With the Fourth Raikage dead in battle, the tide of the war had become blindingly obvious.
After a brief moment of shock, Darui shouted, his face contorted with humiliation. "Stop, everyone! Kumogakure... surrenders!"
Hearing Darui's command, both Kumogakure and Konoha ninjas stopped fighting in unison, their eyes snapping toward him.
Once Darui and Fugaku Uchiha formally confirmed that Kumogakure had indeed surrendered, cheers erupted among the Konoha forces. In stark contrast, the opposing Kumogakure ninjas wore expressions of absolute bewilderment and shame.
Soon, all Kumogakure shinobi were disarmed and placed under Konoha's custody. Darui and Mabui officially signed their names on the surrender documents. However, with the Fourth Raikage dead, neither of them had the authority to make any concrete guarantees regarding war reparations. They could only wait until Kumogakure elected a Fifth Raikage before a formal peace treaty could be finalized.
But that was a political game meant for Fugaku Uchiha and Kumogakure's higher-ups. Jie Uchiha couldn't be bothered with such matters.
Dispersing his Eight-Tails chakra cloak, Jie returned to his tent and claimed the system settlement rewards for killing the Fourth Raikage.
[Reward Received: Training Method for Hell Stab]
[Reward Received: Training Method for Lightning Oppression Horizontal]
Although both were incredibly potent Nintaijutsu, for Jie, they were simply better than nothing.
The war was over, but the cleanup efforts would take many more days. Jie simply informed Fugaku of his departure and set off alone, heading back to Konoha in advance. Compared to the desolate wilderness of the battlefield, he definitely preferred the bustling streets of the village.
Without a large army slowing him down, Jie traveled at top speed. Yet, after running for more than a day, he still hadn't seen a single trace of Konoha. He couldn't help but feel confused.
'With my speed, I should have reached the village by now. Why is there nothing but wilderness around here?' Jie wondered. 'Am I under a Genjutsu, or did I wander into a barrier? Did I get lost?'
He quickly shook his head. He didn't sense any foreign chakra, nor was there any disruption in his own chakra pathways. Furthermore, with the visual prowess of his Mangekyo Sharingan, unless Madara Uchiha crawled out of his grave right now and blasted him with the Infinite Tsukuyomi, it was absolutely impossible for anyone to cast a Genjutsu that could bypass his perception.
But getting lost seemed even more unlikely. The battlefield and Konoha were connected by a single, direct main road, and he hadn't changed direction once. How could he possibly be lost?
'I'll just look around. As long as I can find a populated settlement, I can ask for directions,' he decided.
Unable to figure out what went wrong, he casually picked a direction and resumed his journey. With his overwhelming strength, he wasn't afraid of being ambushed anyway. Once he found someone, everything would become clear.
After traveling for another half-day, a small village finally appeared on the horizon. Plumes of smoke rose from the chimneys, clearly indicating it was inhabited. Seeing signs of life, Jie accelerated, arriving in front of a row of modest houses in just a few flashes.
Seeing Jie appear out of thin air, and noticing the Konoha forehead protector gleaming on his brow, the villagers immediately recognized him as a ninja.
In the shinobi world, the status gap between civilians and ninjas was a massive chasm. Even though Jie looked like a mere teenager, the villagers didn't dare show him the slightest disrespect.
Soon, a slightly older villager walked up to him, trembling as he stuttered, "L-Lord Ninja, is there something you need in our village?"
Jie casually glanced at the villagers' clothing. Recognizing that their attire didn't match the typical fashion of the Land of Fire, he couldn't help but frown.
'Where exactly am I? Did I leave the Land of Fire?' he thought.
However, to the terrified villager, Jie's frown was clearly a sign of extreme displeasure. Panicking, the old man dropped to his knees and wailed, "Lord Ninja, this old man didn't mean to pry into your mission! Please spare my life!"
Hearing the commotion, the rest of the villagers rushed out of their homes. Their faces were pale with fear, terrified that this shinobi would slaughter the entire village over a perceived slight.
Seeing this reaction, Jie fell silent.
Just how much did these people fear ninjas? It was a stark reminder of how terrifying human beings could become once they acquired power.
"I'm not here on a mission," Jie said calmly, his voice not overly loud but clear enough for everyone to hear. "I just wanted to ask for directions. Where exactly is this place?"
Hearing his words, a collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd. The elderly villager kneeling before him immediately became completely forthcoming, eager to tell him everything he knew.
It was then that Jie learned he was in the Land of Rice Fields, specifically in a small village right on the country's border.
He had been traveling along the direct road back to Konoha—how did he suddenly end up in the Land of Rice Fields? After mulling it over for a moment and coming up empty, he simply tossed the mystery to the back of his mind.
Since he was already here, he might as well drop by and visit a former Konoha senior: the treacherous Sannin who defected years ago, Orochimaru.
If Jie remembered the timeline correctly, after defecting, Orochimaru established Otogakure—the Hidden Sound Village—right here in the Land of Rice Fields. Later on, he would team up with Sunagakure during the Chunin Exams to launch the Konoha Crush plan.
Since he was already trespassing in the man's territory, it was only polite to pay him a visit. Besides, Jie was genuinely curious about this mad scientist of the shinobi world—a researcher who had practically maxed out his escape and survival skills.
Naturally, ordinary civilian villagers wouldn't know the hidden location of Otogakure. Jie didn't press them, only asking for directions to the most prosperous town in the country. Once he got his answer, he turned and left.
He spent the next day doing some light hunting, eventually capturing a few rogue ninjas. After extracting the information from their mouths, Jie finally pinpointed Otogakure's exact location.
He spent the night resting comfortably in a local inn. The next morning, Jie set off directly for Orochimaru's base.
'Does Orochimaru have a weird quirk, or do all mad scientists share this trait?' Jie wondered as he approached his destination. 'Why do they always insist on building their laboratories in these desolate, gloomy underground caves?'
Looking at the so-called "Hidden Sound Village" before him, a trace of incredulity flashed through Jie's mind. It was nothing more than a large, fenced-in training ground situated right outside a gaping mountain cave. There was absolutely nothing else.
And Orochimaru actually dared to call this a Ninja Village?
Not that it mattered to Jie.
Too lazy to spout nonsense, Jie drew his ninjato. With a casual, sweeping slash, he sheared off half of the mountain peak and carved a massive, terrifying fissure straight through the center of the training ground.
This was Jie Uchiha's way of saying hello.
Greetings delivered, Jie sheathed his blade and waited for the snake hiding inside the cave to crawl out on its own.
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