Hanzō was dead.
His death was clean and decisive. There hadn't even been an intense battle before the Rinnegan suppressed and killed him.
For many years, the Demigod Hanzō had been publicly acknowledged as the "strongest" in the shinobi world.
He shouldn't have died like this.
Although the Rinnegan's power exceeded conventional limits, the Demigod Hanzō's strength was equally extraordinary.
At the very least, there should have been a magnificent, earth-shaking battle—one that completely destroyed Amegakure just as Konoha had once been destroyed.
But Hanzō had grown old.
Ninja couldn't resist the effects of aging.
Moreover, half of Hanzō's strength came from the poison sac implanted within his body.
Such an unorthodox method affected a ninja even more severely than chakra did.
Aging had caused Hanzō's strength to decline drastically.
But the more important reason was that his heart had developed a fatal flaw.
Defeat in war had filled his heart with despair and frustration. His spirit was riddled with even more wounds than Orochimaru's would be fifteen years later.
Orochimaru, whose soul was full of weaknesses, would lose to thirteen-year-old Uchiha Itachi. A single glance from the Mangekyō Sharingan would be enough to cripple him.
Likewise, Hanzō, whose will had completely collapsed, lost to seventeen-year-old Nagato.
A single glance from the Rinnegan was enough.
Victory and defeat between ninja were often that simple.
Hanzō's abrupt death caused the Amegakure ninja, who worshiped him like a god, to collapse on the spot.
They stared dumbfounded at Hanzō's corpse, losing every trace of their will to fight.
Some ninja dropped their weapons, covered their heads, and fled like terrified rats.
Others raised their weapons and stabbed themselves directly through the throat, using death to escape reality.
But even more ninja clutched their heads and cried out:
"The Demigod is dead! The Demigod is dead! A god killed him!"
"It was a god!"
"We're finished! It's over! Humans can't fight gods!"
Nagato showed no mercy.
He crushed every one of those Amegakure ninja to death.
Konan likewise showed no mercy.
She cooperated with Nagato in the slaughter, released the captured Akatsuki members, and searched and purged Amegakure.
In only a single afternoon, Amegakure was thoroughly cleansed.
Most of its ninja were killed.
A small number whom Akatsuki recognized were allowed to survive and began reorganizing the village.
Just like that, Nagato seized control of Amegakure several years earlier than he should have.
At this moment, history reached a major turning point.
Whether because of false pride, simple emotion, or merely inheriting Yahiko's hopes, the darkened Nagato couldn't accept the Land of Rain being used as a battlefield where the Three Great Ninja Villages could run rampant at will.
The surviving and newly joined Akatsuki members had all suffered from the war.
They would rather oppose Hanzō than continue enduring it, so naturally, they couldn't accept foreign ninja fighting large-scale battles throughout the Land of Rain.
Given Hanzō's prestige, any Amegakure ninja who opposed him had to be someone utterly fed up with the village's policy of hiding away.
They wanted a leader who could guide them in driving out every enemy, just as they had during the previous war, and protect the Land of Rain!
Under the banner of defending their homeland, Amegakure and Akatsuki merged.
They rapidly united into a single force and displayed an aggressively confrontational attitude.
Amegakure's sudden hardening startled all three Great Ninja Villages.
The illustrious reputation Hanzō had earned during the previous war still remained.
In truth, whenever the three villages fought inside the Land of Rain, they had always remained uneasy, terrified of angering Hanzō and forcing him into the enemy's camp.
Therefore, during the early stages of the war, all three sides fought cautiously, doing their best to avoid harming the Land of Rain's villages and civilians.
However, as the war progressed, the fighting became increasingly brutal and intense.
Large numbers of ninja died or were injured, and younger ninja were sent to replenish the battlefield.
Those young people lacked any direct understanding of Hanzō.
They also rapidly descended into madness amid the war.
The Demigod's deterrence could no longer restrain them effectively, and massacres targeting civilians began to occur.
Because of Hanzō's policy of retreat and isolation, killings targeting the people of the Land of Rain increased rapidly.
They went from occasional incidents to daily occurrences, then from individual murders to entire villages being slaughtered.
Thus, disaster descended upon the Land of Rain.
With Hanzō dead and Nagato taking power, Amegakure completely changed its attitude and began retaliating against every ninja who massacred civilians.
Although few Amegakure ninja remained, every survivor was enthusiastic and filled with motivation.
Under Nagato's command, with Konan leading the teams, they won several battles with almost no difficulty.
Naturally, this provoked an instinctive reaction from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
But soon, even extermination squads led by jōnin fell into Konan's hands.
The title "Angel of Paper" steadily spread.
Long blue hair, a flower made of paper, a beautiful face, an emotionless expression, and powerful secret Paper Style techniques.
Every characteristic of sixteen-year-old Konan possessed extraordinary appeal and spread easily through rumor.
Before long, every ninja on the Land of Rain battlefield knew that Amegakure had produced a young genius.
In truth, that alone wasn't particularly remarkable.
A genius meant very little in the shinobi world.
Konoha produced groups of geniuses at regular intervals, and most of them soon died in battle.
A genius at Konan's level only seemed exceptionally rare in a small village such as Amegakure.
In any of the Three Great Ninja Villages, her reputation would have spread only within a limited area.
Of course, if such a genius survived and matured, that would be a completely different matter.
Amegakure still possessed the Demigod Hanzō, the strongest Kage-level ninja.
He might be able to nurture this genius into his successor.
Therefore, Iwagakure, which feared Hanzō the most, could no longer remain still.
Ōnoki dispatched a veteran Kage-level ninja, hoping to eliminate the young genius before the Demigod Hanzō could react.
Unexpectedly, the Iwagakure ninja Aoiwa and his jōnin squad never returned.
They silently vanished within the Land of Rain.
Being a ninja was a high-risk profession.
A ninja of any rank could disappear, including a Kage-level ninja.
Sunagakure had begun the war because its Third Kazekage had disappeared.
Even today, he still hadn't been found.
Forget his corpse—there wasn't even the slightest clue.
However, when a Kage-level ninja and two jōnin infiltrated Amegakure territory on a mission to assassinate an Amegakure ninja and then suddenly disappeared, they had unquestionably been killed.
There was no need to ask who had done it.
One merely had to consider what they had gone there to accomplish to know that Hanzō had eliminated them.
"The Demigod Hanzō has made his move."
When this news spread, the entire battlefield in the Land of Rain erupted into an uproar.
In only three short days, Amegakure had thrown the situation throughout the Land of Rain battlefield into complete chaos.
The three Great Ninja Villages even lost the will to continue fighting one another.
Every one of them had suffered at Hanzō's hands before.
Once that man acted, poisonous mist would inevitably fill the sky.
During the previous war, only two medical ninja had been capable of neutralizing his poison: Chiyo of Sunagakure and Tsunade of Konoha.
Neither of them was currently in the Land of Rain.
Therefore, the commanders of all three Great Ninja Villages trembled with fear and chose to hold their positions.
They urgently sent the intelligence back to their villages and waited for the highest authorities to make a decision.
These commanders had all experienced the previous war and still feared the enormous casualties caused by fighting Hanzō.
They firmly refused to make the decision themselves.
Thus, the war in the Land of Rain was suddenly paused.
...
After five days of simmering, the enormous cauldron began releasing an intoxicating fragrance.
The younger Uchiha clansmen could no longer endure it and began protesting to Uchiha Yoru.
"Big Brother Yoru, can't you cook somewhere else?"
"Exactly! This is killing us!"
"How are we supposed to train properly with that pot simmering here?"
"I can't even control my drooling!"
"Hahahaha..."
Uchiha Yoru ignored their complaints and leisurely continued controlling the heat.
Although the younger clansmen were shouting fiercely, if he truly tried to move the enormous cauldron away, every one of them would immediately throw themselves forward to protect their food.
Uchiha Yoru had deliberately chosen to cook Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at the Study Association because he intended to share it with the younger clansmen.
They understood that as well.
Yesterday, the fragrance had yet to emerge from the sealed cauldron.
Those mischievous brats had merely been curious and naturally hadn't cared much.
But today, once they smelled it, that heart-clawing and lung-scratching fragrance awakened the glutton inside every one of them.
It was as though tiny hands extended from their stomachs, desperately trying to scoop the aroma out of the air.
The more they tried to catch it, the worse they felt.
Yet not trying was even more unbearable.
The younger Uchiha clansmen had completely lost their composure.
That was why they kept making strange remarks, attempting to harass Uchiha Yoru until he decided to distribute the food sooner.
It already smelled this good.
There was no need to continue cooking!
Hurry and let us rest so we can taste it properly!
Uchiha Yoru saw through their thoughts with ease.
He began looking forward to seeing their reactions at the moment the lid was opened.
Not long afterward, as the aroma became even richer and more penetrating, Elder Uchiha Nobutada, Uchiha Ryūnosuke, and the other elders arrived.
The moment the old man Nobutada's nose twitched, he knew what was being cooked.
Recalling the astonishing taste from the previous time he had eaten it, tears involuntarily flowed from the old man's eyes.
The three elders were all startled.
An old man over eighty years old had suddenly begun smiling foolishly, while suspicious drool flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Their first thought was:
Had this old man suffered a stroke?
For someone over eighty, a stroke could be fatal.
But the nervous elders soon noticed the fragrance drifting through the air and immediately understood what had happened.
That damned old man was simply greedy.
How pathetic.
People often said the elderly became like children again, but did he truly need to behave exactly like a child?
Such a small amount of fragrance had actually made him drool.
How disgraceful to embarrass himself in front of the children.
The three elders in their fifties maintained their dignity for only a few minutes before being defeated by the aroma penetrating deep into their organs.
Their mouths began watering against their will, while their shameless stomachs started growling.
In the end, all three elders wiped away their dignity and threw it onto the ground.
Uchiha Yūya had joined their faction only recently and didn't understand Uchiha Yoru very well, so he initially remained somewhat reserved.
But Uchiha Ryūnosuke and Uchiha Yūichirō were already familiar with him.
They immediately shouted, "Leader, are we about to eat?"
Uchiha Yoru nodded.
"Mm. I called you here to eat."
The two men in their fifties immediately beamed.
Both had tasted Uchiha Yoru's cooking before, and the impression had been unforgettable.
Smelling the increasingly rich fragrance, the two elders couldn't resist clapping their hands together in celebration.
Uchiha Yoru also smiled.
"I called you here because I have some matters to ask about."
"However, no matter how important heaven and earth may be, eating is more important. Whatever the issue is, we'll discuss it after the meal."
"Good!" the four elders answered together.
The instant the enormous cauldron's lid was lifted, the entire training ground erupted.
It wasn't merely the people who became excited.
Powerful chakra fluctuations also surged outward, causing every Uchiha present to become bewildered and uncertain.
From an angle they couldn't perceive, Uchiha Yoru, Miwa Masayo, and Uchiha Shisui took intoxicated breaths.
At the same time, they inhaled a mouthful of concentrated natural energy.
The two people and one cat were utterly satisfied and couldn't stop smiling.
Having money and influence was truly wonderful.
The clan's funds had been used to commission this enormous cauldron from the Land of Iron through the Cat Castle's connections.
Now, only one evaluation was necessary:
The money hadn't been wasted.
Following Senju Tobirama's research results and referencing Wood Release's instinctive ability to absorb chakra, Uchiha Yoru had carved thousands of sealing patterns inside the cauldron, constructing a shinobi-world version of a Spirit-Gathering Formation.
After four days and four nights of simmering, it successfully activated the chakra within the octopus tentacle meat, transforming it into nourishment that the human body could absorb extremely easily.
Most importantly, it also activated the natural energy contained within the various ingredients and attracted natural energy from the surrounding environment into the cauldron.
The result was the natural-energy-rich soup that every immortal cultivator dreamed of.
If Jiraiya drank even a single mouthful, he wouldn't need the assistance of the two old toads.
He could immediately enter Sage Mode.
With the combat strength of his Sage Mode, if he could enter it at any time, he could instantly pin Orochimaru beneath him and become the undisputed leader of Konoha's Sannin.
Uchiha Ayumi observed their expressions and understood that the Spirit-Gathering Cauldron had succeeded.
Although delighted, he also couldn't help feeling deeply disappointed.
Among those under Uchiha Yoru, apart from Sage Miwa Masayo, only he and Uchiha Shisui possessed the potential to cultivate immortality.
Shisui was only five years old.
Yet despite his young age, he had already entered the state, successfully absorbed natural energy, and stepped into the Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment stage.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Ayumi was already nineteen years old but was still painstakingly tempering his body.
He continued using the Three Basic Methods to strengthen himself and hone his natural perception.
He had no idea how far he remained from truly entering immortal cultivation.
However, Uchiha Ayumi was naturally resilient.
He quickly digested his disappointment and regained his calm state of mind.
Then he happily joined the fierce battle over the delicious food.
But was such delicious food truly so easy to eat?
After all the younger Uchiha clansmen ate their fill and rested for half an hour, Uchiha Yoru drove every one of them out.
Including Uchiha Ayumi and Uchiha Shisui, everyone had to run five laps around Konoha.
Uchiha Ayumi had to run an additional two laps.
According to the newly constructed walls, a single lap was thirty-two kilometers.
Even for ninja, running five laps wasn't easy.
Moreover, under Uchiha Yoru's instructions, they had to maintain an orderly formation while running.
Their pace had to match that of the slowest younger clansman, and everyone had to adapt to his speed.
At this rate, it would take them at least five or six hours to return.
Only such prolonged exertion beneath the stars and moon could guarantee that the activated chakra within the food was fully absorbed and that the natural energy they had swallowed was metabolized.
Otherwise, accumulated natural energy could naturally trigger fatal danger.
In truth, Uchiha Shisui didn't need to run.
However, Uchiha Yoru wanted him to advance and retreat together with everyone else.
He couldn't allow Shisui to be isolated as an abnormality.
Uchiha Shisui was also very willing to participate in activities with everyone.
It would reduce the distance between him and his clansmen and allow them to become close brothers.
After sending away all the younger clansmen, only Uchiha Yoru and the four old men remained.
They began discussing serious matters.
Uchiha Yoru asked, "Orochimaru has been gone for a month. How is the relationship between the clan and Konoha now?"
Yoru's gaze settled upon Uchiha Yūichirō.
This question had been assigned to him several days earlier.
By now, he should have an answer.
When Uchiha Yoru's gaze swept over him, Uchiha Yūichirō immediately felt his heart rise into his throat.
He hurriedly answered respectfully, "Leader, the person making decisions in the village is once again the Third Hokage."
"The clan's efforts over the past several months can be said to have collapsed completely."
"Everything we did was wasted."
Uchiha Yūya added, "The clan wasted an immeasurable amount of manpower and resources."
"The clan head, Setsuna, Yomokata, and Tsunekazu all suffered severe losses."
"Our faction now accounts for half of the clan's strength."
He paused, then said uncertainly, "Moreover, I've noticed a major change in Elder Uchiha Tsunekazu's attitude. He..."
Uchiha Yoru raised a hand and interrupted Yūya.
"Now is not the time."
"I want all of you to remember one saying: build high walls, accumulate grain widely... and delay proclaiming yourself king."
"Our current influence has already reached the limit—the absolute limit that the radicals and the clan head can tolerate."
"If we absorb Elder Tsunekazu into our faction as well, I can state responsibly that the old bastard Setsuna will definitely become desperate and provoke a major internal conflict within the clan."
"Gentlemen, the objective of all our efforts is to protect the Uchiha clan."
"It is absolutely not to create chaos within the clan and cause countless clansmen to die unnatural deaths."
Uchiha Yūichirō, Uchiha Ryūnosuke, Uchiha Yūya, and Uchiha Nobutada simultaneously lowered their heads and said with complete respect:
"Yes, Leader! We will remember!"
After Uchiha Yoru completed his Golden Core, his entire existence gradually began approaching that of a higher life-form.
During this process, it was difficult for him to control his presence completely.
As a result, his authority increased explosively.
Whenever his attitude became even slightly serious, the pressure leaking from him was enough to make the four old men tremble.
They would involuntarily become respectful and naturally change how they addressed him, sounding far more formal.
Uchiha Yoru smiled.
"We must not approach Elder Uchiha Tsunekazu proactively."
"Elder Yūya only needs to maintain normal contact with him."
Uchiha Yūya and Uchiha Tsunekazu were both elders of the neutral faction and had considerable personal ties.
Therefore, Yūya couldn't resist asking, "Leader, what if Elder Tsunekazu asks to join us on his own?"
"If he voluntarily asks to join, we will naturally accept him."
Uchiha Yoru pursed his lips and shook his head, predicting, "However, I don't believe he will approach us voluntarily."
"That would be inconsistent with his personality."
"If I'm wrong and Elder Tsunekazu chooses to join us, then have him keep it secret for the time being."
"I will deal with Elder Uchiha Yomokata in the shortest possible time."
"Then, with an absolute advantage of five against two, we will directly seize the position of clan head."
"Yes! We understand!"
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