Uchiha Kaien wasn't surprised that the Salamander had spared Sarutobi Hiruzen's three disciples.
While there may have been some admiration for the trio, the more likely reason was that Hanzo of the Salamander simply didn't want to completely offend Konoha.
If the Hokage's three students all died on the battlefield, wouldn't the Hokage himself come out for revenge? Especially in a village like Konoha that emphasized the Will of Fire so strongly.
Hanzo wanted to become the sixth Kage—of course he understood how terrifying the Five Kage truly were.
They were the five individuals standing at the absolute peak of tens of thousands of shinobi.
Each Kage was a force to be reckoned with.
The current generation of Kage were all in their prime. Although Hanzo was dubbed a "demi-god," the truth was he had never actually fought any of the Five Kage. That title was more for intimidating lower-ranked ninja than anything else.
Only true powerhouses understood how meaningless that title really was.
A powerful summoning beast, lethal poison techniques, mastery of the Body Flicker Technique, and exceptional Water Release skills—that was the full extent of Hanzo's strength.
But once he left the Land of Rain and lost the advantage of terrain, who knew how much of his power would be diminished?
The Kage, on the other hand, didn't rely on terrain at all. They could adapt to any battlefield with ease.
Hanzo's dependence on the environment was one of the key reasons why the Five Kage never truly regarded him as a threat.
If he dared to step outside the Land of Rain, he'd be a dead man walking.
And among those three disciples, one of them was the granddaughter of the God of Shinobi.
If Tsunade were to die in the Land of Rain, there would be no turning back.
Even just for the sake of preserving Konoha's dignity, Amegakure would be completely wiped out.
Not to mention, Uzumaki Mito was still alive.
How could a land without a Tailed Beast possibly survive Konoha's retaliation—especially one fueled by Tailed Beast Bombs?
So rather than killing every last Konoha shinobi and dooming Amegakure to destruction, it made far more sense to spare them. Hanzo could use the gesture to win some favor from Konoha and, at the same time, send a message—preserving his village, at least for now.
Hanzo didn't want to keep fighting. He couldn't afford to.
With both Konoha and Sunagakure bearing down on them, Amegakure's forces were nearing collapse. Even if they somehow managed to win against these two great nations, what would be left of Amegakure?
Besides, this wasn't even the full strength of either village. Konoha hadn't brought out all its top-tier shinobi yet—this battlefield was still being led by just Hiruzen's three disciples.
Hanzo had come to understand all too well just how deep the foundations of the great nations ran. He decided to lie low for the time being, let Amegakure quietly recover, and wait for a new opportunity.
Right now, the people of the Land of Rain were struggling to survive. Hanzo needed to focus on governance. Amegakure no longer had the resources to sustain a prolonged war.
This war... it had gone on long enough. Let it end here—with bitterness, regret, and a show of strength to keep others at bay.
...
"How's Nagato?" Kaien asked.
As the vessel of the Rinnegan, he naturally paid close attention to the boy.
"His parents were mistakenly killed by a few Konoha shinobi," White Zetsu reported. "After those shinobi left, we took on your appearance and guided him to meet the other orphans. Right now, a Zetsu disguised as you is looking after Nagato and the other two."
"He hasn't noticed anything off?"
"Hehehe, of course not. The Zetsu posing as you is the one you use as your elevator—it's soaked in your scent. It's convincing enough to fool them for now."
"Good."
Kaien still remembered the lesson from last time. Namikaze Minato had sniffed out the truth based on scent alone. Ever since then, Kaien made sure to always use the same White Zetsu for direct contact—it was the safest bet.
"Any other important news?"
"There is. Hatake Sakumo killed Sunagakure's field commander on the battlefield between Konoha and Sunagakure. They're calling him 'The White Fang of Konoha' now."
Kaien nodded slightly. That development was expected.
Hatake Sakumo was already at Kage-level. Against a mismatched force from Sunagakure, he was bound to become a one-man army.
The title of White Fang must've been bought with rivers of Suna blood.
Now caught in a two-front war and clearly outmatched, Sunagakure had no choice but to pull out and lick its wounds. The Second Great Ninja War was nearing its end.
Apart from the light skirmishes and probing between Kumogakure and Iwagakure, most of the remaining conflicts were just small-scale engagements.
Espionage and assassination missions were happening nonstop.
Around this time, Shimura Danzo finally established his "Root" organization.
The ANBU training program, which had originally started with just sixteen members, had expanded exponentially in secret. It had grown into a distinct force separate from the ANBU—specialized in handling all the dirty work no one else would touch.
Having such a covert force during wartime was only natural. Sarutobi Hiruzen tacitly approved—he trusted his old friend.
The darkness of wartime far exceeded anything seen in peace. There were too many spies, too many defectors to deal with. And Danzo handled that dirty work well.
Light and shadow—Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo. One stood in the sun, a Hokage admired by all; the other hid in the dark, his roots unseen.
...
"Also," White Zetsu added, "Uchiha Kagami left Konoha again after learning you were on an undercover mission. He's in the Land of Hot Water now."
"The Land of Hot Water?" Kaien blinked. "Don't tell me Kagami-san went there just to soak in some hot springs?"
"That's exactly where he went. But he's run into trouble—he crossed paths with a cult that worships an evil god. Right now, he's investigating them."
...
Kaien's mouth twitched at the news.
He was starting to wonder if Kagami had some kind of cursed luck. It felt like every time he left Konoha, something bad happened and he ended up returning in bandages.
Was it some strange ability awakened after unlocking the Mangekyo Sharingan? Or was Kagami just naturally unlucky?
Kaien didn't know. But it was oddly impressive.
That cult… hopefully Kagami could handle it.
With the Mangekyo Sharingan, there was no way he'd get one-shot by some nobody, right?
After hearing all of White Zetsu's reports, Kaien waved him away and fell into thought.
The state of the shinobi world was becoming increasingly clear. The Second Great Ninja War was drawing to a close. The Third would take several more years to brew before breaking out.
When it did, the Kage of every great village would likely step onto the battlefield themselves.
Kumogakure definitely would. The Third Raikage would die in that war. And during the Third War, several terrifying powerhouses would emerge.
Like the jinchūriki.
Kaien turned to glance at Killer B, who had just finished tidying up downstairs.
That kid would fight alongside A during the Third Great Ninja War. Seven or eight years should be plenty of time for him to grow into a proper jinchūriki.
Iwagakure would send its own two jinchūriki to the battlefield as well. Beyond their skirmishes with Kumo, they'd also launch attacks on Konoha.
In fact, four of the Five Great Shinobi Nations would turn their blades toward Konoha.
Surrounded on all sides, Konoha would face its darkest hour.
New powers would emerge across the ninja world, one after another.
But by then, Kaien's own strength would be beyond imagination.
The Third Great Ninja War... would be his stage too.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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