After uttering these words, Hanzō controlled his Salamander and slowly departed, leaving the three Sannin standing there in stunned silence.
In truth, Hanzō's decision to name the Sannin stemmed from his unwillingness to further antagonize the victorious Konoha. However, he also harbored a deeper motive: to sow discord within Konoha.
The person Hanzō despised most was undoubtedly Mitarashi Zashi. Whether it was the outcome of the war or the suffering inflicted upon the Rain Village, Zashi had played a pivotal role.
Hanzō knew the inner workings of Konoha like the back of his hand. By bestowing this title upon the Sannin, he aimed to elevate their status and grant them a significant share of the credit and prestige for winning the Second Shinobi World War. This would strengthen the power of the Hokage lineage and exacerbate the existing conflict with the emerging "new faction."
It was a subtle and insidious tactic. The relatively young Sannin might not see through it yet, but Sarutobi Hiruzen, upon learning of this, would undoubtedly recognize Hanzō's ploy.
However, even if Hiruzen realized the truth, he would likely play along to bolster the Hokage lineage. After all, who would refuse such a gift of prestige and credit?
Following this, the Sannin encountered Uzumaki Nagato and his companions, just as in the original timeline. Jiraiya, too, made the same decision and became their mentor. It was likely they would return to Konoha after three years, as in the original story.
Naturally, Aizen coveted Nagato's Rinnegan. However, he was well aware of the immense power and attention surrounding those eyes. Numerous unseen forces were undoubtedly watching.
Aizen reasoned that with his current limited strength, any overt actions would likely lead to his demise. Thus, he reluctantly abandoned the idea.
Meanwhile, when Tsunade and Orochimaru returned to the Konoha Second Division headquarters, their initial mood was one of joy. In a sense, the war was already over.
However, Tsunade's happiness was short-lived. A ninja with a troubled expression appeared before her.
"What?! You said something went wrong?"
Upon hearing this shocking news, Tsunade's vision blurred, and she nearly collapsed.
However, Tsunade, already recognized as a top ninja in the world, quickly composed herself and demanded specific information from the intelligence ninja.
Guided by the ninja, Tsunade rushed to the location where Kato Dan's incident had occurred, her heart heavy with sorrow.
"Ugh!"
Orochimaru sighed helplessly and followed Tsunade. Although he didn't particularly care for Kato Dan, this involved his longtime friend. He couldn't leave Tsunade to face this alone.
When they arrived, Tsunade immediately spotted Kato Dan's mutilated body.
"Dan!"
A heart-wrenching cry escaped her lips as she threw herself onto his corpse. Avibrant green chakra emanated from her hands as she desperately tried to heal the lifeless Kato Dan.
"Don't die... please don't die..." Tsunade sobbed, channeling her medical ninjutsu with a mix of grief and desperation.
After a while, the distraught Tsunade finally realized that Kato Dan was beyond saving. The image of her beloved brother, Nawaki, flashed before her eyes. He too had been severely injured, lying cold and silent, unable to speak to her again.
They had both closed their eyes, forever unable to look at her.
"Blood..."
Tsunade raised her trembling hands, staring at the blood on her palms. Her mind raced, and her body convulsed violently.
As a peak-level ninja, she suddenly found herself unable to even stand. Fear and pain contorted her face.
"Tsunade?!"
Alarmed by her alarming state, Orochimaru rushed forward to examine her.
And just like that, Tsunade, the granddaughter of the First Hokage and newly titled Sannin, succumbed to Hemophobia.
From a combat perspective, she was essentially useless.
It was around this time that Aizen, the perpetrator, emerged from the river. With his customary false smile, he returned to the Konoha camp.
Upon arrival, he learned of Kato Dan's fate from Minato Namikaze.
"Oh dear, Tsunade-sensei must be devastated. She had just recovered from Nawaki's death, and now this happens," Aizen feigned concern for his teacher.
"Indeed, Lady Tsunade is...ah, it's likely she'll be consumed by grief for a long time," Minato sighed, then offered Aizen some words of comfort. "But the war is over, and I believe that with time, Lady Tsunade will recover."
"Mmm," Aizen nodded solemnly, though he didn't genuinely care.
Although the circumstances differed slightly from the original timeline, Kato Dan had ultimately met his end at Aizen's hands. Aizen suspected that Tsunade would likely develop a similar phobia as in the original story. This would render her effectively useless for decades to come.
"Perhaps I should go and console Tsunade-sensei later. If she ever discovers that I killed Kato Dan... her reaction would be quite amusing," Aizen thought wickedly.
However, he quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea. While the thought was tempting, Aizen believed his time would be better spent studying a Genin technique.
Aizen might possess a mischievous streak, but he didn't enjoy wasting time on frivolous matters.
After chatting with Minato for a while, Aizen took his leave. Of course, he would eventually offer Tsunade some words of comfort, to maintain his facade. But deep down, he didn't care much about her feelings.
He resumed his daily training routine.
Within a few days of the war's conclusion, the Land of Rain issued a statement acknowledging its defeat and offering reparations to Konoha. Although Sunagakure remained silent, their actions spoke volumes as they returned to the Land of Wind empty-handed.
Thus, the Second Shinobi World War officially came to an end.