In the end, the Third Raikage's heart softened — he couldn't ignore his son's suffering.
Even though the bet he had made with Konoha (in his own mind) had reached its most critical point, the news that his son was gravely injured and possibly near death became the final straw that broke his will.
The world might be vast, but nothing was more important than his son.
After all, from the very beginning, this great war that had shaken the entire shinobi world was started for one reason: to secure an unprecedentedly powerful Kumogakure, so that his son could one day have the foundation to unify the shinobi world.
Now that his son was on the brink of death, what meaning was there in continuing to fight Konoha to the bitter end?
Especially when he wasn't even certain he could win…
So, after much thought, the Third Raikage made his decision — he would withdraw his forces and end the war.
The Raikage had expected that his proposal to retreat would face fierce opposition.
He had even prepared a long list of justifications to convince the other officers.
But to his surprise, when he called the meeting and presented his plan, the proposal for withdrawal passed unanimously.
Only then did the Third Raikage realize just how strong the anti-war sentiment had become among his people.
And it made sense when he thought about it:
If all this fighting had actually brought results, it might have been worth it.
But they had been fighting for three whole years, and they were still stuck outside the Land of Fire's border — they hadn't even seen the gates of Konoha.
Anyone would be exhausted and demoralized after that.
With the retreat approved unanimously, the Raikage stopped hesitating.
He packed up his things and began preparations to return to the village.
When the news reached Konoha, the entire village rejoiced.
Minato's name, already rising in fame, soared even higher.
At this point, it was all but certain — the position of the Fifth Hokage was his for the taking.
But Konoha wasn't the only one to catch wind of Kumogakure's withdrawal.
Another village also received the same news — Iwagakure.
In the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki looked over the report of Kumo's withdrawal and laughed triumphantly:
"Good! Excellent! It's been ten whole years — and I've finally found my chance!
That damned Third Raikage — you know what it's like to be stabbed in the back now, don't you?
Let's see how you like tasting despair this time!"
Though he laughed heartily, a dangerous gleam flashed in Ōnoki's eyes — one that betrayed the venom behind his amusement.
After his laughter subsided, he slammed a hand on the desk and barked an order to the Anbu standing outside:
"Pass down my command!
Withdraw three thousand shinobi from the front lines and gather another seven thousand from around the village — a total of ten thousand men!
We'll ambush the Kumo forces as they retreat from the Land of Fire.
It's time to settle the score for their invasion of our territory all those years ago!"
...
Meanwhile, far away at the Iwagakure front camp, a report arrived.
"Lord Hoshiyomi, we've just received intelligence. Iwagakure has recalled a large number of shinobi back to their village, claiming it's to deal with the Land of Rain."
Gekko Hoshiyomi sat there lazily, idly stroking the huge head of Garuru.
Several years had passed, and even the smallest of the breed, Garuru, had grown to the size of an average lion. Hoshiyomi was quite satisfied with this size; it was the most comfortable for riding, and very convenient for petting as well.
Among Lobo's descendants, Garuru's line was Hoshiyomi's favorite.
It had been nearly thirty years since Hoshiyomi had first contracted Lobo.
Over those decades, thanks to Lobo and his offspring, they had developed into a medium-sized summoning beast clan.
The habitat Lobo had originally chosen had now been formally named White Wolf Ridge.
Hoshiyomi had visited the place himself — the natural energy there, though not quite at the level of the Three Great Sage Regions, wasn't far behind.
He had even taught Lobo and his descendants the methods of sensing and absorbing natural energy.
Lobo himself had already mastered Sage Mode, and several of his descendants had as well.
At this rate, given enough time and generations, it wasn't impossible that they could one day form a Fourth Great Sage Region.
As Hoshiyomi continued to stroke Garuru's head, he clicked his tongue and muttered with a puzzled look:
"Did Amegakure offend them?"
The messenger shinobi said respectfully,
"It's said that some Iwagakure shinobi were attacked by the leader of Amegakure. Ōnoki was furious, so he redeployed three thousand shinobi to go to war against that mysterious Amegakure leader."
Hoshiyomi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I see. You can go."
After casually dismissing the shinobi, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle.
"Amegakure's leader attacked Iwagakure first? Ha! You really are something, Ōnoki — lying through your teeth like a professional storyteller."
As Minato's sensei, Hoshiyomi had, of course, already heard about how Minato had gravely injured A in Kumogakure.
Though he couldn't help but sigh — realizing that his own existence seemed to have caused a butterfly effect that changed how events unfolded — Hoshiyomi's mind quickly went to one of the major events from the original story:
The Third Raikage, who held off ten thousand enemies single-handedly, fighting to the death to protect his retreating forces.
While Minato's unexpected victory over A had surprised him, Hoshiyomi was absolutely certain about one thing — Ōnoki, that cunning old schemer, would never let such a golden opportunity slip away.
Back then, when the Third Raikage had ambushed him, Ōnoki had been furious beyond belief. Now that a perfect chance for revenge had presented itself, there was no doubt he would strike.
This so-called 'war against Amegakure' was clearly just a smokescreen — a trick to lower the Raikage's guard so that Ōnoki could deliver his fatal backstab at the perfect moment.
Hoshiyomi knew exactly what was going to happen — but he had no intention of interfering.
After all, the only reason he'd spared the Third Raikage's life before…
was for this exact day.
"Why would I ruin my own setup by interfering?
Once the Third Raikage falls, the only major battles left in the Third Ninja War will be the Kannabi Bridge incident and Kiri's ambush.
And since Kirigakure won't be launching any surprise attacks now, that means…
All that's left is Kannabi Bridge — the perfect place to end Iwagakure's part in this war.
But then again…
Who says I have to sit around and wait for Iwagakure to make the first move?"
A sly grin crept across Hoshiyomi's face.
...
Meanwhile, the Third Raikage remained completely unaware of the fate awaiting him.
He was still calmly and methodically organizing the retreat.
Ōnoki, the deceitful old fox, hadn't shown a single sign of his true intentions.
He allowed large groups of Kumo shinobi to march past Iwagakure territory without resistance, putting on a perfect act — as if he were wholly focused on his supposed war with Amegakure.
His ruse worked perfectly.
The Third Raikage, eager to return home and see his injured son, felt his worries ease.
Without hesitation, he led his remaining troops along the detour that passed near Iwagakure on their way back to Kumogakure.
But just as the Kumo forces reached the border of the Land of Earth — Ōnoki finally bared his fangs.
That day, as Kumogakure's forces moved steadily through a narrow mountain pass near Iwagakure's border, a thunderous shout echoed from both sides of the canyon:
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
With a deafening rumble, the ground before the Kumo shinobi surged upward, sealing the passage completely.
Before they could react, another voice rang out:
"Earth Style: Rock Collapse!"
In an instant, countless massive boulders broke loose from the canyon walls, crashing down onto the unsuspecting Kumo forces.
Within moments, the entire vanguard was devastated — the death toll was catastrophic.
As the enraged Third Raikage's eyes widened and his beard bristled in fury, a familiar, mocking voice echoed through the dust.
Ōnoki appeared in the sky above, smirking arrogantly.
"How do you like my farewell gift?"