Method

"But wasn't the war on the Land of Wind's side already over?"

Minato Namikaze found it hard to imagine and spoke in disbelief. "After that battle in the Land of Wind, all the countries should have realized that they're no match for Konoha. So how could they possibly—"

"War is a contest of interests. It doesn't shift according to any one person's will. Perhaps my existence can delay the arrival of war, but what is destined to come will still come."

Gu Sheng shook his head. "The Second Shinobi World War left behind too many unresolved consequences, and those consequences are about to erupt in the next war. As I just said, the Third War is, in essence, a continuation of the Second War.

"The distribution of benefits after the Second War didn't satisfy them. On top of that, they never fought to the brink of national destruction as they had during the First War. Under these circumstances, those people certainly won't give up on starting another war.

"War will break out sooner or later. It might be against the Land of Wind, or the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, or the Land of Water. Any one of the great nations might go to war with the Land of Fire.

"Why? Because the Land of Fire possesses the finest territory in the world—vast lands and abundant resources. If it continues developing peacefully, sooner or later it will completely overwhelm the other nations in every aspect. Do you think they'll allow that to continue?"

"Could it be... Teacher, there's really no way?"

Minato Namikaze spoke with difficulty, using a form of address he had not used in a long time. When Gu Sheng had been the principal of the Ninja Academy, Minato had naturally been his student—and his most