The Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Rivers that sat wedged between them finally found a moment of stability. The war fires that had burned for years began to flicker out—then, at last, they were extinguished.
Within days, news of the peace treaty between Konoha and the Hidden Sand swept through the shinobi world like a hurricane, triggering a massive chain reaction.
The Third Shinobi World War was essentially a continuation of the second. The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had been the fuse, making the Sand the first village—and the Land of Wind the first nation—to be dragged into the conflict. Now, they were the first to extract themselves. With the war against Konoha over, the Sand's only remaining major enemy was the Hidden Stone.
In contrast, Konoha's plate remained full: they were still facing the Stone, the Cloud, the Mist, and the smaller but persistent Rain.
The web of conflict remained tangled:
- The Stone fought the Sand, Konoha, and the Cloud.
- The Cloud fought Konoha, the Stone, and the Mist.
- The Mist fought Konoha and the Cloud.
But geopolitics is never that simple. A peace treaty between two major powers shifts the balance of the entire world. For Fire and Wind, the border was no longer a front line. Massive amounts of liberated manpower were suddenly available to be redeployed.
The Sand would undoubtedly bolster their lines against the Stone. Konoha, meanwhile, would likely shift its weight toward the Cloud and Stone fronts, which were proving far more grueling than the conflict with the Mist. To maintain the stalemate, the Stone and Cloud would be forced to make strategic adjustments, likely escalating their own troop counts in response.
Furthermore, the Sand's "unofficial" ties with the Rain—which had allowed them to bypass the Rain's borders to strike Konoha's headquarters—would have to cease, or at least become significantly more discreet.
Because of this sudden peace, the various battlefields across the continent fell into a strange, temporary silence. It was as if someone had pressed "pause" on the war. Every nation needed time to huddle and discuss their next move.
The Return Journey
One week after the signing, the Konoha forces completed their withdrawal from the Land of Wind. They moved through the Land of Rivers and halted at the border of the Land of Fire.
The Hokage and his advisors finalized the post-war strategy. A small garrison would remain at the border to monitor the Sand, but under no circumstances were Konoha shinobi allowed to cross into Wind territory. As for the rest of the force, some were diverted directly to the Cloud/Stone fronts, while others were designated to return to the village with the Hokage.
Immediately after the withdrawal, Namikaze Minato departed for the Stone front with Kakashi and Rin. This didn't mean he was returning to that front permanently; after reuniting his two students with his "unfortunate third student" (Obito), Minato had separate business that would require another trip back to Konoha.
With Minato gone, the main body of the Leaf force began to move. The first wave consisted mostly of the severely wounded being sent back to the village for long-term care. Then went the reinforcements for the other fronts. Finally, the Third Hokage, escorted by his personal ANBU, began the trek home—he couldn't leave the village's core power empty for too long.
Amidst this frantic, large-scale shuffling of shinobi, Ui found himself in a peculiar state of limbo.
He wasn't on the list for the Cloud front. He wasn't assigned to the border garrison. He wasn't even on the list for the Hokage's personal return party. He spent several days in a state of being "disconnected" or perhaps simply "forgotten."
Finally, notification arrived: he was to join the very last group returning to the village. His future assignments would be determined once he arrived in Konoha.
A pawn in the game of war, Ui thought. I guess even pawns have to wait for the player to move them.
His return group was small—about a hundred people. Most were wounded who could still walk, accompanied by medical staff and "miscellaneous" unassigned shinobi like himself. Because of the wounded, their pace was slow. They spent several days navigating carefully chosen routes, taking advantage of the temporary wartime lull, until at last, the gates of Konoha appeared.
Home, Bittersweet Home
Seeing the gates again brought a strange sensation. "Long-awaited" felt like an exaggeration, but walking back from the battlefield in one piece did stir something in him.
Fundamentally, Konoha was the same. For many civilians, war was just a concept—a headline about which village they were fighting and how it was going. Victory was symbolic and spiritual to them. Civilians didn't go to the front, and as long as the village itself wasn't invaded, their daily lives remained largely untouched. They celebrated the victory without needing to understand the cost or the political fallout.
After clearing the entrance procedures and helping the medical team deliver the wounded to the hospital, Ui was finally dismissed.
The streets bore the messy remnants of a post-treaty celebration. Ui, however, had only one goal: go home and sleep until his brain rebooted.
He bypassed the official reporting—that could wait until tomorrow—and headed straight for his house. To his surprise, the place wasn't the dusty tomb he expected. The furniture and bed were remarkably clean.
Did someone actually clean this place for me?
He walked over to a chair, ready to collapse. But the moment his weight touched the seat, the chair disintegrated into a pile of splintered wood.
Ui rubbed his eyes. No, he hadn't imagined it. The chair was dead.
He sighed, instantly identifying his mysterious "benefactor." Only one person had that specific combination of good intentions and accidental structural violence.
Kushina. You're a saint, really. But a little more finesse next time would be appreciated.
Author's Note on Fire Style:
1. Let's not look at things with a "God's eye view." To the protagonist, Konoha simply doesn't have A-rank Fire Style jutsus readily available.
2. Even if I, the author, say it—Konoha doesn't have them. Madara Uchiha knew them, but he hasn't "played" with Konoha for a long time. Just because he knew them doesn't mean every other Uchiha did. Those massive jutsus were specifically created by Kishimoto for Madara's late-game power creep.
3. If you insist on your own view, think of it this way: the Uchiha are just incredibly mysterious, and clan rules forbid using A-rank Fire Style in any battle, keeping them as "eternal family heirlooms." Fire Style is forever; A-rank is just for show.
As for the next step in your journey... having returned to a village still high on the fumes of victory but secretly preparing for the next storm, what do you think is the first thing Ui should do once he finally wakes up from that nap?