23:Kumo’s surrender.

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A few minutes after the start of the battle, a fireball was launched from the central area of Kumo's camp which triggered the movements of Konoha's troops surrounding the camp.

Kumo's camp was already in shambles due to the ongoing battle between Ryouta and Zee. The former was doing everything in his power to involve Kumo's forces in their confrontation while the latter was trying to defend and take the battle outside the camp.

But Ryouta knowing his force's intent kept the battle in the camp, and only when he saw the fireball did he slowly start pulling the battle outside the camp to not damage Konoha's Shinobis.

While the two Kage left the camp area, Oni led Konoha's forces and attacked the flustered kumo-nins. His tactics were fast and ruthless as Shinobis led by him completely took advantage of Kumo's confused state. The seals also came to life and started helping Oni's attack.

In the time it took Kumo Shinobis to regain their calm, hundreds died already and hundreds more were dying. The captains of Kumo's each unit quickly led their subordinates to fight Konoha back but their own seals attacking them made their defence hard almost meaningless.

How can they fight while defending against attacks that randomly popped from nowhere and break any formation they try to form? The attacks were also strong. Whoever was controlling the seals didn't want them to work in groups and kept breaking if they formed any big enough.

"'What a cunning strategy'" thought multiple experienced Kumo captains.

Seeing the hopeless situation, those experienced captains immediately order their weaker members to retreat while they hold the Konoha. The order would have been ideal in most case but in this, it had a major downside and that was again — the seals.

A wave of seals came to life and attacked the retreating Shinobis, killing almost all.

The captains saw that and grimaced, but they had no time to regret their decision as Konoha's Shinobis fearlessly pressed forward with higher vigour.

As the fight continued Kumo's losses crossed the four-digit mark, and only kept pilling with each passing second. The Shinobis below Jonins already fought with no hope and despair in their faces. But their despair also made them more reckless and suicidal which increased the losses on Konoha's side too.

Soon Kumo's original big army of five thousand was reduced to just over a thousand, and just as Konoha Shinobis moved to cull it further, a defining roar along with tremendous killing intent froze them.

"STOP!!!"

Zee reached the camp after pulling Ryouta off of him and sent a hundred fast massive pillars at Konoha's Shinobi.

Konoha Shinibis watched as the giant pillars approached them faster than they could SHUNSHIN out from its range. The pillars reminded them of their first Hokage's TRUE SEVERAL THOUSAND HAND, just far smaller and less intimidating.

"Kenichi! Benimaru!!! Seventh formation: Act two!!!" Oni roared loudly, completely forgetting about his usual hoarse voice.

The captain named Kenichi immediately took charge and formed a quick set of hand signs. While Benimaru went through a different set. The Shinobis under their command followed them and formed the same signs as their respective captains.

-COMBINATION STYLE JUTSU:

-FIRE STYLE…

-WIND STYLE…

The Collective solemn Voices of Hundreds of Shinobis rung in the dead silent battlefield, reaching every corner of the Kumo's camp.

- HUNDRED FOLD FIRESTORM!!! -

Konoha-nins roared as they launched a FIRE Tornado so massive that it could have competed for the biggest in Ryoichi's previous world.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM *BOOM*

Huge Explosions started to go off every time one of the Pillars collided with the Fire Tornado.

The confrontation was equal as none of the attacks were able to push the other. One, two, three, four, five, six… Pillars after Pillars collided with Fire Tornado. At first, no changes were seen, but as the fiftieth Pillar collided with the storm, it finally started showing weakness.

If the Pillars came at the same time, the Fire Tornado wouldn't have any problem deflecting it, but the Pillars came one after another which seeped off the storm's energy.

Oni saw the exchange and prepared for a second combination Jutsu. Two of the remaining captains immediately came forward and prepared to launch it, but before they could, the seals surrounding them lit brightly as an ethereal blue barrier formed.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

The remaining Pillars rain down on the barrier eliciting even bigger explosions, but the barrier didn't even waver. After the remaining thirty Pillars smashed the barrier, Zee finally appeared and landed before the remaining Kumo-nins. His cold furious eyes locked with Oni's, making the latter immediately alert to defend.

But to Oni's relief, Zee's eyes moved and met with Ryouta who appeared before Konoha's troop. The tension between the two Kage was palpable enough to suffocate other Shinobis.

And the tension only kept increasing… until Zee opened his mouth and spoke with gritting teeth.

"We surrender… let us retreat and Kumo won't participate in this war."

Zee's words elicited many unwilling looks from the remaining Shinobis from his side, but no one complained about their unwillingness. They could see how much anger and humiliation their captain was holding back so the least they could do was shut their mouths and not make it any more difficult.

"We'll accept your surrender. Tell you nins to not resist, we'll block their Chakra points and cuff them."

"What! No!!! You already killed enough we are leaving, we can't afford this war anymore." Zee roared, waves of Chakra releasing from him showing his anger and frustration.

"And you want me to believe your words, huh? Like it or not we are talking them hostages before our Kages can meet and negotiate the terms for your surrender." Ryouta didn't back down as waves of Chakra also emitted from him, pushing back Zee's Chakra.

"D.O.N.T P.U.S.H I.T."

Ryouta paused at Zee's words, his eyes scanned Zee as he barely held himself back. Ryouta knew he couldn't push the man any further, if he did the man would fight him with no regard for his men's lives and drag his men too.

"Fine… but we'll take you and your captains as hostages, and before you try to negotiate it's not possible. You and your captain surrender or we'll continue to fight, but remember even if all my men here die, we will still secure a tremendous victory with four-fifths of our Shinobis surviving back at our camp."

Zee's eyes became bloodshot at those words but he still nodded and suppressed his Chakra to let it get sealed.

A Hyuga Jonin came forward at Ryouta's signal and sealed Zee's Tenketsu points, signalling the end of the Kumo-Konoha part of the War.

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Oni moved towards the Fuin-core area after instructing his subordinate to take care of the aftermaths of the War.

He reached the room and saw corpses littered around which didn't surprise him. His eyes scanned the room but he couldn't find Ryoichi, just as he was going to call Ryoichi he heard ragged breathing. It was faint and reached him in long intervals, but he heard it clearly.

Oni immediately followed the origin and saw Ryoichi sitting with his back resting on what he recognised as the Fuin-core.

Oni's eyes widened at Ryoichi's barely healed multiple lethal injuries, he immediately knelt down and started healing him with Iryōjutsu.

'Shit, his condition is critical he barely has any Chakra and whatever his body is producing is being used to heal his injuries. The only reason he's still alive is because he's a Senju.' Thought Oni as he called for medic-nins.

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-40 minutes earlier-

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The Kumo Kunoichi charged at Ryoichi and attacked him with her bare fist. Ryoichi saw her attack in slow motion as he had already opened his BULLET TIME. He decided to not hold back as he had little time to waste and nor was his opponent weak.

She was an S-rank Shinobi, below only to semi-kage and Kage. So, Ryoichi can't take her lightly, especially in a frontal confrontation where most of his assassination skills were useless.

Ryoichi tried to think of a plan as the Kunoichi kept sending punches and kicks at him one after another. He could easily dodge them, but he couldn't find any hole in her defence despite her continuous barrage of non-stop attacks.

"Do you only know how to run like a bit-" The unknown Kunoichi tried to taunt Ryoichi but got interrupted as Ryoichi took advantage of her momentary distraction and sunk a kick in her guts.

*GAAAH* she gasped painfully as she flew back.

Ryoichi didn't let the woman go and immediately followed after her, but suddenly his eyes widened as a Kunai appeared abruptly in his vision, ready to pierce his skull.

Ryoichi's body reflexively bent backwards as the kunai sailed past inches away from his face. He raised his body back only to defend against an axe kick.

Ryoichi blocked her kick with his right arm and gave a low kick to her other leg which made her immediately fall down as Ryoichi sent a football kick to her jaw.

The kick connected, but with a *PUFF* her body exploded in smoke and a dummy replaced her body.

But before Ryoichi could react his Haki flared as multiple Wind bullets hit his back.

*PUFF* Ryoichi's own body exploded in smoke as he substituted. He looked at the smirking Kunoichi before quickly making hand signs.

-WATER STYLE JUTSU: PRESSURISED WATER BLADES-

Blades of thin pressurised water blade flew towards the unknown Kunoichi, slicing apart anything that came in their path.

The Kunoichi responded with her own Jutsu while she jumped back to create distance.

-WIND STYLE JUTSU: ACCELERATED WIND KUNAIS-

Multiple sharp kunai flew with a wave of her hand and collided with the water blades. The nature of both attacks was the same, they tried to cut each other but couldn't, instead, they made sharp screeching sounds and dispersed each other.

Ryoichi and the unknown Kunoichi didn't wait for their Jutus's conclusion and were already in another intense Taijutsu contest. Only this time Ryoichi didn't only dodge, but attack too as he had roughly analysed the unknown Kunoichi's battle style.

Small wounds started to appear on her completely covered body as Ryoichi's blade started going in her blind spots.

Ryoichi never fought this aggressively, not that he's afraid to do so with his Bullet Time, Senses and Inhumane Body Contol. No, far from it, he fights passively to learn from his opponent's fighting method and improve his own arsenal.

'This woman is good…' praised Ryoichi as her attack gazed his shoulder. He shook his head as he rotated his body and landed a strong round kick in her guts that had her flying like a rag doll.

Ryoichi didn't have time to follow through as he blocked the concealed kunai from one of the Kumo-nin that had tried to sneak on him.

'Hmmm?' Ryoichi noticed something as he jumped back when his assailant exploded in a massive explosion.

Ryoichi jumped out of the explosion and landed at some distance and scanned the dozen or so new occupants of the room. His state looked dire as multiple burn marks could be seen on his body. His eyes, ears and nose were bleeding due to his rattled organs from the explosion's shockwave.

'Kumo's suicide squad…' Ryoichi noted calmly as he spits out blood mixed with bile and saliva. He ignored his screaming body as he readied himself as both the unknown Kunoichi and the suicide squad accelerated towards him.

Ryoichi reinforced his body with fire elements and substituted with a debris. He appeared behind one of the Shinobi and stabbed his heart and immediately substituted away. But even then the explosion hit him slightly, further aggravating his injuries.

Ryoichi cold eyes again scanned the Kumo-nins who were maintaining a small distance to not get caught in each other's suicide bombing. He made a cross sign and multiple Shadow clones popped.

'Two can play the game…'

The clones simply substituted and exploded near Suicide Shinobis which triggered their own explosion, swiftly killing them all.

Only Ryoichi and the unknown woman stood facing each other.

"Shame…" the unknown Kunoichi spoke with disappointment as she approached Ryoichi who stood with gruesome injuries and with only enough Chakra to not die from Chakra Deprivation.

Ryoichi's eyes flashed ruthlessly as a plan formed in his exhausted mind. He followed the unknown Kunoichi action and approached her and when he was a hand distance away, he planted his feet in a small hole that wrongly bend and broke his abused leg, letting himself stagger onto her kunai.

The woman's eyes widened in surprise, but that didn't stop her from stabbing Ryoichi. She moved to finish the job, only to cough blood. The Kunoichi turned her head back to a Shadow clone stabbing her heart.

*PUFF* the clone puffed out of existence as she fell down on Ryoichi. Dead.

"Aghh." Ryoichi groaned as he pushed off the body and dragged himself to the Fuin-core while circulating what remained of his refined Natural energy.

'If only I hadn't left the main matrix in the Fuin-core, I wouldn't be beaten to such a state…' Lamented Ryoichi as he controlled the seals to launch a fireball. Ryoichi's matrix wasn't designed to split many parts, only two. Since his previous matrix was taken out he had to leave his main in Fuin-core to take over it.

Ryoichi took a self note to improve the matrix so such problems doesn't appear in future before he focused back on the battlefield. He had to force himself to not lose consciousness from his fatal injuries and exhaustion, both physically and mentally.

And controlling seals to attack Kumo-Shinobis wasn't helping especially when he had to use little Chakra to control the seals, although little it wasn't for his Chakra-deprived self.

Ryoichi ignored his slipping consciousness and continued supporting Konoha's Shinobi, and only when Ryouta returned and Kumo surrendered did Ryoichi let his instincts take over, and let his mind go blank…

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AN: If you want to read more go to my Patr*on/41_Claws. There are 10+ advance unedited chapters on it…]

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