"Summoning Technique! Toad Bunker Crush!"
A gigantic toad came crashing down from the sky, landing on Shukaku.
When Jiraiya led more than four hundred Konoha Ninja from the front lines to the battlefield at Kikyo City, Sunagakure, which had already been struggling to hold on, lost all ability to fight back.
The Sunagakure Ninja inside the city knew when to quit. Orochimaru and Jiraiya, two of the Sannin, were working together to take on a single Jinchūriki, and there were no other powerful commanders stationed in the city.
So the Sunagakure Ninja decisively stopped resisting, laid down their weapons, and surrendered.
"It's over."
Uchiha Aoba's blade came to a halt. Faced with the Sunagakure Ninja kneeling in a mass under the gaze of more than twenty pairs of Sharingan, he held back from doing what he had the day before, lest they lash out in desperation.
Besides, his gains today had been enormous. Reaching thirty percent fusion was all but guaranteed, so there was no need to jeopardize the bigger picture for one more kill.
Loud cheers rang out across the city.
When Shukaku dissolved into a cloud of fine sand outside the city, the Battle of Kikyo City came to a complete end.
"We won!"
"We won! Long live Konoha!"
By the time Rasa finally led the bulk of Sunagakure's forces to the outskirts of the city, this was the scene that greeted him.
His already grim expression turned ashen.
Kikyo City had fallen, the Jinchūriki had been captured by Konoha, and no one knew how many Sunagakure prisoners were inside the city. In a daze, Rasa realized that the position of Fourth Kazekage was slipping away from him.
At the same time, before he could order his men to act, Konoha's sensory unit detected the unusual activity and sounded the alarm.
"Everyone, stay alert!"
The celebratory cheers in the city abruptly stopped.
Orochimaru went straight to the area where Rasa was, then stood at a high vantage point and watched him coldly.
Jiraiya followed close behind, tossed the One-Tail Jinchūriki, whose chakra had been sealed, at his feet, and demanded loudly, "Rasa, do you still want to keep fighting?"
Rasa's expression grew increasingly resentful as he glared at Orochimaru and Jiraiya through clenched teeth.
He wanted to defiantly say, "I'll fight you to the death!"
But reason told him that if he kept fighting, he would not only lose any chance of becoming Kazekage, but his life as well.
After taking a deep breath, Rasa spoke feebly. "You win. We surrender."
"Long live!"
"Long live!"
"Long live!"
Everyone already knew there was little chance Sunagakure could keep fighting. But only after hearing their frontline commander, Rasa, say those words aloud did the Konoha Ninja fully return to their earlier jubilant mood.
The war, which had lasted nearly two years, was finally over.
Uchiha Aoba was just as happy to hear the news.
The battlefield was the fastest way for him to grow stronger, but in his current condition, he couldn't sustain prolonged fighting—especially with his injuries.
Knowing when to stop was the best course of action for Uchiha Aoba right now.
Just then, a system notification appeared:
[Battle concluded. Calculating rewards...] [You killed a total of eleven Sunagakure Chunin, six Sunagakure Genin, and one Sunagakure Jonin. Panel fusion increased by 7.1%. Rewards are being issued. Please wait to receive them.]
The breakthrough in fusion made Uchiha Aoba feel wonderfully refreshed. His abilities had improved across the board, and his injuries and stamina had recovered slightly. Most notably, his eyes felt unbearably hot.
He instinctively raised a hand and rubbed them twice.
Uchiha Tayama, quick to notice Uchiha Aoba's unusual behavior, hurriedly asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I've never felt better."
Uchiha Aoba stretched, his face bright with joy.
"Good grief, kid, your eyes!"
"Three-Tomoe Sharingan?!"
Uchiha Tayama cried out in shock, drawing the attention of the other clan members nearby.
"Aoba's unlocked the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"
"My goodness, I'm already over twenty and still only have two tomoe. It really makes you sick with envy to compare yourself to others."
"A genius really is a genius. No wonder the clan's making him a top priority."
"Congratulations, Aoba!"
Everyone gathered around to congratulate Uchiha Aoba. They were happy for him and clearly envious, but not a single person seemed jealous. After all, the Uchiha Clan had a strong sense of unity.
At least when it came to awakening the Sharingan, there was none of that petty scheming.
Uchiha Aoba beamed and thanked them one by one. Only after everyone's enthusiasm had died down did he finally have time to check his current system panel.
[Host: Uchiha Aoba, Konoha Chunin] [Bloodline: Uchiha Clan] [Character Panel: Uchiha Madara, Fusion: 33.9%] [Abilities: Three-Tomoe Sharingan awakened, Shuriken Throwing Technique, Advanced Swordsmanship, Advanced Taijutsu, Advanced Genjutsu, Five Basic Nature Transformations mastered (C-rank, B-rank, A-rank)] [Overall Strength: Elite Jonin]
Tsk, tsk, tsk. His strength had leaped up a whole rank.
Uchiha Aoba marveled inwardly.
This was the most broken thing about the Uchiha Clan: each new level of Sharingan brought a steep jump in strength. And since he'd gotten Madara's template, the increase would be even more astounding.
Early in the forty-sixth year of Konoha, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind sent an envoy to formally submit a letter of surrender and peace to the Land of Fire.
What came afterward was a matter for the higher-ups to settle, and Uchiha Aoba had nothing more to do with it.
By the time both sides began arguing over war reparations and other matters, Uchiha Aoba had already returned to Konoha with the main force and received a warm welcome from the villagers.
Shouts of "hero" could be heard everywhere.
In some places, though, they mingled with pained sobs and wails. They came from people who had lost friends, brothers, or family members in the war.
Seeing this left Uchiha Aoba with complicated feelings.
His own parents had died in the Second Shinobi World War, leaving him a member of the Tomato Orphanage, alone in a huge house.
Even though the Uchiha Clan treated war orphans well, going so long without a parent's company still left an emptiness inside.
It wasn't that Uchiha Aoba was being difficult. He had been an orphan in his previous life, so after arriving in the Naruto World, he had treasured the bond with the parents he had in this life.
Who could have known that, just as he was about to enroll in the Ninja Academy, he would receive the terrible news that his parents had died?
In this world, where the death rate was so high, Uchiha Aoba had been prepared for the possibility. Even so, when he first heard the news, he couldn't process it for a long time.
It was only after he successfully enrolled and the system activated that Uchiha Aoba found the strength to carry on.
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