After giving instructions for the battlefield, Uchiha Ryun, his face full of killing intent, rushed towards the direction where the Raikage had been sent flying.
When he reached the forest, he activated his soul perception technique and suddenly froze. What was going on? In just this short moment, the Raikage had actually escaped the range of his detection? How did this happen?
It shouldn't be! How could he run so fast! Actually, what Ryun hadn't anticipated was that the Third Raikage, upon seeing his Almighty Push, immediately made a judgment: he couldn't win this fight.
So, he secretly diverted the chakra from his Hell Stab to his legs, waiting precisely for the moment he was blasted away to use his full power to escape!
Originally, he shouldn't have been able to escape. However, his Anbu had bought him 2 to 3 seconds by blocking Ryun, and Ryun spent about 5 seconds restoring Namikaze Minato's condition. That totaled about eight seconds.
Do not underestimate these eight seconds. In a battle between masters, a single second can be fatal, let alone eight seconds. Furthermore, the Third Raikage was determined to flee, had prepared in advance, and with the adrenaline surge from facing death, his escape speed nearly rivaled the Flying Thunder God technique!
What? You ask what about the remaining 1000 Kumo-nin? Well, I'm not their father. Every man for himself when disaster strikes! That was the thought in the Third Raikage's mind.
Uchiha Ryun sighed. After thinking for a moment, he understood. Indeed, he should not underestimate the shinobi of the world. However, even if the Raikage escaped, he had no intention of letting those Kumo-nin from Kumogakure get away.
When he returned, he saw that Namikaze Minato had already led a shinobi force of roughly fifteen hundred to capture the nearly one thousand strong Kumo-nin force.
Their success was largely thanks to Ryun's overwhelming pressure, which shattered both their chakra and their psychological defenses, causing their will to fight to plummet. When Minato and the Konoha-nin attacked, they barely resisted and surrendered.
When Ryun returned and saw this scene, he spoke coldly, "Spare no one."
"Yes, sir!" Minato bowed his hands together, then gathered the shinobi and they all began to act.
The shinobi's faces were filled with fierce joy. They had long wanted to kill these beasts, but had held back due to the Hokage's orders. Now, with Ryun's approval, their expressions turned bloodthirsty and they began the slaughter.
One of the Kumo-nin shouted, "Demon! Uchiha Ryun, you are a demon!"
"Exactly! When two nations are at war, prisoners are not killed. By setting this precedent, aren't you afraid of being despised by everyone?"
"Someone like you, your son will have no..." Before he could finish, Ryun directly severed his head, his blade piercing through the man's tongue.
"Watch your language." Ryun wasn't much affected by what the other two said, but this guy really knew how to pick his targets!
Insult me if you must, but insult my son? Have you thought about how you want to die?
"None of you need curse me. If you had only declared war on my Konoha Village, without robbing our civilians, without violating their wives and daughters, I would not touch you."
"But your very roots are rotten. You targeted defenseless civilians, you targeted their wives and daughters, even female infants less than six years old."
"Therefore, I do not intend to let you go. Do you have any further questions? If you still hold hatred, hate me alone. Because I simply cannot tolerate such evil." Ryun's voice was icy. He looked at the Kumo-nin as if they were livestock, without any emotion.
Some of the Kumo-nin had not done these things themselves; they had their own moral bottom line. But they had also not stopped their friends or comrades from doing such things, making them accomplices.
Thinking of this, the faces of some of these accomplice Kumo-nin turned ashen, and one even threw himself onto the blade of a Konoha-nin.
His heart was instantly pierced. Perhaps death was a release for him.
Seeing this, Ryun sneered inwardly. Too late to realize it now. He waved his hand.
Immediately, over a thousand shinobi blades were drawn. As Ryun's hand fell, he turned around.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud...
A series of sounds like balls hitting the ground echoed. Ryun took a deep breath. "Eight thousand now. Two thousand left. I wonder what Great Grandpa will do."
Ryun murmured to himself. Hearing the sounds behind him cease, he turned back and said, "Keep all the enemies' heads. After the war, we will build a Jīngguān at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning."
"Teacher, what is a Jīngguān? Why keep the bodies?" Minato asked, confused. Neither among the Five Great Nations, nor even during the Warring States Period or the era of the Shinobi Sect, had there been such a concept.
So Minato was curious. Ryun smiled and patted his head. "It means cutting off the heads of the invaders, piling them up, and covering them with earth to intimidate future aggressors."
Minato shuddered. "Teacher, isn't that a bit too..." Minato hesitated.
"Too what? Too brutal?" Ryun laughed. He spoke slowly, "If, just if, I did not have this level of strength, and could not resist the other four nations, then what would be the fate of the Land of Fire today, or rather, the fate of Konoha Village?"
"At that time, with your families killed, your wives and daughters violated, we would only be able to watch as the enemy brutalized us."
"Minato, you actually possess the broad perspective and ability of a Hokage. Do you know why I have been hesitant to pass the Hokage position to you?" Ryun suddenly said.
The other shinobi started, quickly began cleaning up the corpses, collecting the heads, and withdrew. This conversation was not for their ears; they better get lost fast.
Ryun smiled. "It's because you are not ruthless enough. Towards political opponents, towards enemies, you only know how to repel them, not how to make them afraid, make them cry, make them feel genuine fear from the depths of their hearts when they hear the name of our Konoha!"
Ryun's aura surged wildly, making Minato feel a chill.
"To be Hokage, having benevolence and strength alone is not enough. These things are not taught in books, not taught by history. But I, as your teacher, will teach you." Ryun said slowly.
"Look at the First Hokage. He had both benevolence and power. He died, and war broke out almost immediately. What does that tell you?"
"It shows that externally, benevolence and power are not enough. You also need ruthlessness! Today, I will teach you the degree of this ruthlessness."
"If an enemy only attacks our village, acts honorably, does not harm a single civilian, then after defeating them, simply demand reparations."
"If they have no bottom line, rob our civilians, harm our civilians, then kill every single one that comes. Rather bear a lifetime of infamy, than let the civilians and villagers be disheartened! This is my way, Uchiha Ryun's way! It is also the Hokage's way I always uphold!" Ryun's words were firm and resounding.
"Everything is based on the people. The evaluation from other countries, or the entire shinobi world, is not important. A qualified Hokage is judged by the evaluation of the people he governs, not the people of other nations. At the very least, I, Uchiha Ryun, cannot be that universally compassionate!" Ryun's words made Minato ponder deeply.
He began to reflect. Had he been too benevolent, too eager for perfection? As his teacher said, managing the affairs of one's own country is challenging enough; who has the energy to care about the civilians of other countries?
"Teacher, I understand!" Minato took a deep breath. "Teacher, let me be the one to build this Jīngguān! I will share this burden with you!" His eyes were now bright and piercing.
Ryun was moved. He hadn't forced Minato to accept his ideology, his views; he only wanted to slowly teach him to be a bit more ruthless. But it seemed the effect was quite good now?
"Never mind, my disciple. This infamy, let your teacher bear it alone. There's no need for you to join me. I know you've taken my words to heart today. Let's leave it at that." Ryun smiled.
He truly didn't care what people from other countries thought of him. Call him a tyrant, call him a demon, it didn't matter. As long as he could ensure the people under his rule, the villagers under his care, could live and work in peace and contentment, and hold their heads high, then he was worthy of the village.
"No, teacher. In the past, I secretly resented you for being too ruthless towards other nations, too merciless. But today, I finally understand your thoughtful intentions." Minato said with genuine emotion.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown. If I cannot even accept this much ill repute, how could I ever be worthy of inheriting your will!" Minato's eyes held determination.
Ryun smiled. He hugged Minato. "Good, Minato. I did not misjudge you! After this war ends, I plan to retire. Then it will be your era. But remember, always put the people first."
Minato, however, shook his head. "I think I'm still too immature, teacher. I wish to stay by your side and learn for a few more years!"
Ryun had finally felt reassured, was even ready to retire, and now you tell him you're too immature? Ryun immediately stopped smiling.
"Actually, I think you're not immature, Minato. I inherited the Hokage position when I was only two years older than you are now. There's no problem with you taking over now!" Ryun said with a serious face.
"No, if teacher became Hokage at 19, then I cannot take the position earlier than you did. Out of respect for you, teacher, and also because I still have much to learn!"
"Teacher, you wouldn't want Minato to take office and get tricked by others because he's unfamiliar with Konoha's affairs, would you?" Minato smiled.
Ryun's mouth twitched. Why did this way of speaking feel so familiar? Wasn't it like the lines from certain adult videos?
Ryun truly wanted to retire. What decent person wants to sit in an office all day handling administrative tasks? Besides, his child was about to be born. He wanted to retire and go home to raise his kid!
But, Minato had put it that way, and his logic was sound. He had no way to refuse. So he could only sigh. "Minato, you... you are just too humble! Alright, then I'll continue for two more years. In two years, you must take over!"
Ryun looked seriously at Minato. Minato's lips curved upward. "We'll see when the time comes."
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