One morning, the so-called "big pot"—which had quietly remained stored in the Kagenami Underground Base for a long time—was suddenly summoned away under rather abrupt circumstances.
Such a space-transferring event capable of crossing barriers naturally drew immediate attention and serious concern from the Uzumakis. They promptly reported the incident to the higher-ups.
Well, it wasn't really a big deal, and its meaning was straightforward—it meant some people who really should've died were actually still alive and doing fine.
Then half a month later, a "transport team" consisting of more than twenty ordinary humans arrived at Konoha. They pulled along a long flat cart, claiming they had important supplies to deliver to Lady Uzumaki Shikou of "Kagenami."
Ever heard of "Fuku's Escort Service"?
Frankly speaking, transporting a Tailed Beast using a regular civilian transport crew was an unprecedented innovation—an act comparable to village laborers being contracted to construct a near-orbital space station. Only the one and only Haseo could possibly pull off such a thing.
So what if it was the Nine-Tails? Those ordinary humans not only accepted the transportation mission, but completed it flawlessly... Though in the end, they never realized they had carried something like a "nuclear bomb." Everyone simply assumed this "big pot" was some kind of postmodern decorative art piece.
Of course, none of them had any idea who had assigned them this task. The pay was generous and the mission incredibly straightforward, so they took it on without hesitation. The client had happily paid fifty percent of the freight upfront, promising the remaining half would come from the recipient. [Fastest Update at Qibazhongwen^Mobile Version]
Would you believe it—their generosity wasn't quite what they thought it was.
Haseo had wanted to make it a complete "cash on delivery" deal, but unfortunately, his credit rating wasn't high enough... Without payment, the transport team wouldn't work.
Anyway, Haseo had once again done a small favor for Konoha, though admittedly not intentionally or enthusiastically... Who could've guessed the Nine-Tails would come straight for him after being revived? Wasn't breathing free air outside Konoha good enough?
Must you really come here to fight? What kind of grudge could possibly run that deep? Can't people just learn to let go?
After shipping the Nine-Tails right back to Konoha, the battle finally came to a proper pause.
...
Once Haseo removed his combat power from the battlefield, war returned to its usual state—it became a grinding, endless stalemate.
Continuously increasing casualties pushed the conflict further toward numbness and heaviness.
Endless investment and continuous consumption—be it supplies, blood, or ninja lives—the essence of war is nothing more than this cold calculus. What could the winner truly gain?
Actually, there were no winners in the first place.
Kumo vs Konoha vs Iwagakure; Iwagakure vs Konoha vs Sunagakure—the tripartite chaos unfolding across these two main battlefields continuously drained the strength of every ninja village involved. [Official Release at Qibazhongwen — 7*8zw.m.7*8zw]
This situation didn't deserve sympathy, because war was a "collective choice" made by everyone. If one wanted to be sarcastic about it, it could even be considered a "good omen." When all the ninja villages' nerves were stretched to the breaking point while their conditions kept deteriorating, that meant the war was genuinely approaching its end, entering its final stage.
From the beginning of the war until now, Konoha's new generation ninja, the "Golden Flash" Minato Namikaze, had completed his performance… Konoha provided assistance, and Minato himself possessed both intelligence and strength, so he successfully seized this opportunity.
Thus, in Year 49 of Konoha's era, The Fourth Hokage Haseo Yu, who still seemed at his prime, believed he had found a qualified successor and decided to "retire bravely in the peak of his career."
He announced his departure from the Hokage position, transferring the highest authority of the village to the new successor… This happened two years earlier than the higher-ups had expected—because they realized that Haseo's absence hadn't really affected the village at all.
However, minor tricks couldn't last forever.
For ordinary Konoha ninja, this legendary Fourth Hokage chose to step down honorably this year… In reality, though, the man himself had already disappeared long ago.
"Disappointment"—when this decision was announced, this was the shared sentiment among most Konoha ninja.
Although over these years, Minato Namikaze—who continued to shine on the battlefield—had established his own prestige and won numerous ninja's admiration, in contrast, the Fourth only appeared on the battlefield during the early stages of the war before staying in the village afterward. His performance equated to a "brief but dazzling moment," but… that single moment had been too dazzling, making later generations practically incapable of overshadowing the impression he left behind.
The people's expectations for the Fifth would definitely never surpass those for the Fourth—they simply accepted that the Fourth had chosen to retreat.
Although this event felt extremely regrettable and unsatisfying, this method of "accomplishing the task and then leaving silently without seeking any credit" actually aligned with ordinary ninja's perception of the Fourth Hokage.
How many times had Haseo rushed in to put out a fire and vanished just as suddenly? Now, he was just repeating this approach once again.
Minato Namikaze represented "youth and hope," yet "youth and hope" ultimately couldn't fill the psychological void left by losing a "powerful pillar"—at least not in the short term.
Regardless of how ordinary ninja might feel, however, predetermined decisions remained firm… After all, the higher-ups could no longer continue playing the charade of "the Fourth working diligently for the village," because lies inevitably would eventually be exposed, and such deception would cause consistent physiological and psychological discomfort.
Therefore, in Year 49 of Konoha's era, the young Minato Namikaze became Konoha's Fifth Hokage.
After retiring, the Fourth Hokage Haseo Yu vanished entirely from public view.
Compared to Haseo's notorious performance after becoming Hokage, although Minato Namikaze was young and lacked experience, he was willing to learn and dedicated to his work. At the very least, his attitude spoke for itself. Therefore, the impression The Fifth left on the village's higher-ups was incomparably better than that of the Fourth.
However, these good impressions didn't really help improve things. Some old-timers still refused to give the younger generation any credit. In the fiftieth year since Konoha's founding, an important event occurred within the village.
Although the war had reached its final stages and both the scale and intensity of battles had greatly decreased, the conflict still hadn't ended.
The scale of forces stationed at the Front Lines by each ninja village had been significantly reduced, with all participating villages quietly nursing their wounds in silence.
With fewer troops and less fighting, there wasn't much need for top-notch leadership anymore. As a result, even some frontline officers got a chance to go back to their villages for a short break.
In this year, Orochimaru returned to Konoha.
Then, it was here that he went after the most forbidden scrolls—those marked as [Kinjutsu] and [Secret Arts]. And then he left the village as nonchalantly as certain "predecessors" once had. Like those before him, Orochimaru tossed Konoha aside without a second thought, like an old rag thrown into the trash.
Luckily, his last mission in Konoha focused solely on stealing research materials, so Orochimaru held himself back from doing too much damage. So Konoha didn't label him a rogue ninja right away.
Whether due to personal character or historical inertia, in the end, Konoha's legendary "Sannin" had only Jiraiya remaining as its sole surviving member.
Besides, Konoha had more than just one 'old-timer' hanging around like Orochimaru.
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