ASFUCITWON Chapter 220: The Battle Begins 21

The man's gaze was momentarily vacant before slowly filling with confusion... and fear.

It was as if his mind was still trapped between death and consciousness, not fully understanding what kind of world he had just awakened to.

As if he had just woken from a terrible nightmare.

Not long after, one by one, the other ninjas began to open their eyes as well.

Their faces were shocked, their eyes appeared vacant and filled with fear, yet they could not move their bodies, as if trapped in a space they did not comprehend.

The ninjas who had surrendered earlier began to look around with expressions of confusion, shocked to see the ninjas they thought were dead now alive again, standing like statues.

Their faces were stiff, as if they had just been awakened from a long sleep.

Those who had been killed, who should have had no life, were now awake on the sea, looking bewildered, trapped in their confusion.

But there was one thing that was most shocking: they could not feel their Chakra.

As if their bodies had been sealed—completely.

No more sensation, no more control.

The Chakra they were used to feeling flowing within them had vanished, as if swallowed by emptiness.

It was not just that they could not fight, but the power that had always been a part of them... was suddenly sealed.

Like an arm amputated without warning.

This was not merely a restriction.

This was a separation—brutal and cold—from the core of their power.

They tried to feel the pulse of their chakra... but there was nothing.

Silent. Empty. No waves of power, no energy to move, no jutsu to call upon.

The air itself changed—tense, dense, heavy.

The tension hung over the sea like a fog that could not be blown away.

Without chakra, they were not ninjas.

Now they were just ordinary humans, unable to stand on water.

And the only thing they could do was... wait.

Waiting for whatever would come next.

And in the midst of that deep confusion, they all knew one very frightening thing: they were in the grip of a power they did not understand.

Reiji stood on the surface of the sea, looking at them all with an incomprehensible smile.

It was not a smile of happiness, nor a smile of victory.

It was a smile full of control, as if Reiji knew he had them all in his grasp, that they could not escape the fate that had been determined.

The sky was now clear, the midday sun beginning to shine on the calm sea.

Reiji glanced at the sky for a moment, then turned back to the three thousand combined ninjas from the three great villages who were now trapped in their own illusion and fear.

"You have all lost," Reiji said in a voice that sounded cold, much colder than the sea breeze itself.

"I have sealed your chakra."

"You will not be able to escape."

"You will not be able to fight."

"Now, follow my orders well, or I will not hesitate to truly kill you all."

Reiji's voice echoed across the island of the Whirlpool and its surroundings, piercing through the usually peaceful calm of the sea.

Every word that came from Reiji's mouth felt like an unignorable threat, even though he spoke calmly, as if no emotion accompanied his voice.

The attacking ninjas, who had previously been filled with confusion, were now filled with a deep sense of fear.

Even though they numbered in the thousands, even though they came from three great villages, without chakra, they could only surrender.

Unconsciously, they all raised their hands in unison, a sign that they had given up.

They had no other choice.