northernbook Chapter 491 The Sunset on the Battlefield, the Hero's Destiny
Chapter 491 The Sunset on the Battlefield, the Hero's Destiny
sunset.
The torn earth, the charred rocks, and the countless twisted metal fragments were all stained with a tragic yet warm gold.
The rain that had lasted for several days finally stopped, and the air was filled with a strange smell of mud, ozone, and an overwhelming stench of blood.
The war is over.
The clamor of battle, the explosions of ninjutsu, the agonizing cries of the dying... all the notes that made up hell have faded away, leaving only a deafening silence.
The ninjas silently moved through the devastation, collecting the bodies of their comrades.
No one cheered the victory; the joy was diluted by the overwhelming cost.
Minato Namikaze stood on a broken cliff, looking down at everything.
Her short, golden hair fluttered in the evening breeze, and her face, which always wore a gentle smile, now held only a deep weariness and mourning for the deceased.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
The children in Class 7 are still here.
Kakashi was meticulously wiping the short sword his father had left him with a white cloth, as if he wanted to erase the bloodstains on the blade along with the murderous intent in his heart.
Obito sat not far from Kakashi, his orange goggles askew, looking somewhat dazed.
Looking at the bodies covered by white sheets, whether from Konoha or Kumogakure, he felt for the first time the true weight of the word "Hokage."
It turns out that behind the act of protection lies such a cruel sacrifice.
Lin followed the medical team, shuttling back and forth among the wounded, using her still-unskilled palm magic to bring hope to each groaning ninja.
Her face was covered in dirt and sweat, yet it exuded an astonishing resilience.
The three members of Xiao's team also gathered together.
Yahiko clenched his fists, looking at the devastated scene, his chest churning with complex emotions.
They prevented a greater disaster, but could not bring back the lives that had already been lost.
Nagato stood quietly behind him, his deep eyes reflecting the entire battlefield. His immense perception allowed him to hear the cries of despair from this land more clearly than anyone else.
Xiao Nan then took out paper and pen and wrote down the names of the victims one by one. She wanted to remember these people who fell for peace in her own way.
Not far away, Matt Day was leading his son Kay in a set of exaggerated post-war stretching exercises.
"Kai! The war is over, but the training of youth must never stop! Let us pay tribute to our fallen enemy with a hundred perfect handstand push-ups, and also celebrate our own strength!"
"Yes, Father! This is the passion of youth!"
The father and son's energetic shouts seemed so out of place on this heavy battlefield, attracting many sidelong glances, yet strangely diluting a trace of sorrow.
Even Kakashi, who had just cleanly and efficiently dispatched a wounded enemy with his Lightning Blade, could only sigh helplessly upon seeing the pair of green figures.
Those two are such idiots.
A series of heavy footsteps came from behind.
Minato Namikaze didn't turn around; he knew who it was.
The Fourth Raikage, Ai, walked to his side. This man, as strong as a brown bear, exuded an aura of defeat.
His bronze skin was covered with scars, his muscles were taut, and his gaze was fixed on the corpse of a Cloud Village ninja covered with a white sheet below.
A long silence followed.
The silence was so profound that Minato could even hear Ai's heavy breathing and the slight cracking of his knuckles as he clenched his fists.
Finally, the Raikage, known for his fierce and violent nature, slowly and laboriously lowered his proud head, which he had never bowed to anyone since the death of the Third Raikage.
A dry, hoarse word, as if squeezed from the deepest part of his throat, was uttered with difficulty.
"……Thanks."
These two words carried more weight than any of the threats he had previously uttered.
It represents the surrender of a village's shadow, the relief of a son, and the beginning of a warrior's transformation into a leader.
Minato turned to the side, reached out, and gently patted Aina's rock-hard shoulder.
"We are allies."
His voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable sense of security.
"The war is over, Ai. Now, we need to consider the living, and we also need to give the dead an explanation."
The Fourth Raikage, A, trembled slightly, and his clenched fist finally loosened a little.
Just then, another group of people slowly walked over.
The leader, a tall man with a distinctive breathing mask on his face, was none other than Hanzo, the demigod of the Salamander, and the leader of Amegakure.
Ai's body tensed up instantly, and the atmosphere that had just eased up immediately became tense again.
His gaze toward Hanzo was filled with undisguised disgust and wariness.
He felt utter contempt for such opportunists who betrayed their allies on the battlefield.
However, his chief strategist, Toshiro, nudged him lightly with his elbow and shook his head.
Ai's chest heaved violently a few times.
He remembered Toshiro's warning to him before the battle, Killer Bee's sacrifices, and his responsibility as the Kage.
Finally, he suppressed all his emotions and walked towards Hanzo.
"Lord Hanzo,"
Ai's voice was still stiff. "Thank you for your help at the last moment."
A soft, ambiguous laugh came from beneath Hanzo's mask.
"It's just settling an old debt, Lord Raikage."
He stretched out his hand.
Ai hesitated for a moment, but finally took the hand.
Two large hands, representing two villages, clasped together, devoid of warmth, reflecting only the coldness of politics and reality.
Minato Namikaze calmly watched this scene, then his gaze passed over Hanzo and met Yahiko behind him.
The boy nodded vigorously at him, his face filled with relief.
The war ended in a way that no one had anticipated.
With unparalleled power, Konoha forcefully suppressed all restless ambitions and shouldered the heavy responsibility of maintaining this peace.
The ninjas of Kumogakure neatly arranged their fallen comrades on the open ground.
A somber atmosphere enveloped everyone.
Killer Bee, who had been silent all along, slowly stood up. He took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes filled with deep sorrow.
He no longer used that quirky rapping style, but instead began to speak in a slow and heavy rhythm, almost like chanting.
"Hey... listen to me, our brothers are sleeping peacefully, and the winds of Thunder Valley weep for them..."
"Laka, you always said you'd marry the most beautiful girl in the village... Now, she's waiting in her hometown, never to hear your promise again..."
"Azi, your sword was the fastest, you said you would become your elder brother's strongest shield... Now you lie here, turned to dust..."
His rap is no longer about showing off skills, nor is it about rhyming.
Every word was like a stone, heavily striking everyone's heart.
He called out the name of each victim, recounting their lives, their ordinary, even somewhat ridiculous, dreams.
The Cloud Village ninjas around them could no longer control themselves; many knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
This sorrowful mood also affected the Konoha ninja present.
Obito's eyes reddened, and he tried to wipe them with the back of his hand, but he couldn't dry them no matter what he did.
They all have names, families, and people they want to protect.