One hundred billion explosive tags.
In a single moment, they nearly exhausted Sunagakure's accumulated stockpile built up over many years.
The cost was enormous—but the results were equally staggering.
Many of those explosive tags had been stored for over a decade, some even dating back to the First Great Ninja War, so their destructive power was inferior to newly produced tags.
Even so, the damage inflicted upon Konoha was on a scale they could not possibly ignore.
After this battle, Nara Shikagawa resigned from his position as Captain of the Jōnin Assembly and chose to retire outright.
He could no longer face the horrifying figure of five thousand casualties.
This was a disgrace that would follow him—and the Nara clan—for a lifetime.
"Father…"
Nara Shikagawa, suddenly appearing far older than before, looked at his eldest son standing before him.
"Shikaku. The Hokage has made an exception and promoted you directly to jōnin. The position of Jōnin Assembly Captain is now vacant."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"In the upcoming war against Iwagakure, what is your strategy?"
"Kannabi Bridge," Nara Shikaku replied calmly.
"Sever Iwa's supply lines."
"And the details?"
"This is the plan."
Shikagawa carefully read through the document. As the current head of the Nara clan, he finally showed a faint, relieved smile.
"Very good. Your ability is no longer inferior to mine."
He closed the file.
"As for the Jōnin Assembly Captain position—I want you to reclaim it within a year."
The Jōnin Assembly was a highly Unique structure within Konoha.
Its members were drawn from all major divisions: ANBU, Medical Corps, Military Police, Interrogation, Intelligence, and Administration.
Yet at the highest-level council meetings, the Jōnin Assembly Captain represented the collective will of all Konoha jōnin.
Even the appointment of a Hokage required unanimous approval from the Jōnin Assembly.
Because of their strategic brilliance, the Nara clan had long held this position.
Although Shikagawa had resigned, the new acting Jōnin Assembly Captain was Minato Namikaze.
As a trusted aide of the Third Hokage, Shikagawa knew very well that Minato was being groomed as the next Hokage.
For Minato, this role was merely transitional.
"Do not harbor any hostility toward Minato," Shikagawa said calmly.
"His time as captain is only temporary."
"I understand, Father," Shikaku replied.
Having grown up observing Konoha's upper-level power structures, Shikagawa was well aware of the unspoken rules.
Minato Namikaze had already been fully pushed into the spotlight.
Konoha propaganda emphasized how many comrades he had saved at Kikyo Mountain.
To further promote Minato's benevolence, Konoha even adopted thousands of war orphans he had rescued on the battlefield, bringing them into the village as a display of "benevolent governance."
Among those children was a particularly special orphan—
Yakushi Kabuto, the future inheritor of Orochimaru's ideology.
In addition, Minato Namikaze was appointed as Konoha's chief negotiator, sent to Sunagakure to sign the ceasefire agreement after Kikyo Mountain.
Meanwhile, Ōnoki had originally been advancing his forces through the Revelation Mountain Range against Sunagakure.
But once the results of the Kikyo Mountain battle became public, his attention shifted sharply toward Konoha.
At Kannabi Bridge, Iwagakure reinforced its forces to a massive scale, completely suppressing Konoha on that front.
Compared to the desert-covered and impoverished Land of Wind, the Land of Fire was immensely rich in resources.
Konoha's situation was deteriorating rapidly.
Even Kumogakure began to stir restlessly.
Under these circumstances, ceasing hostilities with Sunagakure and forming an alliance again became Konoha's most urgent priority.
This was no longer the era of the First or Second Great Ninja Wars, when Konoha could face four great villages at once without falling behind.
As for Sunagakure—
The casualty numbers from this battle greatly pleased the Wind Country Daimyō.
Fewer shinobi to maintain meant fewer expenses.
To him, this was excellent news.
After all, the Land of Wind was poor, and few great nations had any interest in invading it anyway.
The only regret was that the Revelation Mountain Range had suddenly gone quiet, allowing the Land of Earth to focus all of its attention on Konoha instead.
"That Black Mist… what was his name again?"
A courtier beside the Daimyō—Kitajima Taikō, father of Kitajima Jūnin—quickly answered with a flattering smile:
"Black Mist Shiraishi."
"Yes, yes… him."
The Daimyō smiled slightly.
"Compared to that dull Rasa, he's far more interesting. Didn't he kill the head of some major Konoha clan this time?"
"I should award him a medal."
He stood up heavily, thinking for quite a while.
"Let's call it…
The Wind Country Sunagakure Kikyo Mountain Supreme Medal."
Kitajima Taikō clapped enthusiastically, completely lacking the dignity of a clan head and instead resembling a sycophantic court attendant.
"What a brilliant name! It perfectly reflects Your Excellency's high regard for him!"
Several ministers nearby looked on with barely concealed disdain—but none dared speak.
Since Black Mist Shiraishi's human-body techniques had been offered to the Daimyō through the Kitajima clan, their favor had returned in full.
Ordinary people could not practice such techniques.
For the Daimyō's private needs, only the Kitajima clan was suitable.
As a result, several Kitajima kunoichi who had mastered these techniques became the most favored concubines in the Daimyō's harem.
At the same time, with Rasa and the Sand Release Three Lineages competing against the Kitajima clan, the latter began heavily investing in Shiraishi as a contender for the future Kazekage position.
A medal might seem useless on the surface—
But politically, it carried immense invisible weight.
Especially the length of its title, which directly reflected the Daimyō's favor.
The Wind Daimyō half-closed his eyes, enjoying Kitajima Taikō's flattery.
He understood all their schemes perfectly—
He simply didn't care.
Rasa's Gold Dust Magnet Release, or more accurately, the Sand Release Three Lineages' metal-based Magnet Release, was a crucial source of Wind Country revenue.
Many mineral veins could only be mined through cooperation with them.
The Third and Fourth Kazekage, having controlled such a vital financial artery for generations, made the Daimyō deeply uncomfortable.
That was why he intended to support Shiraishi—to restrain the Sand Release clans.
Only with two competing powers would Sunagakure never be truly united enough to threaten his authority.
Shinobi were too powerful.
The means available to a Daimyō to restrain them were limited.
Other great nations possessed diverse economic structures, forcing their ninja villages to rely on the Daimyō.
But in the Land of Wind, Rasa's gold dust was both indispensable—and intolerable.
While the Daimyō discussed medal names with the Kitajima clan head…
Outside Sunagakure's camp, Konoha's envoys slowly crossed the desert.
To demonstrate the importance of the negotiations, Konoha sent two heavyweights:
Jiraiya
and
Minato Namikaze.
Along the way, Minato maintained his usual gentle demeanor—
But his expression was rigid, mechanical.
The battle of Kikyo Mountain had cut deeply into him.
Watching countless comrades die while being powerless to stop it filled him with rage he could barely contain.
At one point, he had even considered slaughtering his way through Sunagakure and taking Ebizō's head himself.
But for the sake of the village—
He endured it.
"We've arrived. Sunagakure's camp."
"And the one welcoming us is…"
"Black Mist Shiraishi."
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