Declaring War on the Entire Ninja World!

Uchiha Yoru stood there, blood trickling from his fingertips along the lines of his palm and rippling across the puddle in scarlet rings.

He looked down at the heart in his hand and slowly curled his fingers. The still-beating organ burst apart, spraying flesh and blood across the back of his hand before it slowly slid to the ground.

Jiraiya's body crumpled to the ground. The setting sun cast its last rays across his pale face, lending it a quiet, desolate air.

The wind stirred the shattered Konoha Forehead Protector. It spun through the air a few times before finally falling to the ground, stained red with blood.

Uchiha Yoru flicked his fingers lightly, sending the blood spattering to the ground. A faint, cold smile tugged at his lips as he murmured, "Sage Mode, huh..."

His gaze rested on Jiraiya's face, as if pondering—or assessing him.

The mode was indeed powerful, but having to gather strength first was ultimately a burden. It was nowhere near as effortless as Senju Hashirama's natural state.

Uchiha Yoru had always believed in ending fights quickly. Drawn-out battles only annoyed him.

He wasn't foolish enough to give his enemies a chance to build up power against him.

He turned and walked away. Beneath the setting sun, the blood-red afterglow stretched his shadow long across the ground, as if it were a darkness reaching from heaven to earth—a harbinger of the storm about to sweep across the entire Ninja World.

A few days later.

The Hokage Building in Konoha.

The first light of dawn pierced the clouds and fell across Konoha. Rain from the previous night had yet to fully evaporate, and a damp chill lingered in the air.

Uchiha Yoru strode steadily toward the Hokage Building, his black robe stirring gently in the wind. His gaze was calm and profound, as if he could see through everything in the world.

As he entered the building, a familiar figure was already waiting by the door.

Nara Kashima dipped his head respectfully. "Lord Hokage."

Uchiha Yoru stopped and gestured for him to continue.

Nara Kashima went on in an unhurried tone. "The Hokage decree you mentioned earlier—the one stating that the 'Daimyo of the Land of Fire should not exist'—has been carried out smoothly."

"Everyone in the capital of the Land of Fire who opposed the 'Will of Fire' has been dealt with..."

"Without those greedy nobles exploiting the people, the Land of Fire's finances are recovering rapidly."

At this, Uchiha Yoru's gaze sharpened slightly. Then he nodded.

In truth, he had known about this for some time.

Back then, his clone had gone to the capital of the Land of Fire in person and swept aside all opposition with overwhelming force. After killing every noble and the daimyo, he had left members of the Nara Clan and others in charge of stabilizing the situation, then dispelled the Shadow Clone.

He wasn't concerned with these trivial matters—they were only the natural result.

However, Nara Kashima's tone turned grave. "Still... because we acted so forcefully, word has spread that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has been replaced."

"According to rumors, the daimyos of the other great nations have demanded that their respective shinobi villages join forces, and are preparing to launch a campaign against Konoha..."

He paused, discreetly watching Uchiha Yoru's reaction.

Uchiha Yoru's lips curled into a faint sneer.

"Launch a campaign against Konoha?"

His tone carried a hint of mockery, as though he had heard some ridiculous joke.

"It seems they still haven't accepted reality."

His eyes were utterly cold. His scarlet Sharingan turned slowly, murderous intent roiling in their depths.

The Ninja World had long since rotted, and the daimyos who relied on the shinobi villages were no better than useless.

They relied on shinobi to fight and die for them, yet still dreamed of controlling everything and preserving their so-called rule.

This rotten system should have been wiped out long ago.

Since they couldn't help but show themselves, he would make them understand what true power was—and who truly ruled the Ninja World.

Uchiha Yoru's gaze turned cold. His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority. "Kashima, in Konoha's name—"

He slowly uttered a few words, like thunder from the heavens: "Formally declare war on every nation and shinobi village outside Konoha."

Declare war!

On the entire Ninja World!

The moment those words fell, the air in the office froze.

Nara Kashima's pupils contracted. His breath caught, and cold sweat trickled down his face.

For a moment, he wondered if he had heard wrong.

"Pardon?"

The words slipped out before he could stop himself, his face full of shock.

But when he saw Uchiha Yoru's cold, resolute expression, he knew—the man wasn't joking. He meant it.

"Lord Hokage..." Nara Kashima suppressed his shock and spoke in a low voice. "Is this... really wise?"

"We have no just cause, and the other villages are still powerful. If we rashly make enemies of the entire Ninja World, I fear..."

He left the thought unfinished, but his concerns were plain.

Uchiha Yoru only looked at him in silence, his eyes as deep as an abyss. He showed no hesitation—only a trace of faint amusement.

"Are you afraid?"

His voice was unruffled, yet the weight of it pressed down on them.

Nara Kashima took a deep breath and was about to speak, but Uchiha Yoru cut him off.

"Don't worry."

Uchiha Yoru slowly rose and walked to the window, looking down over Konoha's streets. His voice was so indifferent that he might have been stating an ordinary fact. "The Ninja World will be unified sooner or later."

He turned his head slightly. His scarlet eyes reflected the morning light, their chill enough to make one's heart tremble.

"Since they can't help but show themselves, then now is the time—"

"To make them understand."

"Konoha is the only ruler of this world."

As his words fell, dawn and shadow mingled around him, cloaking his figure like a king surveying all creation.

Nara Kashima opened his mouth, seeming to want to argue further, but in the end he chose to remain silent.

He drew a deep breath, bowed respectfully, and said, "I obey!"

With that, he turned and left to spread the shocking news.

Yet the first to be shaken by it were not the great nations of the Ninja World, but the people within Konoha itself.

"War... is coming again?"

"Konoha against the entire Ninja World? How can we fight that?"

"Lord Fifth Hokage may be incredibly strong, but isn't this war far too large in scale...?"

Talk spread through the village, voices rising from every direction.

Most people were still reeling from the aftermath of the recent "Night of Clan Extermination." Many hadn't even adjusted to Konoha's new order, and now they were suddenly facing an unprecedented war. It was only natural that many felt uneasy and afraid.

Some shinobi were shocked, yet felt a flicker of excitement.

"Perhaps... this is the glorious age Konoha was meant for?"

But many more were anxious, frightened, or even resentful.

Complaints were already surfacing, especially among the older villagers.

"The Night of Clan Extermination just ended, and now we're declaring war on the outside world? This is far too extreme!"

"I always said that letting a green boy become Hokage through sheer strength would never end well for Konoha!"

The speakers were the elders of the Hyuga Clan.