Title: The Grandmother's Wrath – The Samurai's Dilemma
Chapter 17: The Iron Shadow's Inquiry
The leader of the Iron Country, a stern and battle-hardened samurai, stood before the small woman, his gaze sharp as a drawn blade. The distant echoes of war—chakra explosions, the roars of Tailed Beasts, the screeches of summon creatures—shook the very earth beneath them.
He had tolerated her eccentricities for years. But this? This was beyond mere gossip.
"Why are you happy?" he demanded, voice like grinding steel.
The woman—small, wrinkled, and utterly unbothered—turned from her window, her lips curled in a smirk that didn't belong on a grandmother's face.
---
"The Third War is resumed. Now it has Tailed Beasts, united in fury against their mortal enemy—now that they've finally noticed it. There's also the summoning beasts joining the war, and all five villages scrambling like headless chickens."
"So, what will happen? It's very interesting, don't you agree?"
A slow sip of tea. A deliberate pause.
"Oh, and I have nothing to do with this. I just have good ears."
---
The Samurai's Reaction – A Silent Storm
For a long moment, the room was deathly still.
Then, the samurai leader's hand twitched toward his sword.
His mind raced.
· She knew too much.
· She was too calm.
· She was either a prophet… or the architect of this chaos.
But Iron Country had rules. Neutrality. No shinobi wars. No interference.
And yet—
The world was burning.
His jaw tightened.
"You expect me to believe you had no hand in this?"
The woman laughed—a dry, crackling sound. "Believe what you want. But tell me, great leader…" She gestured to the window, where the horizon flickered with distant fire. "Does it look like anyone needed my help to start killing each other?"
Chapter 18: The Iron Country's Choice
The samurai leader exhaled, slow and controlled.
He could arrest her. Execute her. Demand answers.
But it wouldn't stop what was coming.
The Tailed Beasts were awake.
The summons had turned on their masters.
And the five great villages?
They were no longer the predators.
They were the prey.
---
Epilogue: The Grandmother's Final Words
As the samurai turned to leave, the woman called out one last time, her voice dripping with amusement.
"Oh, and leader?
"You might want to lock the borders. Things are about to get… messy."
The door slid shut behind him.
Outside, the winds howled like a gathering storm.
---
End.
(Or perhaps just the end of the old world… and the birth of a far more dangerous one.)