Chapter 102 - After the War
The Third Raikage perished at the border of the Land of Fire, slain by the Asura Swordsman of Konoha—Hatake Kazane.
Before his death, the Third Raikage personally acknowledged on the battlefield that the future of the ninja world belonged to Kazane.
This declaration sent shockwaves through the entire ninja world, and within just a few days, Hatake Kazane's name as the "Strongest in the Shinobi World" spread far and wide!
Everyone was stunned. Before the battle ended, no one had imagined that Kazane—whom they had still seen as a mere child—had already ascended to the pinnacle of the shinobi world without them even realizing it.
It was precisely because Kazane defeated the Third Raikage and drove back the Cloud Ninja that Iwagakure, left to face Konoha alone, chose to retreat. Thus, the grand and ferocious Third Great Ninja War came to an end.
In the end, the war concluded with Konoha as the victor.
However, regardless of whether one stood among the victors or the vanquished, all nations had paid a devastating price for this war.
Iwagakure lost Kitsuchi, several elite jōnin, over a hundred standard jōnin, and thousands of regular shinobi on the battlefield.
Sunagakure, on the other hand, preserved most of its forces. After the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, Kumogakure had been the first to declare war on them.
But at a critical moment, their elite jōnin Rasa stepped forward. He succeeded the title of Fourth Kazekage, and along with village elders Chiyo and Ebizō, led Suna's defense against the invasion from Kumogakure.
Furthermore, because the Third Raikage's attention had largely shifted to Hatake Kazane, he didn't focus much effort on the Land of Wind. As a result, Sunagakure emerged from the war with the least casualties among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
As for Kirigakure, its Fourth Mizukage had been defeated single-handedly by Kazane. Even with the combined strength of two clan leaders, they still lost. The Fourth Mizukage was now known as the weakest Mizukage in history.
Five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had perished. The two clan leaders were still imprisoned in Orochimaru's laboratory.
Kirigakure had essentially become the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and the village's shinobi were beginning to doubt whether the Mizukage was still capable of leading them.
Even the Daimyō of the Land of Water had begun to voice serious concerns, and Yagura now bore an intense hatred toward Hatake Kazane.
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Back during the battle against the Cloud Ninja, Jiraiya had ultimately chosen to let them go.
Kazane had already slain the Third Raikage. If they had also captured or killed the remaining Cloud Ninja, Kumogakure might have been erased from the Five Great Villages entirely.
If the stability of the Five Great Shinobi Villages were to be broken, it could trigger another massive conflict that would drag every village into chaos. That was a price Konoha could not afford.
Thus, for the sake of the bigger picture, Jiraiya chose to let them go. Even though the Cloud Ninja were reluctant to retreat, under the calming influence of B, they eventually agreed to retreat.
Kazane himself held great respect for the Third Raikage. Not only did he not stop them, but he personally returned the Raikage's body to Killer B.
But due to the war being fought on three separate fronts and the death of the Third Raikage, Kumogakure was plunged into crisis. This war had completely exhausted the wealth and strength the village had accumulated over decades.
Even Konoha, despite having Kazane, suffered severe losses from being attacked by three major villages. Over a hundred jōnin, several elite jōnin, and thousands of chūnin and genin had perished in the war.
Even Uchiha Syoma, the clan head of the Uchiha—whom even Hiruzen Sarutobi regarded with caution—was killed by the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki.
So despite being the victors, no one in Konoha felt any joy from this outcome. Almost everyone had lost friends or loved ones on the battlefield.
The war was won, yes—but everyone silently wished it had never happened, that their friends and families were still alive.
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Land of Earth – Border Region
Inside a pitch-black cave, Black Zetsu recounted the intelligence he had gathered during this time to Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Makoto.
"Hatake Kazane…"
Hearing that familiar name again, Uchiha Makoto couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion.
He had once believed that with Madara's guidance, he would quickly catch up to Kazane. Even if he couldn't surpass him, at least he'd be able to keep pace with his growth.
But now, Kazane had defeated the legendary and seemingly invincible Third Raikage. This caused a sliver of doubt to creep into the heart of someone as proud as Makoto.
"Can I really surpass Hatake Kazane someday…?"
It was a question he had never thought he would ask himself. But Kazane's progress was simply too fast!
At this rate, Kazane's strength might soon rival that of Uchiha Madara in his prime.
Makoto couldn't believe that the boy from their class—who had nothing going for him other than his good looks—had suddenly become someone so unrecognizable, like he, who was blessed by the heavens.
"It seems the greatest obstacle to our plan… is Hatake Kazane," Madara analyzed calmly after hearing Zetsu's report. Even he was impressed by Kazane's extraordinary talent.
Even he and Hashirama hadn't possessed such power at Kazane's current age.
"Makoto, it looks like he's your greatest rival. We need to move faster," Madara said to Makoto, who was clearly deep in thought.
Madara had been doing everything he could to train Makoto. Even though Makoto's growth had been fast, he still hadn't reached the level Madara expected.
And now, with someone like Hatake Kazane in the mix—if Makoto, trained by Uchiha Madara himself, were to be crushed the moment he faced Kazane in the future, it would be a disgrace to Madara's name. .
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Elsewhere near the border of the Land of Earth, inside another cave
Orochimaru was carefully packing up various jars and vials—these were the final "gifts" left behind by Taketori Souchou and Mizunoyuki Izumi.
If it weren't for his impending return to Konoha, Orochimaru would have been reluctant to kill the two. Living lab rats were always more useful than dead ones.
But the war had officially ended. All Konoha shinobi had received the Third Hokage's order to return to the village the next day.
Since he was going back, there was no reason for this hidden lab to continue operating.
However, the results of his experiments had to be taken with him. Once back in Konoha, he would move them to his lab in the mountain behind the village—research could resume as normal.
Orochimaru had also received the news of Kazane killing the Third Raikage. Even someone like him couldn't help but feel some emotion. No matter how powerful someone like the Third Raikage had been, he still couldn't escape death.
What left the deepest impression on Orochimaru from this Third Great Ninja War wasn't that Kazane killed so-and-so, or which shinobi from Konoha had achieved some remarkable merit.
It wasn't even the destruction of some minor country or small shinobi village.
What hit him the hardest was the fragility of life. He had watched familiar faces disappear, one by one. Someone who was chatting warmly with you one day could vanish completely from your world the next.
Just like Uchiha Syōma—one day they were discussing future collaboration back in Konoha, and the next, he had taken all his plans with him to a place no one could reach.
Even Hanzō the Demi-God, who had once defeated him, Jiraiya, and Tsunade combined
Even the Third Raikage, who had rampaged through the shinobi world for over a decade.
None of them could escape the arrival of death.
All of this only further cemented Orochimaru's conviction in his pursuit of immortality.
Perhaps... his deal with Danzō still had value.