From a distahe Two-Tails jinchūriki looked nothing short of miserable.

  tless water snakes bound her, which restrained her fully transformed tailed beast state.

  Around her, massive icy hands emerged from the ground, gripping her legs and holding them firmly in po matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free.

  The blue fmes of Matatabi flickered against the ice, steam rising where they met, but the hands remained ued.

  Although the giant icy hands had previously crushed hundreds of ninjas effortlessly, the nearby Kumo ninja forces had rallied to support their jinchūriki.

  "Teams of four! Don't let them isote us!" A senior in shouted, anizing the scattered forces.

  "Watch fenjutsu! He's an Uchiha!" Another squad leader warned.

  After the Ninja Academy was first established by Konoha, it became the standard system across the Five Great Nations following the First Great Ninja War. This system nurtured tless civilian ninjas loyal to the five major vilges.

  Today, civilian ninjas formed the majority of the shinobi world, and their strength couldn't be ignored.

  Their loyalty to their vilges often surpassed that of the ninja s. Their willio sacrifice was unmatched, making collective spirit the erstone of the Oion-One Vilge system. This faith ran deep, being the bae of the ninja vilges.

  It was not only Konoha that produced heroes. These individuals shared the same heart for their vilges.

  Without orders from a jonin, squads of four quickly assembled and merged into a torrent of ninjas charging towards Masashi.

  The ground trembled uheir advance, battle cries filling the battleground as they moved as one.

  ---

  Meanwhile, the mental csh between Masashi and Yugito tinued.

  With the help of Matatabi, Yugito frequently broke free from the genjutsu, only to be dragged bato them by Masashi.

  He was never skilled isu like Shisui, and he didn't expect to resolve Yugito's willpower with it. However, the seamless cooperatioween the perfect jinchūriki aailed beast exceeded his expectations.

  How did Obito mao trol the Fourth Mizukage?

  Obito wasn't particurly adept at genjutsu either. From their st csh, that much was evident.

  A, he had trolled the Fourth Mizukage—a perfect jinchūriki, though not as skilled as Killer B.

  The Eight-Tails jinchūriki was fwless in his trol.

  Masashi realized he had overlooked something crucial about Obito's method.

  The Fourth Mizukage could not have been subdued so easily, even by the Mangekyō Sharingan.

  Especially given that Obito's Mangekyō ability wasn't reted to genjutsu.

  He judged Obito's genjutsu talent to be on par with his own—mediocre at best.

  For now, he didn't have the luxury to dwell on this.

  In his mental tug-of-war with Yugito, he achieved his objective. The sealing snakes were taking effect, and the icy hands he had jured served as ideal duits for another sealing teique he had learned from the Uzumaki .

  Had he been an Uzumaki, Yugito would already be sealed by now, thanks to their unique chakra.

  The Uchiha chakra wasn't particurly remarkable for sealing jutsu—it relied purely on skill and power, not natural affinity.

  Just like the Transcription Seal, a teique that typically required the Mangekyō Sharingan to perform.

  Suddenly, he felt the ground shakih him.

  He turo see the advang Kumo ninja forces.

  At this point, genjutsu was unnecessary.

  Yugito's sealing was only a matter of time; the sealing teique's power had already begun infiltrating her body. As long as he wasn't interrupted, he would succeed.

  The Kumo ninjas must not get close.

  They're all the same, huh… Masashi thought, watg the charging Kumo ninjas. A shame that we're on opposite sides.

  Seeing the world with admiration revealed its beauty. The opposite was also true.

  Masashi had once viewed the world through a lens of darkness, a bd-white photograph of life. It was a miserable perspective.

  When circumstances allowed, he chose to recover his inal outlook—one of reverend appreciation for all things.

  flict was iable, but it could be viewed differently. Those who risked their lives and fought with everything deserved respect.

  He hated Kumo, but he didn't despise the Kumo ninjas. These rank-and-file shinobi, much like their Konoha terparts, were adorably "foolish."

  F the cross seal, he created seven shadow es.

  One shadow e leaped to the ground and faced the approag Kumo ninja forces. The e quickly formed hand seals.

  The mist began to rise from the e, milky white and swirling.

  "Stay together! Don't lose formation!" A voice called out from the advang forces.

  The thick, white mist spread outward, enveloping the surroundings until everything was shrouded in a dense fog.

  "I 't see anything! Where's the target?" Panic began to spread through the ranks.

  At first, the Kumo ninjas could vaguely make out the silhouette of the Two-Tails, t and imposing. But soon, the mist thied, obsg everything.

  Even their rades became indistinct shadows.

  "Watch out for—" The warning cry was cut short, repced by a wet gurgle.

  Unease crept into their hearts, and their advance slowed.

  Masashi's shadow es silently moved into the mist.

  The killing began.

  The silence was soon broken by the anguished cries of Kumo ninjas, the roars e, and the pain of bdes and jutsu striking flesh.

  Only the shadow es remained silent.

  When the Silent Killing Teique bined with the power of the Uchiha, its brutality was magnified.

  Fire, water, wind, lightning, and ice teiques ran rampant in the white mist, g lives indiscriminately.

  Enhanced physical strikes and deadly shuriken jutsu only added to the age.

  Each battle was another aster these elements further. Theory could only teauch—real bat was the best teacher for mastering multiple chakra natures.

  Though the spirit of the Kumo ninjas was boundless, their individual strength had limits. These genin and in spilled their blood in vain, uo aid Yugito at all.

  When Masashi's es began summoning massive ice structs, the disanized Kumo ninja force finally broke.

  Uo distinguish friend from foe, they tried to flee.

  Even their escape route was subtly guided by the es.

  Eventually, they emerged from the mist, but only a fra remained. Most had fallen to friendly fire in the chaos.

  Looking back at the mist that still cloaked the battlefield, they were filled with despair.

  Gradually, the mist ged. It lightened, being clear and transparent.

  Slowly, it dissipated pletely.

  Finally, the Kumo ninjas saw their enemy.

  Standing on the blood-soaked ground, holding Yugito in his grasp.

  The Two-Tails jinchūriki seemed lifeless, her eyes closed, her fate uain.

  The decisive battle between Konoha's army and Kumo's army ended with the tter's retreat.

  "Focus on Jiraiya! Don't let him—" The Kumo ander's order was cut short as massive pilrs of ice erupted from the ground around him.

  "You're looking at the wrong threat." Masashi's voice echoed from above, his hands already f seals.

  After losing the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails, they had now lost the Two-Tails as well.

  He had swiftly and ly defeated the Two-Tails' jinchūriki and crushed the Kumo ninja's support troops. He aplished all this single-handedly, demonstrating why certain individuals among the jonin are specifically regarded as Kage-level.

  If jinchūriki were sidered strategic ons, then Kage-level ninja were the bae of a vilge. Gaining or losing one directly impacted a vilge's diplomad military strategy.

  However, this cssification wasn't explicitly defined. Ninja vilges deliberately maintained vague and rough distins in their rankings to avoid unnecessary parisons, uhe gap in strength was overwhelmingly rge.

  As such, a genin was simply a genin, and a jonin was simply a jonin.

  The term special joed mainly for war-time ies. Among jonin, everyone had their own standing; creating distins like ordinary, elite, e-level would disrupt the delicate hierarchy.

  Some things could be said aloud but should never be put in writing.

  Simirly, every Kage was universally praised as the "stro" in some way. Yet, regarding pure strength, every Kage knew precisely where they stand. One of the basic qualities of a jonin was the ability to accurately gauge their own skill level.

  Regardless, as of today, in all intelligence reports across the vilges, Masashi had indisputably bee a Kage-level ninja of Konoha.

  From now on, any movement he made will trigger Kage-level responses from the opposition. At minimum, the enemy would see-level jonin to front him—probably three to match his strength.

  If he visited any of the other freat vilges, the Kage of that vilge would personally meet him, as an unwritten rule of respect for someone of Kage-level strength.

  After all, why else would they be called "Kage-level"?

  In short, no one would foolishly throw themselves at him for an easy defeat anymore.

  The Fourth Raikage, known for his hot-tempered demeanor, immediately ordered a retreat after witnessing Masashi's dispy of power.

  "Pull back! We 't waste more forces here!"

  He had no choice. Their jinchūriki were gone, and Konoha had gained a new Kage-level ninja.

  Throughout this process, the Fourth Raikage's suspis grew. His initial belief that Iwa was behind this started to waver.

  Previously, they suspected Iwa because Konoha was thought to have only one Kage-level ninja in the Land of Hot Water: Jiraiya.

  Now, there were two.

  Could a single Kage-level ninja single-handedly take down the southern fortress? Of course!

  For a Kage-level ninja, taking a fortress alone was basic protocol—uheir skillset was unusually niche.

  Kumo's army decisively retreated, even abandoning their fallen. They had no choice. Konoha's forces were brimming with morale, while the Kumo ninjas were entirely demoralized.

  When Masashi casually hurled a Tailed Beast Bomb at the Kumo ninja while proteg his own troops, their spirits were crushed. Then, when he sealed the Two-Tails with overwhelming ford used shadow es to dismaheir support troops, no one on the Kumo side believed the battle could tinue.

  Mastery of sealing teiques, space-time ninjutsu, four elemental releases, and even multi-nature fusion teiques—he had it all. Those massive ice giants he created were as tall as tailed beasts, and he summohem with a simple cp of his hands.

  His chakra reserves allowed him to annihite entire support divisions without breaking a sweat.

  So, how could anyone fight against that?

  This type of ninja was sidered a ruler in the field, nearly impossible to defeat unless exteelligend overwhelming strength were employed.

  If you were weaker than them by even a little and ck a powerful hidden trump card, you were as good as dead.

  Among all the Kumo ninja in the Land of Hot Water, only the Fourth Raikage had any ce against him.

  And Konoha still had Jiraiya.

  Given these odds, Kumo had no desire to tihe fight, regardless of their rank or strength.

  Reizing that this war would only lead to disaster, the Kumo ninjas simply wao return home safely.

  They retreated steadily, leaving the battlefield, abandoning the fortress, and finally sprinting towards the Land of Frost.

  Konoha's army pursued them closely. However, thanks to the restraint of the jonin anders, they avoided any reckless overextension. Instead, they struck opportunistically whenever possible.

  Eventually, the Konoha forces "escorted" Kumo's army all the way to the border of the Land of Frost, watg as they crossed the ruined southern fortress aered the coastal routes.

  At this point, the Konoha ninjas stopped their pursuit.

  Their supply lines had been stretched dangerously thin, and expanding the battlefield further was unnecessary.

  From the start, Konoha's objective had been to drive the Kumo forces out of the Land of Hot Water. Pushing into the Land of Frost would mean full-scale war, sting years with no foreseeable end.

  her Konoha nor Kumo desired su oute. It would only be a third party—most likely Iossibly Suna, or even Kiri.

  After ending the chase, the Konoha forces ehe ruined fortress. Jiraiya and the other leaders explored the massive structure.

  Even as a ruin, the fortress's former majesty was evident. It had stood tall for decades, only to be dismantled by Masashi.

  Everyone agreed that his performan this war was extraordinary.

  Of course, this artly because the Kumo ninjas hadn't realized there was a sed Kage-level ninja on Konoha's side and had focused entirely on Jiraiya.

  Had Masashi not used the reanimated ninjas, he could never have destroyed such a fortress ht or defeated the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki quickly.

  And no one doubted his cims.

  If the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki had escaped, that would have been surprising.

  The fortress had beeroyed, but its northerion remained retively intact. The Konoha forces decided to occupy this portion.

  Jiraiya wandered around the ruins aually found a reasonably inta to use as a temporary office.

  Otled, the first thing he did was summon Masashi.