Chapter 29: The War’s Reckoning

The battlefield was chaos incarnate.

Explosions tore through the landscape as jutsu clashed in the sky, their impacts shaking the earth like the wrath of forgotten gods. Konoha's forces pushed forward, their determination unwavering, while the remnants of the enemy—rogue shinobi, mercenaries, and the Sand's elite units—mounted a desperate last stand.

Ryūsei stood at the heart of it all, his golden-tinged Byakugan scanning the battlefield. Every movement, every shift in chakra, every slight hesitation in an enemy's step—he saw it all. The war had reached its boiling point, and soon, it would either end in decisive victory or spiral into something far worse.

The Battlefield Divides

Sakumo Hatake, the White Fang, led Konoha's elite against the Sand's commanders, his blade a silver blur cutting through resistance like paper. His presence alone sent waves of panic through enemy ranks.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru worked together, their combination of Toad and Snake techniques tearing through the enemy's defensive lines. With Orochimaru's precision and Jiraiya's overwhelming force, they left devastation in their wake.

Tsunade, at the rear, healed the wounded while crushing anyone foolish enough to try and attack her. Her chakra-infused strikes turned men to pulp, a reminder that even among the medical corps, she was a force of destruction.

And Ryūsei?

He was where the battle burned the fiercest.

The enemy had recognized him as the true threat. His ability to dismantle their strongest warriors, to predict their movements before they even thought of them, made him terrifying. Mercenaries and assassins flooded toward him, their desperation evident.

But it didn't matter.

He moved like flowing water, his strikes ending lives before they could even comprehend what had happened. His Moon Ōtsutsuki combat style was beyond the level of conventional shinobi. To him, they were slow, predictable—merely delaying the inevitable.

And yet…

The enemy refused to fall easily.

They fought with the madness of those who had nothing left to lose.

The Turning Point

A wave of Sand Village reinforcements arrived, led by none other than the Kazekage himself. His golden cloak fluttered as he descended onto the battlefield, his Magnet Release manipulating iron sand into deadly constructs.

"Konoha's prodigy," the Kazekage spoke, his sharp gaze locking onto Ryūsei. "Let's see if you live up to the rumors."

With a flick of his fingers, waves of iron sand surged forward, forming spears, tendrils, and shifting barriers all at once. The battlefield warped around him, turning into a metallic wasteland.

Ryūsei narrowed his eyes.

This was a battle he had anticipated.

He surged forward, weaving through the deadly sands with inhuman agility. Every step was calculated, every move designed to dismantle the Kazekage's control over his iron.

They clashed in a whirlwind of raw power and precise technique. Ryūsei's strikes shattered iron constructs before they could fully form, while the Kazekage retaliated with crushing waves of metal, forcing him to stay on the defensive.

But Ryūsei wasn't alone.

Sakumo flashed in from the side, his blade singing through the air. Orochimaru's snakes lashed out, forcing the Kazekage to split his focus. Jiraiya rained down fire and oil, disrupting the Kazekage's control over his iron.

A perfect storm of coordinated attacks.

And then—

A single moment of weakness.

Ryūsei seized it, closing the distance in an instant. His palm struck the Kazekage's chest, a pulse of chakra severing the flow of his iron sand techniques. Before the Kazekage could react, Sakumo's blade slashed across his torso.

The battle was over.

The Kazekage staggered, blood dripping from his mouth. He looked at Ryūsei, then at the battlefield around him—his forces crumbling, his people dying.

And he laughed.

"Perhaps… this was inevitable," he muttered. "The world is changing… and we were too slow to see it."

With those final words, he collapsed.

The remaining Sand forces, leaderless and broken, surrendered.

The Temporary End of War

By sundown, the battlefield was silent.

The war wasn't truly over. There were still remnants of the enemy out there, still plots unfolding in the shadows. But for now—for this moment—there was peace.

Ryūsei stood atop a ruined cliff, overlooking the aftermath. The sky was painted in hues of crimson and gold, the last echoes of battle fading into the wind.

Tsunade walked up beside him, her expression unreadable. "It's over, at least for now."

He nodded, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

This war had been just one step in the greater plan. The true battle—the battle for the future—was still to come.

And he would be ready.