Neji!"  

His stance shifted, Gentle Fist striking like lightning.  

Ino-Shika-Chō Trio:  

"Hey, Inoichi... You holding up?"  

Back-to-back, Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Chōza panted heavily.  

"Tch. These clowns? Please." Inoichi glared at Yuichi. "We need to take that bastard out."  

"Easier said than done," Shikaku muttered, eyeing the wall of Edo Tensei shields around their target.  

Konoha 12 & Jonin Squads:  

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"  

Led by Sarutobi Asuma, Yūhi Kurenai, Anko Mitarashi, and Nara Shikamaru, Naruto and the younger generation clashed with the undead horde.  

"Sealing teams—now!" Sakura barked, covering Naruto’s flank as defeated enemies were swiftly sealed.  

Yet despite the chaos, Naruto couldn’t shake a gnawing unease.  

Something’s wrong... Like someone important’s in danger.  

He shook it off.  

"Rasengan!"  

With endless chakra, clones, and his signature technique, Naruto bulldozed through the battlefield—a one-man army.  

Chapter 335: Let Me Lead the Charge  

"Naruto, calm down! You’re pushing too far ahead!"  

Seeing Naruto’s relentless momentum carrying him deep into enemy lines, Nara Shikamaru quickly called out to rein him in.  

"You little brat—DIE!"  

The moment Naruto hesitated at Shikamaru’s warning, an Edo Tensei ninja seized the opening, lunging for his vitals.  

"Not happening!"  

A fierce shout cut through the chaos. Hyūga Hinata’s Byakugan flared to its limits as she unleashed twin strikes of chakra shaped like roaring lion heads, blasting every Edo ninja away from Naruto.  

"Thanks, Hinata!"  

Naruto flashed her a grin, and Hinata’s face instantly burned crimson.  

"Hinata, behind you—!"  

But just as she let her guard down, danger struck. A White Zetsu’s spear-like arm shot toward her back—a lethal blow.  

"…!!"  

By the time Hinata whirled around, the attack was already at her throat. No time to dodge.  

"Is this… the end?"  

"Naruto-kun… I wish I could fight by your side a little longer…"  

She shut her eyes, bracing for the end—  

"YOU DARE?!"  

A furious roar erupted. The next instant, strong arms wrapped around her, warm and steady, flooding her with safety. When she opened her eyes, she met a pair of blazing blue ones, sharp with determination.  

None other than Naruto himself.  

"Ōdama Rasengan!"  

A swarm of shadow clones charged forward, massive Rasengans in hand, obliterating every enemy in sight.  

"You okay, Hinata?" Naruto set her down gently, his voice laced with concern.  

"Y-Yes… I’m fine!"  

His close gaze short-circuited her brain, steam practically rising from her flushed face.  

"Good!" Relieved, Naruto grabbed her hand and retreated to Shikamaru’s position.  

"This is bad…" Shikamaru muttered, sweat dripping as he surveyed the endless sea of White Zetsu and regenerating Edo Tensei fighters.  

This was his first time witnessing war on such a scale—and he wasn’t ready.  

His eyes flicked to the Third Hokage, then to Kakashi and the others. The pressure was crushing. Every top-tier fighter in the village was pinned down.  

Even during the Konoha Crush, their elite forces had held the advantage. But now? The situation was dire.  

With Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Third Hokage still recovering from injuries days prior, even with Koharu and Homura’s support, they were losing ground.  

A grim thought struck Shikamaru: "Are we… about to lose?"  

Meanwhile, on the Kirigakure front…  

"It’s the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen!"  

"The Second Mizukage, Ghost of the Mist—Gengetsu-sama!"  

"The previous Three-Tails Jinchūriki, Fukā-sama!"  

"And the former Six-Tails host, Kokichi-sama!"  

"All of Kiri’s fallen heroes…!"  

At last, Keitarō had arrived—leading an army of Edo Tensei warriors.  

Well, mostly Edo Tensei. The weaker grunts were summoned via "Doton: Shisha no Tsuchi" (Earth Release: Soil of the Dead), a jutsu that reanimated corpses buried in the battlefield. Unlike Edo Tensei, they lacked infinite chakra and took two minutes to regenerate after destruction.  

A budget version, but effective enough.  

"Yoru. We meet at last."  

Keitarō stood atop a towering corpse, looking down with smug superiority.  

"I’ll offer you a choice: surrender now, and I’ll spare your life. Your skills are worthy of serving under me. Don’t throw it away on pointless resistance."  

Behind him stretched an ocean of undead—50,000 strong.  

Had he come with Muranaka Yūdai’s forces, their combined 120,000-strong army might’ve posed a real threat.  

But judging by the eager grins of the Kiri-nin behind Yoru…  

They weren’t worried.  

Yoru smirked. "Tempting. But I think I’ll take my chances with ‘pointless resistance.’ Who knows? Maybe I’ll surprise you."  

He shot a glance at Muranaka Yūdai beside Keitarō. After a brief internal struggle, Yūdai spoke up:  

"Lord Keitarō, if he refuses to see reason, let us crush him. Once he’s begging for mercy, your reputation as the conqueror of the Shinobi World will be unstoppable. No one would dare defy you!"  

Keitarō’s ego swelled. Since when was Yūdai this eloquent? Maybe he’d promote him—give him a codename, like "Murago."  

"Well said, Yūdai! This is why I’ve invested in you."  

He turned back to Yoru. "Since you insist on defiance… I’ll show you true despair."  

"FORWARD—!!"  

With his command, the tide of undead surged like a black wave.  

"Retreat!"  

Same script, same play. The Kiri forces fell back—again.  

"HAH! The so-called ‘Strongest in the Shinobi World’ runs with his tail between his legs! Pathetic!"  

Keitarō spat in disgust before bowing to his master.  

"Lord Keitarō! Allow me to lead the charge—to pave your path to domination!"