Uzumaki Mito's passing didn't cause much of a stir in Konoha. Information about her was classified as an absolute secret, and the village's higher-ups had sealed it away completely. Only a handful of people knew that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had changed.
Against this backdrop, Konoha's battles on the front lines went very smoothly. After signing a ceasefire agreement with Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning, Shimura Danzō, who had been in charge of the war against the Land of Lightning, returned to the village. Hatake Sakumo, meanwhile, led a large force of ninja into the Land of Rain to assist Mitokado Homura, who was in charge of the war against the Land of Earth.
With Hatake Sakumo's support, the fighting in the Land of Rain began to turn in Konoha's favor. In December of that year, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade traveled to the heart of the Land of Rain as Konoha's representatives. They found the country's leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the Demigod, and asked him to form an alliance.
For reasons unknown, however, Jiraiya and the others ended up fighting Hanzo when they met with him. After a fierce battle, Hanzo of the Salamander acknowledged the strength of Konoha's ninja. He decided to abandon the Land of Earth and ally with Konoha of the Land of Fire. Meanwhile, Hanzo's praise for Jiraiya and the others during their battle spread throughout the Shinobi World.
From then on, the name "Konoha Sannin" rang out across the Shinobi World. Having successfully formed an alliance with the Land of Rain, Konoha soon launched an offensive against the Stone Ninja. The territory controlled by the Land of Earth within the Land of Rain steadily shrank. In the end, under immense pressure, the Tsuchikage sent a letter to the Hokage to begin negotiating