For a long moment,
No one spoke.
The battlefield didn't erupt in cheers.
No cries of victory followed.
There was only the sound of wind brushing against ice.
Chiba stood at the center of it all, his hand slowly lifting from the frozen ground. The cold receded, but it left something behind,an invisible pressure that lingered in the air, heavy enough to make breathing feel difficult.
He exhaled quietly.
Then, almost as if speaking to himself, he said:
"It's over."
That was all.
No declaration.
No raised voice.
Yet those two words struck harder than any jutsu.
Because everyone could see it.
Zabuza Momochi,the Demon of the Mist,was bound and frozen solid at Chiba's side, eyes wide with disbelief, fury, and something dangerously close to despair.
And beyond him,
Thousands of shinobi.
Frozen mid-motion.
Some with weapons raised.
Some still running.
Some reaching out, mouths open, screams trapped forever in their throats.
Not dead.
Just… stopped.
Mei Terumi's fingers trembled before she realized it.
She pressed them together, trying to steady herself.
"So… that's it?" she murmured.
Her voice sounded strange in her own ears.
Ao didn't answer right away.
His Byakugan was still active, veins bulging at his temples as he scanned the battlefield again and again,searching for something, anything he might have missed.
"There's nothing," he finally said, swallowing hard.
"No chakra surges. No resistance. No hidden movements."
"This isn't suppression."
He paused.
"It's absolute."
Mei felt a chill that had nothing to do with ice.
Nearby, Kisame Hoshigaki stared at the frozen army, his usual sharp grin nowhere to be found. Samehada twitched weakly against his back, almost whimpering.
"…Tch," Kisame muttered.
"So this is what it feels like to be prey."
One shinobi dropped to his knees.
No one noticed who it was.
Then another.
Then another.
Not because they were ordered to.
But because standing suddenly felt… wrong.
Mangetsu Hōzuki watched the scene in silence, his chest tight, his thoughts heavy.
This isn't just strength, he realized.
This is someone who ends eras.
Chiba turned his head slowly, his gaze passing over the kneeling shinobi, over Mei, over Ao, over Kisame.
No pride showed on his face.
Only exhaustion.
And resolve.
The rebellion that had bled Kirigakure for years,the fear, the executions, the madness of the Blood Mist,
It had all ended here.
Not with speeches.
Not with sacrifice.
But with someone who saw through everything and waited for the right moment to act.
By tomorrow, the elders would argue.
By the next few days, the Land of Water would shake.
And before long, every hidden village would hear what happened here.
But right now,
All that mattered was the truth everyone on this battlefield felt in their bones.
Kirigakure had been saved.
And the man standing in the ice,
Chiba,
Was no longer just a candidate.
He was the turning point.
Mei Terumi, Ao, Bi, Fuguki Suikazan, Kisame Hoshigaki,
even Mangetsu Hōzuki,
This was the first time any of them had witnessed Chiba's full strength.
For several seconds, no one could speak.
Shock robbed them of words.
At that moment, Elder Genji, along with Gonbei and Chūki, finally arrived at the battlefield as well.
The three elders froze where they stood.
What lay before them was not a battlefield,
It was a frozen graveyard.
Gonbei let out a long, heavy sigh.
"To think… Clan Head Chiba possesses power of this magnitude."
"To freeze thousands of rebel shinobi with a single technique…"
"This alone is enough to shake the entire shinobi world."
"His name will spread to every corner of the continent."
Chūki nodded gravely.
"Indeed. But what's even more terrifying isn't just his strength."
"It's his mind."
"If Mei Terumi and Fuguki Suikazan were on the first layer,"
"And Zabuza Momochi stood on the second, turning their strategies against them,"
"Then Chiba…"
"He stood on the third layer."
"He saw through everyone's plans, used them all, and captured Zabuza with ease."
Both elders turned their gaze toward Genji, waiting.
Genji remained silent for a long moment before finally exhaling.
"…So this is the truth."
"When he said he intended to become Mizukage, I thought it was youthful arrogance."
"But now I see it clearly."
"He was only stating a fact."
"This battle…"
"…was Chiba's stage alone."
Gonbei and Chūki nodded silently in agreement.
Soon after, at Chiba's command, the Mist shinobi began handling the aftermath.
Those frozen rebels,whether dead, injured, or unconscious,were swiftly dealt with.
Most of them weren't even from Kirigakure to begin with.
They were external forces Zabuza had gathered.
There was no mercy.
Chiba then personally escorted the captured Zabuza Momochi before Elder Genji.
Everyone gathered around.
Genji sighed deeply.
"Clan Head Chiba…"
"With your own hands, you have ended decades of rebellion in Kirigakure."
"You captured Zabuza alive and subdued thousands of rebels in a single stroke."
"The first trial,there is no doubt,you achieved an overwhelming victory."
"In truth, with your current merits alone…"
"You are already qualified to become Mizukage."
Mei Terumi said nothing.
But the way she looked at Chiba had changed,
The admiration in her eyes now burned openly, no longer hidden.
Fuguki Suikazan, however, snorted coldly.
"Elder Genji, isn't there still another trial?"
"If I complete the second challenge, wouldn't I still have the right to compete for the Mizukage seat?!"
Genji paused, then nodded slowly.
"You are not wrong."
"But regardless…"
"Clan Head Chiba's achievement today must be recorded as a great merit."
"The entire village,no, the entire Land of Water,must know his name."
And so,
The news spread.
By nightfall, all of Kirigakure knew the outcome of the battle.
And Chiba's name,
It swept through the village like a storm.
Across the Land of Water, civilians and shinobi alike were shaken with excitement.
Admiration. Awe. Reverence.
In an age of chaos and bloodshed, such a figure felt almost unreal,
A hero who had appeared from nowhere.
A savior.
Someone who made people believe that dawn could still come.
The news soon reached the Yuki Clan as well.
Yuki Yoru and the clan elders were both stunned and overjoyed.
Regardless of whether Chiba ultimately became Mizukage,
With achievements like this, he had already become the Yuki Clan's greatest pillar.
From this day forward, their future was secure.
Elsewhere,
Yuki Haku, Yuki Yuki, and Ringo Ameyuri were training together.
When they heard the news, their reactions were immediate.
Haku's eyes sparkled.
"Brother Chiba is amazing!"
"I need to train harder too… If I get stronger, I can help him!"
Yuki and Ameyuri exchanged a glance and smiled.
…
That night,
Chiba was treated as an honored guest among Kirigakure's highest ranks.
Respected. Celebrated.
Just as he was about to rest, a knock sounded at his door.
He opened it.
Mei Terumi stood outside.
Her cheeks were flushed, her posture slightly awkward.
"So," Chiba said with a faint smile,
"coming to see me this late,what's the matter?"
Mei waved her hands quickly.
"N-no, it's nothing important!"
"I just… wanted to congratulate you."
"And also… as a shinobi of Kirigakure…"
"To thank you."
Chiba raised an eyebrow.
"Is that all?"
Her face grew even redder.
"…There's also something else."
"I lost this time."
"I lost completely."
"But I won't give up."
"When it comes to the Rokubi Jinchūriki,"
"I'm still your rival."
Chiba chuckled softly.
"Of course."
"Don't forget our wager."
The moment she remembered it, Mei's heart began pounding wildly.
If she lost…
If Chiba truly became Mizukage…
What would he ask of her?
Whatever it was,
She knew she wouldn't refuse.
And somehow…
The thought didn't scare her at all.
Her heart fluttered uncontrollably.