Chapter 75: The Night Raid Begins

The moon hung low over the jagged mountains, its silver glow painting the world in ghostly hues. The wind howled between the peaks, carrying with it the scent of blood yet to be spilled. Shadows stretched across the valley, merging with the darkness as unseen figures moved through the night.

At the vanguard of this silent advance was Ōtsutsuki Ryūsei, his Byakugan piercing through the gloom, his golden Rinnegan pulsing with restrained power. Beside him, Sakumo Hatake moved like a specter, his White Light Chakra Saber reflecting the moonlight in fleeting, deadly flashes.

Orochimaru slithered through the underbrush, his golden eyes alight with something dangerous. Jiraiya, often a source of levity, wore a rare expression of grim determination.

And at the rear, Tsunade stood with her arms crossed, silent but ever watchful. She had volunteered to stay behind, not because she doubted the mission, but because she understood that the unknown always lurked just beyond the plan.

Their target lay before them:

Kumogakure's war headquarters.

Their objective?

Erase Kumo's ability to wage war.

And by the time the sun rose, there would be no one left to carry out its orders.

The Phantom Attack

The fortress loomed ahead, massive and imposing. Woven into its walls were layers of seals—barriers designed to deter infiltration, alarm systems meant to alert at the slightest disturbance.

None of them mattered.

Ryūsei moved first.

A subtle flick of his fingers sent a ripple through the air, an imperceptible Shinra Tensei expanding outward. It wasn't raw destruction—it was refined devastation, a force designed not to shatter walls but to collapse the organs of the living.

Dozens of guards crumpled where they stood.

No alarms were triggered.

No cries for help.

Only silence.

Sakumo was already a blur, his blade carving through those left standing with surgical precision. They never saw him, never felt his blade—it was as if death itself had whispered past them, leaving nothing but lifeless bodies in its wake.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Jiraiya slipped through separate paths, dismantling barriers, neutralizing sentries, and ensuring that Kumo's commanders remained oblivious to their encroaching doom.

Their attack was not a siege.

It was a massacre.

A nightmare creeping through the very walls of the fortress.

And beyond the chaos, at the edges of the battlefield—

Tsunade's Unexpected Capture

Tsunade stood amidst the trees, her breath steady, her golden eyes scanning the horizon. She had learned long ago to trust her instincts, and at that moment, they were screaming at her.

Something was coming.

Then she saw him.

A massive silhouette stalked through the woods, moving with the unmistakable aura of raw, unbridled power.

She knew that presence.

The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki.

Tsunade's heartbeat remained steady, but her fingers curled into fists. He was heading straight for the fortress.

If he reached the base before the mission was complete, the entire operation could be thrown into disarray.

She exhaled.

This was her fight.

In an instant, she moved—faster than the eye could follow.

CRACK.

Her fist met his spine with the force of an earthquake. A shockwave rippled outward, shaking the trees, sending birds fleeing into the night sky.

The Jinchūriki's body locked up, his chakra stuttering as his nervous system failed to process what had just happened.

His vision blurred, his knees buckling—

But Tsunade didn't let him fall.

Her hand shot out, gripping the back of his neck with inhuman strength, flooding his body with a pulse of Yang Release.

His chakra—the wild, untamable force of the Eight-Tails—sputtered and died.

His muscles seized. His consciousness wavered.

And then—nothing.

With a single motion, Tsunade pressed a collagen seal onto his back, ensuring that his body would not respond until she allowed it.

The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki—one of Kumo's most feared warriors—had been taken without a sound.

Tsunade exhaled, adjusting her grip on his unconscious form.

She smirked.

"I'm more than just a medic now."

The Slaughter of Kumo's Command

Inside the war headquarters, Kumogakure's highest-ranking generals gathered, their voices a quiet murmur over maps and reports.

They discussed strategies, calculated their next move.

Completely unaware that death had already entered the room.

A faint tremor rippled through the floorboards.

A sensor-nin frowned, his lips parting to speak—

CRACK.

A body collapsed onto the table, blood spilling over carefully drawn battle plans.

The shinobi barely had time to react before—

White light flashed.

Sakumo Hatake was a ghost, his blade ripping through armor, through flesh, through bone.

The air grew heavy.

The remaining shinobi tried to flee—tried to weave jutsu—

But they never moved.

An unseen force pressed them against the walls, their lungs collapsing, their ribs bending inward like brittle twigs.

Ryūsei stepped forward, his golden Rinnegan gleaming with eerie serenity.

He did not speak.

He simply closed his fist.

And in an instant—he ended them.

The room fell silent.

Kumo's war command was gone.

The Aftermath – Kumo's War Effort Crippled

By dawn, Kumogakure's war headquarters no longer existed.

A fortress that had once housed the minds behind an entire war effort was nothing but ruins and silence.

Far from the devastation, the Konoha strike force moved through the forests, undetected, unchallenged.

Tsunade dragged the unconscious Jinchūriki alongside her, catching Jiraiya's wide-eyed stare.

"Tsunade… is that—?"

"Yeah." She adjusted her grip. "He was heading in the wrong direction. Figured I'd bring him along."

Orochimaru let out a soft chuckle. "Impressive."

Sakumo merely nodded. "We'll get answers out of him."

But Ryūsei's thoughts were already beyond this battle.

This was just the beginning.

The Next Step – The Tailed Beasts

Back in Konoha, Ryūsei stood before Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage's expression unreadable.

"The villages will not stop," Ryūsei said. "We need to remove their greatest weapons."

Hiruzen exhaled, his fingers tightening around his pipe. "You mean…"

Ryūsei's voice was calm. Absolute.

"Yes. We will capture all of them."

Silence.

Jiraiya shifted uneasily. Orochimaru's smirk deepened. Even Tsunade looked momentarily taken aback.

"The Jinchūriki are their ultimate deterrents," Ryūsei continued. "If we take the Tailed Beasts for ourselves, the war ends."

Hiruzen studied him for a long moment.

Then, he spoke.

"…Then let's begin."

But then, something changed in his expression.

He met Ryūsei's gaze with quiet resolve.

"And also—prepare the blood purification for me."

Ryūsei blinked.

Hiruzen's voice, though quiet, carried the weight of an unshakable decision.

"It's time for Konoha to stand tall."