"Through everyone's unrelenting efforts, the Third Shinobi World War has ended!"
"Konoha has achieved a complete victory!"
"You are the greatest contributors!"
"Let us cheer for our heroes!"
"..."
Before Konoha's gates, the Third was delivering an impassioned speech.
Ahead of him stood a ninja force stretching beyond sight.
They had come from the four battlefields and had now all returned to Konoha.
Yet despite the Third's stirring speech, these ninja remained calm and expressionless.
The Third gradually sensed that something was wrong.
"Woo..."
Behind him, the countless villagers who had come to welcome the returning ninja were cheering unevenly, with all sorts of questioning voices occasionally ringing out.
"Lord Hokage, we heard that you sold out the village's interests and made peace with the other ninja villages?"
"Lord Hokage, we clearly won, so why did we have to compromise?"
"Lord Hokage, we need an explanation!"
"..."
Kushina's Shadow Clones were fanning the flames everywhere.
During this month-long war of public opinion, all kinds of rumors had filled the village, only to erupt in full at this moment.
Especially the ninja standing at the front, who had just withdrawn from the front lines. They were the least able to tolerate having the war they had risked their lives to win sold out by those above them in the end.
"Silence!"
The Third's remaining authority still held. With one furious shout, everyone instinctively fell silent.
"The village will never forget the blood the ninja have shed for it! Nor will it ever betray them!"
"But war is war, and the contest between ninja villages is the contest between ninja villages. It may seem as though Konoha has made concessions, but you do not know how many benefits we have gained beneath the surface!"
"Konoha has always had the greatest number of