"And so... I now present a choice to every single one of you..."
"First: Submit to my rule and let me unify the entire shinobi world. From this day onward, the Five Great Nations shall cease to exist; there will be only one single nation under heaven. The five shinobi villages may remain, but they will all serve me alone. There shall be only one true 'Kage' in this world... and that will be me."
"Second: Reject my offer of unity. In that case, I shall have no choice but to force your submission through absolute power. I will use force to create a perfect world."
What?!
As Kaoru's words echoed into the ears of everyone on the battlefield, every heart stood still. Eyes widened in utter disbelief as they gazed up at the figure reigning supreme in the sky above.
"Kaoru... have you lost your mind?!" The Third Hokage's aged, clouded eyes were filled with horrified disbelief. "How could you come to such a decision?!!"
"Conquer the entire shinobi world by force...?"
Hearing his declaration, Tsunade's eyes widened in shock, and she bit her silver teeth lightly. "Kaoru... no matter what your reasons are... this is going far too far..."
"Tsunade..."
Kaoru's deep, scarlet eyes saw her hesitation and uncertainty. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
Instantly, a surge of immense ocular power burst forth from the Rinne Sharingan on his forehead, directly cutting her off mid-sentence.
"As a shinobi of Konoha... are you not supposed to obey your Hokage obediently?!!"
"Ah!!!"
Before she could finish speaking, Tsunade cried out in alarm. Her body, pulled by the immense gravitational force Kaoru commanded, moved beyond her control and flew swiftly upward until she stood right beside him in the sky.
"Kaoru, you..."
Arriving at his side, Tsunade glanced sharply at Wan'er standing on his other side, then spoke. "Wan'er... surely you do not support him in doing this?!!"
"I am truly sorry, Lady Tsunade... but whatever my brother does, I will support him. Because he is my brother!!!" Wan'er clenched her fists and spoke with absolute determination.
"Now... calm down, Tsunade... and trust me..." Kaoru looked straight into her eyes with his scarlet gaze and spoke softly.
"I..."
For some reason, looking into those deep, profound eyes, Tsunade felt her tense body relax involuntarily, choosing to believe in what he said.
"Very well... my patience is quite limited... I ask that you make your decisions as soon as possible..."
"Very well... my patience is quite limited... I ask that you make your decisions as soon as possible..."
After drawing Tsunade to his side, endless power surged again from the Rinne Sharingan on his forehead.
Deliberately, he pulled all shinobi from Konoha up from the battlefield below, bringing them to float in the air around him as well.
"Dammit... Kaoru Uchiha... I knew he had malicious intentions all along!!!"
Staring at the figure high above, almost blending with the scorching sun overhead, the Fourth Raikage's face twisted into a deep scowl.
"I said it before... he and Madara Uchiha — that man who sought to control the world — are exactly the same sort of villain!!!"
"Madara Uchiha was like this... and now Kaoru Uchiha is the same..."
Mei Terumī raised her elegant hand to rub her forehead, looking somewhat exasperated. Her charming voice was full of helplessness.
"Why is it that every truly outstanding man seems determined to rule the world...?"
"However... his power is far greater than Madara's ever was, even after Madara became the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki..."
Among all the leaders, only the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, remained calm and composed, even though shock lingered deep within his eyes.
"His declaration to conquer the world through force is certainly no empty threat... I believe we truly must consider the choice he has given us seriously — if only for the sake of the lives of every shinobi here..."
"Dammit... Kaoru Uchiha's strength... truly is... quite troublesome... perhaps the Fifth Kazekage is right..." The Third Tsuchikage sighed heavily, speaking with deep unease.
"Consider his choice?! Do we truly intend to submit to his rule?!" Hearing Gaara's words, the Fourth Raikage nearly jumped in fury.
"Are we simply going to surrender and let the entire shinobi world fall into his hands?!"
"What other choice do we have?! Do you want him to conquer us by force... and drag everyone back into the flames of war again?!" Mei Terumī was becoming visibly distressed, her voice losing its usual calm composure.
"Almost every shinobi in the entire world is gathered right here! Apart from those from Konoha, who might obey him... I refuse to believe he can defeat all of us single-handedly!"
The Fourth Raikage roared, then waved his large hand, striking a heroic pose to rally the troops.
"Listen well, shinobi! Since we were able to defeat Madara Uchiha — who sought to dictate this world — we can defeat the next villain who wishes to pollute it! If we unite and strike this ambitious fool with all our jutsu at once, we will surely restore peace and purity to the shinobi world!!!"
Hearing the Raikage's call, the Allied shinobi still on the ground looked confused at first, then their expressions hardened and turned grave.
They began to bristle with fighting spirit, seemingly ready to take his advice and stand against Kaoru.
"Fourth Raikage... you certainly talk far too much..." Kaoru spoke coldly, looking down at the mixed reactions below.
"Kaoru Uchiha... your ambition will never be realized!!!"
Hot-tempered and furious, the Fourth Raikage shouted back, cutting Kaoru off instantly.
He unleashed a surge of powerful Lightning Release chakra, wrapping himself in crackling electricity and glowing aura — clearly activating the Cloud Village's secret technique: the Lightning Release Armor.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Allied shinobi still on the ground began clasping their hands together, ready to form seals at a moment's notice and unleash their techniques against him.
"Hah... truly intend to fight me? How incredibly naive..."
A look of disdain appeared on Kaoru's face. His scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly. He waved his right hand downward, and a surging wave of power spread out across the land.
"Sage Art: Astral Stellar Barrier..."
The barrier expanded outward like a sea of stars, merging instantly with the earth below, turning the entire ground into something resembling the Milky Way.
Countless sapphire-blue stars twinkled all around, making everyone feel as if they had been transported into deep outer space.
The moment the Stellar Barrier activated, the Fourth Raikage's arrogance instantly froze. He realized he was completely unable to access or move any chakra within his body.
The Lightning Release Armor that had surrounded him vanished, breaking apart into scattered specks of starlight due to the lack of chakra to sustain it.
"I can't summon my chakra..."
The Fourth Raikage paled as his armor dissolved. The rest of the shinobi below looked on in shock; just like the Raikage, their chakra had become stagnant pools of water, impossible to move or use.
"I have cast this barrier upon this land," Kaoru's voice rang out, solemn as a chant. He looked down at the Raikage and the rest of the Alliance, his gaze like a god looking down upon insects.
"As long as you remain within this area, you will never be able to access your chakra, nor will you be able to use any jutsu whatsoever..."
"And furthermore... if I wish it, I can extend this barrier to cover the entire world. Then, none of you will ever be able to use ninjutsu again. I could end the era of shinobi effortlessly..."
"If no one in the world can use ninjutsu... that means... we would regress back to the Sengoku Era..."
The Fourth Raikage spoke bitterly, his entire body trembling violently. To be able to end the age of shinobi with a single technique... this was simply...
"I imagine... if no one could use ninjutsu anymore... there would probably be far fewer wars, wouldn't there?"
A malicious smile appeared on Kaoru's lips. He spread his hands slightly. "Well then... do you still wish to oppose me now...?"
Silence fell over the battlefield once more. Every shinobi below swallowed nervously. Within the Stellar Barrier, they were no longer true shinobi — merely ordinary people with slightly better hand-to-hand skills.
"If we make one mistake, the entire shinobi era could be ended just like that..." The Third Tsuchikage shook his head repeatedly, his tone filled with bitterness.
"However... perhaps if no one could use chakra anymore... removing ninjutsu from the equation truly might reduce the frequency of war..."
Gaara mused, considering Kaoru's words carefully, a hint of agreement appearing in his eyes.
"So... so what of it?! Even with our bare hands, we will still bring you down—"
The Fourth Raikage stammered, refusing to back down even as he trembled — until a sudden, unfamiliar voice cut him off.
"It is useless... His power now has surpassed even the Sage of Six Paths himself..."
Naruto and Sasuke appeared suddenly, standing right beside the Fourth Raikage. Deep, heavy emotions swirled within Sasuke's Rinnegan eye.
"Kaoru... I never imagined that you would also seek to rule the world!!!" Naruto shouted loudly, staring straight up at Kaoru.
Both Naruto and Sasuke were heavily battered and covered in blood. Sasuke's left arm and Naruto's right arm were both missing, leaving only empty sleeves — clear evidence that the two had fought a fierce battle against each other just moments ago.
"Sasuke Uchiha?! Didn't you join that cursed organization Akatsuki?!"
Seeing Sasuke appear out of nowhere, the Fourth Raikage frowned sharply, knowing full well that Sasuke had previously been their enemy.
"No... Sasuke's goals are the same as ours now... to protect the entire shinobi world..." Naruto spoke up, dispelling the doubts in the Raikage's mind.
"Hah... how amusing... seeing that Akatsuki has been destroyed, you decided to switch sides and come running to us? You certainly play your cards cleverly..."
The Fourth Raikage sneered, still looking at Sasuke with deep distrust and dissatisfaction.
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