In the battle of Kikyo Mountain, Sunagakure's army of nearly twenty thousand shinobi was ultimately reduced to only a few hundred survivors, who retreated from the desert region of the Land of Rivers back to the Land of Wind.
Meanwhile, Konoha achieved final victory with fewer than two thousand casualties.
From the middle of Kikyo Mountain upward, dense gray bones blanketed the entire summit, forming a forest of bones steeped in deathly silence.
In the cold, deep night, it seemed as though countless wronged souls who had died tragic deaths were crying out in piercing misery.
For the next ten years, perhaps no one would dare set foot on that mountain again.
The Land of Wind battlefield had concluded. Konoha Main Camp.
Several thousand Konoha elite shinobi had assembled. At dawn the next day, everyone would return to Konoha.
Only shinobi assigned to border patrol remained behind, keeping watch on Sunagakure's movements at all times.
The camp was utterly quiet that night. Everyone kept the joy of victory buried in their hearts, because two more brutal battles still awaited them.
Tōka stayed in his tent, pondering a question.
It seemed that although he did not possess the Sharingan, he handled genjutsu with effortless ease.
Often, a single movement or glance was enough to make a jonin fall into an illusion.
Tōka had once asked Black Zetsu about it, but that old bastard had merely given a strange, sinister chuckle and told him, "You'll find out someday!"
"Looks like my body is hiding even deeper secrets." Tōka murmured, then narrowed his eyes and looked toward the tent flap.
A slender black silhouette stood there, as if it had been there for a long time, yet also as if it had only just arrived.
Tōka's eyes sharpened. He rose and walked outside.
A cold, gloomy presence filled the air, announcing the visitor's identity.
Among the Legendary Sannin, Tsunade was undoubtedly the most visually striking, but the aura one could recognize at once belonged to Orochimaru.
That inescapable chill made it feel as though a pair of icy serpent eyes was watching from the shadows at every moment.
"Uncle Snake, what brings you to me so late?" Tōka asked without fear. To be honest, Orochimaru was the one he liked best among the Legendary Sannin.
"Tōka-kun doesn't seem afraid of me at all?!" Orochimaru licked his lips and gave a strange laugh.
"Afraid? I think Uncle Snake has quite the personality." Tōka's expression remained blank, but there was not the slightest trace of falsehood in his cool black eyes.
Quite the personality? Orochimaru was slightly stunned. This was the first time anyone had ever described him that way.
"It's late. What do you need, Uncle Snake?" Tōka asked directly.
Orochimaru composed himself and stared at Tōka as though he wanted to see through him. After a long silence—
He finally spoke calmly. "Tōka-kun's Kekkei Genkai is rather complicated..."
Tōka was smart and understood Orochimaru's meaning almost instantly.
Kekkei Genkai? That was no Kekkei Genkai—it was a Kekkei Mōra that stood above Kekkei Genkai!
"What is Tōka-kun laughing at?" Orochimaru frowned slightly. It was indeed embarrassing that he had failed to understand the gray bone Tōka had given him, but that did not mean just anyone could laugh at him!
A faint, barely perceptible killing intent spread through the air, and the surrounding temperature abruptly dropped.
The corners of Tōka's raised lips stiffened, and he quickly calmed himself.
"Does Uncle Snake wish to make another trade?" Tōka did not explain. In truth, he had not meant to mock Orochimaru.
"What does Tōka-kun want?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, his voice full of boundless temptation.
Tōka frowned in displeasure. Orochimaru was still the same as ever, fond of weaving two or three parts genjutsu into his seductive words.
First, it kept the other person from noticing the genjutsu; second, it achieved the effect of beguiling their mind.
However, aside from All-Killing Ash Bones, genjutsu was Tōka's greatest specialty.
His thoughts raced as Tōka considered what he lacked most right now...
Among Orochimaru's techniques, there was only one that truly caught Tōka's attention—Impure World Reincarnation!
But Orochimaru had likely not perfected it yet, and he certainly would not hand it over.
"Then please help me find someone, Uncle Snake." A figure flashed through Tōka's mind. It was quite a useful ability.
"Oh? Someone Tōka-kun cares about? Interesting." Orochimaru licked his lips, unable to suppress the interest in his eyes.
In his view, a monstrous child like Tōka was impossible to read. He absolutely could not be judged by ordinary standards.
Seeing Orochimaru's expression, Tōka frowned slightly, regretting his rashness.
"Rest assured, Tōka-kun. A trade is a trade. I will not do anything unnecessary, and I will not even let my subordinates be noticed by her," Orochimaru promised solemnly.
"She's a woman, perhaps around twenty..." Tōka searched through the fragments of memory in his mind. He did not remember many side details very clearly.
At the end, Tōka added, "She has an ability called physical healing."
"By biting her own skin, she can rapidly restore her own or others' chakra and injuries."
"I see..." Orochimaru nodded, indicating that he had remembered it. It was indeed a special ability.
Seeing this, Tōka did not waste words. He extended his right hand, chakra gathering in his palm through his meridians.
Crack, crack, crack...
The sound of bone growing rang out as a section of gray bone burst through the flesh of Tōka's palm.
Compared to the three finger bones from before, Tōka was offering far more this time.
"I will fulfill Tōka-kun's request as soon as possible." Sensing Tōka's sincerity, Orochimaru gave his assurance once again.
It was not merely because of the trade. Orochimaru seemed to have grown somewhat fond of the feeling of being around Tōka.
Compared with other children, who were timid and submissive or even terrified, Tōka was simply too unusual.
"Then I thank you." Tōka spoke sincerely, neither humble nor overbearing.
The night wind howled past, lifting a fallen leaf and sending it spinning through the air.
Outside the tent, everything was silent, as though nothing had happened.
On this day, Konoha welcomed the return of its heroes.
A vast shinobi force streamed toward Konoha's gates. Strangely, at the very front of the procession was not any one of the Legendary Sannin.
Instead, it was...
A massive black coffin!
The black coffin of Konoha's hero, Sakumo Hatake!
Konoha's White Fang, who had stood alone against several thousand Sunagakure elite shinobi for an entire night, leaving them too afraid to cross the line!
The wind was bleak, sweeping up dust as dark clouds covered the sky.
The air felt heavy, as though it had been filled with lead.
No one wore the joy of victory on their faces. There was only heavy mourning for the fallen hero.
With solemn expressions, everyone watched the black coffin pass through Konoha's gates. Within the crowd, a silver-haired boy stared fixedly at it, thick mist gathering in his eyes.
"Kakashi, if you want to cry..." Obito stood at his side, not knowing how to comfort him.
"No!" Kakashi abruptly cut Obito off. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he stared resolutely at the enormous black coffin. "Father was a hero who made his resolve to protect the village and his comrades!"
"Tears would only insult him!"
Kakashi gritted his teeth and forcibly held back the burning moisture in his eyes.
Obito paused slightly, then tightened his little face and looked solemnly at the returning troops.
The names of the dead would be carved upon the Memorial Stone, and their bodies would rest in the Heroes' Cemetery.
Rin, their teammate, stood behind Kakashi and looked at him with worry written across her face.
Just then, the white-haired Jiraiya walked over from the procession. He took out a blood-red short blade and offered it to Kakashi with both hands.
"This?!" Kakashi's pupils suddenly constricted. The White Fang Blade!
The White Fang Blade, dyed red with blood, had been returned intact!
Kakashi tremblingly reached out and grasped the White Fang Blade. The familiar sensation made it feel as though his father were beside him.
Every drop of blood on it belonged to the enemy.
Until his death, his father had never taken a single step back!
"Thank you." Kakashi lowered his head and stared blankly at the White Fang Blade in his hands. His loose bangs covered his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
The air was desolate. They should have been rejoicing in victory, celebrating victory.
Yet at that moment, everyone wore tense expressions and remained silent.
The troops had returned, and everyone longed to see their families.
The Third Hokage personally welcomed them back, then simply announced that they were dismissed on the spot.
At a time like this, no reward could compare to letting them return home and reunite with their loved ones.
The Legendary Sannin, Shikaku Nara, and the others followed the Third Hokage to the Hokage Building to report on the battle.
Tōka was not among them. He headed alone toward Konoha's back mountain.
There was still one task Tōka needed to complete...
"Gai should already know about Uncle Dai, right?" Tōka's little face was filled with conflict, as he did not know how to begin.
Might Duy's body had already been transported back to Konoha along with the seven ninja swords of Kirigakure.
Tōka needed to relay Might Duy's final words to Gai.
As he moved through the dense forest, Tōka felt that the woods were especially dim today.
Before long, he reached the familiar path, but the familiar figure was nowhere to be seen.
Standing atop the slope, he looked down from above.
From afar, Tōka saw that familiar little house still standing quietly where it always had.
He wondered what Gai was doing right now...
Tōka said nothing and simply stood there in silence.
His legs seemed to have taken root in the earth, making it impossible for him to take even one step forward.
Suddenly, a green blur rapidly approached, but Tōka did not notice at all.
"Tōka, you're back?" A familiar voice sounded behind him, snapping Tōka out of his daze.
"Gai?" Tōka turned around and saw Gai, who had just returned home after completing a mission.
"That's great, you're back!" Gai's voice trembled slightly. He was terrified that Tōka would end up like his father.
"Mm." Tōka pressed his lips together.
Silence. The forest was utterly quiet.
Even the birds and insects that lived among the trees had stopped chirping.
"Come on, let's eat!" Tōka suddenly said with a smile, though it did not reach his eyes.
"Okay!" Gai nodded slightly, seeming to sense that something was off about Tōka.
Even with his thick nerves, Gai did not know what to say.
He merely followed silently behind Tōka as they headed toward the village.
Ichiraku Ramen.
Tōka and Gai walked in, only to see two familiar figures already there.
"Kakashi, Obito!" There were not many people Gai could remember from their class.
First-place Kakashi, and last-place Obito.
Tōka nodded slightly to the two of them, then sat beside Kakashi.
"I saw that battle." Tōka looked at the table before him and spoke for no apparent reason.
"Mm." Kakashi paused in the middle of eating his noodles, made a sound through his nose, then continued eating.
"He was strong." Tōka spoke without expression, yet his tone was strangely sincere.
"I know." Kakashi mechanically ate his noodles and replied instinctively.
"No, you don't." Tōka turned to look at Kakashi, his expression extremely serious.
"Hm?" Kakashi did not understand, confusion flashing in his eyes.
Tōka raised his left hand and clenched it into a fist, extending his thumb to press against his chest.
He repeated what he had just said. "He was strong."
"Strong here!"
A strong person was not merely someone with great power. Only someone who possessed the heart of a strong person was truly strong!
The three boys' pupils shrank slightly as they stared at Tōka in shock.
"Fallen leaves do not merely wither away. They also become nourishment for new green leaves." Tōka repeated Might Duy's words—partly to relay them to Gai, and partly in the hope that Kakashi would recover sooner.
"When green leaves sprout and spring arrives, that is when youth reaches its peak, when it burns its brightest red!"
Silence descended, and the atmosphere sank into deathlike stillness.
Time seemed to stop as Tōka's words deeply burrowed into everyone's minds.
Before long, Uncle Teuchi carried over two bowls of ramen.
It was not Tōka and Gai's first time here. Gai had an extra-large bowl of miso ramen, while Tōka had a regular bowl of soy sauce ramen.
"Gai, eat first." Tōka nudged Gai with his elbow.
"Mm." Gai released his tightly clenched hands and answered softly.
Slurp, slurp...
Gai let himself go, stuffing noodles into his mouth in huge bites as snot and tears plopped into his bowl.
He might have been thick-nerved, but he was not stupid.
Gai could tell that Tōka's words were meant to encourage Kakashi—and were also what his father wanted to tell him.
"I will inherit Father's will and carry the ninja way of youth through to the end!"
When green leaves sprouted and spring arrived, new leaves would dance through the air once more.
The Hokage Building office was filled with smoke.
Tsunade unhappily pushed open the window, and smoke drifted outside through it.
The Third Hokage awkwardly tapped off the ash, extinguished his pipe, and set it aside.
"Orochimaru will still go to the Land of Water battlefield."
Everyone chose silence at this appointment, as it was expected. Orochimaru had originally been secretly transferred to the Land of Wind battlefield to assist with the final battle plan.
Then the Third Hokage turned to look at Jiraiya, then at Tsunade.
He seemed to be hesitating over whom to send to the Land of Earth battlefield.
Just then, Tsunade noticed the Third Hokage's gaze. She waved her hand impatiently and said, "I won't concern myself with what happens next. I only went to the Land of Wind battlefield in the first place to deal with Chiyo."
Seeing this, the Third Hokage swallowed the words he had been about to say.
"Looks like Jiraiya is the only one who can go."
Facing the Third Hokage's pleading gaze, Jiraiya wanted to refuse, but he could not bring himself to say it. He could only nod silently.
"Phew... Next, we need to discuss signing a peace agreement with Sunagakure..." The Third Hokage let out a sigh of relief and turned his gaze to Shikaku Nara.
"I'm leaving first!" Tsunade pushed the door open expressionlessly. She had already decided to leave.
The original plan had been to leave after Shizune graduated, but now Tsunade did not want to remain in Konoha for even another moment.
She... hated war!
Before you continue