Has the War Ended?

Explosions, flames, raging winds, shattered stones, lightning, and floods played out beneath the gloomy sky. Though ninja wars involved far fewer people than wars among ordinary mortals, they were even more brutal and tragic.

The most dazzling figures were the pair of powerful fighters at the center of the battlefield, their tactics and ninjutsu emerging one after another without end.

Magnet Release: Rakshasa Shield.

The pitch-black Iron Sand gathered into a torrent, transforming under the Third Kazekage's exquisite control into an enormous black round shield that hovered in midair.

The instant the shield appeared, a white lightning blade enlarged by a thousandfold and carrying the might of thunder cleaved down from above. Afterimages flashed in succession. Before the blade even landed, the ground had already split apart.

The enormous commotion drew every gaze on the battlefield. Ninja from both sides watched that heaven-shaking, ghost-weeping scene with either shock or admiration.

"What astonishing talent. If he had been born in the world of One Piece, he would definitely have become a Great Swordmaster renowned across the world." Beichen Haotian blocked a Sand Ninja Chunin's kunai, took a step back, and inwardly marveled at the sharp, swift blade light.

Boom! A world-shaking roar rang out. The dazzling white light and terrifying shockwave forced people to retreat instinctively.

The Third Kazekage was cleaved from the air and smashed into the ground, gouging out a massive crater. Countless pieces of black Iron Sand scattered around him, and drops of blood fell through the smoke and dust.

Wind Style: Great Sickle Weasel.

In an instant, a violent hurricane erupted from the dust cloud, easily blowing it away. Sand and stones flew across the ground, while flowers, grass, and trees were uprooted. Before they could even fall, countless condensed invisible wind blades within the gale sliced them into fragments, scattering debris through the sky.

Hatake Sakumo, caught within it, remained utterly calm, as if nothing could move him. His feet seemed rooted to the earth, gripping the ground firmly. His white short blade became a blur, slashing out countless blade lights crackling with white lightning and destroying the invisible, sharp, high-speed wind blades.

No matter what methods his opponent used, with a blade in hand, it was all like a spring breeze brushing his face.

A faint, nearly inaudible sound rang out. Hatake Sakumo's figure flickered unpredictably as he charged toward the Third Kazekage.

Along the way, everything condensed from Iron Sand—kunai, shuriken, senbon, Iron Sand Walls, and Iron Sand Waves—was cut apart or even shattered by the dazzling white short blade in Hatake Sakumo's hand.

To ordinary ninja, every strike looked simple, as though there were no difference between them. Only Kage-level experts could sense that White Fang's blade carried a certain momentum, or perhaps an intent. That power was profound and mysterious, granting ordinary blade and sword techniques unique strength. If that power was strong enough, it could cut through anything.

Kage-level experts with powerful eyesight, such as those possessing the highly perceptive Byakugan or the Three Tomoe Sharingan, could discover a deeper clue. Those seemingly simple, identical strikes did not merely contain a unique power—each one was layered a different number of times. Against kunai, senbon, and shuriken, it was merely a single strike. Against an Iron Sand Wall, five strikes were unleashed in an instant. Against Iron Sand Waves, it was ten. With the strikes layered together, nothing could withstand them.

Hatake Sakumo soon closed in on the Third Kazekage. There was a wound on the Third Kazekage's left shoulder, stained with specks of blood. As Hatake Sakumo approached, the Third Kazekage also finished his Hand Seals.

Magnet Release Secret Technique: Magnet Release: Iron Sand Protection.

The scattered Iron Sand around them seemed to gain souls of its own, automatically protecting the Third Kazekage. At the same time, he held a kunai condensed from Iron Sand, covered in sharp, solidified Wind Style Chakra.

Kage-level experts naturally could not be poor at Taijutsu. They all had their own tricks. Unfortunately, even with Iron Sand protecting him, the Third Kazekage was completely suppressed in his Taijutsu clash with Hatake Sakumo.

The short blade attacked with lightning-fast speed and wind-like agility, its offensive ferocious beyond compare. It pressured the Third Kazekage so thoroughly that he could not even form Hand Seals to use a simple ninjutsu. White Fang's blade was too fast, too sharp. One careless lapse would leave a cut on his body—or cost him his life.

Konoha White Fang, Hatake Sakumo, was suppressing the Third Kazekage, leaving the Third Kazekage, who had great confidence in his own strength, extremely stifled. It also dealt a blow to the Sand Ninja's morale, while Konoha's morale soared.

After all, a general was the courage of his troops!

The originally evenly matched battle began to tilt in Konoha's favor.

After half an hour of intense fighting, the Sand Ninja truly began to fall into a disadvantage. The Third Kazekage was utterly frustrated, and his patience ran out. Enduring a slash, he forced distance between himself and Hatake Sakumo. In close combat, he could feel Hatake Sakumo's terrifying strength even more clearly.

Though both were Kage-level experts, he had to rely on secret techniques just to barely defend against that terrifying swordsmanship. It was truly frightening. However, that did not mean he would admit defeat.

Magnet Release: Iron Triangle of Heaven.

Three enormous Iron Sand Triangular Pyramids appeared in the air. The jet-black pyramids were more than ten meters long, looking savage and terrifying. The three Iron Sand Triangular Pyramids began spinning at high speed, drilling toward Hatake Sakumo in a triangular formation with terrifying gusts of wind.

A rare trace of gravity appeared on Hatake Sakumo's face. The White Fang Short Blade in his hand shone more intensely than ever, like a small white sun.

Hatake Sword Style: Sky Splitting Triple Strike.

Almost no one could see how Hatake Sakumo made his move. Three hair-thin, brilliant white blade lights crossed in the air to form a triangle. The sound of fabric tearing rang through the sky, as though even the heavens had been ripped apart.

The wildly spinning Iron Sand Triangular Pyramids suddenly stalled in midair. Then three cracks appeared from the middle of each pyramid. The three Iron Sand Triangular Pyramids split into six pieces and crashed helplessly to the ground, kicking up thick clouds of dust.

Seeing that even his most powerful ninjutsu could do nothing to White Fang, and noticing that the Sand Ninja were at a disadvantage, the Third Kazekage began to think of retreating.

"Retreat!" With a single command, the Third Kazekage condensed Iron Sand Wings and flew into the air, beginning the withdrawal. The other Sand Ninja also retreated while fighting after hearing the order.

The Konoha ninja pursued relentlessly from behind. With the Third Kazekage unwilling to continue fighting, White Fang could do nothing to him in the sky. After the Sand Ninja paid the price of another dozen or so casualties, they successfully withdrew under the cover of their combined ninjutsu and the Third Kazekage's large-scale Iron Sand Technique.

The Sand Ninja suffered considerable losses in this battle, while Konoha's losses were somewhat smaller, further increasing Konoha's advantage. On the various scattered battlefields as well, Konoha, rich in talent, held the upper hand in most places. Only on a small number of battlefields did Konoha suffer severe losses.

At this time, Sunagakure had not yet suffered its disastrous defeat in the Third Great Ninja War and still followed an elite policy. As a result, its strength was formidable. Although it was at a disadvantage against Konoha, it still had the ability to fight back.

Over the following month, under Hatake Sakumo's steady advance, Sunagakure's defensive lines retreated step by step. Though they resisted, the Puppeteer Unit caused Konoha considerable trouble. Unfortunately, Tsunade completely cracked their poisons. With Konoha's ninja charging forward one after another, Sunagakure was still beaten back again and again.

Konoha's high-level experts completely outnumbered Sunagakure's. Although the gap in strength among the lower and middle ranks was not great, the difference in the number of top experts was fatal.

In the end, the Sand Ninja were driven out of the Land of Rain. Of the ninja forces, the Sand Ninja lost one-third, while Konoha lost one-fourth. After driving Sunagakure out of the Land of Rain, Konoha's forces did not pursue further. Although Sunagakure had suffered heavy losses, it still had at least four or five thousand ninja troops within its own territory. Pursuing any farther would not have been wise.

The war between Konoha and Sunagakure temporarily came to an end. Early the next morning, news arrived from the First Legion and Third Legion: Stone Village at the Land of Rain's border had been driven out of the Land of Rain, and the remaining Stone Village ninja within the country had basically been wiped out by Konoha.

The Land of Rain battlefield had essentially ended in Konoha's complete victory, and the victor would gain enormous benefits.

At the same time, Konoha's higher-ups sent orders for the First Legion and Fourth Legion, which had experienced the great battle in the Land of Rain, to return to Konoha and recuperate. The Third Legion was to guard the Land of Fire's border, dispatch scouts and spies, and closely monitor every move of the other ninja villages.

At dusk, the setting sun hung low, its dying light as red as blood. Beichen Haotian followed Tsunade and the others back to Konoha. When they returned to the village, they received a warm welcome from the villagers at the gates.

On the way, Beichen Haotian saw someone he did not particularly want to see: Dan Katō. Tsunade seemed fairly familiar with him, though they apparently had not yet become lovers.

Thinking of this, Beichen Haotian began to ponder. Judging by Tsunade's current state, her younger brother Senju Nawaki seemed to still be safe and sound, and Dan Katō had not yet died.

Then, according to his vague memories from Earth, during the Second Shinobi World War, the Land of Lightning seemed to have invaded the Land of Earth, while the Land of Fire invaded the Land of Wind. In that case, Senju Nawaki and Dan Katō might have died in some battle during this campaign.

It seemed something had changed later on. He did not know whether the Third Hokage's ambitions had not yet faded and he sought retaliation, whether Sunagakure was unwilling to accept defeat and returned in force, or whether some other reason caused Konoha and Sunagakure to go to war once more...

After the welcoming ceremony, Beichen Haotian returned home. He did not concern himself with Dan Katō. Although he had some interest in Tsunade, there was no need to fuss over a dead man. Besides, his current age and status were rather awkward.

Lying comfortably on his bed, Beichen Haotian decided to rest properly for a day. The war was not over, and he could not slack off in his training. Tomorrow, he would have to work even harder.

Thanks to Zhuhán Wàndāndàn for the recommendation vote!