The earth-shaking cheers gradually subsided like a receding tide, replaced by a tranquility mingled with exhaustion, joy, and hope for the future. The Battle to Defend Taoyuan Village had ended with Duanmu Ci nearly wiping out Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, who had terrorized the Shinobi World, all by himself! Such an achievement was enough to be recorded in the annals of shinobi history.
The battlefield was a complete mess. The forest transformed by Wood Style: Flowering Tree World Descent still stood tall. Its eerie flowers had withdrawn their deadly edges, swaying gently in the breeze and giving off a faint lingering fragrance that concealed the heavy stench of blood. Giant trees had snapped apart, ravines crisscrossed the ground, and scorched marks from explosions could be seen everywhere. Several horrifyingly large pools of blood and fragments of ninja blades silently testified to the brutality of the battle.
Under Shizune's command, the guards suppressed their excitement and exhaustion as they began clearing the battlefield in an orderly manner. They carefully collected the bodies of their fallen comrades. Although Duanmu Ci had drawn most of the enemy's fire, the attendants of the Seven Swordsmen and the aftermath of the battle had still caused a small number of guard casualties. Their faces were filled with sorrow, but even more so with resolve. The gazes they directed toward the embracing pair at the center of the battlefield were filled with incomparable reverence and loyalty. Lord Duanmu had protected their home!
The severely wounded Jinin Akebino and Juzo Biwa were tightly bound in special Wood Release shackles covered in sealing runes and placed under strict guard by elite guards. These two ninja blade wielders were valuable prisoners of war and sources of intelligence. The bodies of the other five were also collected, along with their shattered ninja blades—Samehada had been destroyed, while Nuibari, Lightning Blade: Fang, Twin Swords: Flatfish, and the remnants of Juzo Biwa's Kubikiribōchō were properly sealed away as spoils of war. They would become symbols of Taoyuan Village's strength and deterrence, as well as important bargaining chips in negotiations with Konoha's higher-ups.
Duanmu Ci gently released Tsunade from his embrace. Her cheeks still bore tear tracks and an excited flush, but her golden eyes shone brilliantly, like stars after rain. He raised a hand and tenderly wiped away the moisture at the corner of her eye. His voice was slightly hoarse after the battle, yet incomparably gentle. "It's over. We won."
"Mm!" Tsunade nodded forcefully and clasped his hand tightly with hers, their fingers interlocking as though she needed to confirm that this was real. "You... you're not hurt, are you?" She looked Duanmu Ci over from head to toe. Although she knew how strong he was, facing the Seven Swordsmen's combined assault could not have left him completely unscathed.
"I used up quite a lot. I'll be fine after some rest." Duanmu Ci smiled and reassured her. The excessive expenditure of Sage Chakra and the intense concentration had indeed left him fatigued, but the Sage Body's powerful recovery was already taking effect. He looked toward Taoyuan Village's devastated outskirts, especially the areas destroyed by Munashi Jinpachi's self-destruction, along with the barrier and buildings damaged by the battle. His brow furrowed slightly. "Our home... has been damaged badly."
"Our home can be rebuilt!" Tsunade's voice was resolute and full of strength. "As long as people remain, hope remains. Taoyuan Village will only become better than before!" She looked around at the guards who had begun working and the residents emerging from the shelters, their faces filled with the joy of surviving a disaster. Unprecedented fighting spirit burned in her golden eyes. "Come on. Let's check on the wounded and reassure everyone. Reconstruction begins immediately!"
Tsunade acted swiftly and decisively, immediately throwing herself into the post-battle efforts. She personally led the Medical Team in treating the wounded, including injured guards and the few residents caught in the battle's aftermath, displaying the formidable abilities of the Medical Saint. At the same time, as the mistress of the village, she calmly directed the noncombatants to clear rubble, distribute supplies, and comfort frightened children. Her voice was steady and powerful, carrying a calming force that quickly soothed the post-battle panic and brought Taoyuan Village together once more.
Duanmu Ci stood at a high point, overlooking it all. He took a deep breath and formed hand seals once again. This time, it was no longer a Sage Art filled with destructive aura, but gentle Wood Release Chakra brimming with vitality.
Wood Style: Pillar House Technique!
Wood Style: Four Pillar House Technique!
Wood Style: Greening Technique!
As he cast the techniques, simple yet tidy temporary shelters made of sturdy timber rose from the ground beside the bombed ruins, providing refuge for residents who had lost their homes. The ground, left pitted and uneven by explosions and ninjutsu, was rapidly leveled and compacted by the power of Wood Release. Tender green shoots broke through the scorched soil at a visible speed, swiftly spreading to cover its wounds. Broken trees were cleared away, while new saplings were forced to grow, filling the scars left by war.
At this moment, Duanmu Ci's Wood Release had become the most miraculous force of construction. Like a deity who governed life and creation, he used the earth as his canvas and Chakra as his paint, rapidly mending the wounds of their home. As the guards and residents watched this godlike sight, the reverence and sense of belonging in their hearts grew even stronger. This was their guardian! He could not only destroy powerful enemies, but also rebuild their home!
Through the combined efforts of Duanmu Ci and Tsunade, Taoyuan Village swiftly recovered order from the post-battle chaos. Grief was soothed, wounds were healed, and the Core Flame of hope was rekindled above the ruins, burning brighter than ever before. An unprecedented sense of unity and pride took root in the heart of every Taoyuan Village resident. They had endured a trial of life and death together, witnessed the might of their guardian together, and come to understand even more deeply the precious meaning behind the words "Taoyuan."
Konoha, Hokage Office.
The detailed battle report concerning the defense of Taoyuan Village struck the conference room of Konoha's higher-ups like a massive bomb dropped into deep water, setting off unprecedented, towering waves!
The report had been personally written and encrypted by Minato Namikaze before being delivered. Its contents were suffocatingly detailed: Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen had mobilized in full and launched a surprise attack on Taoyuan Village... Duanmu Ci had faced them alone... he had unleashed the terrifying Wood Release Sage Art, Wood Style: Flowering Tree World Descent... by himself, he had killed Hozuki Mangetsu, Kushimaru Kuriarare, Ringo Ameyuri, and Suikazan Fuguki; captured Jinin Akebino and Juzo Biwa alive; seized several legendary ninja blades, including the shattered Samehada... and utterly annihilated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
The meeting room fell deathly silent.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand holding his pipe froze in midair. The tobacco had long since gone out, but he did not notice. Shock, wild delight, disbelief, and a trace of deep concern intertwined across his wrinkled face. One man had destroyed the Seven Swordsmen? What kind of earth-shattering achievement was that?! Even if his teacher, Hashirama Senju, were revived, he might not have accomplished more than this! Duanmu Ci's strength had far exceeded his original estimates, reaching a terrifying level capable of changing the balance of the entire Shinobi World!
The two elder advisors, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, were equally dumbfounded and unable to speak for a long while. Their worldview seemed to have been completely overturned. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen... those were Kirigakure's ultimate killing weapons, kept in reserve until the very end! Yet they had been dealt with by one man as easily as chopping melons and vegetables? It was simply like something out of myth and legend!
Bang! A dull sound shattered the silence. Shimura Danzō crushed the teacup in his hand, and scalding tea mixed with porcelain shards splashed all over him, yet he did not notice. His single eye stared fixedly at the report, bloodshot from extreme shock and... uncontrollable greed! His chest heaved violently, and his breathing was as rough as an old broken bellows.
Wood Release! Sage Arts! And that strange Gravity Secret Technique, vaguely described in the report, that had frozen Nuibari in midair at the critical moment to save Tsunade and pulled Suikazan Fuguki back from afar! Minato had cautiously described it in the report as an "unknown, powerful gravity-manipulation secret technique." All this power... if Root could obtain it... if it could be used by Danzo...
"Impossible... absolutely impossible!" Danzo's voice was hoarse and twisted, filled with the hysterical fury of someone who had been viciously slapped in the face by reality. "Minato must have exaggerated the results! Or... Duanmu Ci used some forbidden technique! The price must have been enormous! He must be extremely weak right now! Hiruzen! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Send the ANBU immediately—no, send Root to take over Taoyuan Village! Control Duanmu Ci! Seize his power! Force him to reveal the source and secrets of his strength! Such power must be held by Konoha, held by... the right people!" He nearly roared the words, his single eye flashing with almost insane obsession and possessiveness.
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