175: The Third Shinobi World War ended, Sakumo Hatake died, and the Night of the Nine-Tails descended!

The Third Great Ninja War, in a sense, was a continuation of the Second Great Ninja War.

Following the victory at the Kannabi Bridge Battle,

Hatake Sakumo, deep within the Land of Fire, successfully annihilated an elite assassination squad dispatched by Hidden Stone Village, solidifying his reputation as the 'White Fang' and striking fear across the Ninja World.

He even forced the major ninja villages, after this battle, to specifically design rules stating that:

If one encounters Hatake Sakumo, they are permitted to flee without fear of punishment for mission failure!

This demonstrates Hatake Sakumo's strength.

In this era, he was absolutely close to Diamond Rank, nearing the Super Kage level!

At the same time,

Two consecutive major defeats finally stripped Hidden Stone Village of its will to fight, public opinion within the country began to lean towards anti-war sentiment, and its overall strength plummeted.

Were it not for the support of the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki,

This battle alone would have been enough to plunge Hidden Stone Village into an irreversible decline!

Thus,

Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Mist Village, two major ninja villages, were eliminated from the Third Great Ninja War, breaking Konoha Village's encirclement and greatly reducing its pressure!

With more abundant forces, Konoha

Sent troops to the Land of Rain, coordinating with the Sannin within the Land of Rain to exert direct pressure, backed by the vast resources of the Land of Fire and a sufficient supply line from the rear.

They continuously reduced the territory of the Land of Rain.

Ultimately,

This forced Hanzo of the Salamander to abandon his specialized poison gas attacks and instead engage Konoha in a decisive battle on the front lines!

Rumble—

Rain poured down, thick black clouds churned ceaselessly, accompanied by terrifying flashes of lightning and thunderous roars, as if a sea of thunder had gathered overhead, a clear sign of an impending apocalypse.

Below,

The Konoha ninja and the Land of Rain ninja

Had already taken their stances, especially the Land of Rain, which had mobilized its entire country for this battle, not hesitating to exhaust decades of national fortune, placing the entire nation's power on the gambling table!

The conflict began.

With a loud roar, a colossal creature emerged from the depths of the forest in the rain and mist, accompanied by purplish-black poisonous gas, inspiring awe and dread!

Standing atop its head

Was a figure emanating a Gold Rank aura!

It was none other than Hanzo of the Salamander, whose strength had reached Kage-level, no weaker than the Kage of other ninja villages!

"Lord Hanzo!"

"Lord Hanzo of the Salamander is here! The Land of Rain will win! We will win!"

"Victory! Victory!"

The appearance of Hanzo of the Salamander greatly boosted the morale of the Land of Rain! Conversely, for Konoha, a shadow of gloom fell upon everyone's hearts with his arrival.

The art of war lies in courage!

If one is suppressed by the enemy's momentum before the battle even begins, the spirit of the entire army will inevitably decline.

Increasing the possibility of defeat.

The Sannin naturally knew this, and with a cold snort, a loud 'bang' echoed as three massive clouds of mist appeared out of thin air!

From within,

Came sounds of frogs croaking, snakes hissing, and squirming...

When the smoke cleared, three equally enormous summoned beasts appeared, none other than the summoned beasts of the Three Great Sage Lands!

Gamabunta, Manda, and Katsuyu!

The decisive battle had begun!

...[A brutal slaughter, bodies piled like mountains, blood mixed with rainwater, seeping into the earth, even staining the surrounding leaves crimson.]

[Even the air was thick with a chilling scent of blood!]

[Constantly stimulating the senses, exciting and terrifying people...]

[This unprecedented war lasted for several days. The number of combatants on both sides, which started at over ten thousand, steadily dwindled. By the time the war ended, fewer than a few hundred ninja remained alive.]

[The sacrifice of a large number of low and mid-level ninja had both good and bad effects, largely alleviating the problem of an expanding ninja population and insufficient resources.]

[Thereby, it delayed internal conflicts among the various factions.]

[Numerous positions also became vacant due to the ninja's sacrifices, allowing for renewed circulation, opening up channels for advancement, and promoting a short-term economic boom after the war.]

[War is bloody politics.]

[All the sacrifices on the front lines amounted to nothing more than cold, hard data in the eyes of the higher-ups, utterly meaningless. Their only meaning was to free up more resources.]

[That was all.]

[So-called bonds, friendship, unity... these were just inspiring slogans, pleasant to hear, but in reality, they were merely bargaining chips for politicians to wage war and gain benefits.]

[It has always been this way, without exception.]

The simulator continuously updated.

With the end of the Third Great Ninja War, the Sannin also advanced further in their battle against Hanzo of the Salamander, reaching Kage-level, which is Gold Rank.

One more step, and it would be Diamond Rank!

Which is the so-called Super Kage.

Years passed... The memories left by war were not profound. For those who experienced war, it was a nightmare they never wanted to recall.

But for those born in the new era, everything in war seemed so attractive.

Continuously drawing in newcomers,

To throw themselves into such a meat grinder, thereby making war endless, never disappearing even if civilization were to be destroyed.

Similarly,

The Third Great Ninja War, to a certain extent, alleviated internal conflicts, but at the same time, it also produced a group of renowned ninja.

Among them, Hatake Sakumo was the most prominent!

Already an elite jonin, his fame skyrocketed after he single-handedly intercepted Hidden Stone Village's elite assassination squad, making him a recognized top-tier expert in the entire Ninja World, no weaker than a Kage!

His immense prestige, however, also brought a certain threat to the upper echelons.

That was, there was nothing left to bestow upon him!

Hatake Sakumo was already an elite jonin, and other positions in the village, such as Hokage advisors, were occupied by Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. These two veterans from the Second Great Ninja War were naturally unwilling to give up their positions.

The Anbu was directly controlled by the Hokage; even Danzo, who was considered a comrade, was not given control.

Let alone an outsider like Hatake Sakumo.

The only remaining option was the Root, but the Root had long been Danzo's private domain; how could it be left for an outsider to covet?

But upon closer consideration,

There was actually one more position: the Ninja Academy. However, the Ninja Academy had always been controlled by the Hokage, serving as the central hub for ideological dissemination.

To a certain extent, it was Konoha Village's most crucial institution.

It was even less likely to be handed over to Hatake Sakumo.

Thus,

Under these circumstances, the Hokage faction decided to diminish Hatake Sakumo's prestige, spreading rumors to try and lower his standing, and then find a suitable position to offer him.

But those in power are shortsighted.

Those in high positions could never imagine how pure the faith of the people below was.

Perhaps he saw through the machinations of the higher-ups,

Or perhaps he was disappointed with the Konoha Village he had protected.

Hatake Sakumo, who had believed in the Will of Fire his entire life, ultimately perished because of the Will of Fire.

Konoha Year 47—

After the end of the Third Great Ninja War, at the turn of the new year, a time of old giving way to new.

The Legendary ninja, hailed as a powerful figure second only to the Kage, Hatake Sakumo, committed suicide at home, causing further upheaval in Konoha, which had just stabilized!

Affected by this event,

In the same year,

Orochimaru, who had achieved great merits and was a leading candidate for Hokage, narrowly missed out on the Hokage position.

Minato Namikaze succeeded Hiruzen Sarutobi, becoming the new Hokage.

Known as the Fourth Hokage!

As the defeated party, Orochimaru angrily left, announcing his defection from Konoha Village, and thereafter became an S-rank rogue ninja!

His two other companions,

Having witnessed the deaths of Dan Kato and her younger brother 'Nawaki Senju', Tsunade Senju developed an unknown hemophobia and also left Konoha Village.

Jiraiya followed them, beginning his wanderings, in accordance with the traditions of Mount Myōboku.

Searching for the Legendary Child of Prophecy... As a result,

Konoha, which had just begun to show signs of revitalization, once again fell into decline, and soon after, faced an attack by a mysterious masked man, who used his Mangekyo Sharingan to unleash the Nine-Tailed Fox!

Consequently,

This generation of powerful ninja all perished, creating a power vacuum in Konoha!

The simulator

Also, at this moment, refreshed with new information:

[Konoha Year 48, Uchiha Obito, who crawled back from hell, returned to Konoha with hatred for his master, and with the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan, brazenly ignited war!]

[Historically known as the 'Nine-Tails' Night'!]