Chapter 156: The End of the Hidden Cloud Village
The night was filled with laughter and the sound of footsteps as the Konoha jonin worked tirelessly through the ruins of Kumogakure. Despite their casual banter, their movements were swift and precise—seasoned veterans of countless missions.
With a single hand seal, dozens of them summoned their Shadow Clones, and in an instant, the number of workers multiplied severalfold. The desolate battlefield came alive with activity, as nearly a hundred figures moved in perfect coordination beneath the moonlight.
The once-proud Hidden Cloud Village—now a wasteland of scorched earth and shattered stone—was methodically cleaned. Piles of corpses were gathered and carried to the massive crater left by the Eight-Tails' rampage against Susanoo. The sheer number was staggering.
More people had perished here tonight than during the Nine-Tails' attack years ago.
Back then, the losses were mostly among shinobi. The civilians of Konoha had been spared the worst, thanks to Hokage Uchiha Yuta's decisive intervention.
But this time… no one had saved Kumogakure.
When the Eight-Tails went berserk, every Cloud shinobi who stood in its path was annihilated. The civilians, left helpless, could not even flee. They had trusted their Raikage and the Jinchūriki to protect them. Instead, the beast's tentacles ripped through homes, streets, and lives alike.
Those who died quickly were the lucky ones. Most had been crushed, torn apart, or vaporized in the battle's shockwaves. The bodies that remained were barely recognizable.
The moon hung high in the sky, bright and unclouded. Its pale light illuminated the ruins, making torches unnecessary.
By dawn, the Konoha force had nearly completed its grim work. Dozens of jonin stood at the crater's edge, each holding a bucket of oil. At Uchiha Fugaku's command, they poured the liquid into the pit, where the bodies lay piled in heaps.
"Light it," Fugaku ordered, his voice calm but cold.
A torch was thrown.
Whoosh!
Flames roared to life, devouring the pit in seconds. The fire burned deep, hidden below ground, its light flickering against their faces.
The Hidden Cloud Village was no more.
A foul stench soon filled the air—thick, oily, and sickening. It smelled of burning flesh, heavy and greasy like overcooked pork. Several jonin grimaced and turned away, covering their noses.
Even Fugaku found himself suppressing a wave of nausea.
"Enough," he said curtly. "Everyone, move up the ridge. Breathe some clean air."
A murmur of agreement followed.
"Finally," someone muttered. "That smell could kill a man."
They ascended the nearby mountain slopes—Kumogakure's terrain was nothing if not steep—and the night breeze soon washed the stench from their lungs.
Hyūga Hiashi approached quietly. "Hokage-sama, what about the survivors?"
During the cleanup, they had found several hundred people still alive—civilians huddled in the ruins, weak and terrified. On Fugaku's earlier orders, they had been gathered and guarded by Konoha shinobi.
"None of them are shinobi?" Fugaku asked, his voice unreadable.
Hiashi activated his Byakugan briefly, then shook his head. "No chakra networks—just ordinary people."
For a moment, Fugaku said nothing. He looked toward the smoking village below, its ashes dancing upward like dying fireflies.
Hundreds of lives—fragile, powerless, and utterly meaningless in the wake of war.
His expression hardened. "Kill them all."
Hiashi blinked, but there was no hesitation in his eyes.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
He understood. Mercy, in times like this, was a liability. If even one survivor escaped, the world would soon know that Konoha had razed an entire Hidden Village.
And besides… the Hyūga had their own debts to repay. The thought of avenging his brother, Hizashi, with the fall of Kumogakure filled him with grim satisfaction.
Hiashi gave a silent hand signal, and the Hyūga clan members accompanying him descended the slopes without another word.
Not long after, the faint scent of iron and blood drifted up from the valley.
When Hiashi returned, his white robes were spattered with faint crimson stains. He bowed slightly before Fugaku.
"Hokage-sama, mission complete."
Fugaku didn't even look up. "Good work. Dismissed. Get some rest."
Hiashi nodded and left.
Now alone, Fugaku finally turned his gaze inward.
Because at that very moment… something stirred.
A faint ding echoed in his mind—a sound he hadn't heard in years.
A translucent blue panel appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly in the morning light.
There it was.
The system—silent since the day he had transmigrated—was active again.
When it had first appeared, it had only granted him one thing: the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Since then, it had been utterly dormant, offering no guidance, no missions, no rewards.
Until now.
A small mail icon blinked in the corner of the screen.
Fugaku focused his chakra and opened it.
> System Notification:
"Congratulations, Host, for successfully destroying the Hidden Cloud Village.
Pre-condition achieved: Destruction of one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.
System version can now be upgraded.
Upgrading will unlock additional functions and features."
Two options appeared beneath the message:
[Upgrade] and [Do Not Upgrade].
Fugaku's eyes narrowed.
Pre-condition? Upgrade? Additional functions?
So the system he'd relied on all this time was merely a base version?
No wonder it had seemed incomplete. No wonder it offered nothing beyond the basics of power amplification.
It wasn't broken—it was locked.
And now… he had met the requirements to awaken its true form.
Fugaku's lips curved into a faint smile as the flames of the Hidden Cloud reflected in his Sharingan.
"Interesting," he murmured. "So this is only the beginning."
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