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JST Chapter 248: The Day the Ninja World Changed Forever
🕑 Added 2025-04-15 23:29:57 +0000 UTCThe war… was over.
The moment Kazuki declared it, the entire Konoha army camp burst from silence into a roaring sea of cheers.
Victory.
A victory the likes of which had never been seen in the history of the ninja world.
In this war, Konoha fought the entire ninja world with only the strength of one village—yet it cut down tens of thousands of enemies, even claiming the lives of several Kage-level opponents.
And more shockingly, Kazuki had eliminated six of the nine Tailed Beast hosts—everyone except the ones from Kirigakure and Konoha.
The balance of power in the ninja world had been completely rewritten.
At the heart of this upheaval was a single man—the emergence of a 'legendary shinobi' in Konoha.
A title once shared by Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama.
One hailed as the God of Shinobi. The other, feared as the Demon of the Shinobi World.
But after today, the title of 'Legend' had a new name to add:
Uchiha Kazuki.
One man versus nine Kage-level foes—including four Jinchūriki.
Kazuki, as if on a leisurely stroll, cut down six of them without breaking a sweat. None of them had even managed to leave a proper wound on him.
That gaping chasm of power made one thing clear: Kazuki had ascended to a realm beyond the rest of the ninja world.
A true legendary tier.
After more than forty years… the ninja world—or at least Konoha—had birthed another God of Shinobi.
Off in the distance, in a pool of blood—
The so-called 'Three Survivors' of the great battle: Ōnoki, the Third Raikage, and Hanzō the Salamander, lay sprawled on the ground in humiliation.
Nervous and cautious shinobi crept forward, carefully lifting their bodies onto stretchers. Amid Konoha’s roaring cheers, they fled like beaten dogs.
Kazuki had spared them…
But no one knew whether he might change his mind.
Among the three legendary shinobi of the modern era—Madara, Hashirama, and Kazuki—
Even if you added up all the people Madara and Hashirama had killed and doubled it, it still might not match Kazuki’s kill count.
This new god… was a true killer.
Lying on his stretcher, the Third Raikage stared up at the sky, thoughts racing back to his fight with Kazuki.
His ultimate One-Finger Nukite attack had been effortlessly dodged.
A casual counter from Kazuki had turned it into an act of self-destruction.
The Amber Purifying Pot was sealed by the Sword of Totsuka, and even four consecutive One-Finger Nukite strikes couldn't pierce through Kazuki’s bone armor.
Kazuki’s reactions had been too perfect—flawless under pressure.
But what terrified the Raikage the most was the thought that even after such a battle… he still felt like he didn’t understand Kazuki at all.
That monster—surely he still had cards he hadn’t revealed.
If it had been any other ninja—
Even Madara or Hashirama—if given a chance to sneak attack them with the One-Finger Nukite, the Raikage would have taken it without hesitation.
If you pierce the heart—even gods die.
But if the target was Kazuki?
The Raikage had the chilling feeling that something unexpected would happen anyway—as if reality itself bent to Kazuki’s will.
After this battle…
There was more intel on Kazuki—but instead of bringing clarity, it only deepened the mystery.
“…Do you think we’ll ever get another chance?”
The Third Raikage coughed and forced his voice out, turning his head on the stretcher to look at his old rival, Ōnoki.
“Why did he let us live? He could’ve unified the entire ninja world…”
“Does he want us to be whetstones for Konoha’s growth? Or does he see us as ants—beneath his notice?”
Ōnoki’s eyes remained shut, his mind replaying the battle over and over.
Kazuki had obliterated ten thousand Iwagakure troops with his Vapor Explosion Jutsu…
He had copied Pakura’s Scorch Release and the Third Kazekage’s Magnet Release right in front of them…
He had even suppressed Ōnoki’s Dust Release head-on…
How do you defeat an enemy like that—one with endless combat experience, bottomless chakra, and mastery over all ninjutsu?
And worst of all, he wasn’t like Hashirama—who could be guilt-tripped, manipulated with ideals of peace, or tricked with words of understanding.
Kazuki had no morals. No bottom line.
“…I don’t know,” Ōnoki finally muttered as he slowly opened his eyes.
But just as he was about to say more, an invisible weight seemed to settle in his heart…
That stone once entrusted to him by the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa—
It symbolized resilience, tenacity, and the unyielding Will of Stone.
“Brute… in any case, we survived. Whether or not we still have a chance, we must never give up…”
Ōnoki suppressed the pain radiating from his spine and said in a deep voice, “As long as we’re alive, there’s still a chance!”
“Even if we must become Konoha’s dogs, even if we temporarily lose our dignity and pride—
our will must never be lost!
Hashirama and Madara towered over their era,
Konoha had not one, but two Gods of Shinobi…
And yet, did they unify the ninja world in the end?”
Ōnoki slowly clenched his fists.
“We must live on.
Do whatever it takes to survive—
But never let go of that belief in your heart!”
The Third Raikage was momentarily stunned.
He glanced at his old, short rival with mixed emotions, and softly muttered: “You're right…”
“We live.”
But not everyone around shared such conviction.
Beside them, Hanzō did not show the same steely determination.
Following Kazuki's amputation of his arm, the once proud man seemed completely exhausted.
He no longer wished to be involved in the great nations’ conflicts.
In truth, within the Allied Shinobi Forces…
Most shinobi thought like Hanzō.
Just like Sunagakure, which had already clashed with Konoha during the Second Great Ninja War—
after the death of the Third Kazekage and the loss of Elder Chiyo, the village had fallen into disarray without a leader.
Each and every shinobi believed:
Konoha would retaliate.
And it wouldn’t be some small skirmish—
It would be a massacre.
At this moment, Rasa—one of the strongest candidates to become the Fourth Kazekage—
had already fixed his gaze on Pakura.
The culprit behind it all.
It was this woman…
who had dared to be the first to launch a jutsu against the mighty Kazuki-sama.
As a scapegoat, Pakura was at least... a good target.
“At the very least, maybe we can exchange her for our survival…”
Rasa stared at Pakura, who was tending to her wounds, calculating how best to get close to Konoha.
If there was even the smallest chance to secure a shred of mercy for the broken Sunagakure—he’d take it.
After defeat, hearts diverge…
To truly crush a village’s defenses, annihilation is not always the most effective path.
When shinobi possess a strong will and face death without fear,
even the most tragic outcome becomes… just an outcome.
The real strategy is to offer hope—right when they start to yearn for it.
When they realize that they have long been induced by illusions and their strong will is just a tool to be used, all their beliefs will be shattered!
Meanwhile, on Konoha’s side—
Tsunade gazed at Kazuki, her expression softening more and more…
The war was over.
So, certain things…
perhaps it was time to consider them.
Certain roles…
maybe it was time to shift into them.
Tsunade recalled the words once spoken to her by Uzumaki Mito,
and a faint smile curled at the corners of her lips.
As a veteran medical ninja,
and after deep discussions with Kushina about sealing techniques,
she now had nine reliable ways to purge the chakra of Tobirama from Kazuki’s body.
Yes—nine different methods.
She’d try them one by one.
One of them was bound to work.
And Tsunade had the patience.
She was willing to wait, and more than willing to help Kazuki through it.
While Tsunade was thinking, Kazuki had already walked up to her side and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
Tsunade froze, looked up, and naturally met Kazuki’s gaze.
In that moment, a soft feeling rose in her heart. What others saw as hellish demonic red eyes looked gentle to her.
Maybe this was what people called a filter?
Even Kazuki himself wouldn’t say there was any warmth in his Sharingan…
“Tsunade-sensei, from now on, you don’t have to be called one of the Sannin anymore. I know you’ve always disliked that nickname...” Kazuki said softly, brushing the dust off her head.
Tsunade smiled, calmly enjoying the gesture.
