MTLNOVEL Chapter 357: Chapter 357
Hui's words fell, but no one answered.
The battlefield had fallen silent. Completely, utterly silent.
The quiet was heavy, deathly still.
Everyone stared upward at the colossal giant towering into the heavens, words failing them, thoughts abandoned. Their minds were blank.
After what felt like an eternity, someone finally raised trembling hands to form a seal.
"Genjutsu… Release!"
The man's voice quivered as he spoke.
But when he saw that the giant remained, felt the crushing, inescapable pressure emanating from it, his arms fell limp, and his strength drained away.
"This… is the power of a god," someone murmured, their sword slipping from their grip.
It seemed to act as a signal. One by one, the sound of weapons clattering to the ground echoed across the battlefield.
The ninja had lost the will to fight.
At that moment, they truly understood that the gap between them and their opponent wasn't just in strength, it was a divide of entire dimensions.
For the ordinary soldiers, the reaction was even more dramatic. Some fell to their knees, kowtowing to the giant while muttering incoherently.
Others trembled uncontrollably, wanting to run but unable to lift their legs.
The daimyo, too, were no better.
They stood frozen, their mouths agape, staring at the massive figure that blotted out the sun and filled their vision entirely. Their minds buzzed, their thoughts halted, and reason abandoned them.
Moments ago, they had witnessed the devastating power of shinobi in battle, reshaping their understanding of ninja capabilities. It had left them resolute in their decision to take action against ninja after the war.
But now, Hui had shattered their understanding of an individual shinobi's power.
Faced with the might he displayed, they could no longer think clearly.
Doubt and disbelief flooded their minds.
Eventually, the thought dawned on them: this man… is no longer human. He's no longer a ninja. He's a god.
And wasn't that exactly what the shinobi had called him, a god?
Perhaps they had been right all along.
Realizing this, the daimyo's faces turned pale.
Even the leaders of the shinobi villages, Hanzo of the Salamander and the Kage of the Four Great Villages, were struck dumb.
They had all heard the stories of the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, and the legendary Uchiha Madara. Some had even seen them in action.
But none of them had ever seen Hashirama or Madara display power on this scale.
This… is the true power of the God of Shinobi?
In that moment, Onoki felt an overwhelming sense of despair.
Even if he used the secret technique that boosted his strength, there was no way he could stand against Hui.
The confidence he had felt earlier, that he could take Hui down with him, was fading rapidly.
The Third Kazekage and the Third Raikage shared the same thoughts.
They had come to this battlefield prepared to die, ready to give their lives in a desperate attempt to stop Hui.
But now, the gap between their abilities was insurmountable.
Could they really bring him down, even at the cost of their own lives?
A sense of powerlessness and uncertainty enveloped them.
The Third Mizukage, on the other hand, felt his beliefs solidify.
This world's destiny was singular, it belonged to Konoha.
Its future had only one path, Mochizuki Hui.
"Answer me. Why won't anyone answer my question?"
Breaking the long silence, Hui's voice rang out.
It was calm, but there was an undertone of interrogation.
Lightning surged around the giant, growing more intense, silver-white bolts flickering and crackling like celestial fire.
The entire giant was bathed in lightning, the sky above filled with an endless web of electric arcs, proclaiming its immense power.
This was the god of this world, the deity who commanded thunder and lightning.
This technique, Hui called Great Thunder God.
At that moment, the Great Thunder God lifted its massive sword, its blade pointing toward the forces of the World Alliance below.
"Tell me, do you believe I have the power to shatter the old world and create a new era by myself?"
Hui's voice echoed once more, carried by the wind.
Before anyone could respond, the Great Thunder God's sword swung down.
In an instant, a brilliant flash of silver lightning coalesced into a massive sword beam.
The beam streaked across the battlefield, slamming into the earth below.
When the light faded, a massive charred scar stretched across the ground, a trench ten kilometers long, scorched black by the sheer force of the attack.
All life along the massive scar left by the sword strike, whether human or otherwise, was reduced to ashes in an instant.
The scar wasn't just long, stretching for ten kilometers; it was also deep, plunging seven or eight meters into the earth, and wide, spanning three or four meters.
This was the result of a casual strike from Hui's Great Thunder God.
Yet even this casual strike caused countless people to collapse to the ground, their faces pale, their eyes filled with terror.
They couldn't muster a word. Their souls trembled, their courage shattered, their bodies frozen by fear.
This was the natural reaction of humans when confronted with the presence of a god.
And at this moment, Hui was that god.
Even the ninja of Konoha, seeing this towering Great Thunder God, stood wide-eyed, their mouths agape, unable to comprehend such overwhelming power.
But soon, their shock gave way to excitement and exhilaration.
Because someone had achieved this level of strength.
And that someone was their Hokage.
The Third Hokage of Konoha.
"I've said before that this war must end. Now, tell me your choice.
"Will you fight? Or will you surrender?"
Hui's voice resounded, forcing those below to make their decision.
War or surrender, those were their only two options.
For the forces of the World Alliance, there was no hesitation. Many immediately dropped to their knees and surrendered.
How could they possibly fight?
There was no way to win.
Even the most reckless or arrogant among them, those who usually carried themselves with unshakable confidence, now behaved like meek lambs.
Even the daimyo, who had once been filled with pride and ignorance, stiffly and reluctantly chose to surrender.
Though their hubris had been great, they were not so foolish as to believe they could overcome the god-like power standing before them.
Surrender might mean losing their status and authority, but refusing to surrender would mean losing everything, including their lives.
Soldiers discarded their weapons and knelt. Ninja dropped their tools and lowered their heads.
It seemed the war was over.
From the moment the Great Thunder God appeared, this war should have already ended.
But someone stepped forward.
"Even knowing that the result is certain death, I still wish to face you in battle, as a Kage!"
Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, shouted toward Hui within the Great Thunder God.
Moments earlier, he had felt despair and doubt.
But he had also remembered many things.
He thought of his teacher, the Second Tsuchikage.
He thought of his grandfather.
And he thought of Iwagakure's indomitable Will of Stone.
That will pulled him from his despair and solidified his resolve.
Even if he couldn't take Hui down with him, he would still fight.
Because he was the Kage of Iwagakure.
If he surrendered, he would become the man responsible for erasing Iwagakure from the world.
So, he raised his voice, confronting Hui head-on.
"Count me in as well. Even if faced with a god, I will not use that as an excuse to surrender!"
The Third Kazekage stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Onoki.
As the Kage of Sunagakure, he too couldn't allow his village to disappear while he still drew breath.
If Sunagakure were to become history, then he would ensure that history bore a record:
The Third Kazekage refused to surrender and fought valiantly against a god until his last breath.
That would be the ultimate honor he could leave behind.
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