After learning that the Third Raikage had been killed by Kaede, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, acted decisively, rallying all the troops in the camp to launch a bold offensive against the Cloud ninja.
As one of the great warlords of the ninja world and a key figure who led the Second Great Ninja War, Sarutobi Hiruzen was sometimes criticized for being less ruthless, like when he chose to tolerate Danzo instead of killing him after the assassination attempt, but when it came to real war, his decisions were always sharp and resolute.
Konoha's ninja surged toward the Cloud ninja's camp.
Unaware that the Third Raikage had fallen, the Cloud ninja found their temporary commander, Tsuchidai, choosing caution over confrontation. Since the Third Raikage's son and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki were both absent from the camp, and the Third Raikage himself had been transported behind enemy lines using the Heavenly Transfer Technique, Tsuchidai opted to retreat rather than face Konoha forces head-on.
Only a few wounded remained, defending the camp fiercely with desperate, all-or-nothing tactics that inflicted some casualties on the pursuing Konoha shinobi.
In the end, Konoha forces seized the Kumogakure camp, forcing the Cloud ninja to withdraw to the border of the Land of Lightning, where they set up a defensive position and awaited news from Killer Bee and the Third Raikage.
About two days later, Killer Bee returned with A to regroup with the Cloud forces.
Although the Cloud ninja's losses were limited thanks to their early retreat and use of Heavenly Transfer to relocate supplies, the atmosphere in the temporary camp remained tense, especially since the fate of the Third Raikage was still unknown.
One day…
Two days…
Three days…
Finally, after three days of anxious waiting, a scout returned with news from within the Land of Fire.
The Third Raikage was dead.
Killed by Konoha's Silver Flash.
The crushing news plunged Tsuchidai, the recovered A, and others into a heavy silence. Although they had braced themselves for the worst during the silence, hearing the confirmation of the Third Raikage's death still sent shockwaves through them.
Countless Cloud ninja were stunned and struggled to believe that the mighty Third Raikage, the strongest Raikage the village had ever known, had fallen to Konoha's Silver Flash, a ninja rumored to be only eleven years old.
Yet the Cloud ninja did not collapse.
This wasn't the first time the village had lost a Raikage. Known for their fierce and resolute nature, the Cloud endured the blow and quickly restored order under Tsuchidai's leadership.
Though shaken, the Third Raikage's son, A, was recognized by Kumogakure leadership as the new Raikage. Despite his grief, his undeniable strength earned unanimous support. After a brief formal confirmation by the Land of Lightning's daimyo, he would officially become the Fourth Raikage.
Inside the command tent, a liaison ninja reported to the new Raikage:
"Raikage-sama, here are the negotiation documents from Konoha. They propose ending the war on the condition that we withdraw from the border and never again enter the Land of Fire, along with a hefty financial compensation. They also demand…"
The Fourth Raikage didn't wait to hear the rest. He snatched the scroll from the ninja's hands and tore it apart with a sharp rip.
The scroll's pieces fluttered to the ground.
Clenching his fist, the Raikage glared toward the Land of Fire and snarled, "I don't need to hear such nonsense!"
"Tell Konoha's ninja: unless they hand over the 'Silver Flash,' we will fight to the last ninja before ever surrendering!"
He roared with fury.
The liaison ninja responded with equal anger. As a Cloud ninja, surrender was out of the question, even after losing the Raikage, they would never admit defeat.
As the liaison left, Killer Bee entered the tent and addressed the Raikage: "Big brother…"
"Bee," the Raikage said, clenching his fist, "send the order. We continue the retreat immediately. Avoid direct battles with Konoha's forces. Divide the troops into several groups. If they dare follow us into the Land of Lightning, let them taste our wrath!"
Killer Bee's eyes flickered, and after nodding, he left to deliver the command.
Tsuchidai sat quietly in a chair at the side of the tent, watching the Raikage issue orders with a look of relief and approval.
Though the Third Raikage had fallen, his successor A had matured through the burden of responsibility. He was not blinded by hatred, refusing to recklessly charge into a head-on clash with Konoha.
Splitting their forces to wage a war of attrition was the best choice for now. Even though the situation was unfavorable, Konoha's army, fighting on three fronts, lacked the strength to breach the Land of Lightning's borders.
If they tried, the Cloud would gain the advantage of defending familiar terrain and abundant resources. While the roles of offense and defense might reverse, the overall situation would not worsen.
"Silver Flash… remember this. I will never forget this grudge. Next time we meet, the one who dies will be you!"
The Fourth Raikage clenched his fist, his eyes burning with fierce determination. He was ready to enter hellish training to increase his power and erase this shame.
…
Back at Konoha camp.
Besides Kaede, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen and other Konoha leaders like Tsunade had gathered inside the main tent.
The peace proposal from the Cloud had been delivered, and outright rejected. Every detail had been relayed.
Sarutobi wasn't surprised. Kumogakure was fierce and warlike. For them, accepting defeat and surrender was worse than death.
The proposal was really just a message of attitude.
If Kumogakure wanted peace, they would have offered different terms, and then both sides could negotiate.
"What do you all think of Kumogakure stance?" Sarutobi asked the gathered leaders.
Tsunade replied coldly, "They want us to hand over Kaede. The new Raikage clearly has no intention of negotiating."
Handing over Kaede in exchange for peace…
This idea had crossed Sarutobi's mind more than once. In truth, it was tempting.
Kaede was becoming harder to control. During the war, it was manageable, but once peace returned, Kaede's existence might split the village and ignite internal conflict.
Even Sarutobi himself wasn't sure he could suppress a ninja who had killed the Third Raikage.
Having such a powerful ninja under his command was a source of worry.
If they could trade Kaede for Kumogakure's concessions and end the war, Sarutobi could immediately dispatch forces to aid the Land of Earth, potentially bringing the Third Great Ninja War to a swift conclusion.
And it would end in Konoha's victory.
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time – A Response to the Questions About Chapter 125
There's been a bit of an uproar, so I thought I'd address it in a standalone chapter.
The last three chapters were written right after Xiaofeng (me) woke up. I wrote one, grabbed a quick breakfast, then went straight into the next two. Basically, I posted them as soon as they were finished, without much time to double-check anything.
So yes, there were definitely issues with the finer details, which I've since gone back and revised.
It can't be helped~
When you're writing quickly, it's inevitable that some details get overlooked.
Usually, I'll post the chapters, observe the feedback, and then go back to review and decide if revisions are needed.
The main issue is that what an author envisions doesn't always get conveyed properly in writing. What's crystal clear in the author's mind might come across as something entirely different to the reader.
This is actually one of the core challenges of writing, what we often refer to as writing skill. The stronger a writer's skill, the better their control over the work, and the more effectively they can express what they intend.
If the skill isn't there, it leads to that frustrating feeling of knowing exactly what you want to say but being unable to put it into words.
In series like Naruto and One Piece, what's portrayed on the surface tends to be bright and goofy, while the darker elements are buried beneath the plot. Authors of these kinds of stories often lean more toward entertainment rather than logic, especially because of audience expectations. That's one reason why there are so many plot holes.
In contrast, the stories with fewer plot holes rarely achieve the same level of mainstream popularity.
As for me, Xiaofeng, my writing style doesn't really suit ignoring realism and logic just to focus on the bright, fun side. So my approach to Naruto and One Piece fanfics has always been to include deeper analysis of the plot.
The darkness in Naruto, in particular, needs no embellishment. Danzo could assassinate Hiruzen and still be forgiven. Hiruzen forced Hiashi to sacrifice his brother. The Mist Village persecuted clan ninja, and Konoha wasn't any better. After the Second Hokage's death, the Senju clan mysteriously declined to near extinction during two wars, which obviously doesn't make sense if you chalk it up to "natural causes." The Uchiha clan, by contrast, was still doing fine.
And the Uchiha weren't exactly innocent either. They were ostracized since the Second Hokage's era, then eventually pushed to the brink of rebellion, and ultimately massacred. The Hyuga didn't fare much better. You get the idea.
By the way,
The story progression in this novel won't follow the same path as Jinton (Dust Release).
The hardest part of writing fanfics for me is that I've written so many at this point. I've already thought through most of the possible plotlines. And I can't really mimic the style of some of my friends' Naruto fanfics, even though they're doing great. That's a bit frustrating.
Looks like I've rambled on a bit.
Anyway, that's it for now~
I'll go back to plotting and writing. I should be able to get tomorrow's two chapters ready and post the first one by midnight.
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