Hakuho and Tsunade led their team back to Konoha.
At the same time, the news of the Third Mizukage's death in Kirigakure had spread throughout the ninja world.
The Third Mizukage's death, the defeat of Kirigakure's main forces, and the completely favorable situation for Konoha on the eastern front—this series of news shook Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
Among them, Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, learned of this news, and after receiving more specific intelligence, he was shocked but also had a different idea.
Uchiha, it's Uchiha!
To be able to kill that old man, the Third Mizukage, this kid must be extraordinary. He's only a teenager, so young, and he's an Uchiha... Could it be the legendary... No, impossible, he's too young.
But for a brat like him to kill the Third Mizukage, Onoki could only say that it wasn't due to the Mangekyo Sharingan. How else could he have done it?
Those eyes, they could achieve it. However, the Uchiha clan and the Konoha higher-ups have always been at odds, and now that the Uchiha clan has produced such a genius, that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi must be restless.
When Onoki first learned that the Third Mizukage had been killed by a ten-year-old boy, a young prodigy from Konoha, a genius of the new generation, he was consumed by envy.
At that moment, he was incredibly jealous. "How could your Konoha produce another genius?"
But after confirming that it was a genius from the Uchiha clan, Onoki's shock and jealousy turned into joy and delight.
Who doesn't know about the animosity between the Uchiha clan and the Konoha higher-ups? Don't let the Uchiha clan's current fighting on the battlefield fool you. Where are they stationed?
They are on the battlefield fighting Kirigakure, mainly responsible for defending against Kirigakure's surprise attacks on the Land of Fire's border. This is clearly intentional.
The Land of Whirlpools is a large island, surrounded by the sea. For the Uchiha clan, this puts them at a complete disadvantage. Fire Release against Water Release, and fighting surrounded by water? The timing, geographical advantage, and human factors are all unfavorable to the Uchiha clan. Anyone with eyes can see this, and Onoki understood it even better.
The Uchiha clan and the Konoha higher-ups are like fire and water. Furthermore, with such a genius appearing in the Uchiha clan, could that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi sit still?
I'm sure that old man definitely can't sit still.
Although Onoki knew this, the thought that Konoha had now resolved the crisis on the eastern front and the problem of Kirigakure's invasion meant that Konoha could deploy more forces to the battlefields against Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
Moreover, what is the current situation?
Iwagakure is in an unfavorable position.
Don't be fooled by the initial smooth progress, even successfully forcing Konoha's border defense troops to run out of supplies, leading to the predicament of only four remaining.
However, Minato Namikaze's arrival directly solved the problem, which infuriated Onoki to no end.
While their side was in an unfavorable, relatively deadlocked situation, a new genius had emerged on another Konoha battlefield, successfully forcing Kirigakure to retreat.
The crucial point is that the Third Mizukage is gone! To kill a Kage of a village, such a genius ninja has boundless prospects!
Given time, he might become another Minato Namikaze.
The thought of Minato Namikaze... gave Onoki a headache.
At the same time, he couldn't understand why Konoha could always produce so many talents, with outstanding geniuses appearing in each generation to turn the tide.
During the Warring States period, Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha crushed the ninja world, unstoppable.
In the First Great Ninja War, Tobirama Senju, that insidious and cunning man, dominated the battlefield. His Flying Thunder God Technique and various ruthless forbidden jutsus left you helpless. Although he was eventually ambushed and killed, the ultimate outcome was insignificant, and Konoha remained the biggest winner.
In the Second Great Ninja War, that dog Hiruzen Sarutobi held down the fort, and the White Fang of Konoha and the Sannin rose one after another. Although the war was brutal, Konoha as a whole didn't suffer much.
And now, in this Third Great Ninja War, Minato Namikaze has emerged, his Flying Thunder God Technique even more terrifying than Tobirama Senju's. But before Onoki could even process Minato Namikaze's existence, a genius Uchiha ninja who killed a Kage appeared on the Kirigakure battlefield. This... Onoki really wanted to say, "Is heaven favoring Konoha?"
It's important to know that in this Third Great Ninja War, the four great ninja villages launched their most insane offensive against Konoha. Even though they were still fighting each other, everyone tacitly concentrated their superior forces against Konoha.
And Konoha, due to fighting on multiple fronts, experienced local defense line collapses and was in an unfavorable situation. But unexpectedly, even with Konoha in such a disadvantageous position, just when a major breakthrough seemed imminent, the situation was suddenly reversed.
One Minato Namikaze, one Uchiha Shiraboku!
Minato Namikaze was one thing, already having a formidable reputation, but this Uchiha Shiraboku was so young, and he suddenly appeared and killed the Third Mizukage. It was truly baffling.
However, if he's from the Uchiha clan, it seems more reasonable. Moreover, that Uchiha Shiraboku might have even awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan... If this young man really awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, I don't believe Konoha's higher-ups could sleep soundly, or that old geezer Hiruzen Sarutobi could rest easy.
Aren't they afraid of another Madara Uchiha emerging?
Furthermore, can the Uchiha clan remain peaceful?
That's right, this is an area where we can stir things up. The animosity between the Uchiha clan and Konoha's higher-ups is a point we can exploit, and the outcome hasn't been fully decided yet. Iwagakure still has its main forces.
After all, if they miss this current opportunity, it's hard to say if there will be another chance in the future. So Onoki decided to give it one more shot. The supply lines are still intact, and as long as the Kannabi Bridge supply line is fine, they can still fight.
Of course, because they had recently ambushed and killed the Third Raikage, Iwagakure was currently unable to organize another unit to go to war. Furthermore, they had to guard against the movements of Sunagakure and Kumogakure, who harbored deep hatred for Iwagakure. Although Kumogakure wouldn't necessarily abandon their interests to fight Iwagakure to the death, Onoki couldn't afford to be unprepared.
If you don't prepare, and they actually attack, what will you do?
Because of this, Iwagakure's main forces currently invading the Land of Fire needed to be in position quickly.
Originally, Onoki had prepared about a thousand Iwagakure main forces to invade the Land of Fire. However, because the advance party led by Higashi Shinin actually defeated Konoha's border defense troops stationed on the front lines, Onoki felt they could win.
Although Minato Namikaze arrived in time to stop Iwagakure's further offensive, he believed the situation was still manageable, not to the point where they couldn't fight. At the very least, they should try one more time.
"Notify the elders for a meeting."
Onoki made up his mind and immediately called a meeting.
He wanted to discuss the subsequent battle arrangements with the many elders.
But before Onoki entered the meeting room, the latest battle report arrived.
"What? Minato Namikaze destroyed the Kannabi Bridge? Doesn't that mean the supply line is gone?" Onoki looked at the latest battle report and immediately flew into a rage.
I just found out that Kirigakure retreated and Uchiha Shiraboku killed the Third Mizukage, and now Minato Namikaze destroys the Kannabi Bridge, leading to the stillbirth of my invasion plan with a thousand Iwagakure main forces?
In the original plot, Minato Namikaze arrived in time and destroyed the Kannabi Bridge, completely cutting off Iwagakure's supply lines, which prevented Iwagakure's main forces from continuing their invasion plan.
And currently, although the anomaly of Shiraboku appeared, the Battle of Kannabi Bridge on the other battlefield proceeded as usual, and Minato Namikaze still won the MVP!
"Tsuchikage-sama, what do we do now?"
Inside the meeting room, the elders all had solemn expressions, and the atmosphere was very heavy. They had clearly all learned of the latest battle report: Minato Namikaze had once again thwarted Iwagakure's plan.
An invasion, it seems, is no longer possible.
If they really continued, those thousand Iwagakure ninja would be going on a one-way trip. If you can't guarantee the supply line, how can you fight this war?
Don't think that ninja can go without food and water. Moreover, it's not just about food and water; there are also supplies, especially important ninja tools.
Without enough ninja tools, how can you fight someone?
Exploding tags, kunai, shuriken—these are all very important.
In war, without enough weapons, what do you fight with?
So the supply line is very important. Another point is that the Kannabi Bridge is not just a simple supply line; more importantly, it's used to transport troops.
It's important to know that in the Great Ninja Wars, the truly heavy casualties weren't the jōnin or chūnin; the most deaths were among the genin.
Although they are cannon fodder, they are also the main force. And now, the Great Ninja War is in full swing, fought so brutally, the quality of these genin pulled out by the major ninja villages is imaginable.
In peacetime, they could be taught step by step, but now it's wartime. There's no time for such systematic training and instruction. Basically, they're given simple training and then sent to the battlefield.
And the strength of these quickly trained genin is imaginable; they probably haven't even mastered the most basic Three Body Techniques. At most, they can throw shuriken and kunai, and their accuracy is not to be relied upon.
As for exploding tags?
These things are useful.
But the price is not low. Not everyone is Konan, who can afford this kind of thing. How many exploding tags can a genin have? Having any at all is already good.
Most importantly, these are trump cards and shouldn't be used casually.
And without even these basic abilities, techniques like walking on water, which require precise chakra control, are impossible for these quickly trained genin. So the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge not only means the supply line can't function normally, but more crucially, even troops can't be transported across.
Without the bridge, jōnin and chūnin are fine, but how will this group of genin cross the river?
They can't cross, they simply can't.
Don't look at jōnin as the village's elite, and chūnin as the village's backbone. But genin represent the lifetime of most ninja. Not everyone can become a jōnin or chūnin. In the ninja world, most ninja live their lives as genin.
And while genin are cannon fodder, they are the true main force. Jōnin are the core combat power, chūnin are relatively numerous but cannot withstand attrition, and their value is high. So only genin can be used freely.
Especially Iwagakure, they play the numbers game. For example, when they previously surrounded and attacked the Third Raikage, they gathered tens of thousands of Iwa ninja to successfully wear him down to death.
However, such a tactic once already caused severe damage. Onoki couldn't play this game every time. Moreover, would you use such a trick against Minato Namikaze?
That guy isn't the Third Raikage; he's not that stubborn. This kind of human wave tactic wouldn't work, and furthermore, to employ such a tactic, you need the right timing, geographical advantage, and human factors.
The Third Raikage had no choice but to stay behind to cover his teammates, but would Minato Namikaze have such concerns?
He's a one-man army. With his Flying Thunder God Technique, Iwagakure now runs whenever they see the Yellow Flash.
How can you surround him?
No way, let's call a truce.
Without the bridge, the troops can't cross. Moreover, Minato Namikaze is there, and that's the biggest threat. Onoki can't take the risk. He can't possibly go himself, can he?
The problem is, once he leaves the village, what if Kumogakure goes crazy?
He had recently plotted to kill the Third Raikage, and this was a deep-seated grudge. If Kumogakure fought Iwagakure to the death for revenge, it would be troublesome.
"First, retreat. We can't fight this."
Onoki's opening statement essentially set the tone.
And the elders present, of course, wouldn't contradict Onoki.
Besides, not fighting was a good thing. If they continued to fight, everyone would be exhausted. Don't think that Iwagakure's numbers game was so powerful; the cost was immense. So many people died, and it was truly difficult to quell the anger within the village.
Although most of the deceased were genin, this didn't mean that no compensation was needed. On the contrary, it would be a huge expense, and they truly couldn't afford to continue. So, not fighting was the best option.
"Tsuchikage-sama is wise."
The many elders echoed.
Iwagakure's internal affairs were basically Onoki's dictatorship. While there were disputes, they simply couldn't contend with Onoki. So even if some people were dissatisfied, they could only endure it.
"I won't say any more nonsense. Since the situation is unfavorable, we can only negotiate for peace. I deduce that Konoha also doesn't want to continue fighting us like this, so the peace talks will basically go smoothly..."
Negotiating for peace, everyone had no objection.
But Onoki was so confident that the peace talks would go smoothly?
This made people question him immediately, so an elder immediately jumped out to challenge this.
"Tsuchikage-sama, peace talks might not be that easy. Konoha is a large and prosperous village, and now they hold a certain advantage. Kirigakure has basically collapsed on the eastern front, and we are at a disadvantage on the Grass Country battlefield. Can these peace talks really go smoothly?"
Onoki glanced at the questioning elder and snorted, "Hmph, you don't understand Hiruzen Sarutobi. That old geezer is getting worse and worse. The so-called 'Professor' has become a 'Ninja Bear,' squandering a good hand. If we initiate peace talks, he won't object."
He paused, then added, "Besides, it's just peace talks. It doesn't mean that if the situation changes, we'll just stand by and not participate. And aren't treaties just meant to be torn up? So what if we sign it? We'll just tear it up again."