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Since the outbreak of the Third World War...
Every movement of the Five Great Villages was observed and monitored by all the forces in the world. Especially after the Battles of Kikyoyama, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waves came to an end.
Now, the Battle of the Land of Soup had become the center of global attention. Everyone wanted to know if Kumogakure could withstand Konoha's pressure and hand them their first defeat, after Konoha defeated Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure one after the other.
In this situation, the large-scale battle that took place in the Land of Soup could not be hidden. Just in the afternoon following the end of the battle, the news spread across the entire world!
Upon learning the result, the whole world shook violently.
Every ninja and civilian, upon receiving the news, had three reactions: First, they couldn't believe it; Second, absolute terror at realizing how terrifying the power of the God of Ninjas, Luo Lei, was; and Third, the certainty that the Third World War was coming to an end.
No one expected such shocking news to come from the battlefield of the Land of Soup.
The God of Ninjas, Luo Lei, dominating the skies over the battlefield, defeating the Eight-Tails with a single blow, stomping the Third Raikage to death, annihilating over 8,000 Rock shinobi, and forcing nearly 2,000 Cloud shinobi to kneel before him.
When all this spread, the minds of countless ninjas around the world buzzed with disbelief. The idea that a single person could do all this was such a strong shock that it left many in a daze.
Everyone knew Luo Lei was incredibly powerful; he had already been given the title of "Ninja God," but... After the decisive battle in the Land of Soup, everyone realized that this title fell short of describing him.
More importantly, with the overwhelming failure of Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure, the Third World War was ending in less than two years. Although many resisted admitting it, it was a fact: Konoha had fought on four fronts and won them all.
And all this, thanks to Luo Lei.
In previous world wars, the major villages usually fought prolonged battles, and whoever endured to the end was the winner.
But in this war, a monster named Luo Lei appeared.
Each of his battles meant the death of thousands of people. He destroyed thousands of Rock shinobi, stomped the Raikage to death, and deprived Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure of the ability to continue fighting.
Now everyone knew: the ninja world would be dominated by Konoha. The world was fully entering the era of the God of Ninjas: Luo Lei.
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Iwagakure
In the Tsuchikage's office, inside the mansion at the center of Iwagakure, the atmosphere was oppressive.
Ōnoki, who had just escaped from the Land of Soup, sat there in despair, as if he had suffered the hardest blow of his life.
This time, he had led over 8,000 of his ninjas to the Land of Soup to seek revenge. But the result... not only was there no revenge, but he lost all those ninjas.
This fact had left his heart completely shattered.
He never imagined that, in the end, the situation would turn in such a way that Iwagakure would suffer the worst damage of all the world wars.
"Damn it! How did we get here?!"
Kitsuchi looked at his father and let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, at the last moment, his father decided not to appear on the battlefield and delegated command to his assistant. Otherwise, he could have ended up just like the Raikage.
"Who would have thought...? A ninja surpassing Madara and Hashirama has really appeared in this world..."
After who knows how long, Ōnoki sighed deeply, and with a mix of rage and self-criticism, said, "I was an arrogant fool... I should have seen this coming. Luo Lei was going to show up; of course he was going to show up!"
He had cooperated with Kumogakure to kill Luo Lei. But now, pain and regret were all that remained in his heart.
"Father, what should we do now?"
After hesitating for a moment, Kitsuchi asked cautiously, "Konoha has already become the dominant force... Should we really keep fighting?"
"Fight? Ha, ha, ha...!" Ōnoki let out a bitter laugh, filled with despair, "Fight against Konoha? Against Luo Lei? We have nothing to fight with! My men are dead! What qualifications does Iwagakure have to fight that monster?"
"If we continue, there will be no 'if' for me, Kitsuchi. Even I will be annihilated. No..."
"Sigh..."
Kitsuchi let out a deep sigh, his eyes filled with sadness and resignation. He knew that his father, despite all his pride, was at the edge of an abyss.
"Deliver the surrender contract to Konoha!" Ōnoki clenched his fist with all his strength, his gaze filled with pain.
In the end, he released his fist and said, with a broken voice, "We, Iwagakure... withdraw from the war..."
His words fell like a hammer, echoing in the room. Kitsuchi felt as if his father had aged decades in an instant, his shoulders slumped, and the spark in his eyes fading.
"Yes, father."
Finally relieved. He had been terribly worried about his father, fearing that his pride would lead him to make disastrous decisions.
But now, at least, his father had made a sensible decision, albeit a painful one.
_____
Kumogakure
When the news of the Battle in the Land of Soup arrived, the entire village was shaken.
Especially after hearing that their beloved Third Raikage had been brutally stomped to death by Luo Lei. Countless ninjas who stayed behind trembled in fear, as if their souls were being shaken to their core.
For a moment, the village fell into absolute silence, and a heavy, desperate atmosphere took over every corner.
At that very moment,
In the Raikage's mansion...
A, Killer B, Yugito, and several high-ranking officials of Kumogakure were gathered there.
No one spoke a word, which made the atmosphere in the conference room even more unbearable, as if the air was too dense to breathe.
"Sigh..."
A let out a deep sigh, his gaze a reflection of exhaustion and contained rage. Even now, he was still trapped in confusion, unable to move on from the nightmare of the battlefield.
But...
Thinking about his father's death and Dodai's sacrifice to protect him made him harden his heart.
He endured the pain tearing at his chest, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to remain strong.
He knew very well that if he collapsed, the entire village would fall along with him.
He couldn't let down those who had died for him... He couldn't let their sacrifices be in vain.
"Luo Lei... is a monster... too powerful."
A few seconds later, he inhaled deeply and, with a voice broken by pain, declared, "With Konoha's strength and that demon's power, our chances of victory are nonexistent. We must abandon the war... It is the only sensible option if we want to survive!"
"I agree."
Killer B nodded. "We need to pull back and wait for the right moment. We must be patient if we want to strike where it hurts the most."
"I agree..."
Yugito gritted her teeth, her gaze filled with hatred and helplessness.
These days, back in the village, she had been living countless nightmares of Luo Lei violating her madly, making her feel very uncomfortable, so if they could abandon the war, she never wanted to see that pervert again.
"Agreed!"
"I agree!!"
"Yes!!"
One by one, the high-ranking officials nodded with serious expressions, their faces showing the weight of the reality they had faced. They had reached their limit; the Raikage's defeat had been the ultimate sign. If they kept fighting, they would only be sacrificing themselves needlessly.
The most sensible course of action was to seek peace with Konoha as soon as possible and save what was left of Kumogakure.
"There's something else..."
A, still caught in his pain, remembered something.
His voice, although solemn, showed a spark of desperate hope: "If it is possible to rescue our captured ninjas... let's do it! As long as Konoha's demands are not too excessive, we must be willing to accept them. We need to recover our brothers."
After saying this, he weakly waved his hand, his energy drained, and collapsed into his chair.
This battle had left him physically and emotionally shattered, and his father's death had been a devastating blow. But now, as the new Raikage, even with the burning hatred he felt towards Luo Lei, he had to endure it all for the sake of the village; he had to be strong for Kumogakure.
______
Konoha
After learning what had happened on the battlefield of the Land of Soup, countless civilians and ninjas in Konoha were ecstatic, shouting and celebrating the crushing victory.
However, unlike them, Konoha's high command did not feel the slightest joy. In their hearts, there was only deep fear.
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