The End of the Third Shinobi World War

The Third Shinobi World War has finally come to an end.

The Fourth Mizukage Mist Shinobi in battle, nearly Second Generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen were wiped out, the Third Raikage of Cloud Shinobi died in battle, the Jonin, the mainstay of Iwagakure, Jonin almost all killed or wounded, Orochimaru and his disciples defected from Konoha, and countless Orochimaru Sand Shinobi Genin or wounded, the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure went missing, and the army was defeated at Kikyo Mountain.

Even though the Cloud Shinobi has not yet submitted a peace agreement, everyone understood the moment the Sand Shinobi was defeated that the Third Shinobi World War was over.

Konoha accomplished a remarkable feat of fighting four opponents single-handedly.

Those who have endured long periods of hardship inevitably feel a sense of unreality when faced with sudden happiness. All the ninjas and villagers of Konoha experienced this feeling firsthand.

It wasn't until Minato Namikaze stood in front of the Konoha Hokage Building and read his inaugural address, word by word, that this feeling of unreality was completely shattered. Countless cheering people rushed to the scene, not just to catch a glimpse of the new Hokage, but also to witness the arrival of peace with their own eyes.

"Minato Namikaze..."

For the first time ever, the fiery red-haired woman wore a soft bunny-ear hat, hiding in the shadows. The silent Anbu couldn't refuse any request from the new Hokage's wife, especially since she had already given them so much face by concealing her extremely conspicuous mark.

"Minato Namikaze! Minato Namikaze! Minato Namikaze's wah-yo!"

Mixed in with the crowd, like an ordinary Konoha, Kushina Uzumaki, her face flushed, loudly called out Minato Namikaze's name, completely drowned out by the sounds around her, but she didn't care at all, and just kept shouting loudly.

"From this day forward, I will assume the position of Fourth Hokage!"

With a gentle smile and a firm tone, Minato Namikaze seemed to radiate a soft Minato Namikaze. With just one sentence, he sent all the Konoha into a frenzy. After a brief silence, a roar that resounded through the heavens and earth erupted. Today, Konoha has only one name— Minato Namikaze!

"I never imagined Minato Namikaze would actually come to this..."

Even though it was his strong recommendation, introducing all the connections he had built up to Minato Namikaze and gradually pushing him to this position, when the day actually came, there was still a hint of disorientation in Jiraiya's eyes. His face was full of joy but could not hide the worry between his brows—his good brother Orochimaru had defected, defected from his beloved Konoha Ninja Village.

"Very nice..."

With a relieved smile on his face, Jiraiya, and he glanced at the rabbit-eared hat in the crowd. His laughter grew louder, but suddenly he turned into a cloud of white mist and disappeared. Perhaps what is about to be lost is always more important.

Some people seem destined not to exist in the noise. Kakashi Hatake glanced at Minato Namikaze from afar and then disappeared. A short while later, Kakashi Hatake, holding three bouquets of white flowers, walked towards the Memorial Stone in Konoha. It seemed that at this moment, he missed some people even more, some people he would never see again.

The jungle was somewhat desolate, with a gentle breeze slowly brushing against the rows of cold stone tablets. The rustling wind seemed to be whispering in solitude, mourning the deceased who slept here.

Those who lie buried here are all heroes of Konoha who lost their lives in missions. Some graves are adorned with flowers, but most are rather simple, even rustic.

A brand-new tombstone stood beside another, both small and compact. Perhaps it was the coolness in the sweltering air that made Kakashi Hatake feel as if he were home.

Two smiling young people were surrounded by pure white flowers. Their smiles seemed to lessen the sadness. Kakashi Hatake stood silently before the tombstone, his eyes growing increasingly vacant.

"Rin, Obito Uchiha, Minato-sensei has become Hokage, the Fourth Hokage! Many people are here to see him... I also saw Kushina Uzumaki's wife; she's wearing a rabbit-ear hat, which seems very similar to Rin's..."

Kakashi Hatake, who was usually taciturn, suddenly became talkative when facing the two cold tombstones. He kept rambling on and on, as if he could never finish. It was already getting close to dusk when he slowly stood up.

"I'll come back to keep you company later..."

White Fang's grave wasn't here. Kakashi Hatake's face seemed expressionless as he slowly walked deeper into the jungle, to the very edge, where a ninja like White Fang, who was 'unworthy' of being buried beneath the Memorial Stone, should be laid to rest.

Unlike before with Rin and Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake seemed to have returned to his usual silence. He sat quietly against the tombstone for a while before getting up and leaving.

As dusk fell, Kakashi Hatake reappeared before Rin and Obito Uchiha's gravestones, but this time his gaze sharpened. Amidst the white flowers, a black gift box lay inside, suggesting someone had come to pay their respects.

"This is..."

His eyes narrowed instantly. As far as he knew, apart from himself and the Minato Namikaze couple, almost no one else would come here, especially not at this time, and yet they managed to remain completely undetected by him...

Slowly forming a hand seal, Kakashi Hatake used a kunai to Kunai pry open the gift box in front of Rin and Obito Uchiha's gravestones, but his eyes widened in surprise.

A white fox fur scarf and a bottle of eye drops...

"How perceptive..."

"Kakashi Hatake Jonin..."

A figure seemed to appear out of thin air behind him. Kakashi Hatake's eyes widened instantly, and a chilling aura suddenly emanated from behind him. He seemed to already know the identity of the newcomer.

"missing-nin Kato Osamu... how dare you enter Konoha..."

Kakashi Hatake gripped his Kunai tightly, but didn't attack rashly. Facing Kato Osamu directly, he had to admit that this boy, almost his own age, was already comparable to a senior like Minato Namikaze...

"I thought Kakashi Hatake, Jonin, would immediately take action to avenge his fallen teammates the moment he saw me..."

Kato Osamu chuckled softly, but remained vigilant, quietly observing Kakashi Hatake. He noticed Kakashi's brows were tightly furrowed, and a hint of killing intent seemed to flicker in his eyes, but he still did not make a move.

Kato Osamu chuckled softly, strolling casually through the Lightning Release: Earth Walk against a tombstone, seemingly examining the inscriptions, and spoke indifferently.

"Once, like you, I watched those around me die one by one, filled with coldness towards the world. Then I met Orochimaru, who told me he could bring my loved ones back to life. I believed him wholeheartedly and fought for it. But later I gradually discovered that the so-called 'Impure World Reincarnation' was nothing but a false resurrection, merely 'capturing' the souls of the dead and toying with them at will..."

Seeing that Kato Osamu showed no intention of making a move, Kakashi Hatake breathed a sigh of relief. Although he and Kato Osamu shared some camaraderie, their relationship was far from good. Moreover, they hadn't seen each other for several years, and now that Kato Osamu was missing-nin, Kakashi had to be on high alert.

But as Kato Osamu's voice rang out, when he heard "resurrecting a loved one," he was suddenly shaken for some reason, and his eyes widened involuntarily. As young as Kakashi Hatake was, he seemed to have never heard of the world's most advanced "technology."

"So I was lost. During my time at the Root, I pondered deeply. During these years of the Third Shinobi World War, I sought verification everywhere, carefully hypothesized, and boldly experimented."

"And so, it was as if I had glimpsed the deepest secrets of this world, a captivating and breathtaking mystery..."

Kato Osamu grinned, his eyes seemingly brighter than ever before.

"The mystery of Soul Reincarnation!"

"Kakashi Hatake, do you truly want to revive your father, White Fang, and your good brothers, Obito Uchiha and Rin Nohara?"

"You don't want to always be alone, do you?"

Kakashi Hatake's eyes showed unprecedented hesitation. He took a deep breath, as if he was about to agree, but in an instant he just fell silent. His eyes were bloodshot, like a demon emerging from the abyss, glaring fiercely at Kato Osamu.

"No matter what you say, I won't believe you..."

"I wasn't wrong about you, never. You, a guy from Root, have worn countless masks on your face. You could assassinate Minato-sensei for Danzo, and you could spy on Root for Orochimaru. Minato-sensei trusted you so much, Obito Uchiha and Rin trusted you so much too..."

"You get excited quite easily, too bad, you're just a clueless fool..."

With a gentle wave of his hand, the entire world seemed to have transformed. Kakashi Hatake stared blankly at the fiery red sun overhead, a sense of unreality and terror suddenly welling up from the depths of his heart. He had actually fallen under Genjutsu!

He suddenly pulled out Kunai, and his Sharingan slowly began to rotate. His expression was indifferent, yet he was constantly vigilant, watching his surroundings. A gentle breeze blew through the mountains, but there was no trace of any enemy.

Kakashi Hatake thought to himself, "Who on earth is doing this?! Why are they using Genjutsu on me?"

He frowned deeply, pondering hard, but to no avail. After a long while, he simply sighed and turned his gaze back to the smiling faces on Rin and Obito Uchiha's tombstones. But for a moment, his eyes widened again, and then he instantly became alert, his Sharingan activating once more as he coldly scanned his surroundings.

Kakashi Hatake thought to himself, "Who on earth is doing this?! Why are they using Genjutsu on me?"

As dusk fell, Kakashi Hatake, who had been perfectly imitating himself and repeating his previous actions, was finally about to completely exhaust his Chakra due to the burden of his Sharingan. He was in a daze, and when he woke up again, he suddenly fell to the ground, but his already blurred eyes became brighter and brighter.

"Obito Uchiha, Rin, Father..."

"I will definitely resurrect you!"