The news of Sunagakure's defeat spread quickly. Iwagakure and Kirigakure were both dumbfounded. Already? They knew Sunagakure was weak, but surely it could have held out a little longer.
After all, Kirigakure had only just sent people through layer upon layer of defenses to reach the Land of Rain and rescue their trapped comrades. They hadn't even gotten them out yet, and Sunagakure had already lost?
On the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water, the Third Raikage had also joined the fight personally. Danzo was Kage Level, and his Sealing Jutsu and Wind Style were both exceptional, but he was no match for the Third Raikage and had been kept on the defensive. But when word came that Sunagakure had been defeated, Danzo was thrilled. Now, Kumogakure, do you still dare to keep acting up?
After losing so many elite fighters, the Third Raikage could only sigh. It was no good when his allies couldn't pull their weight. He had counted on Sunagakure to hold out for another two years, but in the end... Well, was that really all they had?
There was no helping it. The Third Raikage could only withdraw his troops. Otherwise, if Konoha's shinobi joined forces, he would be in trouble.
Especially with Li Yi in Konoha. That brat was a real handful.
For a time, all sides began to hold back. In the original timeline, Hashirama Senju died in Year 13 of Konoha, and Senju Tobirama became the Second Hokage. Then the First Shinobi World War broke out.
In Year 14 of Konoha, Kinkaku and Ginkaku's attack led to the deaths of Senju Tobirama and the Second Raikage. But because Li Yi had intervened, Senju Tobirama held on for a few more months.
As a result, unexpected events kept cropping up during the First Shinobi World War, prolonging it. Otherwise, it should have been settled by the time the Third Hokage took office.
And the later wars would never have broken out.
Five years passed, and now it was Year 20 of Konoha.
This war had gone on far too long. All the villages were already exhausted. Now that Sunagakure had been defeated, Konoha had its hands free, and Kumogakure had no intention of continuing the fight. It chose to withdraw. It wasn't a question of admitting defeat; they simply didn't want to keep fighting.
Konoha, for its part, had the good sense not to continue the war. If they kept fighting, no one would benefit.
So when word spread that Kumogakure and Konoha had agreed to a ceasefire, Iwagakure and Kirigakure quietly withdrew to their own countries as well.
Just like that, the First Shinobi World War came to an end without fanfare.
The villages began to recover and rebuild. As the losing side, Sunagakure received a long list of demands from Konoha, but it didn't bother to respond. It even declared, "If you've got the guts, come and take us on."
That left Konoha fuming, but this really wasn't the time to start another war. The Third Hokage had no choice but to turn a blind eye.
Li Yi returned to Konoha after all these years away. Kosuke's home felt cramped with Kato Taka staying there too, so Li Yi bought a house nearby. He had saved up quite a bit during his years on the battlefield, so buying a house was easy enough.
"Lord Li Yi, Lord Hokage requests your presence!" An Anbu appeared before Li Yi and spoke respectfully.
After all, Li Yi was now an Anbu squad leader, and word within the organization was that his contributions in this war had been outstanding. He might even become the head of Konoha's Anbu. So the Anbu member treated him with great deference.
Li Yi nodded. Now that the war was over, it was time to sit down and divvy up the spoils.
When he entered the Hokage's office, Konoha's F4 were all there. Seeing him come in, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled. "Li Yi, come in and sit down!"
Li Yi acknowledged him, greeted Konoha's F4, then took a seat.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Li Yi, you've made great contributions on the battlefield this time. The war wouldn't have ended so quickly without you. After discussing it with the council of elders, we've decided to appoint you captain of the Anbu Third Division. What do you think?"
The Anbu had three divisions, none subordinate to the others. They all answered directly to the Hokage. And if Li Yi remembered correctly, the Second Division would eventually become Root and gradually disappear from Konoha. The Third Division might disappear as Konoha developed, too.
But now that Li Yi was captain of the Third Division, he wasn't about to let that authority slip from his hands. In Konoha, without power, even the strongest shinobi could be pushed around by F4. That was reality. What could he expect, when most people here had been brainwashed by the flawed Will of Fire?
"I'll follow your orders, Lord Hokage!" Li Yi replied at once.
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded, then said, "Li Yi, you've distinguished yourself greatly this time. Is there anything you'd like?"
Hearing that, Li Yi immediately said, "Lord Hokage, I'd like to learn some Sealing Jutsu. Would that be possible?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen paused at the mention of Sealing Jutsu, then smiled. "Of course. I'll have someone send you some Sealing Jutsu scrolls later."
Li Yi was delighted. Sealing Jutsu was one of his weak points, so he needed to study it. Besides, the Flying Thunder God Slash also required an understanding of Sealing Jutsu and related techniques. Without that knowledge, Li Yi was completely at a loss.
With his promotion secured and the Sealing Jutsu he'd been hoping for in hand, Li Yi left, satisfied.
After returning to Konoha, Danzo also established Root and began working in the shadows beneath the village, striving to become the Pot Kage of the future.
Konoha entered a period of peaceful development.
Two years earlier, the Third Hokage had taken on three students: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.
Now the three little ones were eleven years old and had been Genin for two years. Sarutobi Hiruzen had also taught them from time to time during those years.
As it was the first year of peace in the Shinobi World, Iwagakure proposed holding a joint Chunin Ninja Exam. There was some disagreement over the venue, but in the end, everyone decided to hold it in the Land of Iron. It would also be a chance to showcase the villages' strength.
The Third Hokage took this Chunin Ninja Exam very seriously. He even had all three of his students sign up. After he made the final decision, Li Yi was assigned to lead the team.
Li Yi had no objections to the assignment.
Konoha had nine Genin taking part, with three Jonin team leaders: Li Yi, Akimichi Kufū, and Uchiha En!
The nine Genin were Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, on Li Yi's team; the next generation of Ino-Shika-Cho—Nara Luqin, Akimichi Maru, and Yamanaka Men—on Akimichi Kufū's team; and three little brats from the Uchiha Clan—Uchiha Mei, Uchiha Sui, and Uchiha Song—on Uchiha En's team!
Tsunade and the others were the youngest, at just eleven. Nara Luqin and the others were already fifteen, while the Uchiha kids were thirteen.
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