When strength alone could no longer calm the hearts of others…
Then, even if the mask of a benevolent Hokage had been worn until this moment, it was ultimately meaningless.
"Hiruzen, this matter needs a proper solution… we can't keep dragging it out any longer."
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado looked calmly at the Third Hokage. After finishing their words, they leaned back slightly, clearly passing the responsibility onto him.
Something this troublesome, of course, had to be handled by the Hokage himself.
"…If I had a good solution," Hiruzen said irritably, "do you think I'd still be stuck here with you?"
"What else can you do besides throwing every problem at me?"
With a tired sigh, the Third Hokage raised his head and looked at Koharu and Homura.
Even if it was a bad idea, he still wanted to hear something from them at this point.
However, faced with his gaze, Koharu and Homura said nothing, quietly turning their eyes away instead.
Think for yourself.
Aren't you usually so eloquent? Why are you silent now?
Hiruzen clearly understood their attitude.
They all knew the truth—the growth of Shiki had already reached a point that could no longer be suppressed.
But in Koharu and Homura's eyes, no matter who became Hokage, their status as Konoha elders would remain unchanged.
So compared to exhausting themselves over how to deal with Shiki, they had already calmed down.
"You two… leave first."
Seeing straight through their thoughts, the Third Hokage suppressed the urge to smack someone and spoke in a low voice.
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances, said nothing more, then turned and left.
"…Damn old bastards."
Shiki's moment of celebration didn't last long.
The day after he defeated Kirigakure, news spread across the ninja world: on the battlefield against Sunagakure, Tsunade and Orochimaru had joined forces and achieved a decisive victory.
At this point, among the Four Great Ninja Villages that had besieged Konoha, only Kumogakure remained.
And everyone understood—
Once the forces from the other battlefields converged on the Cloud Village, their defeat would only be a matter of time.
"We're going to win!"
"This war is finally ending!"
"Konoha is victorious!"
"It seems Tsunade wants me back more than I expected…"
At Konoha's camp near Kirigakure, Shiki looked at the message scroll in his hand and smiled faintly.
"What did Tsunade-sensei say?"
Standing beside him, Kurenai Yūhi couldn't help asking when she saw his expression.
"Nothing much," Shiki replied casually. "She just told me to hurry to the battlefield at Kumogakure. She'll be waiting for me there."
Now that only the Cloud Village remained, both Shiki's forces and Tsunade's troops would naturally concentrate there. This scroll was clearly sent by Tsunade herself.
The meaning was obvious...
'Don't dawdle. Get to the Cloud Village battlefield already. I'll be waiting.'
"It really does sound like something she'd say…"
Shiki smiled, though there was unmistakable longing in his eyes. Since the war began, he hadn't seen Tsunade even once. All their contact had been through message scrolls.
Now that they would finally meet again, anticipation naturally surfaced in his heart.
Without hesitation, Shiki turned toward Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Hiashi, who had already gathered the troops.
"Everyone," Shiki said clearly, "follow me to the Cloud Village battlefield. Let's bring this war to an end."
"Yes!"
The response echoed in unison.
Everyone believed that under Shiki's leadership, final victory was inevitable.
"Damn it!"
At Kumogakure, after receiving news of Kirigakure's defeat, the Third Raikage slammed his fist down on the table.
"This Shiki's only been gone a few days, and the Mist Village is already finished? Are those people putting on a show?! Couldn't they at least hold out for a day or two?"
Though furious, he also understood the reality.
After all—this was someone who had pinned Kumogakure down for an entire year by himself.
Beside him, the Raikage's aide spoke with a bitter expression.
"Raikage-sama… Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure have all fallen. Only Kumogakure remains."
Silence filled the meeting room.
Everyone knew the truth. With only one village left, defeating Konoha was impossible—especially when Konoha still had Shiki, the Golden Lion.
Continuing the fight would only lead to one outcome: surrender.
"…Unacceptable."
Not just the Third Raikage—everyone in the room felt the same.
They had fought through the entire war, consumed massive resources, and now they were expected to surrender without gaining anything?
Impossible.
Boom!
The Third Raikage slammed his fist down again. This time, the table finally gave way and shattered completely.
He stood up, eyes blazing.
"Gather all our forces. Before the Golden Lion arrives, we strike Konoha head-on!"
Once Shiki joined the battlefield, it would be meaningless to resist. The Third Raikage intended to act before that happened.
"Damn it—if we're going to lose, then Konoha won't have it easy!"
Surrender was not an option.
"Yes!"
No one objected—not even the Raikage's aide.
Being forced into submission by a single ninja… the humiliation was unbearable.
Boom—! Rumble—!
Thunder and explosions tore through the battlefield as fire and lightning intertwined.
Smoke and chakra filled the air, and ninjutsu bombardments erupted everywhere.
"Have the Cloud Village lunatics gone insane?!"
Watching Gyūki and Matatabi, now fully transformed, rampage across the battlefield while relentlessly attacking Konoha's forces, Jiraiya was left stunned.
Just moments ago, they had been celebrating the defeat of the Mist and Sand Villages—
And now Kumogakure had launched a full-scale war.
"This is what we call bad luck."
Standing beside him were Tsunade and Orochimaru, who had just arrived from the Sand battlefield.
Tsunade crossed her arms, scowling.
"I came here to meet Shiki… so why did this suddenly turn into another war?"
"Well," Jiraiya said dryly, "even if everyone knows that's your real reason, you don't need to say it out loud. It stings a little."
Tsunade shot him a glare.
"Enough," Orochimaru said calmly. "Let's stop the chatter and deal with the Cloud Village first."
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