Nagato forced the world to feel his pain, but the suffering he endured had long surpassed what he could bear. Could he truly remain untouched forever? And if war erupted, how would they cope?
She could no longer recall what their original plan had been. Their initial goal had been to make the world truly understand the brutality and futility of war.
Yet the more Nagato fought, the greater the destruction he caused upon the world, and the more addicted he became to the euphoria brought by this devastation.
He seemed to enjoy forcing residents of powerful ninja villages into the same despair and helplessness they had once experienced themselves. The satisfaction he felt after destroying Sunagakure was unlike the sense of accomplishment he'd felt when defeating Jiraiya or killing Hanzo.
He no longer fought merely to complete missions—he was fighting for the joy of revenge. He was convinced his actions were righteous; anyone he deemed deserving of his wrath must pay the price.
Once a god who pursued peace, Nagato had now become a harbinger of vengeance.
[Narrative Break Indicator]
After the bridge was destroyed, Konoha ninja broke through the Allied Forces' frontline and advanced deeply. Kusagakure and its allies were desperately trying to halt Konoha's advance and buy time.
The Allied Forces quickly realized they could no longer find natural barriers as advantageous as that border river they previously relied on. During their retreat, they grew exhausted and utterly incapable of mounting an effective defense.
Over the next two weeks, Konoha ninja rampaged through the wild terrain and jungles of the Land of Grass, pushing the Allied Forces further and further back toward Kusagakure's core territory. Brutal battles raged on without end, with both sides' soldiers completely drained.
Few among them could manage even two or three hours of uninterrupted sleep. They had to stay constantly vigilant, ready to fight at any moment. Only when they confirmed that Konoha had ceased their attacks could they briefly rest—but such lulls never came.
Some even began praying for the Allied Forces to mount a solid defense—just long enough for them to catch their breath.
Worse yet, their soldier pills were nearly depleted.
For some, resting meant others had to double their vigilance, protecting their exhausted teammates. After shift changes, they could finally get brief respite before returning again to endless battle.
"Damn it," Tayuya grumbled, her trusted ocarina already scarred from battle. "I hate melee fighting. When the hell is this fight gonna end? Ever since that bastard Naruto leveled the bridge fortress, we haven't had a second to breathe."
Asuma lay beside her, catching a quick nap using his trench coat as a pillow, yet she still remained alert.
"Yeah, I wish this fucking war would just end already. If only we could storm straight into Kusagakure and rip the place apart, maybe then we'd finally see this shitshow end."
Though Tayuya understood Asuma's words perfectly well, she couldn't help flipping him off anyway.
It's a shame Asuma couldn't see it—this gesture of frustration was completely wasted.
"I understand what you mean, but I think those guys from Amegakure are more eager for this war than anyone else."
"You really think so?" Asuma opened one of his otherwise vacant brown eyes and looked toward where Otogakure once stood. "True enough. Even the ninja from Kusagakure weren't this aggressive—they were the first to retreat."
By now, the battle had settled into a pattern: both sides would clash in scattered skirmishes, and once the Allied Forces realized they were at a disadvantage, they'd immediately retreat, setting traps or starting fires to cover their retreat.
Team Leader Yamato sat nearby, realizing he had almost relied exclusively on Wood Release throughout the fight. In their current environment, Wood Release was an extremely valuable ability.
He overheard the conversation between the two Tokubetsu Jonin and decided to interject during a lull in the action while snacking on walnuts.
"Don't forget," Yamato added, "those guys from Amegakure forced all the surrounding villages into an alliance under threat of destruction, just like what happened to Sunagakure. Those smaller villages never liked the bigger nations anyway."
"With things pushed this far, they're hard-pressed to know which side is more dangerous anymore," Asuma remarked. "They just want to go home and protect what's important to them. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Captain Yamato!" Izumo, a veteran Chunin from Konoha, suddenly appeared in front of Yamato, speaking urgently. "Um… I… How do I say this… Anyway, I have something important to tell you!"
"Calm down and speak slowly," Yamato replied. "What's going on?"
"Great news!" Izumo finally calmed himself enough to deliver his message. "Kusagakure—they've agreed to unconditional surrender! Amegakure is already retreating and preparing to defend themselves. They're preparing to strike against Amegakure next!"
That truly was great news! Even if the other two minor villages continued stubbornly resisting, Konoha's victory was now inevitable.
Hoshigakure certainly had ninja with unusual chakra, but overall, their power paled in comparison. Takigakure had already surrendered some time ago, and now the western battlefield was completely open.
It almost seemed too good to be true. Maybe part of their forces could now pull back to Konoha to rest and start the reconstruction.
The war was finally coming to an end.
"That's awesome!" Tayuya exclaimed, beaming and raising her arms high above her head. "I can finally go home and get some rest. I'm damn well fed up with this fucking war!"
"I'm afraid not yet," Yamato said, standing up. "The hardest part is still ahead of us. We must turn our focus toward Amegakure and finish this war for good. Also, we'll need to send an advance team to the northwest to monitor Iwagakure's movements and make sure they don't make any sudden moves before we're ready."
Izumo cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.
"Regarding Iwagakure," he continued, "they've already attacked Amegakure, aiming to seize control before anyone could react, and plan to follow it up with an assault on Kusagakure. That's likely why Kusagakure chose to surrender right now."
They're hoping Konoha will acknowledge their surrender and offer some assistance.
"So… the war isn't over yet?" a nearby ninja asked.
Izumo gave a slight shake of his head. "Iwagakure didn't succeed—their unit was repelled by Amegakure."
Tayuya's expression dropped as she stared at her flute, murmuring, "Guess we still can't catch a break, huh?"
"I'm afraid not," said Yamato. "I'll report to Lady Hokage right away, then leave a small team behind to oversee Kusagakure's surrender. The rest of us will move south. Get a few hours of rest—we're launching a full-scale assault on Amegakure soon."
A heavy sigh filled the air…
"Any objections?" Yamato's sharp gaze swept the group. Everyone instinctively stood a little straighter.
"Understood. Let's move out."
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