ASFUCITWON Chapter 217: The Battle Begins 18

Meanwhile, the ninjas from Sunagakure appeared flushed with explosive anger, their faces like embers ready to ignite at any moment.

On the other hand, the ninjas from Iwagakure stood frozen, staring at their leader with vacant expressions, unsure whether to trust or despise him.

Among them, a sense of betrayal began to grow—like fine cracks on the surface of glass, ready to shatter at any moment.

The tension thickened, hanging heavily in the air, as if waiting for an explosion to occur.

...

...

...

Reiji stood calmly on the surface of the sea.

The water around Reiji was almost still, as if the ocean itself was holding its breath, witnessing the end of the bloody battle.

Reiji's clothes fluttered gently in the salty wind, and his slightly damp hair clung to the sides of his temples, giving him an almost inhuman coolness.

Reiji's gaze was sharp yet serene, like that of an executioner who had seen death so often that he no longer felt the need to be sad or proud.

In front of Reiji, the last leader of the attacking group finally surrendered.

Reiji's movements were slow and cautious, as if every second he delayed before raising his hand was an internal struggle between pride and the instinct for survival.

Reiji merely raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.

There was no victory in that smile—only a kind of confirmation, like someone who already knew the answer from the start.

“Uncle Keito really didn’t need to bother coming… But it seems that because of Uncle Keito’s presence, everyone chose to surrender,” Reiji thought to himself.

His inner voice sounded flat, yet there was a glimmer of relief that Reiji did not allow to surface on his face.

As Reiji stepped forward, his voice calm yet resonant, piercing the boundary between sea and land, he asked, "So... is there anyone who still does not wish to surrender?"

There were no shouts.

No stomping feet or applause.

Only silence, which felt oppressive and sharp.

As if all living creatures around the island had fallen silent, from the seagulls soaring in the sky to the small fish swimming beneath the waves.

The ninjas exchanged glances.

Their eyes were filled with questions.

Some began to lower their heads, while others gritted their teeth and clenched their fists.

However, amidst the doubt, the ninjas of Iwagakure finally made a decision.

They looked towards their leader—who now stood not far from Reiji, Tatsuya’s face pale, sweat dripping from his temples, his shoulders slumped as if forced to bear the weight of the world.

With hesitation but determination, one by one they raised their hands.

In silence, which felt quiet yet full of meaning.

They had surrendered.

But not so for Kirigakure and Sunagakure.

Their faces reflected anger that had not yet subsided.

Their eyes were red not only from exhaustion but from repressed vengeance.

Their leader was dead.

The body of the Kirigakure leader floated far in the distance, slowly bobbing on the surface of the sea.

The woman’s eyes were open, vacant, staring at the sky as if still searching for meaning in an ending she never had the chance to comprehend.

Meanwhile, the leader of Sunagakure... even his body was no longer intact—shattered into pieces of flesh and blood, torn apart moments earlier, as if the world refused to leave any trace of the man’s existence.

And now, Iwagakure simply surrendered?

They were still alive and chose to give up? That was disgraceful.

It pierced their pride, which had already lost its leader.

Some of them glared sharply at Iwagakure, even gripping their weapons tightly despite their own trembling bodies.

But behind that anger, they knew—this was over.

The attack they had launched had failed.

Their plans were now in ruins.