"How do you have the nerve to talk about me!?"
The Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, angrily berated the Second Tsuchikage, even forcibly silencing him. "The dead should stay quiet!"
"You—!"
The Second Tsuchikage was so enraged that he felt a headache coming on.
Ultimately, he had voluntarily withdrawn from the battlefield. The moment his battle plans were sensed by Shigen, his strategy had already failed. Had this been a real fight, he would have died. The only reason he was spared was because of Shigen's mercy.
"Next..."
"Only two remain..."
Satisfied with his results, Shigen turned his gaze toward the Second Kazekage, Shamon, and the Second Mizukage, Gengetsu Hōzuki, preparing for his next commission.
"To be honest,"
"We are no match for Lord Shigen."
"I might as well just surrender—better than ending up like that bandaged guy!"
Gengetsu Hōzuki immediately raised both hands in surrender. He had barely contributed in the battle, spending most of it slacking off, and now decisively chose to give up.
"..."
Shigen's eyelid twitched.
The Mizukage had surrendered so quickly that he didn't even have time to accept the commission to defeat him!
But…
He still had time.
Because the Second Kazekage, Shamon, was an honest man. He couldn't act as recklessly as the Mizukage.
Shigen quickly accepted the commission to bring peace to the First Great Ninja War, then turned his full attention to Shamon.
"Surrendering would be too much of a disgrace for a Kage..."
Shamon cast a sidelong glance at the Mizukage beside him, clearly displeased with his decision to give up so easily.
"Then keep fighting!"
Gengetsu Hōzuki retorted without hesitation.
"..."
Shamon shook his head. He looked at Shigen seriously, then respectfully bowed his head. "Even before this battle began, Sunagakure was already willing to accept Lord Shigen's desire for peace."
It was obvious.
With the loss of the Second Tsuchikage, there was no hope of victory for the two of them.
Even though the Mizukage still had a few secret techniques left, against Shigen's seal-less jutsu, he had no opportunity to use them.
As for Shamon…
With the artificially created harsh weather, his sand manipulation was completely ineffective. He didn't believe that he and the Mizukage together could defeat Shigen.
After all…
Their fighting styles were incompatible.
Under these conditions, their chances of victory were nearly nonexistent. Rather than tarnishing the reputation of both their villages, it was better to let the Tsuchikage alone take the fall.
"Is the war… over?"
Someone finally voiced the question that was on everyone's mind.
Even though the alliance between Kumogakure and Konoha had yet to respond, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure had all chosen peace. If Kumogakure and Konoha continued the war, it would be in poor taste—especially since they had originally wanted peace as well.
"This is only the end of the first war…"
Madara Uchiha, as expected, had to pour cold water on the celebration. He looked at the cheering shinobi and the bickering Tsuchikage and Mizukage before commenting, "The next war isn't far away."
"I'm satisfied just being able to see this one end."
Shigen sighed, as if worried about the future of the ninja world.
That being said…
The formal peace ceremony was still conducted with great solemnity.
The Second Mizukage, Second Kazekage, and Second Tsuchikage formally declared in front of all present that their three villages would end the war together.
[SSS-Rank Commission: End the First Great Ninja War. Defeat the instigators—Second Tsuchikage Mū, Second Kazekage Shamon, and Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hōzuki—and make them willingly agree to peace. Commission complete. Reward: SSS-Rank Chakra (approx. 1,000 units).]
Though the reward felt a little underwhelming…
At least he had managed to accept the commission in time.
If Shamon had spoken any later, the commission might have disappeared—or worse, been accepted but left incomplete.
That would have been troublesome…
Shigen had no way to reverse time.
Regardless…
At least the mission was complete.
The entire ninja world was about to enter a state of peace. The only unresolved matter was Kumogakure and Konoha—whether they would choose to withdraw their troops.
"Kumogakure always wanted peace."
The future Third Raikage agreed. Since he had the authority to make battlefield decisions, and his strength and status in Kumogakure were unquestionable, he could speak on behalf of the village.
In contrast…
Konoha's situation was more complicated.
Although Sarutobi Sasuke also wanted to declare Konoha's acceptance of peace, and he believed it aligned with the Second Hokage's wishes, he ultimately didn't have the authority.
The best he could do was arrange for Konoha's forces to withdraw to the borders of the Land of Fire, preventing further provocation of the other villages.
However…
Sarutobi Sasuke didn't have to worry too much.
Because soon, Tobirama Senju received word from Kusagakure.
Far away in Kumogakure, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, along with the Second Raikage, received a peace proposal from Kumogakure's envoys.
Of course.
Not all of the news was good.
For instance, the future Third Raikage wanted to reconsider the alliance between Kumogakure and Konoha. During the peace ceremony that decided the fate of the ninja world, Konoha's behavior had been disgraceful. Their exploitation of Shigen, a great medical-nin, was utterly dishonorable.
"Dishonorable…"
The Second Raikage's expression darkened.
In this era, in Kumogakure, such an accusation was severe.
To put it bluntly…
If a Kumogakure shinobi was deemed dishonorable, they would be completely ostracized. No one in the village would want to associate with them.
It was simply the way of Kumogakure.
The Raikage lineage required a sworn brother, someone to train alongside the Raikage in powerful techniques. Without a strong sense of brotherhood and honor, one could never become Raikage.
"…"
Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others looked incredibly awkward.
They had grown used to Shigen's kindness and had never considered that taking advantage of it might be morally wrong. But now, the entire ninja world was condemning them for it.
Moreover…
According to the reports from Kumogakure, the duel that day had been an overwhelming spectacle.
Every other village had declared they would never exploit Shigen's neutral medical camp for military advantage. Yet Konoha had remained silent, leaving their shinobi utterly disgraced.
Even though Shigen had won the duel and ended the war, preventing the neutral camp from being used, Konoha's reputation had plummeted. From being seen as the First Hokage's peacekeepers, they had become a village of dishonor.
The fallout from that day was massive.
The Second Raikage could not suppress the spread of information.
The shinobi of Kumogakure treated the Konoha ninja with disdain, openly whispering about them.
Under such circumstances…
No one could bear to stay.
Even Kumogakure wanted them gone.
The Second Raikage, still a man of honor, followed through with the alliance—though it was a joyless ceremony.
Kumogakure's shinobi strongly opposed the alliance, fearing it would taint their village's reputation.
Then, as if taking advantage of the chaos, an expected—or perhaps inevitable—incident occurred.
The elders of Kumogakure, the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers, led their forces in a coup. Using the Sage of the Six Paths' relics, they severely wounded the Second Raikage.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, was also gravely injured in an ambush by the brothers. He was forced to retreat with his bodyguards in disarray.
It was not unexpected.
The Second Raikage's position had always been unstable.
And now, the coup had succeeded in one fell swoop.
Shigen's figure appeared before Tobirama Senju in a puff of summoning smoke.
As soon as he arrived, Shigen looked at Tobirama in surprise, seemingly unsure why he had been summoned.
"This is…"
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Powerstones?
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