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Chapter 103 - Fame Echoes Across the Ninja World

Compared to the earlier skirmishes between Konoha and Iwa on the borders of the Land of Grass, the events on the Land of Wind battlefield could not be kept under wraps.

This battle was far too massive, an all-out war between two of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. The entire ninja world had its eyes on this conflict.

The exact casualty numbers remained unclear to the other villages.

But one thing was certain: Sunagakure had lost. And not just lost, been utterly crushed in a head-on confrontation against Konoha, despite Konoha only deploying a fraction of its total military strength!

Moreover, 

News of Chiyo's death quickly spread throughout the shinobi world.

And along with that shocking revelation came the name of the ninja who killed her. It was a name unfamiliar to most of the ninja world, but the surname struck a chord with many.

Hatake!

That name instantly brought to mind the legendary White Fang of Konoha. It didn't take much to deduce that Kaede belonged to the Hatake clan and was somehow related to the White Fang.

But what truly stunned the major villages was this: according to all available intel and reports, Kaede was only ten years old!

Ten years old!

And he killed Chiyo!

Such a story sounded utterly fantastical, too ridiculous to be true. Villages both great and small immediately doubted its authenticity and sent out scouts to verify the details.

But once confirmation came back that it was indeed true, the entire ninja world fell into a brief silence.

Alongside Kaede, another name rose to fame in this battle: Namikaze Minato, who also achieved dazzling feats of strength.

Countless shinobi began calling him Konoha's "Yellow Flash", while Kaede earned the title of "Silver Flash."

And with that, 

Kaede's name echoed across the ninja world!

..

Iwagakure.

Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, sat in his office.

As he read through the intelligence report detailing the decisive battle between Suna and Konoha, his brow furrowed.

"So, Suna couldn't deal with that brat... But that's not the main issue. The real problem is that Chiyo actually lost to him."

"She must've let her guard down," said Tsuchikage's aide, Jodo, with a grim voice.

Onoki shook his head, his gaze flickering. "No. I've fought Chiyo before. She's not the type of ninja to underestimate her opponent just because of their age."

Jodo pondered. "Whether it was carelessness or chaos on the battlefield, the fact remains, he killed Chiyo. That alone means we can't take him lightly. And Namikaze Minato seems just as dangerous."

Onoki nodded. "Agreed. Disseminate intel on both of them throughout the village. I want every ninja to memorize their faces."

Remembering the enemy's powerful shinobi was absolutely necessary.

Ordinary Jōnin didn't warrant this level of attention, but elite Jōnin and those from clans with secret techniques had to be accounted for.

"Konoha's strength is terrifying," Jodo said, deeply troubled. "They only used a small fraction of their forces to crush Sunagakure. And Danzo, the Third Hokage, and Orochimaru weren't even on that battlefield. If they attack the Land of Earth, we'll never hold them off."

Onoki nodded again. "True. Konoha's power has grown too great... but we're not the only ones feeling threatened, every other village is, too."

A glint of cold calculation flashed in Onoki's eyes as he continued, "What do you think, if we approach Kumogakure now, will that reckless Third Raikage agree to a discussion?"

"...He should," Jodo replied in a low voice.

No matter how headstrong the Third Raikage was, he couldn't be blind to the shifting balance of power in the ninja world.

The threat from Konoha had already been immense with the presence of the Sannin. Now, with the rise of Hatake Kaede and Namikaze Minato, their next generation is proving to be just as dangerous. Add to that the Land of Fire's rich resources and Konoha's strong foundation, it was clear they had become a dominant force.

Unless the other villages united, they would all be picked off one by one until Konoha ruled the entire shinobi world.

"He'll agree for sure," Onoki said with a cold smile.

Before the war even started, he had already anticipated several possible outcomes. The current situation was one of those predictions. The only surprise was how much stronger Konoha's threat had turned out to be.

Not only had Kaede, the White Fang's son, risen to fame by slaying Chiyo, but Namikaze Minato had also displayed fearsome strength.

Now that Konoha had revealed such terrifying power, even far-off Kirigakure, across the ocean, would start to feel the pressure. It likely wouldn't be long before they reached out as well.

"Looks like it's going to be three against one," Onoki muttered, eyes deep with forethought, as if he could already see the future.

Before, a four-village alliance against Konoha was unworkable and pointless. Their combined strength would outstrip Konoha, sure, but mutual distrust would cause them to sabotage each other.

But things are different now. Konoha had become such a massive threat that even a two-village alliance might not be enough to defeat them.

With Sunagakure now severely weakened and unable to act offensively, a three-village coalition could finally take shape. There would be no room for betrayal or backstabbing, it would be suicide. Doing so would only hand the ninja world to Konoha on a silver platter.

That's why Onoki was certain:

No village would ally with Konoha now.

From here on out, Konoha would become the target of the entire ninja world's suspicion and hostility. All future conflicts would revolve around them.

And just as Onoki predicted, 

The proposal for talks with Kumogakure was not rejected. The Raikage accepted swiftly, and both villages began exchanging intelligence and coordinating through multiple ninja envoys.

Around the same time, emissaries from Kirigakure quietly arrived in both Iwagakure and Kumogakure to initiate their own talks.

Everything happened behind the scenes.

Though the Third Great Ninja War appeared to be winding down with Sunagakure's defeat, under the surface, a storm was brewing, one that would soon engulf the entire ninja world.

Without Kaede, Konoha might not have posed such a severe threat. Sunagakure wouldn't have suffered such a devastating defeat. The situation would've evolved into a far more complicated power struggle.

But because of his existence, the course of the war was instead headed in a far more direct direction.

And at this very moment, the boy who had reshaped the fate of the entire Third Great Ninja War, 

Was lounging in a Konoha field hospital, enjoying the "luxury" of being an injured hero.

"Kaede, I brought you breakfast... Um, let me feed you?"

"Thanks."

"Hehe, it's nothing really. You're Konoha's hero now, you need to rest and recover properly!"

"Kaede, I brought breakfast for you too, huh? Kurenai, what are you doing here?"

"..."

A moment later, 

Leaning back on the bed, Kaede looked helplessly at the spoon coming from the left and the spoon coming from the right.

To the outside world, this scene looked enviable, even blissful. But for the person caught in the middle… was it really that enjoyable?

The answer: Yes.

As long as you remained calm and composed, it was very much enjoyable indeed.

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