Chapter 83: The Weight of War

Iwagakure: The Tsuchikage's Chamber

The room was heavy with tension. The stone walls of Iwagakure's council chamber felt suffocating, the weight of the mountain pressing down as if the very village held its breath.

Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, sat at the head of the table, his weathered face deep in thought. His aged hands, calloused from decades of war, clenched into fists as he listened to the reports.

"…Four-Tails has been captured."

The words hit like a hammer, echoing through the chamber. The gathered Iwa elders exchanged glances, their expressions ranging from disbelief to barely contained fury.

"This can't be real." One of them finally spoke, his voice laced with unease. "Rōshi is one of our strongest. For him to be taken so quickly—"

"—is a damn disaster," Onoki interrupted, his tone sharp. "First Kumo loses their Jinchūriki without even realizing it, and now Rōshi? Who the hell are we dealing with?"

One of his advisors hesitated. "…There are whispers that it's the same force responsible for the Eight-Tails' disappearance. But we still don't know how they're doing it."

Onoki's frown deepened. "Then we need to stop assuming and start acting. Inform Han."

A collective silence filled the chamber.

"The Five-Tails?" one of the elders asked cautiously. "You want to send him into the field?"

Onoki nodded firmly. "We can't afford another loss. Han is our last defensive line. We let them take him, and we might as well roll over and die."

The room buzzed with murmurs of agreement.

One elder, voice uncertain, finally asked, "Should we request aid from Kumo or Kiri?"

Onoki scoffed. "We don't even know if they can protect their own Jinchūriki, let alone ours. If we start begging for help, we'll only show weakness. No—Han will handle this."

A heavy silence followed.

Onoki exhaled sharply, his sharp eyes flickering with resolve.

"Send the message immediately."

Outside Iwagakure: Too Late

But the message never reached Han.

Because Han was already gone.

Far from the walls of Iwagakure, deep in the wilderness, a battle had already taken place. The ground bore scars of devastation—massive craters, molten earth, and fractured stone. The air still crackled with lingering chakra, evidence of the brutal encounter.

At the center of the wreckage lay Han, his armored form motionless, restrained by golden sealing chains that shimmered with unbreakable power. His breath was ragged, his body twitching as he struggled in vain against his bindings.

Standing over him, Tsunade exhaled, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. "That took longer than I'd like."

Orochimaru chuckled, crouching beside Han's unconscious form. "It's rare to see a Jinchūriki fight so efficiently with their beast. A shame he had no chance."

Ryūsei watched in silence, his golden Byakugan gleaming as he studied the scene.

Han had fought brilliantly. His movements were calculated, his control over the Five-Tails' steam-based abilities almost flawless. But it hadn't been enough.

Because their team had already perfected the hunt.

Isolate. Weaken. Capture.

"Now then," Ryūsei finally spoke, his voice calm yet absolute. "We're done here."

He stepped forward, his Rinnegan pulsing as the air around him began to distort.

God of Destruction: Shattering the Void

Ryūsei closed his eyes.

The six Magatama in his Rinnegan began to spin, faster and faster, glowing with an otherworldly light. The space around them trembled, fracturing like glass.

Then—

BOOM!

A massive gap in space ripped open before them, a swirling abyss of darkness and fragmented light. The very fabric of reality groaned under the pressure, the wind howling as the rupture expanded.

Tsunade tensed instinctively. No matter how many times she saw it, Ryūsei's mastery over space was something unnatural. Even Orochimaru, as composed as ever, observed with clear fascination.

"This ability…" Orochimaru murmured, his eyes gleaming. "God of Destruction, was it?"

Ryūsei nodded. "It doesn't just teleport—it overwrites. This space no longer exists."

He turned to them, his expression unwavering. "Time to return."

Without hesitation, they stepped into the abyss.

And in the next instant—

The void collapsed.

The battlefield where Han had fallen ceased to exist, swallowed by nothingness.

Konoha: The War Room

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood waiting.

The moment Ryūsei, Tsunade, and Orochimaru emerged from the portal, his sharp gaze locked onto them. His pipe smoldered in his hand, but he had yet to take a single puff.

"…You were faster than expected."

Ryūsei smirked, dusting off his sleeves. "We're getting better at this."

Tsunade crossed her arms. "That's five Jinchūriki down. The world won't stay quiet for long."

Hiruzen exhaled, his expression unreadable. "They'll have no choice but to act now."

He turned, looking over the large map of the elemental nations spread across the table. Five Jinchūriki already captured. The world was teetering on the edge.

And yet, there was no hesitation in his voice when he spoke.

"Then we move forward. No turning back."

His next words sent a chill through the room.

"The next target is the Six-Tails."