A harsh winter descended early upon the Land of Fire—by several months.
At the same time that Kirigakure's forward base was decimated by a Tailed Beast Bomb, over a thousand Konoha shinobi were frozen within their encampment—wiped out instantly, without a chance to resist.
The sheer brutality, the bloodshed, and the scale of casualties from both sides had reached an unprecedented level. Even compared to the greatest wars of recent decades, this battle was something entirely different.
The names Yuki Yoru and Namikaze Minato echoed once again throughout the shinobi world—etched deeper than ever into its collective memory.
And when the battle report was finally delivered to the desks of the various village leaders… their reactions were unforgettable.
"Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"
Iwagakure.
In the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki's laughter shook the room. His elders looked puzzled—until they read the scroll in his hand. Shock swept across their faces, then slowly twisted into expressions of glee.
"Konoha and Kirigakure went that far? A total blood feud? Utterly idiotic!"
"Looks like Danzō finally lost his edge. The so-called 'Darkness of the Shinobi' made a move that stupid? No wonder Hiruzen became the Third Hokage and not him."
"Exactly! Kirigakure may be badly bloodied, but they can retreat to their offshore strongholds. But Konoha? Once their military is depleted… heh."
The Iwa elders began to chuckle with cruel delight, as if they were already watching a broken Konoha crumble under Iwagakure's onslaught.
"This is clearly a strategic miscalculation by Danzō," Ōnoki said, finally regaining his composure. "He never expected that Yuki Yoru could achieve what he did."
"To match the combined destructive power of Minato and the Nine-Tails by himself… He annihilated an entire force. That boy may be young, but he's a monster who can fight a whole army alone."
"Yoru… definitely someone worth watching. But it's not us who declared war on Kirigakure."
"Hahaha, true enough! Konoha and Kirigakure beat each other bloody—guess who's in the perfect position to seize the spoils?"
Ōnoki and the Iwa council exchanged knowing smiles.
And this wasn't the only village reacting.
Kumogakure.
Not long after receiving the battle report, the newly-appointed Fourth Raikage, A, called a high-level strategy meeting.
"I didn't expect the war to escalate like this after we withdrew," he said, arms crossed. "Do you think this is our chance to step back in?"
"Iwagakure has already committed all its forces to attacking Konoha. And now Konoha and Kirigakure have crippled each other. They've got nothing left."
Toroi, with short purple hair and triple lower lashes, leaned forward excitedly.
"In my opinion, this is the perfect time to strike, Lord Raikage."
"Kumogakure needs a major victory to announce your reign to the entire shinobi world."
Dodai, a stoic jonin with a wooden eye patch and black cap, added cautiously:
"But we need to understand one thing—how far will this fight between Kirigakure and Konoha go?"
"The power of Minato and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is absurd. If their war ends soon and they're free to act…"
"…we might not even want to go to war with Konoha."
This latest war had reminded everyone just how terrifying a Tailed Beast truly was—especially when paired with space-time ninjutsu. It wasn't just raw force—it was strategic, mobile annihilation.
Kirigakure had Yuki Yoru—the only factor balancing out that threat.
But if the war ended quickly, and Minato and Kushina were left unengaged...
Then no one would be able to stop them.
"So what?" one shinobi barked. "It's just a Tailed Beast. Don't we have our own?"
"Yeah! We've got the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails. We'll face Konoha head-on. Why would we be scared?"
"Exactly! Let's just go to war already, Lord Raikage!"
"Enough!"
The room fell silent at the cold command of Mabui, standing at the Raikage's side.
A's golden eyes scanned the room. Finally, he shook his head.
"Yugito still can't fully control the Two-Tails. Bee is training in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning."
"Right now, we don't have the Tailed Beast strength to match the Nine-Tails."
He exhaled.
"…Let them finish killing each other. This war is far from over. Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Konoha—they're all bleeding. We'll make our move when they're too weak to stand."
Everyone looked at each other in surprise.
None of them expected the usually hot-headed Raikage to be the one choosing restraint.
And yet, rather than disappointment, what followed… was approval.
This wasn't just the strength of a man—it was the wisdom of a Kage.
"Yes, Lord Raikage!"
Meanwhile…
"How did it come to this, Danzō?! Why has it spiraled this far out of control?!"
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi was seething, glaring at the heavily bandaged figure in front of him.
Over a thousand Konoha shinobi lost. Entire clans of bloodline and secret techniques decimated.
Even his own son...
"I had no choice, Hiruzen," Danzō murmured. "Kirigakure deployed the Three-Tails. Mizunomuki Yoru froze all of Higashimatsuyama in one move. I had to—"
"Had to?!" Hiruzen roared, cutting him off.
"And what, pray tell, was stopping you from negotiating?! From offering them resources?! From using literally any other option?!"
"They're a manpower-starved island nation. We could've given them land, even the Seven Ninja Swords we captured! Why choose the worst possible response?!"
"Yes, we drove them back—but at what cost?!"
"Konoha's elite are dead. The Third Great War barely ended, and we've already drained what little force we had left!"
"Kirigakure loses a battle? They can vanish overseas."
"We lose… and we have no one left!"
"Ōnoki's already moving. All we've got are the scraps we left on the Iwa front. The Sand front's been drained too. What's left?"
"…The academy students?"
CRACK!
Hiruzen slammed his pipe onto the desk, shattering it with a bang. Woodchips scattered.
His fury was uncontrollable—but in all his rage, he never once mentioned his fallen son.
Danzō bowed his head low.
In the end, this was his fault.
The Hokage's office sat in silence for a long time.
Finally, Hiruzen spoke.
"How many survived the front?"
"…Less than a hundred," Danzō answered.
"But Kirigakure's losses aren't much better…"
BOOOOM!!!