While Kirigakure withdrew most of its forces, closed the nation's gates under Rei Kaguya's dictatorial rule, and quietly carried out internal route adjustments and institutional reforms after the war, the other nations and shinobi villages were still deploying considerable numbers of shinobi along their borders, constantly maintaining vigilance against their neighbors.
This was not strange.
Even during the age when Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, suppressed the world, all nations had often seen conflicts of varying sizes.
Sometimes, they were merely clashes between shinobi squads.
Sometimes, they developed into low-intensity local wars.
No one had ever truly believed peace had arrived.
No one had ever abandoned the possibility of seizing profit through war.
This was the world of shinobi.
A chaotic land that had never once detached itself from words such as violence, conspiracy, slaughter, and war.
A place where even after signing non-aggression ceasefire agreements, one could tear them apart like wastepaper at any moment because the other side revealed weakness or an opening, then brazenly launch war.
Under such circumstances, the Land of Rain, which bordered the three great powers of the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth and had historically become a battlefield between great nations many times, suddenly underwent a change in regime.
There were even signs that the distant Land of Water had interfered.
Naturally, this drew vigilance and attention from the surrounding nations.
Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
"There is no need to pay too much attention…?"
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, looked at Granny Chiyo's calm expression and frowned in incomprehension.
"But they supported the Akatsuki in rising to power, seized control of the Land of Rain, and even personally helped the Akatsuki suppress Amegakure's original leader, Hanzo of the Salamander. Should we not be wary of such aggressive and proactive actions?"
"That kind of thing is nothing more than a disguise Kirigakure created to cover up its own weakness."
Granny Chiyo, who possessed rich life experience and had fought experts from many nations, sighed.
She looked at the Fourth Kazekage before her, who was still too young and inexperienced, and spoke with a dark expression.
"That bone brat called Rei Kaguya did indeed reverse the war situation between Kirigakure and Konoha by himself. But if Kirigakure had more than just him as a strong fighter, then for something as minor as supporting a proxy to rise to power, what need would there be for him, the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage, to personally make a trip?"
"Because Amegakure's leader was Hanzo?" Rasa said uncertainly. "Although he was once forced to admit defeat because Amegakure's strength was insufficient, Hanzo is still a shinobi who stands at the peak of the shinobi world. Aside from that Fourth Mizukage, who is as strong as a monster, even if one searched the entire shinobi world, probably no one would dare guarantee they could defeat him completely in a one-on-one battle…"
"That old man with the respirator is indeed quite strong. That is precisely why Rei Kaguya used him as a target to display his own strength to the entire shinobi world."
Granny Chiyo shook her head.
She walked to the window of the Kazekage's office with her hands behind her back, looked at the yellow sand filling the sky outside, and slowly said, "Hanzo was not only viewed as the peak of shinobi. He also had a reputation as a Water Release user whom no one could surpass."
"In the past, Kirigakure shut itself away and did not participate in the wars of the shinobi world. So even if Hanzo carried such an exaggerated title, no one would deliberately go trouble him because of it."
"But now, that bone brat who became Mizukage at such a young age is not as conservative as the Third Mizukage. He is strong, young, and ambitious. Whether it is the title of shinobi's peak or the title of strongest Water Release user, both are greatly beneficial to him when he is almost single-handedly supporting Kirigakure."
"That is why he used the opportunity of supporting the Akatsuki's rise to defeat Hanzo head-on, a man who would not have much interaction with him in the short term, and seized all the reputation and glory from Hanzo's body. He did it to maintain Kirigakure's external dignity, intimidate the other nations eyeing Kirigakure's shortage of high-end combat strength, and buy time for his internal reforms and development."
"I see…"
Rasa nodded thoughtfully.
From Granny Chiyo's analysis, he understood many deeper considerations that he had never thought about before.
"So even though such a monster appeared, Kirigakure is also in a state of weakness like us?"
"More or less. The Third Mizukage is dead. It is said that he was once controlled by someone with Sharingan genjutsu. If this is true, then to Rei Kaguya, who has just taken power, the core loyalists of the Third Mizukage are all people with the possibility of having colluded with the enemy. Even if their suspicion is cleared, he cannot possibly entrust them with important positions again."
Granny Chiyo nodded with her back to Rasa and continued with a sigh.
"And the shinobi of Rei Kaguya's generation have yet to grow up. On top of that, Kirigakure's Three-Tails and Six-Tails have both yet to find suitable Jinchuriki… If Rei Kaguya's existence is excluded, Kirigakure's current strength is probably even a little weaker than ours."
"…Because he alone cannot support everything, he deliberately set up the Akatsuki as a new target to divert others' attention?" Rasa murmured.
"Do not gloat too much. No matter how poor Rei Kaguya's situation is, at least he possesses strength that stands at the top of the shinobi world. He can intimidate the vast majority of those eyeing Kirigakure. But you are different, Rasa."
Granny Chiyo turned around and said with a gloomy face, "Ebizo and I are both old. Shukaku's Jinchuriki, Bunpuku, has also reached the end of his natural lifespan. But we still have not found a new vessel capable of holding Shukaku. If we cannot find a suitable Jinchuriki quickly, then if Sunagakure relies only on you, perhaps it will become the next Amegakure."
"The next Amegakure? Granny Chiyo, are you saying…" Rasa's expression became solemn. "Kirigakure may attack us?"
"I do not know whether Rei Kaguya has such terrifying ambition. But increasing your own strength, remaining vigilant at all times, and guarding against everyone around you is never wrong… In this world, weak nations are born guilty."
Granny Chiyo shook her head and turned to the photographs on Rasa's desk.
"Continue searching for a new Jinchuriki candidate. If there truly is no other way… Rasa, let your next child become Shukaku's Jinchuriki."
"If it is for the village… I will talk to Karura."
Rasa took a deep breath and tried hard to remain calm.
…
Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
The small-statured Onoki of Both Scales sat in his seat, silently reading through the urgent intelligence scroll sent back by Iwagakure's spies.
Below him, nearly a hundred Iwagakure jonin had gathered in the hall, waiting together for their Third Tsuchikage's thoughts and speech regarding this sudden incident.
"First, it was the Dead Bone Pulse. Then Sage Arts… And now, even Ice Release, a Kekkei Genkai like that, is in your possession too, brat of the Kaguya clan?"
Onoki lowered the intelligence scroll in his hand and let out a long sigh.
As a shinobi of the older generation who had lived from the previous era until now, Onoki had once personally witnessed the battle between the two strongest shinobi of the last age.
That world-destroying might, which far exceeded other shinobi by more than a single dimension, had once made him unable to stop yearning for it.
At the same time, it had also destroyed the Will of Stone he had inherited from his grandfather, the First Tsuchikage.
And now, looking at the scroll in his hand, from those brief written descriptions and the few photographs attached, he actually felt once again the same feeling he had experienced when facing those two men directly back then.
"Lord Onoki, what should we do?"
A young Iwagakure jonin looked at Onoki, who had closed his eyes without speaking, and took the initiative to ask.
"Although we Iwagakure are the farthest from Kirigakure, when it comes to grudges between villages, even Konoha, which has only just frustrated Kirigakure's war objective, can hardly compare with us… I believe there is a very high chance that what happened in Amegakure was a provocation and declaration of war sent to us by the Fourth Mizukage."
"That is right, Lord Onoki. The Fourth Mizukage not only used Water Release to defeat Amegakure's shinobi, he also deliberately used Ice Release, a Kekkei Genkai unique to Kirigakure, to seal Hanzo. This was not only a display of his personal military strength. It was also a display of his control over Kirigakure's major bloodline clans…"
As Iwagakure shinobi, they were not too surprised by the idea that a Kekkei Genkai could be learned.
After all, their leader, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, had once learned the Kekkei Tota, Particle Style, which was stronger than Kekkei Genkai, from the Second Tsuchikage Mu, who had no blood relationship with him.
But when they thought about how Kirigakure, the village with the deepest hatred toward Iwagakure, was doing everything possible to strengthen its new Mizukage, Iwagakure's shinobi still could not help feeling anxious.
"…Matters have not reached that point yet. Do not throw yourselves into disorder so casually, brats."
Onoki opened his eyes.
His gaze was bright and piercing, carrying both the dignity of a Kage and the reliability of an elder as he spoke in a deep voice.
"Before considering when Kirigakure will attack Iwagakure, you may as well first think about how to maintain our relationship with Konoha."
"No matter how capable Rei Kaguya is, he cannot cross the entire distance of the Land of Fire and drop Kirigakure's shinobi into Iwagakure."
"As long as we can maintain our relationship with Konoha, then let Konoha, which is closest to Kirigakure, bear Kirigakure's main offensive. Before Konoha is conquered, we do not need to worry about Kirigakure's advance."
"And if Rei Kaguya breaks in alone, intending to destroy Iwagakure with his own power in order to crush our will to resist…"
Onoki paused.
Then he picked up a stone from beside him, his expression solemn.
"Then this old man will hold him back and let the young people in the village escape as quickly as possible."
"As long as the young inherit our Will of Stone and stubbornly survive, there will always come a day when Iwagakure is built again."
"In addition, summon all young shinobi in the village who possess the three chakra natures of Fire, Earth, and Wind. After confirming that their backgrounds are clean and reliable, this old man will select disciples from among them and teach them Particle Style, to serve as Iwagakure's future trump card against external enemies."
"What!? Lord Tsuchikage, are you serious!? That is the Kekkei Tota Lord Mu taught you, a power only you possess in the entire shinobi world! If you teach it to others just like this…"
An older, more stable jonin could not help standing up.
With a look of disbelief, he expressed his opinion to Onoki.
But Onoki merely waved his hand at him.
It was as if he had released some kind of restraint. Slowly and firmly, he said, "This old man is already a decayed elder who can no longer improve. No matter how much the people of the village believe in me, this old man cannot become stronger than he is now."
"The outside world is changing so quickly. It has already reached the time when we must change and believe in the young people of the village."
"The core of the Will of Stone is perseverance and immovability. As long as that will still exists, who exactly leads everyone forward is not important."
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