The war had not yet ended, but the impact of the Black Coffin empowered by the Hōgyoku still lingered.
Looking toward Konoha's martial arts field, the Four Purple Flame Formation had been shattered.
Everyone immediately realized something had gone wrong in that battle.
Without waiting for orders—aside from those receiving Orochimaru's signal—Oto-nin began to retreat in secret.
Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai, and other Konoha shinobi.
Pakura, Temari, and the Sand shinobi.
All rushed toward Konoha's enforcement field.
Both sides arrived from opposite directions almost at the same time.
When Kakashi and the others arrived, they even caught sight of Orochimaru and his forces withdrawing.
But now, chasing was no longer an option—Sarutobi Hiruzen's condition was their highest priority.
Upon reaching the scene, both Konoha and Sand shinobi saw the same thing:
Several Anbu lay on the ground, their bodies sprawled near the bloodied Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Less than three meters away stood "Aizen," both hands gripping his sword's hilt. His shattered mask revealed a quarter of his face.
His black hair, streaked with blood, fell across his features, concealing much of his expression.
It was obvious he had endured a fierce, life-and-death battle.
"Lord Hokage!!!"
"Lord Aizen!!!"
Both sides cried out at once, rushing forward.
While shielding their respective leaders, their hands instinctively went to their weapons, the air between them thick with tension once again.
"Calm down, Kakashi! That Aizen—he's with the Hokage!"
"Yes, we saw it! He fought side by side with Lord Hokage to repel Orochimaru!"
"But… in the end, Hokage-sama still…"
The Konoha Anbu surrounding Hiruzen shouted hurriedly.
"You… what are you talking about?"
Not only Konoha shinobi but even Sand shinobi stood stunned.
One Anbu wearing a blue fox mask stepped forward. "Look closely. His true face…"
As he spoke, the mask on "Aizen's" face cracked further, shattering until more than half of it fell away.
Blood stained his face, but when Temari supported him and he brushed aside his blood-matted hair, everyone froze.
Sword-like brows, starry eyes, a sharp bridge of the nose—his bloodied face radiated a chilling aura.
Yet this was unmistakably the same face from four years ago, only more mature. And in his eyes, the three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly.
Kakashi and Might Guy recognized him instantly.
"U–Uchiha Kenya!?"
"How… how can this be!? You're alive!?"
They exclaimed in unison.
Pakura, Temari, and the others were equally dumbfounded.
They had all speculated countless times about Aizen's true identity.
But when the truth emerged, it was beyond belief.
"T–Teacher… Aizen-sama, this… what is this…"
Temari's trembling voice faltered.
Kenya steadied himself, his expression calm despite his injuries. "This matter… I will explain to the high-ranking officials of both Konoha and the Sand later. Kinara."
"Y–Yes!"
Though shocked by Aizen's true face, the Sand shinobi still held onto the admiration and respect he had earned over the years. For them, Uchiha Kenya remained the supreme leader of their village.
"Announce that the war is over. And for now, my true identity will remain hidden from the people of the Sand."
Kenya's words carried weight.
Kinara immediately vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Kenya then turned to Kakashi, whose eyes were still filled with disbelief. "Gather your village's leaders. I will explain everything."
Two hours later, under orders from "Aizen," the Sand's supreme leader, the war was declared over.
The Sand army withdrew from Konoha, while representatives from both villages convened in Konoha's highest council chamber for post-war negotiations.
The toll of the battle was immense:
Konoha's Sarutobi and Shimura clans had been nearly wiped out. The other clans suffered heavy casualties, though most were still within acceptable limits.
But even Sarutobi Hiruzen's last descendant, Konohamaru, had perished—struck down not by Gaara, but by the Sand in order to erase the Sarutobi line entirely.
Kenya had prepared for this outcome. He had already resolved that neither the Sarutobi nor the Shimura would be allowed to rise again.
On the Sand's side, nearly one-third of their forces lay dead, with the wounded still being treated.
Inside Konoha's council chamber—
Konoha's side: Nara Shikaku, Kakashi, Hyuga Hiashi, the Anbu Captain…
Sand's side: Uchiha Kenya (Aizen), Pakura, Kinara, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro.
The highest officials of both villages now faced one another.
The Anbu who had guarded the barrier described everything he had seen within the Four Purple Flame Formation:
How Orochimaru revealed his true self.
How "Aizen" revealed his.
How he was, in truth—Uchiha Kenya.
When Hiruzen saw him, he did not react with shock. Instead, it was as if two comrades, separated for years, had reunited to fight side by side. Together they faced Orochimaru's reincarnated First and Second Hokage.
From their conversation, the Anbu learned the truth: Sarutobi Hiruzen had orchestrated Uchiha Kenya's "defection" on the night of the Uchiha massacre.
Though the reasons were never fully disclosed, Hiruzen had made clear—Kenya was never Konoha's enemy.
This, too, was reinforced by the illusions of Kyōka Suigetsu's complete hypnosis.
The high-ranking shinobi of both villages were utterly bewildered.
What was truly happening here?
"This matter… can only be explained by you, Uchiha Kenya. Or should I say—Sand's Aizen-sama?"
Nara Shikaku's gaze sharpened.
He didn't doubt the Anbu's words; they were veterans with more than ten years' service, beyond the reach of quick manipulation.
All eyes turned to Kenya. Slowly, with calm resolution—much like Aizen revealing his true self before the Shinigami—Uchiha Kenya spoke:
"To explain everything… we must begin with the Nine Tails incident twelve years ago."