In a valley not far from Konoha, the Third Hokage and Shukaku clashed fiercely. The Third, holding nothing back, unleashed his full power, completely overpowering Shukaku.
Poor Shukaku, despite possessing immense strength, couldn't fully utilize it—his Wind Release techniques were at a disadvantage against Fire Release by nature. He had to protect his eyes carefully, unwilling to make the same mistake again. It was beyond frustrating; all he could do was fume helplessly.
The Third, in contrast, fought calmly and skillfully, effortlessly employing various ninjutsu. Even the simplest basic ninjutsu proved effective, as if he were putting on a masterclass in ninjutsu.
When Rasa arrived, Shukaku had already lost all fighting spirit. The Third was now holding up a sealing artifact, clearly planning to imprison Shukaku inside.
"Hold on!" Rasa shouted urgently, stepping forward. "Hokage-sama, Sand has lost this battle. I will order our retreat—let's end this here. What do you say?"
The Third responded gravely, "Don't you think it's too late to consider retreating now?"
"Sand still has the strength to fight, but we don't want both sides to suffer heavy losses and let other villages profit. Hokage-sama, are you really determined to fight us to the bitter end? Sunagakure will never allow another village to take Shukaku." Rasa's eyes burned with resolve. If the Third refused peace, he would join the battle immediately.
After a moment of silence, the Third finally spoke. "I'll agree to peace. You can take Shukaku and leave—but I have one condition."
Rasa sighed in relief. "Granted. Please speak."
"Surrender your stronghold at Mount Hakuto."
Furrowing his brow, Rasa hesitated. Capturing Mount Hakuto had been the best-case scenario in their strategic plan. Giving it up now meant throwing away hard-earned gains. However, after weighing Shukaku's importance, Rasa clenched his teeth and spat out one word: "Fine."
Hearing this, the Third gave a faint smile before calmly leaving the battlefield.
Thus, the Konoha Defense War officially ended, entering a ceasefire period. The war had visibly exhausted Konoha, while Sunagakure's puppet corps had been nearly wiped out entirely. Both sides needed time to recover their wounds.
A few days later, Konoha held a village-wide memorial ceremony. Nearly every ninja attended, and with rain falling gently from the sky, sorrow filled the air.
Unlike other Konoha ninja, Anya sat beside Master White Fang's grave, murmuring softly, "Master, it won't be long now. Once the Third Battle ends and all nations are weakened, my time will come. I will end this age of ninjas."
At that moment, Tsunade approached and said, "I knew you'd be here when I couldn't find you anywhere else."
Anya smiled faintly. "After every battle, I always feel like coming to visit him. After all, he was the one who brought me onto the battlefield and taught me how to survive."
Tsunade sat beside him, leaning naturally against his shoulder. "Yes… White Fang was a truly honorable ninja. If he were still alive, Konoha would've had a real shot at winning this war."
During the Second Battle, White Fang alone shouldered the burden for Konoha. He led Konoha ninja to many victories, like a sharp blade striking fear into enemy hearts.
Anya felt somewhat speechless after hearing that. If Master were still around, with his sharp battlefield insight, he probably would have already noticed all her little tricks and might even have expelled her from the sect.
Seeing that Anya didn't reply, Tsunade continued, "I'm leaving."
Anya looked confused, turned her head quickly, and asked, "Where to?"
Seeing Anya finally turn her gaze toward her, Tsunade gave a slight pout and let out a soft huff before looking away and said, "Mount Hakuto. Although Sunagakure Village has honored its promise and withdrawn from this stronghold, they completely destroyed the defensive installations previously built by Konoha. The elder believes they haven't accepted defeat and will likely launch another attack, so he assigned me to oversee the reconstruction efforts there."
"You mean you'll have to stay there long-term?" Anya's voice revealed slight reluctance. Since the start of the war, the two had barely seen each other anyway. This separation would inevitably send Anya to the frontlines again, meaning it would be quite some time before they met once more.
"I don't have a choice," sighed Tsunade. "I've already agreed. It's my responsibility this time—I can't run from it. Besides, no one else in the village is better suited than me. After all, I'm confident dealing with their poisons."
"Then let me keep you company tonight."
"Alright." Tsunade casually agreed at first but suddenly remembered something, hesitating as she asked, "You're not planning something naughty, are you?"
Anya was taken aback for a moment and smiled bitterly, "Where did your mind go? I meant to help prepare some antidotes for you to carry. Don't forget, I infiltrated Sunagakure Village before; I understand how they make and formulate their poisons."
Hearing that, Tsunade blushed slightly, playfully stuck out her tongue and patted Anya's head, saying, "Okay, okay, I guess I misjudged you."
Put simply, once a couple is in a relationship, a woman isn't bothered by a man wanting her—it's whether he wants her and only her that matters. That's desire, not love.
Being a normal man, Anya indeed couldn't resist the temptation of two [Planetary Devastation] at first and gave in to desire. But as they spent more time together, it was impossible for true feelings not to develop.
Konoha quickly regained its usual vibrancy after the war. In reality, Sunagakure mainly targeted strategic points rather than civilian areas, causing minimal damage. The villagers had already hidden themselves beforehand, suffering negligible losses. However, nearly ninety percent of the defending ninja lost their lives—leaving Konoha at its weakest moment.
However, with news of Konoha's victory spreading outward, other countries remained unaware of Konoha's actual condition. Meanwhile, the post-war reconstruction had already begun.
Late at night, Anya had spread out a full array of antidotes on the table for Tsunade, explaining all the common poisons used by Sunagakure. Next time, Sasori wouldn't catch her off guard so easily.
They were family; there was no way Sasori could be allowed to kill either of them. Currently, Sasori's power had grown immensely since merging with Ryumyaku Chakra Control. His chakra reserves now surpassed those of Kage-level ninjas, and in terms of actual combat strength, he was even slightly above Anya.
So, Anya kept stressing one thing to Tsunade over and over: protect yourself, don't get caught up in small wins, and know when to step back.
Faced with Anya's continued concern, Tsunade was uncharacteristically gentle at that moment. As he carefully explained things to her, her face gradually flushed red, and the room's temperature seemed to rise.
When Tsunade didn't respond, Anya turned his head—only to find his face buried in a patch of snowy softness. The overwhelming weight nearly stole the breath from his lungs. The momentary bliss was intoxicating and addictive.
Beneath the starry night, the two clung tightly to each other as muffled sounds filled the room, lingering for a long time.
Both knew this parting would mean a long time apart, so they gave in fully to their passion.
Early the next morning, Anya kept his eyes shut tight, pretending to be asleep—he didn't want to face the pain of saying goodbye. Only after the beloved figure had completely left did he slowly rise, letting out a deep sigh as he muttered, "Maybe I should go find Emperor Guy and learn Eight Gates. Otherwise, I won't be able to keep my standing as a husband."
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