Seeing the anticipation in Orochimaru's eyes, Yuzuru shook his head. "Those two have been hiding nonstop. They shouldn't be dead."
"Is that so?" Orochimaru's eyes dimmed noticeably. "What a shame."
Seeing Orochimaru's disappointed expression, the corner of Yuzuru's mouth twitched.
So filial!
Too filial!
This was exactly why he had always refused to take disciples.
In the ninja world, there was no shortage of 'filial' students like Orochimaru.
If Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that his former student was hoping so eagerly for his death, who knew what kind of mood he'd be in.
Tsunade, however, couldn't help clapping her hands in delight. "Yuzuru, let's drink together tonight."
For many years now, Tsunade had always carried resentment in her heart.
The Senju clan had withered away, and with her strength alone, she simply couldn't change anything.
Now that she heard Konoha had been destroyed, she felt nothing but exhilaration.
Konoha had long since ceased to be the village she remembered from childhood. Being destroyed now was only fitting.
Beside her, Sakumo Hatake also offered a rare comment. "Everything Konoha is facing now is of its own making. I just hope they learn something from this."
Upon hearing such news, even the Third Raikage and the others lost any interest in continuing the meeting.
The Third Raikage immediately said, "Since we have time now, let's go drink together."
"Tōdai, Mabuma, you two will have to work a bit harder and quickly plan out how to use these one hundred billion Ryō."
Hearing this, Mabuma and Tōdai let out lifeless sighs.
Why were they always the ones getting hurt? They also wanted to go drink and relax!
————
————
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and what had happened to Konoha spread throughout the entire ninja world.
Yuzuru single-handedly stormed Konoha, reducing the village to ruins…
The incident caused an enormous uproar across the ninja world.
At first, no one believed it. But once photos of Konoha were released, all doubts were instantly silenced.
It was real.
Konoha Village had truly become a wasteland.
The Land of Earth, the Land of Water, and the Land of Wind all fell into panic, hastily digging underground shelters at top speed.
Centered around their ninja villages, they began constructing satellite cities one after another.
Though this dispersed their populations, it was far better than being wiped out in one sweep like Konoha.
Worth mentioning was that the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, fell gravely ill and remained unconscious, muttering strange words such as, "That man has returned… but the other man is no longer here."
As for the Land of Lightning, things were even livelier.
Under the Third Raikage's instruction, newspapers published photos of Konoha's destruction, devoting extensive coverage to recounting the entire incident.
The story of Yuzuru flying into a rage for the sake of a common citizen sent the people of the Land of Lightning soaring with pride. Their chests stuck out a little more as they walked.
After all, to oppose all of Konoha for the sake of an ordinary citizen—and ultimately annihilate the evil Konoha itself…
Such a story was something even novels wouldn't dare to write, yet it had truly happened to them. How could they not be proud?
Yuzuru's prestige instantly surpassed that of all previous Raikage, becoming a hero in the hearts of the Land of Lightning's people.
Even the short, stout merchant whom Yuzuru had rescued became something of a celebrity.
His exploits of rampaging through Konoha Village alongside Yuzuru were eagerly reported, drawing endless envy from ordinary people.
Such an experience was enough to brag about for a lifetime.
Additionally, the happiest people in this incident were the merchants of the Land of Lightning.
Now, no matter where they went, they carried proof of their Lightning Country citizenship.
Bandits and rogue ninjas who lived by plunder almost never dared target them anymore.
No one wanted to face the thunderous retaliation of the Land of Lightning.
After all, even a top-tier ninja village like Konoha had been destroyed. Small fry like them were even less worth mentioning.
The Land of Fire, on the other hand, was in dire straits.
Under the forced requisitions of Danzo Shimura and Hiruzen Sarutobi, many people were driven from their homes, unable to flee even if they wanted to.
Starving refugees began attacking one another just to survive, even resorting to cannibalism.
Almost overnight, the entire Land of Fire descended into a living hell.
————
————
Kumogakure.
Yuzuru, the Third Raikage, Sakumo Hatake, Tsunade, A, Fugaku Uchiha, and others walked along the streets.
The Land of Fire's reparations had already arrived, so everyone had gathered again to celebrate.
They drank deep into the night.
"Yuzuru, bringing you to Kumogakure back then was the most correct decision I've ever made in my life."
"Just tell me what you want. I'll satisfy anything."
Hearing the Third Raikage's drunken words, Yuzuru smiled slightly. "Right now, I lack nothing. Everything I do is for our shared goal."
At those words, anticipation flickered in everyone's eyes.
From the current situation, Konoha was no longer a concern. Occupying the Land of Fire was only a matter of time.
If they truly managed to unify the ninja world, they would likely be remembered in history alongside Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
Just then, more than a dozen people suddenly rushed out from an alley.
Holding placards, they dropped to their knees.
A and Sakumo Hatake immediately stepped forward, their voices low and sharp. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"We are villagers of Kumogakure. There are some things we want to say to the Third Raikage and Yuzuru Uchiha."
The Third Raikage frowned. "What is it?"
"We ask that you abandon foreign wars and stop destroying the peace of the ninja world."
"Have you ever considered how many people have already died for your ambitions, and how many more will die in the future?"
"Killing only breeds hatred. We should embrace everything with tolerance and respect everyone's choices."
"What happened to Konoha must not happen again. If you continue down this path, you will become sinners of history!"
The cheerful atmosphere vanished in an instant.
The Third Raikage said coldly, "We have our own considerations. You only need to mind your own business."
"The Land of Lightning and the ninja world will only grow better."
Hearing this, the leader shouted back, "We are members of the Land of Lightning too. We have the right to voice our opinions!"
"We don't want to bear the crime of being butchers, nor do we want to continue aiding evil!"
"If you won't accept our views, we won't give up!"
"I believe everyone will recognize our ideals. You are in the wrong!"
For a moment, the Third Raikage didn't know how to handle the situation.
Their differences were purely ideological. Arresting them felt excessive, yet ignoring them was infuriating.
Just as he hesitated, a blade flashed.
In the next instant, all those kneeling on the ground had their throats slit.
"Yuzuru… you killed them all?" someone stammered.
Yuzuru flicked the blood from his blade and snorted. "This group of evil Konoha spies actually disguised themselves as citizens of the Land of Lightning."
"Not only did they fail to hide properly, they even dared come before us to spread demagogic lies."
"From today onward, thoroughly investigate all suspicious individuals. We absolutely cannot allow the enemy to disguise themselves as our people and sow division among us!"
Seeing Yuzuru's righteous demeanor, Fugaku, Sakumo, and the others all wore expressions of admiration.
They immediately responded in deep voices, "Understood!"