Defeating Shukaku, The Ninja World War Ends?! (Seeking Follow-ups!!)

"Boom!!"

It was like an atomic bomb detonation; a massive shockwave of energy rippled outward, causing even more terrifying destruction.

Even the space itself seemed to warp. The ground, originally slightly elevated, was transformed into a massive crater hundreds of meters in radius, with everything within it completely obliterated.

This time, Shukaku could no longer hold its ground, its colossal body sent flying backward.

It flew for several hundred meters, like a meteor accelerating toward the earth, before its body slammed into the ground, carving out another deep crater.

Yet, it still could not halt its momentum, its heavy frame dragging a massive trench dozens of meters long through the earth.

"Poof~"

After a burst of white smoke, Shukaku's massive form vanished, leaving behind only a Sunagakure Village ninja at the end of the trench, his breath weak and his entire body covered in wounds.

Silence. A deathly silence.

Everyone stared with wide eyes and gaping mouths, frozen in a state of shock, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

The Sunagakure Village ninjas looked at Uchiha Chen, who was descending from mid-air, with eyes full of terror.

But for the Leaf Village ninjas, the silence was suddenly broken by wave after wave of fierce cheering.

"Whoa!"

"We won, we actually won!!"

"Someone tell me, am I dreaming?"

"Uchiha Chen, our Leaf Village hero!"

Amidst the cheers, Uchiha Chen slowly descended to the ground. Before his lips could even curl into a smile, his vision went black, and he collapsed straight backward.

"Brother Chen!!"

Jiraiya was the closest; the moment he saw Uchiha Chen fall, he dashed toward him at top speed.

Leaf Village, Uchiha Clan compound, Inside Uchiha Chen's room, "Uchiha Chen, you're awake!"

Tsunade's voice rang out in pleasant surprise, followed immediately by several other voices.

"What? Brother Chen is finally awake?"

"Brother Chen is awake, this is wonderful!"

"Uchiha Chen is awake?"

"The hero of the Leaf is finally awake!"

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.

Uchiha Chen lay on the bed and slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Tsunade's joyful, beautiful face.

I have to admit, she really is quite pretty...

Pah, pah, pah! What are you thinking? Don't let her twenty-year-old appearance fool you, her real age is over thirty!

Uchiha Chen quickly shifted his gaze away from Tsunade's face, only to discover several people standing by his bed.

They were Jiraiya, Namikaze Minato, Uchiha Itachi, and Hatake Kakashi...

Beyond them, he hadn't expected Might Guy to be there as well. As for why Uchiha Chen identified him instantly, it was simply because of that conspicuous green bodysuit and his signature bowl cut.

Who else could it be but Might Guy?

At this moment, Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy were both staring at Uchiha Chen with burning intensity, having witnessed his stellar performance at Mount Kikyo with their own eyes.

"Huh? Wasn't I fighting Shukaku? How did I end up back home?"

A flash of confusion crossed Uchiha Chen's eyes.

"You defeated the One-Tail, and you're still thinking about it? You exhausted your chakra again—don't you know how to pace yourself?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at Uchiha Chen, speaking in a lecturing tone.

"Hahaha, Brother Chen, your performance in this battle has made quite a few people look at you in a new light. You're the hero of the Leaf now; you truly live up to being my brother, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya, on the other hand, threw an arm around Uchiha Chen's shoulder, offering his praise without reservation.

"Big Brother, please don't tease me. Look at me now; I'm too embarrassed to even mention this 'feat,' let alone call myself a hero of the Leaf. I don't deserve it, I really don't!"

Uchiha Chen waved his hand, speaking with a humble expression.

"Heh heh, Brother Chen, now you're just being modest. You only suffered from chakra exhaustion, but over on the Sunagakure side, that jinchuriki is completely finished. They'll have to find a suitable new host to seal the One-Tail within a short time."

Jiraiya, however, completely disagreed with Uchiha Chen's assessment.

"That's not how it works. I feel like the One-Tail's power wasn't fully unleashed. Otherwise, given my current strength, I shouldn't have been able to hold it off."

Uchiha Chen furrowed his brows. He felt no pride in defeating the One-Tail, instead analyzing the situation with a deep frown.

At this moment, Namikaze Minato walked forward with a smile on his face.

"Uncle Chen, cough cough, you are right. Shukaku truly did not unleash its full power because it is not in sync with the Sunagakure jinchuriki."

Namikaze Minato still felt a bit unaccustomed to the title "Uncle Chen."

"Then what would it take for it to unleash its full power?"

Hatake Kakashi could not help but feel curious as well.

"Only if the jinchuriki and the Tailed Beast can achieve perfect synchronization, becoming a perfect jinchuriki, but such cases are extremely rare."

"Although the One-Tail could not exert its full strength, that does not mean your strength is lacking, Uncle Chen."

Namikaze Minato had witnessed Uchiha Chen's performance in this battle with his own eyes; to possess such strength at this age was something few in all of Konoha could achieve.

If Shukaku were able to perform perfectly and unleash its strongest jutsu, the Tailed Beast Bomb, then let alone Uchiha Chen, there would be very few in the entire Ninja World capable of blocking it.

Even he himself would find it somewhat difficult to deal with a Tailed Beast Bomb.

Uchiha Chen naturally knew what Namikaze Minato was talking about, so he nodded, feigning a sudden realization before continuing to ask, "By the way, how many days have I been unconscious? How is the great war going now?"

"Hehe, little brother Chen has only been unconscious for three days. But rest assured, the Ninja World War has already ended. The ceasefire agreement is set to be signed in a few days."

Jiraiya chuckled. He was quite happy that the Ninja World War had come to an end, as he had long grown weary of the fighting.

"What? The Ninja World War is over? Then wouldn't Brother Minato be..."

Uchiha Chen was startled, the words about Namikaze Minato taking over as the Fourth Hokage nearly slipping out, but fortunately, he caught himself in time.

"Minato? What about Minato?"

Everyone looked at Uchiha Chen with puzzled expressions. What did the end of the Ninja World War have to do with Namikaze Minato?

Seeing their confused gazes, Uchiha Chen's thoughts raced as he considered how to gloss over it.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. Uchiha Chen looked at Namikaze Minato with a mischievous grin.

"Uh... I meant, now that there is world peace, Brother Minato should be preparing to marry his girlfriend, Kushina, right? It's a rare opportunity!"

"Huh? Marriage?!"

Namikaze Minato's eyes widened, and he stared at Uchiha Chen in a daze.

This was far too unexpected!