The impact of the battle at Mount Hakuto was unprecedented. Not only was the mountain completely destroyed, but all Five Great Villages were left at their weakest since their founding. This battle also gave rise to the first-ever Dead Zone in ninja history, later known as the Deadly Poison Valley.
This place concealed the wounds of the Five Great Countries. The moment the battle reports returned home, the Five Villages were plunged into mourning, suffering unbearable pain unlike anything before.
The Second Kage Summit marked the official end of the Third Great Ninja War. After the summit, large-scale wars ceased, but under the surface, tensions grew even more intense. Every village quietly began cultivating their intelligence networks. After all, twenty thousand Allied Forces didn't just vanish like roadside cabbage, and two Kage-level experts couldn't possibly die unnoticed. This battle was shrouded in too many mysteries. Villages left in the dark naturally wouldn't give up so easily—they'd simply retreat, lick their wounds, and wait for the next move.
After the summit concluded, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a scroll and recorded every detail of what had occurred. He handed it to Jiraiya and said, "This is the truth Tsunade wants to know. Return to Konoha now and deliver this to her."
"Aren't you returning to Konoha?" Jiraiya asked curiously.
Hiruzen gave a nod. "I'm waiting for someone—you head back first."
"Fine."
Jiraiya trusted his Master's judgment. If he was being sent away, that meant something important needed to be discussed. Putting his curiosity aside, he gave a casual smile and headed back to Konoha.
"Big Brother Kurotsuchi, I've checked. He's alone. Should we eliminate him?" Sasori stared coldly at the distant figure of Hiruzen. If it hadn't been for Anya's skills, there would have been no chance of survival at all in this battle.
As Hokage, instead of offering support, Hiruzen had issued the order to hold Mount Hakuto at all costs—an order that had nearly sent Anya to his death.
When he first learned of the mission, Sasori's hatred for Hiruzen had reached its peak.
"From the perspective of a Kage, his decision wasn't wrong. Protecting his village is always his top priority," Anya calmly responded, shaking his head in refusal. "Besides, I've never seen him fight. How strong he is now is hard to say, but at the very least, I can't guarantee I'd be able to kill him. And there's no need. He's just an old corpse already. He will die at the hands of someone else."
Anya had no interest in taking the Serpent Master's kill.
Mabui, who had remained hidden in the shadows, stepped forward and looked at Anya with complex emotions. "Never would I have imagined that you'd win this war. But your methods… they disgust me. Is this the better world you spoke of? I remember you told me once that the future would be better."
Sasori frowned and was about to speak.
Anya held him back and countered, "If someone wants to kill you, won't you fight back?"
"This is different." Mabui seemed to have made up her mind to argue with Anya. Firmly, she said, "Based on what I know of you, you could have chosen another way. That was over twenty thousand lives, and you sacrificed them all to feed your poisons. I just don't understand."
"I could have walked away, yes," Anya replied. "But why should I?"
Anya's tone turned cold. "You don't really think changing the world can be done with mere words, do you? You only saw the death of these twenty thousand men, but didn't consider the countless casualties once they reached Konoha, nor did you think about whether those I care about in Konoha would be harmed. I want to change the world primarily to protect the people I care about, not for everyone in the world. If you can't understand this concept, feel free to leave the Zero Organization anytime."
After saying this, Anya left directly with Sasori, leaving Mabui standing there, stunned and unsure of what to do.
"Big Brother Kurotsuchi, what should we do if she really quits?"
After spending this period of time together, Sasori no longer harbored the initial dislike toward Mabui. In the past, he would have killed her outright.
"If she really quits, erase her memory with a formation technique and let her go." Anya ultimately couldn't be completely heartless.
"Understood." Sasori glanced at someone still waiting and asked, "Shouldn't you go? He's waiting for you."
"A retired person? I have nothing to say to him. Come with me to Konoha." The flames in Anya's eyes had not yet extinguished completely as she smirked slightly. "I want to play with the major nations a little longer."
A flicker of interest flashed in Sasori's eyes as he smiled, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
Mabui walked down the road as if her soul had left her body. Right now, she was completely free. With the Heavenly Transfer Technique, her sensing ability was naturally strong. Anya and Sasori actually left directly—were they returning to Kumogakure?
Well, maybe it wasn't so urgent anymore.
"Secretary, where's your Alcide?" A gloomy voice interrupted Mabui's random thoughts.
"Oh, Hercules." Mabui knew Kakuzu well, understanding that he only cared about money, and asked in slight surprise, "Inside the scroll. What's the matter?"
Kakuzu spoke rudely, "Summon it out. I need a ride back to my village."
Mabui instantly became furious, wanting to retort, "Don't you have legs? You actually want to hitch a ride on my motorbike." Then she realized—the [Four Red Yang Formation] used to trap the Allied Forces probably drained his chakra.
"Why not wait until you recover before going back?" Mabui asked confused.
Kakuzu replied with a sentence that left Mabui at a loss for words: "No, I need to watch my Puppet. I can't let it leave my sight."
The "Puppet" he mentioned was actually the only survivor of this Four-Nation Coalition—the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Before the war started, he had repeatedly warned Anya and Sasori not to harm him.
Mabui took out a scroll and summoned another blue motorcycle, saying, "Sasori made three of them, saying something about 'three sisters'. I don't quite understand. This one is yours."
Kakuzu wasted no time mounting it. As soon as he accelerated, he shot forward at an incredible speed, lightning fast and wind roaring past.
Mabui heard a huge crashing sound from afar. Wait... He crashed. Unexpectedly, a charming smile appeared at the corner of her lips, and the emotions she felt earlier dissipated somewhat. Perhaps she should wait and see a little longer.
Hiruzen Sarutobi waited nearly half a day, but couldn't help sighing when he still hadn't seen Anya appear. Refusing even communication now? This battle definitely involved more than just poison. The Allied Forces weren't fools. Anya, how many things are you hiding from me?
Would you really use such methods against Konoha?
Sarutobi had already begun regretting assigning that mission to Anya.
He took out the scroll Anya had returned with a reply. The last line was especially striking and painful to see.
It read: "Hokage-sama, I am not my master, the Legend of Konoha's White Fang, and I will not abandon this mission. After this battle, what I owe Konoha will be fully repaid."
From these words, Sarutobi sensed absolute finality and a complete severance. Anya had never forgotten about the White Fang's death...
Will you still return to Konoha? And when you do, what will your true purpose be? White Fang, you ultimately trained an outstanding disciple, but whether he is an angel or a demon, no one can say.
Looking toward the direction of Konoha, Sarutobi caught a flash of yellow in his mind as he murmured to himself, "Minato, the future of Konoha rests with you."
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