By now, some of the civilian ninja finally understood why they had been blocked outside.
If they had rushed in without knowing and accidentally touched the black flames… they'd be done for.
The Amaterasu black flames still raged, and Sarutobi Hiruzen led the others inside.
However, once they went in, some of the ninja who had initially wanted to enter retreated.
Looking at the still-roaring black flames, they were terrified.
They hadn't even gone inside yet, and the endless heat waves already washed over them.
Just the heat alone made them realize this was no ordinary battlefield.
From what they could see, everything inside was burning, black flames shooting up like pillars.
Even from the perimeter, the most intense black fire at the center was visible.
Sarutobi Hiruzen paid little mind to the ninja who had dispersed.
Whether others followed him or not didn't matter.
His priority was to erase the lingering doubts of these ninja clans.
As long as the clan leaders went in with him, it was enough.
Yuki Seisui didn't pay attention when Sarutobi and his group disappeared into the inferno. Instead, he carried the two jars containing the Sharingan back to his home.
Once home, he tossed the jars inside his bamboo grove residence.
He had little practical use for the Sharingan, even if Setsuna and Uchiha had gifted him Izanagi and Izanami.
I can't think of anyone in the current ninja world who could kill me.
Not even Uchiha Madara.
Besides, he still had Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo trial card unused.
This is the Eternal Mangekyo!
No Rinnegan needed—eternity reigns supreme!
Using Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo trial card would boost his combat strength, stacking the powers of the Eternal Mangekyo.
Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo abilities weren't overly useful on their own, but the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was a game-changer.
Yet his ocular power was limited, and his vision damaged. Every Mangekyo battle left him needing one to two months to recover.
If my eyes could endure limitless use… my power would skyrocket.
The strike he had once unleashed with Susanoo? That single slash could obliterate everything.
A strike claiming to contain all things, destroying all—the ultimate creation combining Susanoo, Sage Mode, Amaterasu, Flying Raijin Slash, multiplying explosive clay, wind cuts, Tsukuyomi, and every lethal ninjutsu and sword technique except Susanoo itself.
Viewed from afar, it trapped one inside Tsukuyomi's world.
Failing to look directly at it, anyone approaching would be burned to ashes by the black flames and explosions.
It was terrifyingly powerful, and Seisui had collapsed from exhaustion afterward.
Once he gained the Eternal Mangekyo, he would never weaken again.
He could deploy a Susanoo over 200 meters tall and unleash the full might of creation itself.
The reason he exposed the Sharingan so openly? Orochimaru.
One of the few scientists in the ninja world.
Orochimaru's obsession with the Mangekyo began when Itachi Uchiha glared at him during the Akatsuki period.
Although he wasn't yet obsessed, Seisui knew Orochimaru would be intrigued.
A pair of three-tomoe Sharingan? Even if not obsessed, Orochimaru would be drawn to it.
Thinking this, Seisui smiled and lay outside his bamboo grove, gazing at the stars.
I wonder what that Orochimaru guy is doing now…
Meanwhile, on Kumogakure battlefield, Orochimaru sat expressionless in the main camp, beside him Hatake Sakumo.
"Sakumo-senpai, Kumogakure won't be the same as before," Orochimaru said, licking his nose with his tongue.
"Mm," Sakumo nodded, speaking seriously. "Since Seisui ended the battle on the Sand's side, Kumogakure has gone berserk."
"As expected," Orochimaru chuckled. "They fought us together. Now that the Sand's battle is over, they're anxious."
Orochimaru picked up a file from the table, moving on from the topic. "Information from Onoki has arrived."
"What does it say?"
Sakumo took the file and read.
"Onoki hasn't exterminated Danzo completely."
"Instead, like a wolf playing with a lamb, he traps him—neither letting him escape nor die, just waiting him out."
Sakumo finished reading and said, "If it drags on like this, it's good news for Konoha."
"Mm," Orochimaru nodded, stepping beside Sakumo to study the map in front of them.
"Onoki is clever. Trapping Danzo here poses no threat to the Iwa ninja and doesn't drain our forces."
"At the same time, it restrains us, letting him watch the other battles."
"If they win, he shares Konoha's lands with the other villages."
"If they lose, Iwa suffers no losses and can retreat."
"Konoha will also be weakened, unable to wage war after multiple heavy casualties."
Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Perhaps this is why Kumogakure has gone berserk for a month."
"Although the Raikage isn't smart, Kumogakure surely has clever people."
"They understand Onoki's intentions. To claim the Land of Fire's lands, they must break through us."
"This explains their relentless attacks this past month. But now, they realize it's too late."
"This crisis has passed," Orochimaru said, licking his nose again.
Sakumo nodded.
"Earlier intelligence shows Kirigakure has also calmed down," Sakumo added, sighing. "If not for Seisui, this wouldn't have ended so easily."
"This guy is fascinating," he continued.
"Once just a kid… the Hokage had me teach him swordsmanship. In just a few years, his power has become incomprehensible."
Heh. Orochimaru chuckled. The new wind always turns the old windmill anew.
"Compared to them, we're old. Just as I see old men age, the world always has new winds, large or small."
"Seisui is simply a stronger gust than the rest."
Listening to Orochimaru's philosophy, Sakumo nodded thoughtfully.