"Fire!"
Uchiha Itachi's cold, emotionless command echoed like the pronouncement of death on the bridge of the " Kamui ".
The next second!
The massive fleet of warships that had been hovering above the capital of the Land of Fire, like dark clouds pressing down on the city, moved!
There was no earth-shattering engine roar, nor any dazzling energy accumulation.
Hundreds of jet-black warships silently adjusted the angle of their bows, and beneath the cold armor bearing the Uchiha Gunbai, rows of densely packed, honeycomb-like launch ports slowly opened.
Buzz--
A deep, resonant hum that could send shivers down one's spine arose.
Immediately afterwards, under the horrified gazes of billions of viewers worldwide, thousands upon thousands of golden beams, more dazzling than the Greater Yang and concentrated to their extreme, rained down from the sky like Divine Punishment!
These beams were not a dispersed attack.
The moment they detached from the ship, they seemed to be controlled by an invisible hand, tracing precise and deadly arcs in the air, like the most skilled chess player placing a piece, shooting with unparalleled accuracy into every corner of the Land of Fire!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth, a secret base of the "Root" organization, disguised as an ordinary mountain, was wiped out from the ground by hundreds of beams of light descending from the sky before it even had a chance to sound the alarm!
The mountains, the base, and the hundreds of "Root" assassins inside, along with all their struggles and despair, were completely vaporized in that instant, leaving only a bottomless, mirror-like, glass-like crater.
On the southern coast of the Land of Fire, a Root organization transport ship attempting to escape to the Land of Water submersible has just submerged to a depth of 100 meters.
A golden beam of light, like the spear of God, defied the resistance of the seawater and pierced the hull with pinpoint accuracy!
There was no explosion, no sound.
The specially designed, supposedly indestructible submarine, along with all the key materials on board related to the " Impure World Reincarnation " ritual, was instantly broken down into its most primitive particles upon contact with the beam of light, and completely dissipated into the deep sea.
The same scene plays out repeatedly in the forests, swamps, canyons, and even beneath the bustling towns of the Land of Fire!
Thirty-seven outposts!
Faced with the absolute computing power of the Divine Kingdom's " Amaterasu " main brain and the relentless firepower of the Uchiha "Hope" army, it didn't even last a minute!
The entire clearing operation was extremely fast and efficient.
It didn't feel like war; it felt more like a cold and precise surgical operation.
To eradicate all the "cancer cells" called "resistance" from the body of a nation, leaving no trace!
And all of this was broadcast live to the world without missing a single frame through Mei Terumi's " Divine Punishment " system!
The Capital of Wind.
Ebizo and a group of Sunagakure's "die-hards" were hiding in an underground chamber, nervously watching the "live broadcast" through a rudimentary projection device.
When they saw the rain of light, which resembled Divine Punishment, and the red dots that were instantly erased from the map, all the faces drained of color.
"This—this is the power of the Divine Kingdom— " a young puppeteer said in a trembling voice, the Chakra Threads in his hands snapping with a "crack" out of fear.
"Under absolute technological and intelligence suppression, our so-called guerrilla warfare, infiltration, and inside-outside cooperation are simply a joke—" Another mature and composed Jonin slumped to the ground, his eyes filled with endless despair.
Ebizo remained silent.
He just stared intently at the light screen, the flame of revenge that had first ignited in his cloudy old eyes was rapidly dimming and extinguishing at a visible speed.
He knew he was wrong.
He misjudged the power of the new era, and he also misjudged just how ruthless and heartless the god sitting on the moon truly was.
Iwagakure, Kirigakure
All the old forces that secretly allied with Danzo, hoping to get a share of the spoils, were now watching the same "live broadcast."
Their expressions were exactly the same as those of Ebizo and the others.
Fear, despair, and a sliver of relief.
I'm glad I haven't truly broken free yet, and I'm glad the first wave of cleansing from the Divine Kingdom hasn't reached me yet.
Bridge of the " Kamui " frigate.
A thousand Uchiha children also silently watched this one-sided "massacre."
Their faces were expressionless.
There was no excitement, no pity; it was as if I were watching a documentary that had nothing to do with me.
Only Uchiha Shō, after a brief moment of shock, pursed his lips, a hint of lingering disappointment on his face.
"That's it?" he muttered to himself. "I thought I'd see some decent fighting. Turns out it's just a bunch of insects that can't even put up a fight."
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Yōko, who was standing next to him, frowned almost imperceptibly.
As she watched those lives instantly swallowed by the beams of light, a strange, unsettling feeling arose within her for the first time.
What is that?
She didn't know.
"Alright, that's the end of the appetizer."
Just then, Uchiha Itachi's calm voice broke the silence on the bridge.
He slowly rose from his commander's seat, his gaze fixed on the holographic star map in the center of the bridge.
On the star map, the territory of the Land of Fire has been completely "purified," becoming pristine.
The next target location has been marked in striking red by the " Amaterasu " mastermind.
Former site of Konoha.
"Lord Itachi!" The Uchiha clansman in charge of communications stepped forward again to report, "We just received a message from Lord Mifune. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire has agreed to all of our lord's conditions."
"The triple compensation will be transferred to the national treasury of the Divine Kingdom within 24 hours."
"At the same time, the daimyo himself and all his immediate family members will be taken to the Moon Palace as 'political prisoners' to await the lord's final judgment."
Itachi simply nodded in response.
"Knew."
He was not surprised at all.
In the face of absolute power, any bargaining is meaningless.
He slowly Earth Flow the porthole and looked down at the land below, which had returned to calm.
The former Konoha, the place where he was born and raised, the place where his relatives, friends, and compatriots were buried, is now nothing but ruins.
But soon these ruins will become the last and grandest stage of the old era.
"All fleet, advance!"
Itachi's voice was like ice that had been frozen for ten thousand years.
"Target: Konoha Cemetery."
"Prepare to welcome our 'ancestors' who have crawled back from hell."
At his command, the massive fleet was set in motion once more.
This time, they didn't linger at all, like a black sword tearing through the sky, pointing straight at that land that carried too many grudges and entanglements!
Just as the fleet was about to reach the skies above Konoha, an unexpected incident occurred.
"Emergency alert! Emergency alert!"
"An unauthorized aircraft has been detected approaching the fleet at high speed!"
Quantity: One!
"Identification failed! Unable to identify!"
"Warning! The enemy has breached the first layer of defense and is approaching ' Kamui '!"
The piercing alarm instantly resounded throughout the entire bridge!
Everyone was horrified!
How is that possible?!
Despite the absolute blockade by the Divine Kingdom fleet, who would dare to approach?
And it can even break through the defensive perimeter?
For the first time Uchiha Itachi's brows furrowed truly.
He suddenly raised his head, and his Mangekyō Sharingan instantly pierced through the warship's armor, peering out into the outside world!
Right in front of the fleet, a tiny, black dot-like figure was hurtling toward the sonic boom cloud at an incredible speed!
That's a person!
A man clad in the highest-ranking samurai armor of the Land of Fire's Daimyo, his face etched with determination and madness!
"Look! What's that?!"
"Oh my god! It's a person! What is he trying to do? A suicide attack?"
"Wait! His Chakra is weird! It's not ninja Chakra!"
"It's... it's the Soul of the Samurai '! It's that secret technique from the Land of Iron legends that can burn life and will to their extreme!"
For the first time Uchiha children on the bridge showed expressions of surprise.
They could clearly see the man's face through the warship's external surveillance cameras.
"It's him! The captain of the Daimyo's guard! Kitano, known as 'The Last Samurai of the Land of Fire '!"
"Is he insane? He thinks he can challenge our entire fleet all by himself?!"
Just as everyone was discussing this, the samurai named Kitano had already rushed up to the " Kamui "!
A hideous grin spread across his face!
He suddenly ripped open his armor, revealing a demonic body covered in countless Explosive Tag!
" Uchiha scum!!!"
"You can take our land! You can plunder our wealth! You can trample on our dignity!"
"But! The Will of Fire! The Soul of the Samurai! Will never be extinguished!!!"
"To be loyal to the Daimyo! To be loyal to the Land of Fire!"
"Right here! Die with me!!!"
He roared and detonated all the Explosive Tag on his body!
boom--!!!!
A colossal mushroom cloud, large enough to level a small mountain, exploded with a deafening roar at the bow of the " Kamui "!