A terrifying surge of chakra flared from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. Despite being at the tail end of his prime, his fury was enough to make even Shimura Danzō instinctively fall silent and lower his head.
After a long silence, Hiruzen finally spoke, his voice cold and restrained.
"Where is Yuki Yoru? Has his location been confirmed?"
"…No," Danzō answered quietly, feeling the killing intent radiating from Hiruzen's glare. "After our final clash with Kirigakure… their forces were annihilated. Yoru fought one last battle with Minato and Kushina, then disappeared."
"Current estimates suggest he escorted the remaining Kirigakure survivors back to their village."
"Estimates?"
He was practically shouting.
A shinobi with space-time ninjutsu and the ability to unleash mass-scale devastation—and all they had were guesses about his location?
What if he appeared at the Iwa front? Or worse—inside Konoha itself?
Hiruzen could feel his blood pressure spiking, and he was just shy of literally exploding.
Sensing that his old comrade was reaching his breaking point, Danzō quickly added,
"Minato left a Flying Thunder God marker on Yoru. We should be able to track him to some extent."
Fat lot of good that would do. If the target used space-time ninjutsu, by the time the mark flared… the damage would already be done.
"No. We can't fight that man anymore."
Hiruzen took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"With Konoha's current state, we have no more troops to spare for any front. Send the Ninja Swords back. Inform Kirigakure—we're open to peace talks. We're even willing to compensate them for some of their losses."
"Peace talks?! Compensation?! Absolutely not!"
Danzō's voice rose in protest.
"Yes, we've suffered heavy casualties—but Kirigakure has it even worse. Their numbers are lower than ours. Why should we be the ones offering peace? Why should we pay them?! What about our own losses?!"
"Because they have Yuki Yoru," Hiruzen growled. "Do you think I want peace? Do you think I'm not furious?! My own son, Shinonosuke… is dead!"
"I want nothing more than to raze Kirigakure to the ground. But tell me, Danzō—how do we stop him? How do we stop Yoru? Konoha no longer has the strength to keep going, and you damn well know it!"
His rage nearly burst from his body. His veins bulged. But in the end… he deflated.
He sank back into his chair like a broken man.
"The Daimyō sent word yesterday. Due to our losses on the battlefield, parts of the Land of Fire have fallen into chaos—bandits, rogue ninja, and deserters are running wild. His personal guards have already taken casualties."
"We can't afford to extend this war any longer."
"If we don't stabilize the Kirigakure front, we can't focus our forces against Iwagakure. And without that, we'll never stop Ōnoki."
"…Understood," Danzō finally said.
In this world, the Daimyō wasn't just a ceremonial figurehead—he was the true head of state.
It was absurd—allowing a powerless noble to wield life-and-death authority over superhuman shinobi—but that was the system.
The Daimyō held absolute authority over both civilian government and military leadership—even the power to appoint or remove a Kage.
In return, the shinobi villages received protection from foreign invasion, along with funding, resources, and legitimacy.
It was thanks to the Daimyō's support that Konoha had been able to hold out this long against multiple major villages.
Danzō took a deep breath.
If even the Daimyō was pulling support, then there was no choice. Peace was the only option.
"I'll send a formal ceasefire proposal to the Third Mizukage," Hiruzen said, his tone grave. "We need a treaty. Fast. How many men do you have left in Root?"
"…Less than a third."
To hunt Yoru, Danzō had deployed nearly all of Root's elite. Most were lost. He barely escaped with his life.
Root was gutted. Only a few operatives remained in Konoha—barely enough to call it an organization.
"Then send them to the front lines. Let Orochimaru command them. He can focus on intel gathering."
"Understood."
"…You're injured. Rest for a few days. Recover."
"Yes."
This time, Danzō didn't argue.
He knew better than anyone—none of this would've happened if he hadn't underestimated Yuki Yoru.
Having relinquished command, Danzō left the Hokage's office with his cane in hand, his steps heavy.
Hiruzen remained alone at his desk. For a long while, he said nothing.
Eventually, his gaze drifted to a nearby photo frame.
Inside it, Sarutobi Shin'nosuke smiled brightly, bathed in the warm hues of the evening sun.
But as the sunlight faded, so too did the brightness in the photo—his son's joy swallowed by dusk.
"…Shin'nosuke…"
The old man's whisper was soft, pained.
He slumped in his chair, drained of strength—unable even to pull the photo back into the light.
He was old.
Elsewhere…
"Hey, Obito~"
"I brought you something interesting~ Obito~"
Tobi (Zetsu) emerged from a rock wall, his sing-song tone playful, like a mischievous child. He called into the shadows of a dark underground chamber, where a boy sat in quiet meditation.
Uchiha Obito didn't respond.
Tobi (Zetsu) kept chattering—until he got too close.
A black rod of chakra nearly impaled his head—slamming into the wall just inches behind him.
"Whoa! Scary! Come on, Obito, I'm bringing you good intel, and you try to kill me?"
"Enough, Zetsu. This isn't the time for games."
The air around Obito thickened with bloodlust. His Sharingan glowed crimson.
Zetsu shrank back—until a voice from deeper within the cave spared him.
"…Always so serious…"
Uchiha Madara spoke, interrupting the tension.
"Fine, fine," Zetsu said, rolling his eyes. "It's about the battle between Konoha and Kirigakure."
"Namikaze Minato and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki clashed with Yuki Yoru. Both sides destroyed each other's camps completely…"
Zetsu mumbled a few more complaints, but sensing Obito's rising anger, he quickly dropped the attitude and got to the point—delivering a rapid-fire report of everything he had gathered.
"Mutually assured destruction, huh… What a pathetic strategy," Obito scoffed.
But Madara… looked up, his expression slightly changed.
"You said Yuki Yoru… froze the entire Konoha encampment by himself?"
"Yup! Misawa Bridge, Kazama Valley, Onshirato Mining Area—frozen solid! All the Konoha shinobi in those zones—dead as stone! So cold, so, so cold!"
Zetsu shivered exaggeratedly, hugging himself.
"…To kill that many alone…"
Madara murmured, his aged voice grim.
The red glow of his three-tomoe Sharingan flickered under his white hair.
"This… may be a troublesome problem."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin