Chapter 57: Everyone is tired of killing each other

A light rain began to fall from the sky, quickly shrouding everything in mist. However, rain of this intensity couldn't wash away the smell of death at all; instead, it made rescue efforts even more difficult.

Crash—

Another precarious house collapsed. The sound of the collapse startled Sarutobi Hiruzen from his silence. Looking around, he saw many ninjas rescuing in the muddy ground, and the screams of the injured stained the earth red.

In the three Great Ninja Wars, this was the first time Konoha had been pushed into the village interior. Lack of experience and panicked fleeing caused even greater casualties.

His gaze finally rested not far away. The white-haired teenager held the girl's corpse, silent. A large amount of water dripped from his chin; it was unknown whether it was rain or tears.

Truly hell...

Sarutobi Hiruzen had no time for grief; there were still many things for him, the Hokage, to do. As a result, just as he turned around, a black shadow jumped in front of him. It was the fully armed Danzo.

"Has the Three-Tails been defeated?"

"Yes, defeated with great difficulty." The Third Hokage thought of the Genin who opened all eight gates, thought of the ninjas who died one after another, and couldn't help but frown tightly:

"Danzo, where were you just now?"

As a master of the same era, if this person had appeared earlier, Might Duy wouldn't have needed to open the eight gates.

Hearing the question, Danzo's expression unexpectedly didn't change, and he answered calmly, "Guarding Konoha's core facilities. What if someone took advantage of the chaos to steal the sealing scrolls and forbidden books?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, unable to find any fault, and could only nod lightly.

At this moment, the ANBU sent to support the front lines suddenly appeared before them, kneeling on one knee.

"Lord Hokage, the Mist ninjas on the front lines have already retreated."

"So fast?" The Third Hokage was somewhat surprised. Could it be that the Hidden Mist went through so much trouble just to release a turtle into Konoha to cause chaos?

So he asked again, "Was it Minato and the others' counterattack that worked?"

"It wasn't Lord Minato. ANBU went to investigate after hearing the commotion and found that an elite Mist assassination unit had already been completely wiped out. Judging from the traces, it was Wood Release!"

"Wood Release!?" Hearing this familiar name, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked up in surprise, immediately turning his gaze towards Shimura Danzo.

The latter first looked blank, then replied decisively, "This has nothing to do with me."

"Really?"

"Really. If I had a Wood Release ninja, I would have brought them out long ago. Everyone knows Wood Release has miraculous effects on Tailed Beasts."

Sarutobi was still somewhat skeptical, hiding this doubt in his heart for now, and directly ordered:

"Notify all teams to maintain alertness and withdraw from the front lines. Disengage contact with the Hidden Mist."

"Yes."

The ANBU instantly disappeared. Because the Land of Fire and the Land of Water were separated by the sea, battles between the two were small-scale elite conflicts; large ninja armies simply couldn't be transported.

"Hiruzen, now is the best time for a full pursuit! It's not too late to retract the order!" Danzo finally couldn't hold back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen barely paid him any attention: "Enough people have died already. Healing the wounds first is the right way."

"Nonsense! If we don't teach the Hidden Mist a lesson they'll never forget, they will come a second time. Hiruzen! I've noticed since the Battle of Kikyo Pass that you've changed, become cowardly. Can you still lead Konoha like this!"

Danzo's voice suddenly rose, attracting sideways glances from the surrounding ninjas. It was rare in Konoha's history for two high-ranking officials to argue in public.

Those pro-war factions who had lost relatives and friends were undoubtedly very dissatisfied. It was easy to start a war, but difficult to end one and cut off hatred.

Feeling those gazes, Sarutobi Hiruzen looked coldly at his old friend. In a sense, this was forcing his hand.

But he had already decided to step down; he no longer cared about these things.

"Since sensei passed away and I took over Konoha, I have led Konoha through two Great Ninja Wars, and the result of this war is the same as before."

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, pointing at the huge hole in the wall and the faintly visible ruins within.

"There is no complete victor; all ninja villages are exhausted. Ensure Konoha's status as the victor and quit while ahead."

Killing back and forth, consuming everything accumulated over ten years. He was tired, and the five great nations were also tired.

He raised his hand to stop Danzo from speaking, saying firmly, "My mind is made up. Begin ceasefire negotiations immediately. Leave the subsequent matters to the Fourth Hokage. This is a Hokage order."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stated his intentions clearly. After the war ended, it was time to change to a younger person, a young Fourth Hokage who understood how to recuperate.

Watching his old friend's departing back, Danzo quietly clenched his fists. He agreed with retirement, but he absolutely did not agree with that candidate for the Fourth Hokage.

And there was only one way to change it: keep fighting, accumulate hatred through killing, let the pro-war faction become mainstream, and finally use democracy to overthrow the Hokage.

"The war must not stop!"

The Third Hokage still didn't know that Danzo had reached a degree of madness for a certain obsession. He walked towards Konoha in the rain, and then encountered an unexpected person at the breach in the wall.

"It's Jiraiya."

"Sorry, I'm late." Jiraiya wore battle attire, his ninja vest surprisingly made of metal.

"It's nothing. The battle is already over. It's just a pity for the children who sacrificed themselves in the battle."

Both sighed lightly. The initial casualty figures had already come out. Actually, not many ninjas died; mostly civilians within the village. When Konoha was built, no one expected a Tailed Beast to charge in one day.

Jiraiya saw Kakashi stumbling through the rain curtain carrying a corpse, and his heart couldn't help but stir.

"What about that Hanyu Otonashi?"

"He went to carry out another mission, but the squad was wiped out, and his own whereabouts are unknown."

Whereabouts unknown mostly meant killed in action. Jiraiya paused, thinking of that young 'great teacher' (likely referring to Otonashi's potential/skill), his brows furrowed, rarely looking so grave.

"I'm really fed up with war."

"Who isn't? Killing back and forth is meaningless. It's time to end all this."

"Is a ceasefire coming?"

"Yes, at least that's Konoha's attitude. The other three countries shouldn't have objections either. Those who liked war have already achieved martyrdom." Sarutobi Hiruzen replied somewhat mockingly.

"It should end." Jiraiya looked at the overcast sky, scratching the back of his head.

The illustrations are only one-fifth done. Who should I find for the rest?

Looking at his own disciple, honestly, Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't agree with Jiraiya's ideals, because he couldn't see even the slightest feasibility.

But ultimately, he didn't say another word. There are thousands of paths; go find your own.

........

Tap, tap, tap.

Footsteps echoed in the quiet underground cavity. On the slightly decaying wooden chair, Uchiha Madara slowly looked up.

His movements were slow, like someone nearing death, but when his eyes saw the visitor, brilliance flashed and faded.

"Have you found the answer? Obito."

No need for a reply. Beneath the calm expression, a storm seemed to be brewing. Uchiha Obito stopped in front of Madara.

"Yes. All the mistakes lie in this ugly world, which only has greed and killing left."

"Correct. As long as humans possess intelligence, your ideal can never be realized."

The old man stood up, walking forward step by step. Several vine-like tubes behind him stretched, finally breaking and bursting with white liquid.

Madara immediately seemed to have his life drained away, using his last strength to place his hand on Obito's chest.

"Then go. Go change this world!"