A Favorable Turn in the War?

The Third Shinobi World War spiraled out of control amid chaos, with both sides slaughtering each other. After countless deaths, the situation gradually became clearer—only for someone to stick their nose into things just as it finally did.

In all that bloodshed, some people broke down and deserted, some held fast to their ideals, some were forced to retire with grievous injuries, and others became heroes—both living and dead.

On the front lines in the Land of Grass, Iwagakure was gradually losing ground under the combined assault of Konoha and Kumogakure. The signs of defeat were already showing.

But Konoha had also suffered heavy casualties. With no other choice, some of the rookies who had graduated a few years earlier charged onto the battlefield, their youthful blood still hot despite their age.

Whether it was the ordinary world of his previous life or this Transcendent World with Chakra, war came down to supplies and a nation's reserves.

Ninja weren't gods. Chakra came from the body, and Ration Pills were only for emergencies—they couldn't replace food. To keep fighting, Ninja needed to eat well, and they ate far more than ordinary people.

Food, Shuriken, Kunai, and Explosive Tags were the basic supplies consumed in the greatest quantities. They were shipped to the battlefield without pause from the rear areas of the various Ninja Villages.

During transport, they had to guard against enemy ambushes and the resulting losses. When stockpiling supplies, they had to keep a close watch as well. If the enemy wiped out an entire cache, it would deal a devastating blow to their side.

Sealing Scrolls? They weren't that miraculous. Those things couldn't hold much, because sealing large quantities of supplies required an exceptionally high aptitude for Summoning Jutsu.

Summoning Jutsu was also a form of Space-Time Ninjutsu. Plenty of people had the aptitude for it, but those who reached an extremely high level were rare. Not everyone could seal tons of things into a single card like Tenten or Loli-do Ajisai.

What could they do when supplies ran short? Take them from the smaller nations. At a time like this, no one cared whether those nations lived or died.

But the war had already dragged on for years. The people and Ninja of the smaller nations had suffered countless casualties, and there was hardly any wealth left to squeeze out of them.

In July, Konoha gained the initiative through its intelligence advantage. Minato Namikaze, the most dazzling Jonin on the Iwagakure and Kumogakure fronts since the war began, led his Elite Squad deep into the rear of Iwagakure's forces and blew their entire supply stockpile sky-high.

On the way back, he joined forces with his students to destroy Kannabi Bridge, a key link in Iwagakure's supply line. The bridge spanned a deep ravine. Once it was destroyed, people might still find a way across, but transporting supplies would be a serious problem.

On his way back, he also took the opportunity to wipe out a large force of Iwagakure Ninja that had been blocking Konoha's advance.

Once reinforcements closed in around them, the nearly two thousand Iwagakure Ninja and wounded still caught between Kannabi Bridge and the front lines became trapped like turtles in a jar.

What could Ōnoki do? Watch those subordinates die?

Iwagakure relied on sheer numbers, and had more Ninja than any of the Five Great Nations. Its casualty rate was the highest, too. Early in the war, ten thousand men had been beaten single-handedly by the Third Raikage, A. They lost a huge number of people without even killing him—he had worn himself out and died on his own.

Now their forces had fallen to a dangerously low level, so Ōnoki had no choice but to negotiate peace with Konoha in exchange for those men's lives.

After all, they still had to deal with Sunagakure and Kumogakure.

After Sunagakure's surrender, Konoha had now defeated another enemy.

The Konoha Ninja who died or were wounded in this battle were all heroes, but a few stood out in particular.

The greatest contributor was Minato Namikaze, a living hero. His strength had become common knowledge throughout the Shinobi World. He was the new idol of the village's younger generation and a dependable comrade to every Ninja on the front lines.

First, Minato Namikaze had driven back the future AB Combo of Kumogakure. Later, almost single-handedly, he had forced Iwagakure to sue for peace. He was just like the heroes in the stories.

The Konoha force that had held Iwagakure back on the front lines was almost entirely wiped out. Only Mimura Hamaki and three others remained. Carrying on their fallen comrades' will, they, too, became living heroes.

This battle gave rise to two Sharingan heroes. They had helped their teacher, Minato Namikaze, destroy Kannabi Bridge.

Kakashi Hatake, alive.

Uchiha Obito, dead...right? As good as dead, at any rate. In the eyes of Konoha, he was dead, and he had won the Uchiha Clan a great deal of goodwill.

Not only that, before he died, he gave Kakashi his right eye as a gift. It helped the young genius—whose personality had changed dramatically after his father's suicide and his own clash of ideals—understand the meaning of comradeship.

Fortunately, the Shinobi World had no Fullmetal Alchemist. Otherwise, Aunt Chen, with her hair floating upright, would have come out and crushed the light that had just begun to shine in Kakashi's heart:

"Child, that's just how the Shinobi World is. You've only gained a ray of sunlight for a little while. Soon, you'll lose your teammates again, then your teacher, then your teacher's wife. In the end, all you'll have left is an empty heart. You'll have nothing."

Though the sacrifices had been enormous, mighty Konoha had once again defeated an opponent of comparable strength, and the Third Shinobi World War was beginning to lose its intensity.

People saw hope in this. Konoha's villagers and Ninja had every reason to believe that this war, far more brutal than the first two, was nearing its end—and that Konoha would ultimately emerge victorious, just as it had throughout history.

The only ones who might have been unhappy about this were the Uchiha Clan.

I haven't even gotten in the car yet.jpg

Even Higashino Megumi was optimistic about what lay ahead. Besides, this wasn't the only good news for the Higashino Family.

Higashino Jiro was still alive. He had picked up quite a few scars, but he was still alive and kicking, fighting on the front lines.

He and Uzuki Yuwa were both part of the Mobile Patrol Unit, tasked with operating on the flanks of the main force and tracking down and killing any Iwagakure Ninja who tried to cross into the Land of Fire.

Later, as reinforcements, they joined the many comrades who had gathered there to capture Iwagakure's remaining front-line troops.

If they had been part of Mimura Hamaki's defensive force, their bodies would have been cold by now. Only four people survived that unit's final battle.

If Minato Namikaze hadn't arrived in time to save them, the whole unit would have been wiped out.

This was thanks to a small suggestion from Higashino Makoto. Not wanting to become the Higashino Family's only man, he had used his knowledge of the future to give his father a little advice.

As a mobile unit, Ninja could move extremely fast. Even if they couldn't win, they could still retreat and send intelligence back to headquarters. Defensive units had no such option. They faced the enemy's full force and bore the responsibility of protecting their homeland, leaving them nowhere to fall back to.

It might have seemed unfair to the Konoha Ninja who died, but people were selfish. Higashino Makoto couldn't change the course of history, but he could at least influence the choices of someone close to him.

Besides, the Mobile Patrol Unit was dangerous, too. They faced Iwagakure's elite assault teams, including the famous Iwagakure Demolition Unit, led by Kari. In the end, survival still came down to strength.

Fortunately, luck was on their side. Higashino Jiro not only survived, but was promoted alongside Uzuki Yuwa.

The front lines had suffered terrible casualties. Because of their achievements and strength, both of them were recommended by several Elite Jonin, including Minato Namikaze, and promoted to full Jonin.

In essence, this was a way of cultivating capable subordinates. Thanks to his status as a teacher and husband, along with his immense contributions in the war, Minato Namikaze had become a leading candidate for the next Hokage.

And the other three candidates?

Princess Tsunade was busy disappearing into casinos as usual. Jiraiya had no interest in the Hokage Position and was throwing his full support behind his student. As for the most likely candidate, Orochimaru—the commander behind Konoha's first victory of the Third Shinobi War—the Third had deliberately downplayed his accomplishments because his methods didn't align with the Will of Fire.

At the moment, Orochimaru was hopelessly absorbed in his experiments.

Apart from his resentful diehard subordinates, perhaps only Danzo still harbored ulterior motives while giving him his full support.

That night, at the Higashino Family home.

Higashino Megumi clutched a letter in her hand, unable to hide the relief in her eyes.

"May the Sage of Six Paths bless us. Makoto, it looks like this war might end soon. Your father is still alive and well, and most importantly, I don't have to worry about your generation being dragged into the war."

"Mom, you're being too optimistic."

"You little brat. Can't you say something nice and let your mother stay happy?"

"Fine. I hope your wish comes true. But, Mrs. Higashino, haven't you forgotten that there's another great nation in this world called the Land of Water, and one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages is Kirigakure? Those lunatics aren't the sort to just sit by and watch."

Higashino Megumi: "..."