Cloud Village, Annihilation!

Kumogakure.

At this moment, the battlefield was a scene of utter devastation.

Shattered rocks, broken blades, and blood-stained ninja tools lay scattered everywhere, while the air hung heavy with the thick, metallic stench of blood.

The setting sun, red as gore, cast its light over the ravaged earth, as if drawing the curtain on this catastrophe.

Kumogakure, once a village that looked down upon the Ninja World, was now reduced to a state of deathly silence.

The Nine-Tails crouched low amidst the ruins, its tails swaying slowly, its massive body looming like a mountain spanning the heavens.

Its scarlet beastly eyes looked down upon the ground with icy indifference, crushing the final vestiges of resistance.

Uchiha Yoru stood atop the head of the Nine-Tails, his cloak snapping violently in the gale.

"Is this the extent of Kumogakure's confidence?"

His voice was cold and calm, as if he were pronouncing the end of an era.

"The arrogance of the weak only invites destruction."

On the ground, the surviving Cloud Ninja trembled; they had once charged fearlessly toward the Nine-Tails, foolishly hoping to defy fate through sheer numbers. Yet, reality had brutally shredded their fantasies.

The explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb had shattered the earth and sent flesh and blood flying, leaving their corpses strewn across the ruins like discarded rags.

"The Fourth Raikage... is dead..."

"Lord Killer B... also..."

The eyes of the Cloud Ninja were filled with despair; the Kage and Jinchuriki they took such pride in had failed to stir even a ripple before Uchiha Yoru.

At this moment, ninety percent of the Cloud Ninja had already perished on the battlefield.

--The survivors were too weak to fight again.

"Please... spare us..."

The Cloud Ninja kneeling on the ground wept, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. The desire to survive drove them to discard their final shred of dignity.

However, Uchiha Yoru merely glanced at them indifferently.

"Surrendering now?"

A cold sneer curled his lips, and the tomoe in his Sharingan rotated slowly, radiating a scarlet glow.

"Too late."

In an instant, an invisible mental shockwave swept outward.

Genjutsu!

The pupils of the Cloud Ninja constricted sharply; the world twisted before their eyes, spinning and turning upside down.

Their remaining willpower proved fragile before such powerful illusion; they lost the ability to think, their bodies stiffened, and their consciousnesses were utterly annihilated.

No one struggled anymore.

--From this moment on, their lives and deaths were entirely under the control of Uchiha Yoru.

Kumogakure, destroyed.

During this interval, Uchiha Yoru took the time to bring the Nine-Tails and three other Tailed Beasts to the capital of the Land of Lightning, wiping out the Daimyo and those so-called nobles entirely.

He then used Genjutsu to control a portion of the population to maintain order before departing.

The Land of Lightning, from this day forth, ceased to exist!

One day later.

Konoha.

When the Konoha Military Police Force stepped into the ruins of Kumogakure, what they saw before them was a deathly silence.

Amidst the broken walls, a handful of Cloud Ninja stood in a daze, as if they had lost their souls. Their eyes were hollow and devoid of life, as if they had long been abandoned by the world. Moving with mechanical precision, they were no longer ninjas, but merely shells controlled by commands.

All of this was the result of a single thought from Uchiha Yoru.

"From today on, the Land of Lightning is annexed by Konoha."

Uchiha Yoru's voice echoed through the meeting of Konoha's high-ranking officials, brief and frigid, yet carrying an undeniable majesty.

"The Military Police Force will dispatch personnel to Kumogakure and the capital of the Land of Lightning respectively to take control and maintain order."

The meeting hall fell into a dead silence, followed by the gradual dissipation of the attendees' shock, replaced by a sense of relief.

No one dared to object, nor did anyone feel there was any need to.

In their eyes, Uchiha Yoru had already become an unshakable existence. His power was sufficient to make any opposition appear redundant, or even absurd.

Furthermore, this was the first time since the founding of Konoha that the village had acquired the territory of an enemy village. For some of the radicals, this satisfaction was like a stimulant, causing the desires within their hearts to erupt completely.

Since the era of the First Hokage, Konoha had always been known for its so-called benevolence and peace, acting like a turtle hiding in its shell.

During the era of the Second Hokage, although they were not quite as conservative, the sneak attack by the rogue ninja unit of Kumogakure had led to the death of the Second Hokage, a humiliation that still lingered in the hearts of many.

By the era of the Third Hokage, Konoha was no longer a turtle, but had become a complete "grandson."

However, today, the situation has undergone a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change.

The rise of Uchiha Yoru has fundamentally shifted the balance of power between offense and defense for Konoha.

From this day forward, the tides of offense and defense have turned!!!

The news of Kumogakure's annihilation swept through the entire Ninja World like a hurricane.

The major hidden villages were shaken to their cores, finally realizing that Konoha's declaration of war was no mere bluff, but a true manifestation of thunderous fury.

Villages that had previously held a wait-and-see attitude instantly abandoned all delusions of luck.

The absolute military might displayed by Konoha made the entire Ninja World feel an unprecedented sense of terror.

The once arrogant and indomitable Kumogakure had been reduced to complete ruins beneath the god-like Susanoo of Uchiha Yoru.

Tsuchikage Ōnoki's face turned ashen; suffering from Uchiha Madara-induced PTSD, he urgently convened a meeting of the Kage from the major villages.

However, to his utter shock, the Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Karatachi Yagura, had executed his own messenger upon receiving the invitation!

In this way, the only village left to unite with was Sunagakure...

"That bastard Karatachi Yagura!"

Ōnoki was consumed by rage, nearly spitting out a mouthful of blood. He stood up abruptly, but the sudden movement sent a sharp, stabbing pain through his lower back.

"Ouch, my back..."

His face flushed red, he gasped through gritted teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Konoha has abandoned the Will of Fire spread by the First Hokage; their self-destruction is only a matter of time."

"But as of now, Konoha is too powerful."

Ōnoki's gaze was like a torch as he said in a deep voice, "If we do not unite to resist, the next to be annihilated will be us!"

The air was thick with oppression. The absence of Raikage Ay felt more like a silent, chilling warning.

Rasa remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.

He knew very well that Ōnoki's words were not alarmist; the strength of Sunagakure was far from sufficient to withstand Konoha's offensive alone.

Meanwhile, within the Akatsuki organization, Black Zetsu was exceptionally excited.

In the intelligence brought back by the White Zetsu clones, Uchiha Yoru's god-like Susanoo and his seemingly endless chakra made Black Zetsu even more certain of his hypothesis.

"The reincarnation of Indra..."

Black Zetsu whispered, a strange light flickering within the shadows.

He was filled with regret.

Back on the Night of Clan Extermination, White Zetsu had already reported the existence of Uchiha Yoru.

He had originally intended to make contact, but before he could act, the boy had gone to Kumogakure.

Later, the disappearance of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had further hindered his progress.

If he had laid his plans earlier—perhaps the Eye of the Moon Plan would have already been completed, and his mother, Kaguya, would have been resurrected.

But now, it was not yet too late.

"As long as I guide him a little..."

A cold, sinister smile curled the corners of Black Zetsu's mouth, his eyes glinting with cunning.

Years ago, Uchiha Madara had been driven to the extreme under his machinations.

The current Uchiha Yoru was younger than Madara and possessed strength even more unfathomable.

As long as he fanned the flames, he could make him fall into darkness and become the perfect pawn for the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Thinking of this, Black Zetsu couldn't help but curse Uchiha Obito under his breath.

That brat had neither the strength of Uchiha Madara nor his vision, yet he acted clever all the time.

On the Night of Clan Extermination, he had been directly crushed by a genjutsu from Uchiha Yoru and knocked unconscious!

Had he not been proficient in the secret arts of Yin-Yang Release to help the boy recover, that kid would have been a vegetable long ago.

He was simply a piece of trash!

"Uchiha Yoru's heart must be buried with dissatisfaction and hatred..."

Black Zetsu slowly retracted his smile, his gaze as gloomy as stagnant water.

He knew that the power of the Uchiha clan required the stimulation of extreme emotions; this was true for the Sharingan, and it was even more true for the Mangekyou Sharingan!

And he, he only needed to add a little more fire.

In the darkness, a blurred figure quietly slipped into the earth.

"Uchiha Yoru is destined to become the perfect pawn for the Eye of the Moon Plan."