Chapter 58 – The Legend of a Shinobi [End of Volume]
Although the Sand Shinobi army suffered many wounded during this battle, Aizen did not linger for long.
The conflict had ended far more quickly than expected. Even Aizen hadn't anticipated that Obito would so casually pull the Three-Tails out of Yagura and unleash it into a frenzy.
Most of the injured were only lightly hurt and could still continue the march. The severely wounded, however, had already fallen in battle. Fortunately, the overall losses were still within the acceptable range for Sunagakure.
After Kirigakure—now under Terumi Mei's leadership—had undergone a week of reorganization and training, Aizen gathered his forces, took his leave from Terumi Mei and her advisors, and prepared to return to Sunagakure.
Terumi Mei, Ao, and the other Mist leaders personally escorted Aizen and his army all the way to the borders of the Land of Water.
Along the way, Terumi Mei tried more than once to discern Aizen's true feelings toward her. For that entire week, the burning curiosity gnawed at her until it drove her nearly mad.
Yet, no matter how much she hinted, Aizen only responded with a calm, unreadable smile.
That indifference infuriated her—because everyone wants to believe that the one they love will treat them differently from everyone else.
Even as she watched Aizen's back fade into the distance, leaving the shores of the Land of Water, Terumi Mei still hadn't received the answer she longed for.
She remained there, frozen on the coastline, staring blankly long after the Sand army was gone—until Ao's voice reminded her, only to earn him another sharp glare.
The news spread quickly.
Yagura—the tyrant who had drenched Kirigakure in the nightmare of the "Bloody Mist"—was dead. A new Mizukage, Terumi Mei, had risen in his place.
The announcement struck the ninja world like a thunderclap, shaking the illusion of peace and putting every great nation on high alert.
As for Akatsuki, Terumi Mei chose not to reveal the truth. After all, she herself had been manipulated by them—it was not a wound she could easily expose.
And as a newly appointed Mizukage, not yet twenty-five, her most pressing task was to secure her authority and consolidate power, not dig into the shadows of the past.
Still, because the Land of Water was separated from the continent by sea, its upheavals had little immediate effect on the other nations.
Except for one—Konoha.
If Kirigakure were ever to send its forces across the ocean, the Land of Fire would be the first to bear the brunt.
And now, Sunagakure and Kirigakure had joined hands.
Alongside this unsettling alliance, another name began to spread across the continent—a name that echoed much like "Namikaze Minato" had during the Third Great Ninja War.
That name was—Aizen.
At first, the other Kage barely paid him any mind. He was only known as the man who had taken over Sunagakure's military affairs after the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stepped back from the front lines. In other words, just a second-in-command.
But once news broke that Aizen had defeated the Three-Tails, the atmosphere shifted.
A shinobi who could bring down a tailed beast was not someone to be ignored.
Everyone knew Rasa's strength. Though he had suppressed Shukaku many times, it was only because his Gold Dust techniques naturally restrained the beast. To pit himself against another tailed beast head-on, however, was far beyond his power.
Yet Aizen had crushed the Three-Tails.
This alone placed him above Rasa.
Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki said little, but he carefully etched the name into memory. As long as it did not threaten Iwagakure, he would watch as a bystander.
The Fourth Raikage, however, grew restless with interest. He declared that, given the chance, he would like to test his strength against this mysterious Sand commander.
Meanwhile in Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen had dispatched Shikaku Nara and others as envoys to Kirigakure, hoping to forge an alliance between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
But Terumi Mei refused—again and again.
Her reasoning was simple: the two nations were too far apart. An alliance would serve little purpose.
Hiruzen accepted this explanation with calm resignation. His advisors, however, were far less composed.
"Too far apart, so there's no need for an alliance? Then what about Sunagakure?" Mitokado Homura snapped. "The Land of Wind is even farther away, and yet they formed an alliance!"
Koharu's eyes narrowed. "Hiruzen… are Sunagakure and Kirigakure plotting something together? Is that why the Fifth Mizukage keeps refusing us?"
Suspicion—an ailment shared by every Kage and council—was now eating away at Konoha's elders more than most.
Hiruzen frowned deeply, then answered in a measured tone.
"You're overthinking it. Sunagakure is the poorest of the Five Great Villages. They only supported the Fifth Mizukage in exchange for food and coin. And as for Rasa… you both know his nature."
He trailed off, but the implication was clear.
Rasa was cautious to a fault, timid even—an attitude born of his own limitations.
No one believed he had the courage to provoke Konoha, the strongest of the Five Great Nations.
"…Perhaps you're right," Homura muttered at last, though unease lingered in his voice.
After all, if Mist refused, Konoha could hardly force them into signing an alliance treaty at kunai-point.
Just as the two advisors were about to take their leave, two panicked Chūnin burst into the Hokage's offic