The war was over.
Outside Amegakure, as Tsunade released the Summoning Jutsu, the three-hundred-meter-tall God Tree vanished into nothingness with an earth-shaking roar, returning to its original realm.
Ssssh.
With the God Tree gone, the rain began falling again, showing no sign of stopping.
Tsunade tilted her head up, gazing at the grey, gloomy sky, letting the raindrops slide down her cheeks and along her snow-white neck.
Though the sight brought emotion, there was no sadness in her heart—only hope and determination.
"Grandfather, can you see this? From now on, I will try to unify the shinobi world, completing what you were meant to finish."
She murmured softly before shifting her gaze back toward the distant cliffs.
Curious about that mysterious Ink Sage who had come to her aid, Tsunade wanted to meet him in person and offer her gratitude.
However, to her slight disappointment, the Ink Sage and his two companions had vanished from the cliffs without notice.
"Tsunade-sama."
At that moment, Sakumo Hatake and other Konoha ninja approached from afar. Even more fervent were the gazes fixed on Tsunade, surpassing those of the newly surrendered Ame ninja.
"Let's focus. Tidy up the aftermath quickly."
Tsunade gathered her thoughts and succinctly issued orders.
"Yes!" The crowd responded in unison with a resounding voice.
That very day, news of Amegakure's great victory reached the Land of Fire, igniting widespread celebration across the land.
Within Konoha Village, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi received the report and excitedly slammed the table upright. Immediately, he issued orders from the frontlines, formally naming Tsunade as the supreme commander of the Fire Country's military forces. In the Hokage's name, he pledged full and unconditional support for all her future campaigns.
Meanwhile,
On the open lot outside Amegakure village,
"Hmph!"
Tsunade let out a crisp cry, both palms slamming onto the ground. With a deep rumbling sound, countless wooden beams burst forth from deep beneath the earth, forming neat rows of barracks.
This was a prisoner camp constructed using her Wood Release technique, intended for detaining tens of thousands of captured Sand and Cloud ninja. Additionally, she left behind one of her Shadow Clones to oversee operations here.
Next, Tsunade ordered the main Konoha army to remain stationed on-site to guard the captives, while personally selecting elite warriors from both Konoha and Amegakure to form a special task force.
Though numbering only around a hundred members, this unit possessed terrifying strength—with even its weakest being Jonin-level fighters, including veteran masters like Hanzo, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato Namikaze, alongside young prodigies.
Under Tsunade's command, they departed immediately heading westward.
Within three days, this special force swept through both Sunagakure and Iwagakure, encountering almost no effective resistance and severely crippling the remaining combat capability of those two major ninja villages.
Ultimately, both the Land of Wind and Land of Earth had no choice but to bow their heads and surrender unconditionally to the Land of Fire.
Kazekage Rasa and Tsuchikage Onoki signed the ceasefire treaty with expressionless faces one after another, formally submitting themselves for judgment over initiating this war.
The treaty's content was straightforward:
Konoha would soon release prisoners-of-war back to their respective countries, under one condition—that Rasa and Onoki must personally travel to Konoha as Kazekage and Tsuchikage to answer for the crimes of starting this war and face deserved punishment accordingly.
After subduing the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth, Tsunade did not halt her campaign. Instead, she pressed north with unwavering resolve, leading her forces onward.
Seven days later...
A far larger war erupted along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
Tsunade once again displayed her overwhelming might, practically crushing the Land of Lightning's two hundred thousand-man army. She shattered Cloud's high-ranking elders' dream of dominating the shinobi world.
That same day, Cloud's Council announced unconditional surrender, just like Sunagakure and Iwagakure before them. They would also send representatives to Konoha for judgment.
So far among the Five Great Nations, three—Wind, Earth, and Lightning—had all submitted to the Land of Fire.
Only the Land of Water remained.
On the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire, Konoha established a temporary command center.
Inside the main general's tent around the terrain map, Tsunade and several Konoha ninja were holding a meeting.
She leaned both hands on the table, slightly frowning at the terrain map while lost in deep thought.
"Tsunade-sama, the Land of Water hasn't actively participated in this Great Shinobi World War. Recently, they repelled an invasion from the Land of Lightning and publicly declared peace. If we invade their territory, we become the aggressors."
At this moment, Sakumo Hatake solemnly reminded Tsunade.
In his opinion, their previous wars against Wind, Earth, and Lightning had been morally justified — they could be considered just wars.
But in the upcoming conflict with Water, the Konoha ninja would undoubtedly take on the role once held by Sand, Stone, and Cloud—they would be the invading force, lacking moral support.
Moreover, Water's strongest shinobi—the Immortal Sage—was indeed a being of near-divine power. His terrifying strength was clearly shown when he completely wiped out Madara Uchiha and his forces from Mist.
If Konoha recklessly launched an attack and provoked the Immortal Sage into leading a counterattack with Mist ninja, they might suffer the same fate as the defeated nations before them.
"No! For the great ideal of unifying the shinobi world, Water is the final piece—we absolutely cannot miss this opportunity!"
Hanzo firmly rejected Sakumo Hatake's view, declaring fiercely, "Even if we bear the stigma of being invaders temporarily, it's necessary and unavoidable for lasting peace throughout the shinobi world!"
"You say that so easily—but are you trying to manipulate Tsunade-sama into becoming the criminal who starts a war?"
Sakumo Hatake loudly countered, sharply opposing Hanzo head-on.
As Tsunade's right-hand and left-hand men on the battlefield, these two had always seen things from completely different perspectives, often disagreeing and arguing fiercely.
"If anyone must bear the name of aggressor, it won't be Tsunade-sama—it will be me."
Hanzo coldly glanced at Sakumo Hatake before bowing deeply to Tsunade and requesting:
"Tsunade-sama, please allow me to lead Rain's forces secretly into the Land of Water to test Mist's strength. Regardless of success or failure, this action will be entirely my own personal decision, unrelated to Konoha's or the Land of Fire's official position."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked astonished. Even Sakumo Hatake was momentarily stunned by Hanzo's determination, unable to speak.
Before that moment.
Including Sakumo Hatake, many Konoha ninja believed that Hanzo had not truly pledged loyalty but was instead a patient conspirator.
Allowing him into Konoha's high-ranking elders could bring disastrous consequences to Konoha and the Will of Fire if he seized power at the right moment.
But now, their opinions had changed.
Hanzo was truly an idealist. Perhaps when he grew older, he might become power-hungry and eliminate opposition, but at this moment, his heart held only one belief worth sacrificing everything for — assisting Tsunade-sama in unifying the shinobi world.
Keep in mind, this infiltration into Kiri would inevitably encounter the Immortal Sage. If the opponent was truly as invincible as rumors claimed, Hanzo would likely perish there.
By proposing this plan, he had already prepared himself for certain death.
After hearing the argument and suggestions from Sakumo Hatake and Hanzo,
Tsunade straightened up, arms crossed, her brows still furrowed in thought.
Clearly, she wasn't sure whether taking such a risky step was the right call.
At that moment,
"How come it's so cold all of a sudden?" someone suddenly remarked.
Everyone then noticed that without warning, a chilling coldness had crept into the tent, growing stronger and stronger until they felt piercingly frigid.
Even though it was late autumn, nearing winter, the temperature should never have dropped this severely.
Tsunade, however, smiled slightly, her furrowed brows easing.
"You don't need to argue anymore. Our guest has arrived."
She spoke casually to Hanzo and Sakumo Hatake before decisively lifting the curtain and stepping out of the tent.
What did Tsunade-sama mean?
They exchanged glances — and suddenly understood.
The Immortal Sage is here?!
Realizing this, they hurriedly followed Tsunade's footsteps and exited the tent one by one.
The group arrived at the beach.
The ocean stretched endlessly, its surface gently rippling. Waves lapped rhythmically against the coastal rocks, echoing softly through the air.
Tsunade extended her pale arm, opening her palm. Something cool landed softly in her hand.
It was a snowflake.
Without warning, countless snowflakes began falling from the sky, drifting gracefully over the battlefield as if winter had come overnight.
This snowfall was caused by someone's chakra influence.
Across the entire world of shinobi, only one person possessed the ability to manipulate regional weather using their own chakra — the legendary Ice Release ninja from Kiri, the Immortal Sage.
Sure enough,
Under the astonished gaze of the wooden golem wielders, an ice path over one hundred meters wide swiftly formed across the distant horizon of the sea. At incredible speed, it reached the coastline within just dozens of seconds.
Every drop of seawater in this area had frozen solid, even the waves continuously striking the shore turned into exquisite flower-like shapes, breathtaking in their beauty.
Could this really be human strength?
At this moment, Hanzo, Sakumo, and others were deeply shaken. Although they hadn't even seen the Immortal Sage himself yet, his overwhelming power had already shattered everyone's previous understanding.
Especially Hanzo, whose heart pounded with shock.
He had once believed that, as a semi-god-like figure in the ninja world, even if he stood no chance against Tsunade-sama, he might still have the capability of standing against the Immortal sage from Mist.
But now it seemed his belief had been completely off track. His battle plan was nothing short of a death wish.
"You all stay put."
Suddenly, Tsunade turned around and ordered the group before stepping forward onto the icy surface.
Upon hearing her words, everyone widened their eyes and held their breath. Through the swirling snow on the frozen lake, they saw a figure walking slowly forward with the aid of a cane. Though the Immortal sage's steps appeared slow, each stride instantly covered dozens of meters, as if space itself shrank beneath his feet.
Tsunade darted forward like lightning, covering more than a hundred meters in a few swift movements before gradually slowing down.
Viewed from above, two figures—one from the east, one from the west—finally converged at the center of the ice-covered lake.
"Are you the Immortal sage?"
Tsunade looked at the elderly man with hunched posture and a turtle shell on his back, somewhat surprised, instinctively using respectful language. Although the old man appeared ordinary, his body contained chakra no less powerful than hers.
There's an old saying: You can only see the view from a certain height when you're standing there yourself.
Since Tsunade had reached the peak of strength within the shinobi world, she'd suddenly realized how many hidden masters existed in this world.
Besides Heiyan, the Ink Master and the Immortal sage she recently encountered were both unfathomable experts whose powers far surpassed those of the Five Kage.
"Tsunade of Konoha, greetings to you."
The Immortal sage cheerfully responded with the smile of a kind neighbor.
"I believe you already know why I'm here."
Tsunade took a deep breath and got straight to the point solemnly. "I aim to unify the shinobi world by bringing together the Five Great Nations and all the smaller states into a single great nation. Only this way can we permanently eliminate all wars and conflicts from this world."
"Hmm, a very noble and grand vision. If Hashirama Senju could know about this from beyond the grave, he would surely feel proud of his granddaughter."
The Immortal sage nodded approvingly, praising Tsunade's aspiration. However, his following sentence shifted tone sharply, adding regretfully, "Unfortunately, your design is destined to remain unrealizable."
"Why? Will you stop me?"
Tsunade asked with burning eyes, clearly displeased.
"It isn't I who will stop you, but the inevitable course of historical law itself."
Looking thoughtful, the Immortal sage spoke mysteriously, then raised his hand. An ice bench formed behind Tsunade.
"Please, have a seat."
With a polite gesture, he motioned for Tsunade to sit down.
"Please advise me, honorable Sage."
Hesitating briefly, Tsunade sat down anyway, her brows knitted tightly as she continued thinking about his earlier words.
"Even if you unified the shinobi world, what then? Could you guarantee peace forever? Decades, or maybe three to five centuries later, when internal social tensions within this united state accumulate to their breaking point beyond resolution, the world of ninja will inevitably split again—and plunge into even greater wars and chaos."
In other words, war will never vanish entirely.
It would be better to improve the current structure of the shinobi world, ensuring a delicate balance of power among the Five Great Nations and keeping any conflict within limited borders.
Therefore, your grandfather Hashirama Senju had the right general idea when he proposed distributing the Tailed Beasts to maintain balance among the great nations. His only mistake was overestimating the power of these Tailed Beast weapons.
Relying solely on them wasn't enough to make the Five Great Ninja Villages fear each other and avoid large-scale wars.
The wise old man delivered his words with a calm authority, speaking from years of experience.
After hearing those words, Tsunade fell into deep thought.
"Despite all that... I still want to give it a try."
Finally, she lifted her head, her gaze regaining its steel and determination. She remained committed to her own beliefs.
She wouldn't give up easily.
Crack! Crack!
As Tsunade spoke, countless trees erupted from beneath the frozen lake, creating a towering expanse of forests stretching into the distance.
The Immortal Sage did not respond with words, but he released a surge of immense chakra, summoning endless frost that froze the advancing trees solid, turning them into countless ice sculptures.
Tsunade's expression changed.
Her opponent's strength was far greater than she had expected — so overwhelming it seemed to have no limit at all.
Just as she gritted her teeth, preparing to confront the Immortal Sage in a decisive battle —
"I will represent the Land of Water and Kirigakure, heading to Konoha."
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