Sage Body Nearing Completion
The end of the Great Ninja War had restored peace to the Ninja World—or perhaps it was more accurate to call it dead silence. Every village was licking its wounds, and even Kirigakure had been forced to suspend its campaign against the countries in the South Sea.
Fortunately, thanks to the Four Village Alliance, the Four Great Shinobi Villages had begun helping one another and communicating more closely.
Kumogakure had even recommended Iwagakure's Engineering Ninja Army to its own Daimyo's administration, bringing Iwagakure's shinobi in to assist with railway construction.
Iwagakure was more experienced in that field, and in return it received a huge sum in employment fees, greatly accelerating the village's recovery.
There were many similar collaborations, helping all Four Great Shinobi Villages get through their most difficult period quickly.
Kumogakure was the exception, of course. Its losses had truly been minor, though it did have plenty of work to do. Not a single shinobi was idle, especially with everyone busily moving across the occupied territories.
By comparison, Konoha, which had been completely isolated, was having a very hard time. The Land of Fire had suffered devastating damage when it was besieged, and there were countless refugees throughout the country. Many cities and villages in the outlying regions had been destroyed; houses had been burned, farmland ruined, and some waterways deliberately breached. Restoring everything would be incredibly difficult.
The war had inflicted enormous suffering on the Land of Fire. And when the cause of the war spread, the people of the Land of Fire came to despise and resent Konoha. Some powerful families would rather give their missions to the Four Village Alliance than entrust them to Konoha again.
Even the Daimyo had become wary of Konoha, afraid it would try to assassinate him and