The deafening cheers still echoed between the Mars base and the remaining fleet, but an invisible sense of heaviness had quietly settled on the hearts of all the high-ranking members of the Shinobi World.
The celebrations were brief; the work of clearing the battlefield, tallying casualties, and treating the wounded was arduous and depressing.
The list of the dead was suffocatingly long. The fall of more than eighty Golden Core Immortal Venerable was almost three-tenths of the high-end combat power accumulated by the Shinobi World over the years! This does not include the ordinary ninjas, mecha pilots, and pilots who were reduced to ashes in the self-destruction; their numbers were in the tens of thousands! The outer fortifications of Mars' defenses and the Kurama Interstellar Aircraft Carrier were almost completely destroyed, and the Azure Dragon Corps suffered losses of more than two-thirds.
The massive battle damage report was sent to the Mars command center. The room, which had been filled with the joy of victory, was now so heavy that it seemed to drip water.
"Ten thousand... just ten Ōtsutsuki soldiers..." Tsunade on the table, instantly cracking the solid wood surface. Her voice trembled with barely suppressed anger. "What would have happened if we hadn't had the Ten Clan, if the Kurama hadn't arrived in time?"
The answer is self-evident—the entire army was wiped out, and the Shinobi World fell.
"Now is not the time for sorrow." The voice of Immortal King Tsubasa rang out calmly. He had returned to the command center at some point and sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over the somber faces of the various faction leaders, Golden Core Level experts, and core members of the Ten Family. "We have won this battle, but the war is far from over. What we need to consider is how to deal with the next, even larger Ōtsutsuki Clan army."
His words were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, sparking a heated debate.
"How should we respond? Lord Tsubasa, if I may be so bold, what can we possibly do?" A pale-faced Minazuki Clan from the Mizukage faction, representing the peace faction (or rather, the pragmatists), stood up. "Everyone has seen it. This is just a 10,000-strong force sent from one of their main cities! A fraction of their strength! And we've already exhausted all our resources and suffered heavy casualties! What if next time it's an army of 100,000? What if next time there are not just one Domain Level expert, but ten, or even a hundred? Can we withstand them?"
His words, though harsh, represented the sentiments of a considerable number of people. The enormous disparity in strength was as disheartening as the cold depths of space.
"We have to hold them off, even if we can't! Are we supposed to abandon our homeland and run away like stray dogs?" Naruto Uzumaki suddenly stood up, his face filled with resentment and anger. "When have ninjas ever been afraid of death? Our Will of Fire is to protect the land beneath our feet! Abandon the Shinobi World, abandon billions of people, and run away with only a few elites? I, Naruto Uzumaki, will be the first to refuse!"
"This isn't about being afraid of death, Naruto!" the Hyuga Hiashi, retorted passionately. "This is about the survival of our race! To knowingly fight a losing battle is foolish! Preserving our lineage and starting anew in another part of the universe with our current technology is the wise thing to do! We have interstellar carriers that can carry our elites to find a new home!"
"Abandon more than 90% of your compatriots? That's called wise? That's called cowardly!" Sasuke Uchiha, the vice-captain of the Kurama, spoke coldly. Although his voice was not loud, the chilling killing intent emanating from him made the room temperature drop several degrees.
"What did you say?!"
Does heroism mean everyone has to die here?
"We may die in battle, but we cannot let the Shinobi World's legacy end!"
Hundreds of people, both pro-war and pro-peace, began arguing incessantly, their emotions running high, and neither side could convince the other. The command post was in complete chaos.
That's enough.
The two simple words, "Tsubasa," seemed to contain some kind of rule, instantly silencing all the noise. Everyone looked at him, awaiting his decision.
At this moment, Shikamaru Nara, who had been silently pondering, rubbed his signature pineapple-shaped hair, stood up, and bowed to Tsubasa and the others.
" Lord Tsubasa, esteemed seniors, please hear me out," Shikamaru's voice carried his characteristic calmness and composure. "I believe that humanity may not be without the power to fight back."
He held up three fingers. "First, timing. According to observation and analysis, the Ōtsutsuki Legion appeared twice (including the small force that rescued Kaguya before and this time with a force of ten thousand) in that specific star region between Mars and Shinobi Planet. This indicates that their ultra-long-distance spatial teleportation requires extremely precise coordinates. We can boldly speculate that their next appearance will most likely still be in that area. If we can predict this in advance, we can gain the upper hand."
He retracted a finger. "Secondly, the terrain. Now that we know where they might appear, we can make preparations in advance. Using techniques like ' Chibaku Tensei,' we can create a large number of artificial celestial bodies, constructing a massive, three-dimensional military defense perimeter around that star field, deploying a massive amount of heavy firepower, even... nuclear bombs. The destructive energy field formed by the simultaneous detonation of thousands upon thousands of nuclear bombs, I believe, is enough to threaten or even kill a Domain Level expert."
He then lowered another finger. "Finally, the human element. We can use this opportunity to integrate the power of the entire Shinobi World, establish a more efficient command system and rapid response mechanism, and construct a space teleportation array connecting various defense bases. At the same time, our technology is developing rapidly. How do weapons from ten years ago compare to the Kurama now? Ten years from now, our weapons will undoubtedly be more powerful, and may very well be able to directly threaten Domain Level powerhouses."
Finally, he lowered his hand and concluded, "Moreover, the Ōtsutsuki Clan is a vast interstellar civilization. Given the loss of a 10,000-strong force and a Domain Level expert, would they be willing to pay an even greater and more unpredictable price for revenge against a 'wild planet' like ours? That's an unknown. Therefore, I believe we have a chance to hold out and shouldn't be too hasty in retreating."
Shikamaru's analysis was clear and logical, rekindling hope in the eyes of many who had been in despair.
Tsubasa nodded approvingly. " Shikamaru makes a good point." He looked around at everyone, "We all know that the Ōtsutsuki Clan has a symbiotic relationship with their super God Tree located at the core of their mother planet. Their power comes from the God Tree, and their planting of God Tree and plundering the planet's essence are all to nourish the mother tree. Facing the entire Ōtsutsuki Clan, we truly have no chance of winning."
He then changed the subject. "However, what we are facing now is likely just the power of a Ōtsutsuki Planet. I learned from Ōtsutsuki Ran's memories that he was sent by the city lord of a city called ' Genshō City,' Ōtsutsuki Genshō, Peak Domain Level expert with dozens of Domain Level powerhouses under his command."
"Dozens of Domain Level?!" Everyone gasped in astonishment.
"That's right. If all these dozens of Domain Level experts come out in full force, we will undoubtedly be defeated," Tsubasa readily admitted. "However, if they only send one or two, I am confident I can hold them off. But we cannot rely on the enemy's underestimation of us or on luck."
He stood up, his voice steady and powerful. "Therefore, I believe that advocating war and advocating peace are not entirely contradictory. We can proceed in three steps simultaneously. The first step Spark Plan. The second step is the Starlink Defense Base. The final step is the Immortal King Training Plan."