Chapter 69: The Timely Death of the Kage

The large-scale battle recently concluded between Konoha and Sunagakure reached its peak in a large-scale engagement that had actually lasted only half a day. The subsequent pursuit continued for three days—this was when Konoha achieved its greatest results. The battlefield cleanup dragged out over two weeks before finally being declared complete.

For Konoha, the significance of this campaign wasn't merely about defeating Suna—it was more about largely freeing itself from the all-consuming Great Ninja War. Previously, Konoha had already signed an alliance pact with Kumo, and now with Suna crippled by their forces, Iwagakure, blocked by the extended frontlines from Kumo, could no longer directly attack the Land of Fire. As for the final party, Mist, they hadn't yet engaged Konoha in direct combat during this war, meaning that despite mutual wariness, both sides remained undisturbed by each other.

Further still, even if the end of the Ninja World War remained distant, at the very least Konoha could finally breathe a significant sigh of relief. After this battle, it would be unlikely for Konoha to face such large-scale warfare again within this war.

Unless Kumo decided to break the Alliance Agreement with Konoha.

Konoha had fully overcome the decline caused by the death of the Second Hokage. Even if minor skirmishes with other villages broke out later, the confidence and momentum gained from this victory would allow Konoha's ninja to remain strong. In this First Great Ninja War, at the very least, Hidden Leaf could now guarantee itself "undefeated."

This victory also brought benefits to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Firstly, having defeated and killed the Second Kazekage in battle significantly boosted his popularity and authority. Now, though some might still question his experience, such remarks were made with more respect than doubt.

It wouldn't be long before the word "Acting" preceding his title as Hokage could finally be dropped.

The unrest caused by Kagami Uchiha's death would quickly fade in the wake of such a decisive victory. Within a short time, the various clans of Konoha would unite once again, rallying together under the leadership of the new Hokage.

Though fundamentally these achievements rested upon the foundation laid by the Second Hokage, as a hastily appointed successor, Hiruzen Sarutobi's performance still deserved recognition. Battlefield achievements were the fastest way to silence opposition. Clearly, everything happening now was inseparable from Sarutobi's personal struggle. Setting aside individual bravery, it was his decisive judgment—choosing to strike against Suna even amidst doubts and internal hesitation from the Uchiha—that mattered most for a Hokage. It was this determination and situational awareness that truly deserved commendation.

Unlike regular ninja like Haseo who didn't care much for titles or reputation, a Hokage needed to be renowned.

If renewing the alliance with Kumo could be considered a legacy of the Second Hokage, then leading the large-scale operation against Suna was entirely the triumph of the Third Hokage himself… Thus, he truly deserved acknowledgment.

As for Sunagakure on the other side of the battle, the consequences of this conflict could be described as "a weight too heavy for life to bear." After this battle, they were no longer capable of launching large-scale offensives against Konoha and were forced to adopt a completely defensive strategy...

Especially considering they had lost the Second Kazekage.

As Haseo would say: "Headmen fall like flies—today just happened to be my turn."

The Second Hokage, the Second Raikage, and the Second Kazekage had all perished in this Great Ninja World War. Although the Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage still lived, they were already living on borrowed time... From Haseo's memories, both the Second Mizukage and Second Tsuchikage would ultimately kill each other and perish together during this war.

Yet after achieving victory in this campaign, the Third Hokage did not seize this triumphant momentum to invade the Land of Wind. Instead, his very first order after the war was to divide Konoha's frontline ninja into two groups and recall three thousand shinobi back to the village for rest and recovery—exactly matching Suna's losses in this battle.

In other words, even if Konoha halved its frontline forces, it could still hold its ground against Sunagakure.

This action from the Hokage might appear somewhat "hesitant," but in reality, circumstances left him with no choice. Many frontline Leaf ninja had been fighting continuously without respite; they were mentally and physically exhausted, reaching a point where rest had become absolutely essential—not everyone, like Haseo, had only just arrived at the front lines. There were many shinobi who hadn't returned to the village since the start of the Great Ninja World War.

In a sense, allowing these ninja to rest ensured greater long-term combat sustainability, showing forward-thinking planning. At the same time, withdrawing troops also sent a signal from the Hokage to Sunagakure—that Konoha held no interest in invading the Land of Wind; as long as you don't cause trouble anymore, we'd happily remain silent.

Any Suna leader with even a shred of political sense would jump at this chance.

With the loss of a Kage generation leader, internal unrest became inevitable for each village. Kumo stabilized its chaos through assistance from Konoha, Konoha itself achieved stability through dealings with Suna—but what about Sunagakure? Regardless of whom they might rely on, internal issues must now take priority... At the very least, a new successor for Kazekage needed to be determined.

Now that the war had reached its present state, no matter what initial objectives each village aimed for when starting the war, those plans had certainly failed. No one could control the direction of a world war; ambitions from earlier had already vanished into thin air. Yet despite having no hope of achieving their original goals, the war still had to continue—though now, all sides fought merely for the sake of fighting.

But taking a higher, historical perspective on the significance of the First Great Ninja War, despite various original motives that had gone unfulfilled, its results proved extremely significant—precisely because of this war, two distinct eras had been thoroughly separated.

In the course of the First Great Ninja War, all remnants of the Warring Era completely vanished, and the Hidden Village system was fully consolidated.

All the Second Kages who had emerged from the Warring Era inevitably perished on the battlefield. The new generation of Kages in each village were cultivated within these villages. Even if some among them had experienced chaos, the imprint left by the Hidden Village system upon them far surpassed that of the previous era.

As the older generation of ninja died in battle, a new breed trained by the Hidden Villages marched onto the battlefield once more. Through this cycle of replacement, the Hidden Village system had become unshakable… Even though the ancient shinobi clans still held considerable influence within each village, they could never again return to their former state of autonomy and independence.

The sad truth is, even decades later, some clans still failed to recognize this overwhelming trend.

War served as the direct catalyst, but it was the combined effect of various objective factors that ultimately led to such an outcome. As the saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words." Perhaps he, whose mind might have been somewhat foggy at times, did not foresee that the Hidden Village system he created would solidify in such a brutal manner.

The fire of Konoha burns eternally, sustained by the blood of its ninja. And once blood mingles with blood, there can be no separation.

P.S.:

Too many updates can leave you feeling... hollow?

Backache, fatigue,

Low energy

Feeling drained

Overworked your liver?

Want to recover from burnout?

Try recommended tickets from Cutie Nyan

Vote emergency style 24/7

Hello! We've got your back!

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>