Onoki's retreat sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
It wasn't just the Iwa Shinobi who were stunned, even the nearby Suna Shinobi were caught off guard.
Pakura's orange-red flames flickered in the wind as she clenched her teeth, her expression cold.
"Ohnoki, that old man..." she muttered.
"What do we do now?" a puppet ninja beside her asked.
Though unwilling, Pakura quickly made the right call.
"Withdraw."
With Hanzo dead and Onoki gone, there was no reason for the Suna forces to stay. Waiting around would only mean certain death.
The battle had already proven a harsh reality—against a powerhouse of that level, sheer numbers were meaningless without at least two or three Kage-level fighters to counter him.
No matter how many stood in his way, if he unleashed that same technique again, they'd all be wiped out.
There was no choice. Suna had to retreat.
Under Pakura's command, the remaining two thousand Suna Shinobi immediately turned and rushed toward the border of the Land of Rain.
At the same time, the Iwa Shinobi, upon hearing Onoki's retreat order, wasted no time fleeing as well.
But just because they wanted to escape didn't mean the enemy would let them.
Simu watched the retreating forces of both great nations before vanishing in a flash of light, reappearing atop Two-Tails' head in an instant.
"You three have had enough time fishing, don't you think?"
Feeling the sudden weight on its head, Two-Tails trembled slightly.
"Don't worry, Simu-sama! Not a single one of them is getting away!"
It fixed its gaze on the fleeing Iwa Shinobi and opened its mouth, blue flames flickering around its jaws.
Yin and Yang chakra swirled together inside, merging into a pitch-black energy sphere.
Seeing this, Four-Tails and Five-Tails followed suit, their mouths opening wide.
Ten seconds later, three Tailed Beast Bombs hovered ominously in the air.
A crushing pressure spread across the battlefield.
Simu waved his hand.
The three Tailed Beast Bombs shot forward like arrows, tearing through the air.
The fleeing Iwa Shinobi glanced up—just in time to see three pitch-black spheres hurtling toward them.
BOOM!
Blinding explosions erupted one after another, lighting up the battlefield and carving three massive craters into the ground.
Those caught in the blasts were reduced to nothing but ashes.
However, since the Iwa Shinobi had scattered in all directions, many managed to escape the battlefield.
Simu didn't care.
He transformed into a massive dragon and soared into the clouds, his presence sending shockwaves through the sky.
His jaws opened wide, gathering an overwhelming energy that condensed into searing flames.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Pakura urged the Suna forces forward.
"Keep moving! We're almost at the Land of Wind's border!"
"As long as we make it, we can find reinforcements!"
She had believed that with Tsuchikage and Hanzo's support—along with tens of thousands of ninjas—taking down Hanyu Simu and two thousand Konoha Shinobi would be easy.
But reality proved otherwise.
Hanyu Simu's strength had surpassed everyone's imagination.
As his enemies, the Suna Shinobi's morale had hit rock bottom.
Pakura's words of encouragement could do little more than offer a fragile illusion of hope.
Then, without warning, an overwhelming sense of dread flooded her heart.
She turned her head sharply—
Flames ignited the sky.
The once-dark night was now ablaze, swallowed by a raging inferno.
A torrential firestorm crashed down from above.
"Sage Art: Flame Sea!"
Simu commanded the roaring flames to descend, consuming everything in their path.
In an instant, the entire forest was reduced to a sea of fire.
Fueled by Senjutsu Chakra, these flames were no ordinary, no ordinary ninja could hope to withstand them.
The flames, the perfect counter to Wind Release, left the Suna Shinobi utterly helpless.
Most of them specialized in Wind Style, but against this inferno, their jutsu were useless.
The searing heat burned their bodies relentlessly.
No matter where they looked, there was only fire, an endless sea of flames with no escape.
Agonized screams echoed from all directions, shattering their spirits like shockwaves.
Pakura, using her Scorch Style, formed a protective shield of superheated flames, barely managing to block the fire and shelter a dozen people around her.
But it was meaningless.
Hundreds more Suna Shinobi are dying in the flames.
Only a handful, those who had fled early, managed to escape death.
Among the few survivors, Pakura naturally caught Simu's eye.
High above, he shifted back into his human form.
A tall figure, seven meters tall, wielding a massive iron club, he descended from the sky like a storm.
He held nothing back.
Right from the start, he unleashed one of Kaido's strongest techniques.
Conqueror's Haki crackled around his weapon, transforming into dark red lightning.
The club came crashing down like a divine pillar of thunderous judgment.
Pakura reacted instantly.
The moment she felt Simu's overwhelming pressure, her hands flashed through a series of seals.
She channeled her Scorch Style flames into a massive fire dragon and sent it hurtling toward the sky.
"Run! Now!" she shouted.
Her face was pale she knew exactly how terrifying Simu was.
And she knew one thing for certain: she couldn't stop him alone.
Their only chance was to flee.
Simu, unfazed by the oncoming fire dragon, didn't hesitate.
He raised his massive club and brought it down with devastating force.
"Raume Hakke: Yin Naraku!"
The red fire dragon roared as it devoured all moisture in the air.
But before it could do anything else—
BOOM!
The iron club, wrapped in thunderous Haki, struck with unimaginable force.
The fire dragon didn't even have time to cry out before it was torn apart.
The ground shattered on impact, splitting open like a canyon.
The shockwave sent Pakura and the others flying.
Several Suna Shinobi used the shockwave to their advantage, turning and sprinting into the distance.
Simu sneered.
He raised his palm, sharp nails glinting under the flames.
"You really think you can escape?"
Golden lasers tore through the air.
Before they even realized it, their hearts had been pierced.
Pakura, the only one left, collapsed to her knees.
"Why…?"
She stared blankly ahead.
Simu stood before her, an insurmountable force, a mountain pressing down not just on her, but on the entire Land of Wind.
Impossible.
Absolutely impossible to defeat.
Simu took slow, calm steps toward her.
Pakura gripped her kunai tightly.
With a sudden burst of resolve, she lunged at him.
Without a change in expression, Simu swung his massive club.
The moment it fell
The whole world went silent.
Simu gazed at Pakura's motionless body, his face devoid of emotion.
Her will had completely crumbled.
That final, desperate attack had been nothing more than a ninja's instinct.
The heat from the surrounding flames mixed with the thick scent of blood in the air.
Simu let out a sigh.
War was cruel by nature.
A powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki surged from him, a silent declaration of victory.
Then, his voice, cold and commanding, echoed across the battlefield:
"Surrender, and you will be spared."
The words rang in every ninja's ears.
In unison, the Konoha Shinobi roared:
"Surrender, and you will be spared!"
"Surrender, and you will be spared!"
The overwhelming sound crushed what little resistance remained.
For the Ame Shinobi, Hanzo's death had left them leaderless.
With no hope left, they dropped their weapons one by one—surrendering without a fight.
Half an hour later, Aburame Shibi appeared beside Simu.
"The initial count is complete,"
"A total of 1,782 Rain Shinobi have been captured, along with 347 Iwagakure ninjas and 761 from Sunagakure. That's 2,890 prisoners in total."
Glancing at his notebook, he continued:
"Konoha suffered 324 casualties and 1,654 injured. But thanks to Lady Katsuyu's assistance, the wounded should recover quickly and be ready for battle for a couple days."
Adjusting his black sunglasses, he hesitated before asking,
"But what do you plan to do with them?"
After all, Konoha's remaining forces had barely over a thousand men.
Guarding nearly 3,000 prisoners would be a problem.
Simu had returned to his normal form, the coat of justice draped over his shoulders once more.
"Send them to Amegakure first,"
"Amegakure?" Shibi raised an eyebrow.
"Are you planning to take it over?"
Simu shook his head.
"Not take over—just use it for now."
Konoha's forces hadn't brought enough supplies for so many prisoners.
Originally, Amegakure was a supply hub, so returning there for rest was the natural choice.
Besides…
Simu's gaze fell on Hanzo, barely clinging to life under Lady Katsuyu's healing.
There was still plenty of information to extract from him.
A faint killing intent seeped from Simu's body.
He wasn't the type to let things slide when wronged.
And even if he hadn't been directly harmed, being manipulated by that old schemer Danzo was irritating enough.
...
One day later…
Simu finally arrived at Amegakure with his troops.
With Hanzo having taken most of his forces to war, the village was left undefended.
As the massive army of thousands approached, the ninja on duty panicked
And the alarm rang through the village.
"It's Konoha's ninja!"
"And then that's..."
"Tail Beast!"
The gathered Ame Shinobi froze in place.
As a small country, there are no tailed beasts in Amegakure.
But tailed beasts, as weapons of war, are also famous in the ninja world.
Now, three of them had appeared at once.
Even the great ninja villages would struggle against such a force.
For Amegakure, it was hopeless.
And...
The Ame Shinobi held binoculars and soon saw a familiar figure. .
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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