Hoshiyomi's rise to fame, of course, stemmed from the mass relocation of the Uzumaki Clan.
Initially, the other nations and hidden villages hadn't even realized that the Land of Whirlpools had been attacked. But then, the Uzumaki — a clan that had dwelled in Uzushiogakure for hundreds of years — suddenly announced they were being incorporated into Konoha.
No one in their right mind believed that this decision was made without a significant cause. Naturally, it ignited the curiosity of every major force in the shinobi world.
There was no way such a move could be covered up completely. Those with the resources to investigate quickly dug up the truth — exposing the role the Four Great Hidden Villages had played in the fall of Uzushiogakure.
And among the key players in this incident was Konoha's mysterious young shinobi: Gekkō Hoshiyomi. Though he had indeed relied on the strength of Konoha's shinobi to accomplish his mission, it was clear that without significant personal power, no one could've pulled it off so flawlessly.
Everyone now wanted to know: Who was this mysterious figure that had managed to intimidate even elite jōnin?
Just as the curiosity reached its peak, a piece of information quietly spread — identifying the mysterious operative as none other than Gekkō Hoshiyomi of Konoha.
Whether or not this leak was orchestrated by Danzō remained unclear. But one thing was certain: the source was from Konoha. After all, who else even knew what Hoshiyomi looked like?
In an instant, files on Hoshiyomi landed on the desks of every major power's leadership. His bounty on the black market skyrocketed to a terrifying figure — twice the amount on Jiraiya's head.
(Hoshiyomi: This doesn't really feel like something to brag about...)
Amid growing rumors and legends, Hoshiyomi had already earned a title even before Tsunade and the others had achieved theirs — he became known as the "Silver Moon of Konoha."
To Kumogakure and Kirigakure, the title of Konoha's Silver Moon was both respected and… incredibly welcome. They wanted nothing more than to shake his hand and say:
"Big bro — thank you!"
Without Hoshiyomi's actions, they never could've pulled off the ultimate act of backstabbing — stealing Uzumaki sealing techniques while simultaneously betraying their ally. A betrayal that would make even the most dishonorable shinobi blush.
Sure, it was shameful, dishonorable, and downright low. But damn it, the results were too good to ignore.
They had sacrificed just two or three jōnin to gain access to numerous powerful sealing techniques. You bet they were celebrating behind closed doors.
If given the chance to do it all again, they absolutely would — without hesitation.
But as grateful as Kumo and Kiri were to Hoshiyomi, Sunagakure and Iwagakure harbored just as much hatred for him. In this incident, they had truly lost everything — their spoils, their forces, and their pride.
Failing to obtain the sealing techniques was one thing. But the real blow came from being mocked by rival nations — and from the loss of over twenty elite jōnin.
That's twenty jōnin.
In real-world terms, it would be like a country losing twenty fighter pilots in one incident. A massive loss.
Suna and Iwa were seething with fury, yet completely powerless to retaliate. Having lost so many high-level combatants at once, they had no choice but to lay low and focus on recovery.
Between the two, Iwagakure was in slightly better shape. Sunagakure, buried in its desolate desert, had always struggled to develop effectively.
Second Kazekage Shamon, the only Second Kage to survive the First Great Ninja War, had spent over twenty painstaking years managing Suna's growth. He had carefully built up their forces — and now, thanks to one misstep, most of it was gone.
Losing twenty jōnin was already devastating. But even worse was the loss of the veteran Kage-level powerhouse he had personally dispatched to lead them — Monzaemon.
Monzaemon's prized creation, the puppet troupe "Chikamatsu Ten" — capable of challenging even Kage-level shinobi — had also been left behind in the ocean.
The mere thought of it made the already aging Shamon cough up blood in grief.
Following this disaster, he was so disheartened that he chose to abdicate the title of Kazekage.
He passed the mantle of Third Kazekage to his beloved student Ryūnosuke, and retired. Along with his old friend, the One-Tails' jinchūriki Monk Bunpuku, he withdrew into the endless yellow sands to research the One-Tails, Shukaku.
Ōnoki and the newly inaugurated Kazekage Ryūnosuke naturally couldn't swallow this humiliation either. But for now, they lacked the power to wage war, and could only bide their time in secret, amassing strength for the future.
Once they were strong enough, they would bare their fangs — and unleash their vengeance on Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Konoha alike.
It was a common realization among all the hidden villages:
The peace that had lasted over a decade was nearing its end.
These were the final moments of calm before the next storm.
Meanwhile, in a dark underground cave…
A newly formed White Zetsu was briefing Uchiha Madara on the latest intelligence from the shinobi world. After Tobi was sent to secretly protect Nagato, this White Zetsu had taken over Tobi's previous surveillance duties.
Aside from acting as Madara's eyes and ears, this White Zetsu was also responsible for delivering intel collected by Tobi.
After hearing White Zetsu's summary of recent events and power shifts in the shinobi world, Madara — who had been resting with his eyes closed — finally spoke:
"Looks like war will break out within the next five years. We may be able to use this conflict to our advantage."
White Zetsu was confused. He asked Madara why he was so certain that war would erupt within five years.
But Madara gave no response, as if he had already fallen asleep. White Zetsu, though ignored, didn't seem bothered and continued his report:
"Oh, right — there's news from Tobi too.
He says Nagato and his mother have settled down in the Land of Rain under his guidance.
Apparently, Nagato's mother even got remarried there — found Nagato a stepfather.
They seem to be living quite happily as a family."
Madara's eyes snapped open.
"The Land of Rain? Get me a map."
White Zetsu promptly retrieved the map from an adjacent room. Madara leaned over it, focusing intently on the territory of the Land of Rain.
He stared at it for a long while. A slow, eerie smile crept across his face, casting terrifying shadows across his aged features under the cave's dim light.
He chuckled darkly and muttered:
"The Land of Rain, huh… That Tobi really knows how to pick a place.
He picked well. Very well indeed."
White Zetsu, watching from the side, was puzzled. He couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked:
"Madara-sama, why do you say it's a good choice?"
Madara, clearly in a good mood now, explained:
"The Land of Rain sits right between the Fire, Earth, and Wind countries.
When war breaks out, it's bound to get ravaged in the crossfire."
White Zetsu was filled with question marks. How does Madara know which countries will go to war? And if the Land of Rain is going to become a battlefield, wouldn't that put Nagato in even greater danger?
So he asked again:
"But… if we know it's going to be dangerous, shouldn't we have Tobi move Nagato and his family somewhere safer?"
Madara gave him a cold glance.
"You don't understand.
Only by experiencing true despair will he genuinely yearn for peace.
Once he has endured it, he'll be able to fully embrace my plan."
Author's Note:
The recent chapters are mostly transitional and slice-of-life in tone, setting up for the upcoming Second Great Ninja War. I need a couple chapters to show the full impact of the Uzushiogakure incident on each village, and what the major powers were doing during this gap in time. Then we'll move on to the protagonist's new developments. Once I've handled those three points, we'll officially launch into the Second Great War.
P.S.: Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me. Other authors writing Naruto fanfics always try to skip the messy parts, and here I am, insisting on patching up Kishimoto's plot holes. Guess I've got issues...