Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions raged on before finally settling into a deadly silence. When the smoke cleared, a scarred, shattered battlefield remained. Of the four Iwagakure Jonin, only Bunga survived, and even he was severely wounded. Had Ryūjin not exhausted his chakra near the end, Bunga would have shared the same fate as his comrades.
"A Konoha Genin… this is their level?" Bunga muttered, staring at the bodies of his fallen teammates, a sense of disbelief washing over him. His eyes darted around, searching for the ninja responsible, but Ryūjin had vanished without leaving a trace.
Whew! Three kilometers away, on a quiet street, Ryūjin reappeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, the intense bombardment having drained a significant portion of his chakra. He had even relied on a Military Rations Pill mid-battle to keep his energy up. Yet despite his efforts, not all of the enemies had been killed, a clear reminder that his chakra reserves were still limited.
"I can't keep popping Military Rations Pills endlessly. That's enough playtime for now. Time to lie low." Ryūjin decided, silently teleporting back to his room with the Flying Thunder God Technique. From now on, he would observe quietly, letting Konoha handle its own affairs. Even if Iwagakure managed to destroy the village, it wouldn't concern him.
Of course, Ryūjin was confident they wouldn't succeed. Konoha's strength was formidable, and the invaders would inevitably be driven back. He was right.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi realized he had fallen into a trap, he immediately sent urgent messages to the battlefield. Minato Namikaze returned at lightning speed using his own Flying Thunder God Technique. Shisui, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and other Konoha reinforcements also arrived promptly. The Iwagakure invasion ultimately failed.
Onoki, leading Iwagakure's elite, retreated hastily. The remainder of Iwagakure's army in the Land of Grass withdrew as well. When the news reached Konoha, celebrations erupted. After expending so much effort and time to push into the Land of Grass, the entire invading force had been repelled. Victory belonged to Konoha, and both civilians and ninja alike rejoiced.
Ryūjin, however, remained indifferent. He had been reborn only recently, with no real connection to Konoha. Furthermore, as a transmigrator, he knew that even after the war with Iwagakure ended, Kirigakure would eventually pose another threat. These matters, however, were no longer his concern.
Hokage Building
Inside, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat with senior advisors Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, Fugaku Uchiha, the heads of the Ino-Shika-Cho clans, and all other high-ranking officials of Konoha, including the scheming Danzo Shimura.
"Iwagakure's forces have retreated completely, with no further movements," Shikaku Nara reported.
"Our intelligence confirms Iwagakure's resources are heavily depleted. The Land of Earth is dissatisfied with their actions and is no longer supporting the war," he continued.
"Our spies also report that calls for a ceasefire are growing within Iwagakure. If nothing unexpected occurs, peace talks should be proposed soon."
Everyone listened intently, relief and excitement visible on their faces. Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was measured as he replied, "This situation does not permit carelessness. Shikaku, continue monitoring Iwagakure closely. Until a ceasefire is officially signed, not a single day can be relaxed."
After finalizing other administrative matters, the officials dispersed. Only Hiruzen remained, pipe in hand, pacing toward the balcony.
"Someone," he called, and an Anbu appeared instantly using the Body Flicker Technique. "Hokage-sama."
"I want a secret investigation. Are there any hidden experts in Konoha at least at the level of an Elite Jonin?" Hiruzen asked.
On that day, most of Konoha's elite had been sent to the battlefield. Apart from Orochimaru and Danzo, no other powerful figures had acted. Yet even they could not have forced Onoki into the condition he had been found in. The person responsible had to be someone else, a hidden talent within Konoha. But who?
Since Onoki's failed invasion, Konoha enjoyed a brief period of calm. Ryūjin returned to his routine at the Konoha Military Police Force, taking advantage of his position to sign in at various special locations throughout the village.
"System, sign in for me!" he commanded one day at the Konoha Archives.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully signing in, obtaining Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
While useful, this technique was chakra-intensive. With Ryūjin's current reserves, he could probably only sustain two clones, making it primarily a preparatory tool.
"If I combine this with the Sage Body later, I'll actually be able to use it properly. Otherwise, it's just decoration," Ryūjin thought, continuing his patrol as if nothing had happened.
After work, he continued his habitual Taijutsu training with Might Guy. Over six months, he repeated this cycle of work, signing in, and training.
During this period, Konoha and Iwagakure signed multiple ceasefire agreements. Yet just as Konoha settled, Kirigakure began stirring again, ensuring constant friction.
For Ryūjin, however, the time was productive. He signed in at the Uchiha clan compound and acquired [Dojutsu - Amaterasu] and [Dojutsu - Tsukuyomi], finally completing his true Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He could now activate Susanoo and continued signing in daily, gaining powerful Ninjutsu like Rasengan, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, and Sealing Jutsu such as the Four Symbols Seal and Eight Trigrams Seal. He even mastered the Eight Inner Gates Formation in Taijutsu.
His chakra reserves had expanded dramatically, effectively reaching Chunin level. Half a year had brought Ryūjin a leap in strength that was nothing short of world-shattering.
Even so, he had yet to sign in for the Sage Body. The Senju clan compound and Wood Release locations offered no such reward. Still, if he were to face Onoki now, victory would be effortless. With the combined might of Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu alone, Onoki would have no choice but to submit, right?
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