Several months had passed since the end of the Great Avalanche Offensive.
The glorious victory on the Land of Wind front was like a boulder cast into a still lake, sending enormous ripples through the Shinobi World and ultimately changing the course of the Second Shinobi World War.
It happened just as Torifu Akimichi and the rest of the Konoha High Command had predicted.
After suffering a crushing defeat against Konoha and losing its main forces, Sunagakure immediately turned its greedy gaze toward the comparatively weaker Amegakure, hoping to tear a chunk of flesh from Hanzo of the Salamander to recoup its losses and preserve its standing as a great nation.
But how could the title of Demigod be an empty boast?
The Land of Rain's terrain was complex, and Hanzō himself possessed extraordinary strength and unpredictable methods of using poison. Sunagakure's remaining troops gained little against him. Instead, they further depleted their already meager strength and ultimately had to bring the campaign to a hasty, bitter end, focusing their efforts on peace negotiations with Konoha.
With Sunagakure's front no longer tying it down, Konoha swiftly redeployed the elite forces amassed on its western border to other fronts, like a fierce tiger freed from its chains.
To the north, Iwagakure had originally hoped to seize some advantages while Konoha and Sunagakure fought each other to the death. But when forces led by Hatake Sakumo, along with large numbers of fresh troops, arrived at the front, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, immediately grasped the situation.
Although Iwagakure had preserved most of its strength and suffered no crippling losses, continuing to fight Konoha's elite troops, riding high after their great victory, would clearly cost more than it was worth.
After several small clashes that nevertheless amply demonstrated Konoha's resolve and strength, Iwagakure became