Dawn on the sixth day fell over Konohagakure, where the faint smell of scorched earth still hung in the air.
In the streets, shinobi directed craftsmen repairing damaged buildings, while the medical teams remained busy at the hospital. In front of the Hokage's office, villagers had spontaneously laid flowers in mourning for the late Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Although the ceremony for Tsunade's official succession as Fifth Hokage had yet to take place, she was already appearing frequently throughout the village.
She personally treated the seriously wounded, took part in reconstruction planning, and even met with the families of fallen shinobi to reassure the villagers.
"Lady Tsunade, this is the itinerary for the Sunagakure delegation." Shizune handed her a document and said softly, "Elder Chiyo is expected to arrive tomorrow evening."
Tsunade glanced at it and snorted. "They're finally coming?"
Jiraiya leaned against the window, gazing at Hokage Rock in the distance. His voice was unusually serious. "We can't let Sunagakure brush off the peace the old man bought with his life with a few words of apology."
Tsunade clenched her fist, her gaze sharp. "Don't worry. If Sunagakure doesn't pay a price, this isn't over."
Within the Land of Fire, a Sunagakure delegation was making its way toward Konoha. Granny Chiyo led the way, seated on a pack beast, with neither joy nor anger visible on her aged face.
"Lady Chiyo, will Konoha accept our apology?" a Sunagakure Jonin asked quietly.
Chiyo closed her eyes slightly. "Whether they accept it or not, we have to make this trip. Sunagakure as it is now... can't withstand a war."
Behind her, several Sand shinobi remained silent. They knew that the Fourth Kazekage's death, Orochimaru's plot, and their guilt for the attack on Konoha had cost Sunagakure all face in the Shinobi World. Now, not only had they lost their Kazekage, but even Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, was being held by Konoha.
"Lord Baki has already taken over as acting Kazekage and is purging the remaining Sound Ninja forces from the village," another shinobi reported.
Chiyo nodded slowly. "I hope he can stabilize the situation... otherwise, Sunagakure really is finished."
In those six short days, the intelligence networks of the entire Shinobi World seemed to have been swept up in a hurricane. News of the Konoha incident spread frantically through the underground exchanges, bounty stations, and black markets of the major shinobi villages, and even among wandering shinobi.
"The Fourth Kazekage was assassinated by Orochimaru long ago? Then weren't the Sunagakure forces attacking Konoha being controlled by the Sound Ninja the whole time?"
"Sunagakure really disgraced itself this time. Their own Kage was replaced, and they still dared declare war on Konoha?"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, the 'Professor of Ninjutsu,' actually sealed Orochimaru's hands with the Reaper Death Seal?"
"Konoha's Third... he really was a terrifying old man."
"Princess Tsunade is succeeding as Fifth Hokage? And Jiraiya has come back too?"
"Konoha suffered heavy losses, but with those two holding the fort, who would dare underestimate it?"
Iwagakure
Ōnoki listened to the report with narrowed eyes, then sneered. "Sunagakure really shot itself in the foot this time."
Kumogakure
The Fourth Raikage, A, smashed his desk with one punch. "That bastard Orochimaru dared pull a trick like that!"
Kirigakure
Mei Terumi took a sip of black tea, looking thoughtful. "Konoha... it seems we need to reassess it."
In Sunagakure, Baki began an internal purge immediately after taking over as acting Kazekage.
"Isolate and investigate every shinobi who had contact with Orochimaru!" Baki ordered coldly. "Especially those who took part in planning the attack on Konoha. Don't let a single one slip through!"
Temari and Kankuro stood nearby, their expressions grave. They knew that Sunagakure had not only suffered heavy losses this time, but had also lost all credibility in the Shinobi World.
"Can Gaara... really come back?" Kankuro asked quietly.
Temari clenched her fist. "Konoha won't let him go easily, unless... we pay a high enough price."
The Tsuchikage's office, late on the third night. Ōnoki hovered above a three-dimensional sand table, the light of Dust Release projecting the border terrain onto the surrounding walls. Akatsuchi was constantly reshaping the model with Earth Release, while Kurotsuchi dozed with the latest intelligence scroll in her arms.
"Withdraw the Explosion Corps from the Kannabi Bridge area," Ōnoki said suddenly, startling Kurotsuchi awake. "And these three outposts..." He tapped with a finger, and the miniature fortresses on the sand table immediately collapsed. "...give them to Konoha as a welcoming gift."
Chief of staff Kitsuchi hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "Father! Those outposts control the main routes to the Land of Grass..."
"Fool!" Ōnoki's Dust Release suddenly reduced a teacup to molecules. "That woman Tsunade has even overcome her fear of blood. Konoha is a wounded lion now!"
He floated to the window and gazed at the starry sky before dawn. "Once they and Kumogakure have fought until both sides are crippled..."
A diplomatic ship from the Land of Water. Mei Terumi stood on deck, sipping sake from a celadon cup. Chōjūrō came running over in a panic. "Lady Mizukage! Senior Ao says he's found..."
"Shh—" She pressed a fingertip to the boy's lips and gracefully formed Hand Seals with her other hand. A soundproof curtain of water rose around them at once. "A spy from the Land of Lightning?"
Ao's Byakugan saw through three decks to a "merchant" in the hold dissecting a dragonfish with a Chakra Blade. "A Kirigakure missing-nin."
"Honestly..." Mei Terumi's Lava Release Chakra vaporized her cup in an instant. "Prepare the most expensive rainbow coral in the fish tank, and while you're at it..." She turned and made a throat-slitting gesture to the Anbu.
Valley of Clouds and Lightning
"Bastard! Fool!" Killer B's rap echoed through the valley, while the Eight-Tails' tentacle wrote swiftly on the ground: "Remains of Orochimaru's laboratory discovered."
Samui's communicator suddenly burst to life, A's roar shaking loose rocks from the mountainside. "Get your ass back here now! Those bastards in Konoha actually..."
Mabui calmly added, "Lord Raikage has received intelligence that Tsunade is reorganizing Konoha's medical system. She is expected to train a hundred medical Jonin within three years."
"Hmph!" A's Lightning Release Armor erupted in an instant, shattering the newly replaced tempered glass in his office yet again. He grabbed his Raikage hat and suddenly lowered his voice. "Tell Yugito Nii to keep the Two-Tails unit on combat alert."
In the shadow of the three nations' military movements, several shinobi wearing animal masks were exchanging scrolls at an underground bounty station. The cat-masked shinobi in the lead unrolled the latest intelligence:
- Coordinates of the Iwagakure Explosion Corps' withdrawal (asking price: 8 million ryō)
- Cargo manifest of the Kirigakure delegation (asking price: 5 million ryō)
- Route of the Kumogakure Jinchūriki (asking price: 12 million ryō)
"This intelligence is all very valuable." The cat-masked shinobi nodded with satisfaction. "The deal is settled. Everyone, take care." With the transaction complete, they quickly vanished into the darkness. At that moment, Konoha's Anbu also received word of the deal.
Tsunade frowned. "It seems someone is deliberately stirring up trouble and gathering intelligence from every side." Jiraiya rubbed his chin. "We need tighter control over intelligence. We can't let this information fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives."
Meanwhile, the Sunagakure delegation drew ever closer to Konoha. Granny Chiyo looked into the distance, uneasy. She knew the outcome of these negotiations in Konoha would be hard to predict.
In Konoha, Tsunade and the others were also making hurried preparations. How they would respond to Sunagakure's apology and what price they would demand were yet to be decided. Negotiations that would affect the direction of events in the Shinobi World were about to begin.
Land of Rain
In a hidden base shrouded year-round in gloom and drizzle, Pain and Konan stood side by side. On the table before them lay freshly delivered intelligence scrolls.
Pain's distinctive long orange-red hair looked even darker in the dim light,
and the Rinnegan in his eyes glimmered with a mysterious, icy light, as though they could see through every plot and move concealed behind the intelligence, as he carefully examined every word.
The intelligence showed that the Land of Wind had already sent a formidable delegation on a grand journey toward Konoha.
The Land of Lightning was even more restless. Its senior military leaders were meeting frequently in secret, and all signs pointed to a startling intention—to invade Konoha.
The Land of Earth had chosen an entirely different strategy, pulling back its defenses across the board and hunkering down with its forces at key strongholds within its borders. Like a startled beast retreating into its hard shell, it lay low in silence, waiting for the situation to become clearer.
The Mizukage of the Land of Water was also preparing for a diplomatic visit to Konoha.
Looking at the tangled, unpredictable situation among the various powers of the Shinobi World, Pain, who had remained silent until then, finally spoke.
His voice was low and hoarse, yet carried unquestionable authority. "These so-called great shinobi villages have always been like this. They revel in struggles for power and obsess over territorial expansion, doing as they please amid false prosperity and stability, with no regard for the suffering endured by ordinary shinobi and civilians."
"Only when true pain descends upon them like an overwhelming disaster, when blood stains their lands and cries fill their streets, will they awaken in despair and understand how precious peace is." Nagato raised his head slightly.
He continued, "Enough. Let them fight. Because of what has been shown on the Heavenly Screen lately, those great shinobi villages have been treating us in the Akatsuki as a grave threat, with troops stationed all along their borders."
"But now that there's a fuse to ignite a war, they'll be too busy looking after themselves to keep their eyes fixed solely on us and oppose us at every turn as they did before..."
Konan nodded gently, a measure of agreement and resolve in her eyes. She knew full well that, in this turbulent Shinobi World, the path Nagato had planned, though strewn with thorns, was also a glimmer of hope leading to true peace.
Outside the window, the rain continued to patter down, as though sighing softly for the Shinobi World that was about to descend into war...
Underground cavern
Obito's fingertips traced the mottled map of the Shinobi World on the stone wall, candlelight stretching his shadow into the shape of a twisted monster. The latest intelligence scroll lay open on a stone platform, densely covered with reports:
Konoha Hospital had admitted 47 more shinobi whose injuries could not be healed after the war.
Three hundred new graves had appeared on Sunagakure's border.
"It's starting again..." The Sharingan beneath his mask rotated slowly. The intelligence contained the words Tsunade had spoken in a speech outside the Hokage's office.
"A hypocritical declaration of peace."
"How ridiculous." Obito suddenly crushed the intelligence, and the fragments were swallowed by the Kamui Dimension before they hit the ground. "As long as shinobi exist, this cycle will never end."
Droplets on the stone wall suddenly reflected Rin Nohara's smiling face, and Obito's breath caught. The sensation of Kakashi's Lightning Blade piercing Rin's chest on that rainy day still lingered in his palm.
"Obito..." Rin's apparition reached out through the mist. "You said you would create..."
"I will!" He swept the illusion away, the Mangekyō pattern in his single eye contracting sharply. "This time, I'll definitely..."
Black Zetsu presented a new scroll at just the right moment. "Something interesting was found at Orochimaru's base. It's about..."
"It doesn't matter," Obito interrupted. Standing before the cavern's only opening to the light, he gazed at the false sunlight outside. "When the moon turns red, all of this..."
His voice suddenly softened, as though he were whispering to the Rin in his memories:
"...will become a beautiful dream."
When Black Zetsu looked over in confusion, the scene of Rin dying in Kakashi's arms appeared in Obito's Sharingan. "The more shinobi struggle..."
A Kamui vortex slowly spun in his right eye, swallowing every piece of intelligence on the Five Great Nations from the stone table.
"...the more they'll prove that this world needs to be saved."
In the shadows where no one could see, Obito's left hand remained tightly clenched around something—a small stone weathered long ago, bearing the vow "I'll become Hokage," carved in a child's handwriting. Now, black Chakra was slowly eroding it, gradually reducing it to dust...