On the battlefield, after the Hidden Cloud's defeat, the Hidden Leaf forces didn't immediately retreat; instead, they fortified their positions in case of a counterattack.
Soon after, reinforcements arrived to join the front lines. The Leaf had now established a camp of over 600 ninjas in the Land of Frost—a formidable force that could withstand any attempt at retaliation from the Hidden Cloud.
In the camp, the atmosphere was confident. Not only was one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, present, but the invincible Kazuya Yahara himself was among them!
Kazuya's victory over the Hidden Cloud's Jinchuriki had turned him into a living legend among the Leaf forces.
Now, wherever Kazuya went, fellow Leaf ninja greeted him with admiration, some awestruck, others reverent. Many young kunoichi couldn't hide their excitement, their eyes sparkling as they greeted him, some almost pressing themselves against him.
Kazuya couldn't help but reflect, "Strength and power do attract a certain reverence."
Standing in the Land of Frost, he gazed in the direction of the Hidden Cloud, his mind flashing forward to the future battles that would shape the ninja world.
In time, countless powerful individuals would clash on these lands—figures like Madara Uchiha with his Perfect Susanoo, Hashirama Senju with his Wood Release, Obito Uchiha in his darker days, Eternal Mangekyo Sasuke, Sage Mode Naruto, the Ten-Tails, and many others with powers rivaling those of the Six Paths.
Each of them wielded enough power to shake the ninja world to its core.
Kazuya's eyes glistened with anticipation. "Such an epic future awaits," he thought, envisioning the legendary clashes yet to come.
In the next ten days, the Leaf Village continued to send reinforcements, eliminating any thoughts the Hidden Cloud had of retaliation. Both sides kept the conflict controlled, restricting it to skirmishes of around a hundred combatants without further escalation.
Eventually, the war gave way to negotiations. After several intense rounds of talks, the two sides reached a private agreement: the Hidden Cloud would pay reparations, the Hidden Leaf would withdraw its forces, and both villages agreed to a truce.
Of course, this diplomacy came at the cost of the Hidden Cloud's Fourth Raikage smashing up his office in a rage.
Overall, the Hidden Leaf had won hands down, a success owed entirely to Kazuya Yahara's unmatched strength.
Stories about Kazuya's feats spread across the village, raising his reputation to even greater heights. Witnessing him destroy two Jinchuriki and annihilate the Hidden Cloud's forces firsthand, Leaf ninjas and civilians alike began to view Kazuya as a rising star.
Leaders of major clans were even beginning to consider ways to forge alliances with Kazuya.
In the Uchiha District, Fugaku Uchiha, who had returned from the battlefield days earlier, sat on a tatami mat with his body wrapped in bandages, his injuries from fighting Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, still apparent.
Contemplating quietly, Fugaku turned to his son Itachi. "Itachi, I've secured an opportunity for you. Stay close to Kazuya Yahara—become his disciple if possible."
"This is important, not only for you but for the Uchiha clan as well. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Father," Itachi responded with a determined nod.
Fugaku knew that this wasn't an ordinary command. Hidden Leaf's top leadership, ever since the days of the Second Hokage, had been suspicious and distrustful of the Uchiha. This resentment had only grown after the Nine-Tails' attack on the village, intensifying like a powder keg ready to explode.
In Fugaku's eyes, the village elders—Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, as well as the Hokage himself—could not be trusted.
For this reason, Fugaku had decided to place his faith in Kazuya.
It was clear from recent village rumors that the Hokage had personally arranged for Kazuya to train under Tsunade, one of the Sannin. This was a significant endorsement.
In Hidden Leaf, the tradition of mentorship was taken very seriously. The Second Hokage trained Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage, as well as other high-ranking officials like Danzo and the advisors. In turn, Hiruzen trained the Sannin—Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru—and Tsunade and Orochimaru were both contenders for the title of Fourth Hokage at one point. Even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was a pupil of Jiraiya.
During the Third Shinobi War, when relations between the Uchiha and the village softened, Minato even accepted Kakashi, Obito, and Rin as his apprentices.
For Fugaku, this was his gamble. A bet that Kazuya Yahara would be the key to the Uchiha's future.
This is essentially training for the Fifth Hokage!
This was essentially the Five Hokage nurturing the next generation!
But alas!
Obito sacrificed himself!
On the night of the Nine-Tails attack, the fox's eyes were Sharingan, which only exacerbated the already fragile relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village!
Thinking back on it, Fugaku Uchiha felt a sharp pain in his gut.
Damn it!
Three years ago, even he, the clan leader, had no power to control the Nine-Tails. Whose Sharingan was it, anyway?!
This blame was suddenly thrust upon the Uchiha clan, and there was no way to shake it off!
If he ever found out who was responsible, he'd twist that person's head right off!
...
A few days later.
The revised peace treaty between Konoha and Kumogakure, version 2.0, was officially in effect.
Unless something unexpected happened, this peace treaty would remain valid until Kirabi and the two Kumo-nin in the ICU recovered.
To be honest, Kazuya still admired those war-hungry Kumogakure ninjas.
If they were all as cowardly as the Kazekage, Rasa, where would he get the chance to gather so many attributes?
Currently, Kazuya's personal status panel is as follows:
[Host: Kazuya]
[Age: 21]
[Level: Super Shadow Level]
[Chakra: LV5 (182,183,900/1,000,000)]
[Eye Power: LV3 (4,700/5,000)]
[Sage Energy: LV3 (3,900/5,000)]
[Tailed Beast Power: LV4 (17,000/100,000)]
[Ninjutsu: Perfect Kirin, Fireball Technique LV5, Great Fireball Technique LV5, Phoenix Fire Technique LV5, Wind Cutter Technique LV5, Vacuum Sphere LV5...]
[Taijutsu: Konoha-ryu Body Technique LV5, Konoha Whirlwind LV5...]
[Genjutsu: Narakami LV3, Three Absolute Sakura LV2, Here Is Not LV2...]
[Bloodline Limit: Sharingan, Byakugan, Wood Release]
[Special Skills: Flying Thunder God Technique LV3, Body Flicker Technique LV5, Instantaneous Technique LV5]
...
Super Shadow level!
180,000 chakra!
Combined with his eye power, sage energy, and tailed beast power, plus mastery over all seven chakra natures: fire, lightning, wind, earth, water, yin, and yang.
Unknowingly, Kazuya's innate talents had reached an incredibly formidable level.
"Now, even if I encounter Pain of the Six Paths, I'm not so sure who would win or lose!"
Kazuya felt very confident.
Besides his incredible strength and talent, he possessed a frightening cheat: the ability to know everything!
In the ninja world, intelligence was crucial in battle.
And Kazuya was the one who knew all the details!
He likely understood Pain's true nature better than Nagato himself!
So, if he ever encountered him, he wouldn't end up like Jiraiya, caught off guard due to a lack of information!
This would further enhance Kazuya's strength!
That was quite terrifying!
...