"By the way… where is Senior White Fang?"
Kaoru looked around, puzzled that Hatake Sakumo still hadn't shown up.
"Huh? Sensei?"
Only then did Kyūsei realize he hadn't paid attention to Sakumo's situation earlier. After clashing head-on with multiple Tailed Beasts, the battlefield had been plunged into total chaos. He simply hadn't had the chance to notice.
Still, with Sakumo's strength, protecting himself shouldn't have been difficult.
Activating Kagura's Mind Eye over a wide range, Kyūsei, Kaoru , the silent Yagura, and the Seven-Tails' Jinchūriki soon found Hatake Sakumo under a tree, wearing an awkward expression.
Back when Kyūsei had exchanged Tailed Beast Bombs with the enemy, the shockwaves had been enormous. Sakumo had dodged falling trees one after another, but in the end, one of them still struck him.
His leg had been broken…
The legendary Konoha White Fang, crippled by a falling tree…
It was far too embarrassing.
"Uh… hehe, it's you, Kyūsei… haha…"
Sakumo scratched his head awkwardly when he saw them.
"The scenery here is pretty nice…"
Kyūsei stared at him in silence.
"Please… don't tell anyone about this…"
—
Three months passed after that earth-shattering battle.
Many things happened during that time.
First and foremost was the terrifying combat power of Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. Alone, he had resisted five Tailed Beasts and emerged victorious.
At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi's near-perfect strategic control and decisive leadership at his advanced age became legendary.
The very day the three Kage returned to their villages, over ten thousand invading ninja—who had nearly pushed into the heartland of the Land of Fire—were ordered to retreat.
It was meaningless.
As long as Uzumaki Kyūsei lived, any invasion was pointless.
Just as he himself had once said—
No matter how much land they took, he would force them to spit it all back out.
After the withdrawal of the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, the Lands of Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Rain rapidly formed an alliance.
This alliance was different from any before.
In Kyūsei's eyes, it was closer to something like a "United Nations."
Centered around the Land of Rain, they established an organization called Dawn.
Its leadership consisted entirely of top figures from the four great nations.
At its head stood Uchiha Hikaru, who had once confronted Kyūsei head-on.
Under her were heavyweights:
The Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki,
The Third Kazekage Kurozawa,
The Fourth Raikage A,
Eight-Tails Jinchūriki Killer B,
Two-Tails Jinchūriki Garina,
Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi,
Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han.
Including Hikaru, there were eight top-tier combatants.
Dawn's existence was clearly aimed at Konoha.
But Kyūsei knew they were still missing one crucial figure.
Uzumaki Nagato.
A nearly perfect ninja.
At the same time, Konoha reacted quickly.
They immediately formed their own alliance with Kirigakure, creating an organization similar to the Four-Nation Alliance—and deliberately naming it Dusk.
Its lineup was no weaker than Dawn's.
At the forefront were:
Nine-Tails Jinchūriki Uzumaki Kyūsei,
Golden Flash Namikaze Kaoru ,
Konoha White Fang Hatake Sakumo,
Two of the Sannin—Orochimaru and Tsunade,
Fourth Mizukage Yagura.
The five great nations now stood in open opposition.
Smaller countries were thrown into panic.
Under such circumstances, peaceful, isolated lives were no longer possible.
The birth of Dawn and Dusk marked the beginning of an unprecedented era of bipolar confrontation in ninja history.
From a territorial perspective, Dawn controlled three-fifths of the continent—mostly harsh and barren lands.
Dusk held only two-fifths, but included the wealthy Lands of Fire and Water.
For the moment, it was impossible to say who was stronger.
Interestingly, Yagura—who had helped ignite this situation—was labeled by gossipers as "the No.1幕后黑手 of the ninja world."
Although neither side had formally surrendered after the great battle, one thing was now clear:
High-end combat power decided everything.
Against true monsters, ordinary ninja were nearly meaningless—unless they piled up lives and the enemy chose not to retreat.
Otherwise, killing top-tier powerhouses was almost impossible.
Except in rare cases like the Third Raikage.
As a result, both sides began pouring resources into cultivating future elites.
One notable example was Sasori of the Red Sand, who had been revived in Sunagakure.
Kyūsei frowned as he read the intelligence report.
He hadn't expected Chiyo to have already mastered the forbidden technique, One's Own Life Reincarnation.
Sacrificing one's life to revive another…
Sasori really had a great grandmother.
The current situation was far beyond what Kyūsei had imagined.
It was oddly similar to the Cold War between superpowers in his previous life.
Who would've thought the ninja world would end up like this?
Sitting on his rooftop, enjoying the breeze, Kyūsei suddenly spoke:
"Uncle Hashirama, you there?"
"What's up?"
Hashirama responded unusually fast.
In his view, the current balance wasn't bad.
Less emphasis on ordinary ninja meant casualties had dropped to almost negligible levels.
It didn't perfectly match his dream, but it wasn't far off either.
He didn't manifest a clone—it was daytime. Being seen would look like he'd risen from the dead.
"Uncle Hashirama, is your Sage Mode from Shikkotsu Forest?"
Kyūsei asked.
To grow stronger, he had to master Sage Mode.
Sage Mode plus Kurama Mode—second only to Six Paths.
That was the path he'd planned for himself.
He disliked Mount Myōboku's toads and didn't want to be bitten by the White Snake Sage, so Shikkotsu Forest was his preferred choice.
"Huh?"
"Shikkotsu Forest?"
"Isn't Sage Mode just… Sage Mode?"
"Why does it matter where it comes from?"
Hashirama sounded confused.
His response left Kyūsei equally confused.
"Then where did you learn Sage Mode, Uncle Hashirama?"
Hashirama scratched his head.
"Why can't I just figure it out myself?"
"…Alright. That's impressive."
Sage Mode was one of the pinnacle powers of the ninja world—extremely dangerous and hard to master.
Yet Hashirama had learned it alone, without guidance.
No wonder he was called the God of Shinobi.
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