The great hidden villages fought and reconciled, reconciled and fought again. The flames of war burned fiercely.
Salamander Hanzō, meanwhile, relied on the reputation he built in his younger years to bring several years of peace to Amegakure.
Originally, he had been filled with passionate ambition, hoping to carve out a bright future for the Land of Rain.
But with his constant campaigns east and west, the Land of Rain didn't exactly expand its territory—instead, it ended up surrounded on all sides by enemies.
He didn't gain much land, but he made plenty of enemies.
Relying on his own formidable strength and leading a bunch of weak subordinates from Amegakure, Hanzō somehow miraculously managed to hold off the combined assaults from Sunagakure and Konoha.
In the end, he made a name for himself and was hailed as the "Demi-God of the Shinobi World."
His reputation was such that the great nations no longer dared to enter the Land of Rain as they pleased.
But through the course of that war, he came to understand a hard truth—no matter how hard he tried, he could never change the fate of the Land of Rain.
If that was the case—
I've fought all my life. Isn't it fair to enjoy a little peace now?
Hiding in his safe house, Hanzō sipped his sake in delight, watching the elegant dance of the geishas with pleasure.
"Yo, Hanzō, you're really living it up, huh?"
A strange voice rang out from behind him. Hanzō froze mid-sip, not turning his head as he asked,
"Who are you?"
Whoever this person was, none of the outer guards had made a sound. That could only mean—
"You'd better not move."
The voice behind him offered a warning. In the next instant, everything before Hanzō's eyes split in two.
The wall, the geishas, and the guards beyond the wall—everything and everyone was severed cleanly in half in a single instant, as if an invisible slash had suddenly torn through the room.
"What is this..."
Hanzō was stunned by the scene before him, eyes wide as a pale hand reached from behind and took the sake cup from his fingers. He didn't dare make a move.
"I need you to do something for me. It's simple. Ever heard of a group called Akatsuki?"
The voice was cold and dreadful, like a ghost from the depths of hell.
...
Though Rasa personally held to the belief of 'stay on the front line unless you're dead,' determined to drag Konoha into a war of attrition,
Sarutobi Hiruzen clearly didn't intend to give him that chance.
Having already stepped down as Hokage, he no longer needed to worry that his death would affect Konoha's morale. The day after injuring Rasa, he grabbed a massive staff and charged straight into the Suna shinobi encampment.
This old Hokage smashed five of Chiyo's puppets, bashed in half of Baki's face—Rasa's right-hand man—and crippled one of Ebizō's legs before dragging his poisoned body back to the Kikyo Pass stronghold.
That act alone shattered Rasa's fighting spirit. Seeing his shoulder swollen to the size of his head, he immediately made the decision to retreat and ordered a full withdrawal to the village.
After receiving the ceasefire proposal from Sunagakure and hearing of Hiruzen's exploits, Sakumo couldn't help but smile wryly.
Back in his active days, Hiruzen rarely took to the battlefield himself. The legendary might of the old Hokage was something only spoken of in stories. Now, seeing it firsthand, Sakumo realized—those stories weren't exaggerated at all.
Still, he didn't rush to respond to Rasa. Instead, he passed the matter to Nara Shikaku.
He wasn't the gentle type like the Third Hokage. Sunagakure had invaded first and been defeated—it was they who should be in a hurry now.
Let Shikaku wear down their nerves a bit.
As for himself, he continued with his original plan, visiting the major shinobi clans in Konoha.
As the newly appointed Hokage—especially one from a fallen family—he needed to clearly understand each clan's needs and sore spots, so he could leverage them effectively during his administration.
The Ino-Shika-Chō trio was easy enough. They had always been loyal to the Hokage.
The Aburame and Inuzuka clans, both relatively large, had shown neither strong support nor opposition.
The Hyūga were stubborn, but strictly followed Konoha's commands, so there wasn't much issue there either.
Only one clan posed concern...
Wearing his ceremonial robe and the Hokage hat, Sakumo appeared at the Uchiha compound.
Feeling the faintly hostile gazes around him, he remained calm and followed the escorting shinobi to Fugaku's residence. Guided by Mikoto, he entered Fugaku's study.
"Congratulations on your appointment as the Fourth Hokage, Sakumo-sama."
Fugaku gave the White Fang a deep look, kneeling in place and bowing slightly to offer his congratulations.
Sakumo returned the gesture with equal politeness before taking a seat.
"In this war, the Uchiha clan contributed a great deal. I came here today to personally express my thanks."
"Think nothing of it. The Uchiha are part of Konoha. When the village is in danger, we naturally step forward," Fugaku replied, emphasizing the clan's loyalty.
After a few more polite exchanges, both men had gleaned the answers they were seeking from one another.
But some topics were still too early to bring up, so Sakumo ended the conversation at just the right moment.
Fugaku didn't object and simply gave Mikoto a smile to signal that it was time to see the guest out.
Only after the door closed behind them did his face return to its usual grim expression.
"So, what do you think of our new Hokage?"
Mikoto smiled at her husband.
"He's like Minato—gentle on the surface, firm inside. And compared to the Third Hokage, he's more decisive." Fugaku shared his honest impression of Sakumo.
"Didn't expect you to speak so highly of him." Mikoto chuckled softly, turning toward the kitchen to prepare dinner.
"That's the White Fang of Konoha. Even I graduated from the Academy hearing tales of his deeds," Fugaku said seriously.
Maybe... just maybe, under this Hokage, the Uchiha clan could truly reconcile with the village.
...
"Why, Hanzō-sama?! We've always shown you such respect!"
Cradling the wounded Yahiko, Nagato let out a furious and sorrowful cry.
Standing atop a cliff, Hanzō said nothing. He only gave a stiff wave of the arm, signaling his subordinates to execute the surrounded members of Akatsuki.
"Damn it, Konan!"
Nagato turned, looking for his teammate, only to find her entangled by Hanzō's forces, unable to make her way over.
He had to stop Yahiko's bleeding, or...
Pressing his hands against Yahiko's wound, Nagato's mind was in complete chaos, unsure of what to do.
"R... retreat..." Yahiko barely managed to remain conscious, whispering to Nagato.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
But Hanzō seemed to have sensed their intentions. In front of everyone, he summoned his salamander familiar.
Everyone in the Land of Rain knew how terrifying that creature was. As the great beast appeared on the battlefield, everyone braced themselves for death.
Just as the deadly poisonous mist was about to be unleashed, a voice rang out across the entire field:
"Summoning: Food Cart Destroyer Technique!"