"Lord Feng!"
"Otōto!"
Seeing Ning Feng standing there completely unharmed, both Konan and Uchiha Itachi let out a sigh of relief.
"What were you thinking, going alone to Kirigakure like that?"
Itachi scolded him while stepping forward, carefully checking for injuries.
"Lord Feng, the Hidden Rain is already under immense pressure… If Kirigakure retaliates, and their allies join in, it won't be easy for us to handle…"
Konan frowned, clearly worried.
"Well…"
Ning Feng smiled mysteriously and said casually:
"Kirigakure is already a shell of its former self."
"What?"
Konan froze mid-sentence.
Itachi's hands paused as well.
Both looked at Ning Feng in disbelief.
"I've already taken their ninja clans."
"After this period of development, the Hidden Rain now has the foundation to stand alongside the Five Great Nations."
"Our only weakness was the lack of high-level shinobi and kekkei genkai clans."
"Since Kirigakure has plenty of those… I brought them over."
Silence.
Konan and Itachi were completely stunned.
Because their own village lacked bloodline clans…
He just took them from another nation?
It sounded absurd—
Yet somehow logical.
But the way Ning Feng said it so casually…
Just how powerful had he become?
Seeing their expressions, Ning Feng shrugged.
"Assign territory to the incoming clans. Don't let conflicts arise."
"Itachi-gege, I want ANBU watching them closely for the next few days."
"They were brought in by force—loyalty is still questionable."
The two exchanged a glance before nodding.
Ning Feng's boldness was beyond belief.
He stormed another village—
And brought their clans back.
Truly lawless.
…
The next day—
The entire ninja world was shaken!
The Third Amekage, Uchiha Feng—
Entered Kirigakure alone.
Faced an army of over ten thousand elite shinobi and the Fifth Mizukage.
Unleashed a meteor-level jutsu, annihilating them all!
Then proceeded to absorb most of Kirigakure's clans into the Hidden Rain!
Kumogakure — Raikage's Office
The Fourth Raikage, A, listened to the report with a dark expression.
Finally, unable to contain his rage, he slammed his hand onto the table.
Crack!
The table split in two.
Beside him, Mabui calmly continued:
"This time, Kumogakure has lost 386 elite jonin… and 1,924 jonin…"
"Damn that Uchiha Feng!"
The Raikage clenched his teeth, eyes bloodshot.
"Not a single one came back?"
Mabui hesitated briefly, then shook her head.
Not just Kumogakure—
Iwagakure had also suffered devastating losses.
But the worst fate belonged to Kirigakure.
Not only were their elite forces wiped out—
Even their bloodline clans had been stripped away.
The Raikage walked to the window, lightning chakra flickering faintly around him as he stared toward the direction of the Hidden Rain.
Iwagakure
Ōnoki let out a heavy sigh and dismissed the intelligence officer.
The losses this time were staggering.
The rise of the Hidden Rain—
Was now unstoppable.
His expression dimmed as he slumped into his seat.
Not long after—
The remaining dozen clans in Kirigakure also declared their departure.
At that moment—
Kirigakure ceased to exist in any meaningful sense.
Even if Obito returned and tried everything—
He could not reverse the decline.
With Ning Feng's influence behind the scenes—
Obito had no choice but to abandon the Hidden Mist entirely.
In its place—
The Hidden Rain Village officially declared itself the fifth great ninja village.
Unlike before, when it had allied with Konoha—
This time, no nation voiced opposition.
It was as if all had silently acknowledged its status.
"That's strange… Lord Feng, before, they always opposed us standing on equal footing."
Konan frowned in confusion.
"Heh. They're too busy dealing with their own problems now."
A faint smile appeared on Ning Feng's lips.
Since announcing their new status—
The Hidden Rain had seen a surge in mission requests.
Economic gains were rising rapidly.
Tasks they once had to decline due to manpower shortages—
Could now be accepted, thanks to the addition of Kirigakure's bloodline clans.
Their development was accelerating.
"They're too busy?"
Konan tapped her lip thoughtfully, then suddenly realized:
"Right! They all sent their elite forces to fight you!"
"Now that those forces are gone… they're panicking!"
"Exactly."
Ning Feng nodded.
"This is the perfect time for us to grow."
He cleared his throat lightly.
"Now that you understand—focus on development."
"When they recover, we need the strength to face them head-on."
"At that point, who would dare question the Land of Rain as one of the Five Great Nations?"
Konan nodded slowly.
Everything…
Had been part of Ning Feng's plan.
Meanwhile—
At the ruins of what was once Kirigakure—
Uchiha Obito walked silently among the shattered remains, cloaked in black.
His expression beneath the mask was grim.
"There's nothing left…"
Black Zetsu sighed beside him.
They had tried to salvage what they could—
But it was futile.
The remaining clans had been utterly terrified by Tengai Shinsei.
They had scattered across the Land of Water.
It wouldn't be long before other nations came to claim this territory.
Obito stood there in silence.
For the first time—
He had no idea how to proceed with the Eye of the Moon Plan.
Uchiha Feng—
Had become its greatest variable.
No—
The greatest variable in the entire ninja world.