The Third Raikage had died on the border of the Land of Fire, slain by Konoha's Asura Swordmaster, Chihane Hatake.
What was more, before his death, the Third Raikage had declared on the battlefield that the Shinobi World now belonged to Chihane's generation.
Within just a few days, Chihane Hatake's reputation as the strongest in the Shinobi World spread throughout the entire world!
The news stunned everyone. Before the battle ended, no one had imagined that Chihane, whom they still saw as a child, had quietly reached the pinnacle of the Shinobi World!
And precisely because Chihane had slain the Third Raikage and driven off the Cloud Ninja on the battlefield, things had changed.
Iwagakure, left to face Konoha alone, also chose to withdraw. The tumultuous Third Shinobi World War came to an end.
Of course, the war ultimately ended in Konoha's victory.
Yet in this Third Shinobi World War, both the victors and the defeated had paid a terrible price!
During the war, Iwagakure's Kitsuchi, several elite jonin, over a hundred jonin, and thousands of ordinary ninja had died on the battlefield.
Sunagakure, by contrast, had preserved the most of its fighting strength. After the Third Kazekage disappeared, Kumogakure had been the first to declare war on them.
But in their hour of crisis, their elite jonin Rasa had stepped forward in time. He assumed the position of Fourth Kazekage and, together with the village elders Chiyo and Ebizo, led the Sand Ninja in repelling Kumogakure's invasion.
Moreover, because of Chihane, the Third Raikage had not devoted much attention to the Land of Wind. As a result, they had suffered the fewest casualties of any village.
Meanwhile, Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage was now being called the weakest Mizukage in history after Chihane single-handedly defeated him, Takei Sōchin, and Minazuki Izumi