When Tobirama learned that the Land of Wind's army had retreated and abandoned all its strongholds in the Land of Rivers, he knew the Land of Wind had given up on continuing the war. They might not admit it outright for the sake of saving face, but they clearly intended to negotiate peace.
Across the shinobi world, the Land of Lightning had withdrawn from the war, the campaign against the Land of Wind was nearing its end, and the smaller nations were happy to see peace return. Only the Land of Earth and the Land of Water were still fighting fiercely. Thanks to the longstanding grudge between their leaders, Konoha faced little pressure from that front. In other words, Konoha could finally extricate itself from the Shinobi World War.
—It's finally over.
Tobirama thought this silently. Nearly three years had passed since the Shinobi World War broke out, and Konoha Ninja Village had suffered devastating losses. It was time to catch their breath and rebuild their strength.
Then, at the strategy meeting, Tobirama commended the ninja who had made significant contributions during the crisis. Kazemori Masaki had earned the greatest merit of all: he had eliminated the enemy ninja who used Magnet Release, brought back his body, and held off the Land of Wind's regular army for a time.
Kazemori Masaki accepted the praise without reservation. Military merit was what he needed most. For combatants like ninja, nothing served better as political capital.
After the Third Shinobi World War, Minato Namikaze had managed to prevail over Orochimaru, despite the latter's distinguished war record. Besides Orochimaru's sinister disposition, which displeased Hiruzen Sarutobi, there was another reason everyone could accept: Minato had led Konoha Ninja Village from a position of weakness to victory.
There were two requirements for succeeding to the position