The atmosphere in the Konoha main camp was completely different from that of Kumogakure.
Senju Mori was in the middle of a shogi match with Nara Shikajō.
The state of the board mirrored the state of the war—one side held an overwhelming advantage.
"Kumo is probably going to start tearing down the east wall to patch the west,"
Shikajō said as he placed a piece.
"I heard they tapped into their strategic reserves, postponed expansion of their medical facilities, and even plan to increase the village's mission commission rate for their shinobi."
Senju Mori gazed at the board, his tone calm:
"A is a sensible man. He knows that reckless resistance would doom Kumogakure forever.
Still, we must prepare ourselves."
"You're worried they'll lash out in desperation?"
"No."
Senju Mori smiled and shook his head.
Ever since the Third Raikage A had taken his forces back to Kumogakure, the entire Land of Lightning was practically left wide open.
If the Kumo dared to break the treaty, Konoha could carry the flames of war straight into the heart of Lightning Country.
A might have a harsh temperament, but he wasn't insane.
He wouldn't do something that foolish.
Senju Mori gently placed another shogi piece and said:
"I'm talking about five years from now.
With the personality of that Third Raikage, he will never swallow this humiliation forever.
Once Kumo recovers its breath, that will be the beginning of the next war."
"After the first batch of reparations arrives, prioritize rebuilding the border outposts.
At the same time, I plan to increase investment in medical and research divisions."
After a brief pause, Mori added:
"In addition, use the large number of mission shares we've taken in Lands of Frost, Hot Water, and Rice Fields to strengthen surveillance over the Land of Lightning.
We need to gather as much information on Kumogakure as possible."
Shikajō nodded, accepting the orders.
He understood that Senju Mori was already preparing for the next war.
In this chaotic shinobi world, any peace was only an illusion.
Konoha had to use this precious interval to widen its advantage to the point that Kumo could never catch up.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Senju Mori lifted the tent flap and climbed to a high point in the camp, gazing into the direction of Kumogakure.
He knew the first batch of reparations would arrive soon.
But that would not be an end—
it would be the beginning of a new era.
An era in which Konoha would shape the shinobi world's order, rising slowly from a land irrigated by blood and fire.
…
Kumogakure.
What used to be the village's central plaza had become a massive blackened crater.
From that center point, a fan-shaped swath of destruction radiated outward.
The once-towering Raikage Building was gone—
only broken walls and twisted metal frames remained.
Collapsed houses lay everywhere, along with charred trees and scorched earth carved by tailed-beast bombs.
Large and small craters pocked the ground, and the bodies of Kumo shinobi and civilians were scattered across the ruins.
The air was thick with dust and the stench of blood.
Medical shinobi rushed back and forth through the wreckage, doing everything they could to treat the wounded.
Exhausted shinobi continued clearing rubble, hoping to find survivors.
Low sobbing and desperate cries for loved ones echoed among the ruins.
The Third Raikage, A, stood atop the wreckage—
his once piercing eyes now bloodshot and clouded with exhaustion that refused to fade.
After a grueling battle, he had finally led the village's elite and, using the Kohaku no Jōhei (Amber Purifying Pot)—the only Six Paths tool still remaining in Kumo possession—successfully sealed the rampaging Eight-Tails once more.
But he had no time to breathe.
Another disaster awaited him immediately.
"Report, Lord Raikage!"
A masked Anbu captain, his face wrapped in bandages, dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse:
"The Eight-Tails has been resealed, but more than half the village was destroyed in the battle.
Anbu squads are counting the casualties among shinobi and civilians, but… the situation is likely dire."
A said nothing.
He walked step by step through the devastated streets, the rubble crunching sharply beneath his feet.
He stopped before a destroyed training field, bent down, and picked up half of a forehead protector engraved with Kumo's symbol.
He tightened it in his palm—the cold metal seeping straight into his heart.
Soon, another figure approached, expression bitter, and reported to him:
"Lord Raikage, preparations for the first installment of reparations… have also run into major problems."
"Even if we drain the village's liquid funds and sell off part of our material reserves, we still fall short of the three hundred million ryō in cash, and the fifty million ryō worth of chakra metal."
"We must keep some budget for rebuilding the village, after all, the village has already—"
"Requisition the chakra metal allocated to our shinobi."
A's voice was low.
"And inform the mission assignment department to increase the commission cut from all missions below A-rank by thirty percent."
"That will cause major backlash…"
"Then let ME be the villain!"
A roared:
"Tell everyone—this is the pain Kumogakure must endure!
We lost the war, and we must pay the price!"
"This is the law of the shinobi world!"
At that moment, another Anbu appeared and whispered:
"Lord Raikage, an envoy from the Daimyō has arrived."
…
Since the original Raikage Building had been completely destroyed, the meeting with the Land of Lightning's daimyo's envoy was arranged in a still-intact building on the outskirts of the village.
Standing before the Third Raikage A was an elderly man wearing the ornate formal garments of the daimyo's court—Tsuchiya Kōsuke, the daimyo's chief advisor.
He held a folding fan, remained standing, and swept his gaze over the simple surroundings with an undisguised, strange look.
"Lord Raikage."
Tsuchiya Kōsuke's voice was calm, but every word cut like a blade:
"His Excellency the Daimyō is deeply shocked and disappointed by the outcome of this incident.
Kumogakure unilaterally initiated hostilities, only to end in disastrous defeat, and now the national treasury must be tapped to cover this… massive hole."
A's fist tightened beneath the table, but he forced himself to endure.
"Advisor Kōsuke, Kumogakure indeed bears responsibility.
But after suffering such devastation, only the daimyo's strong support can help us overcome this crisis and continue protecting the Land of Lightning."
"Support?"
Tsuchiya lightly tapped his fan against his palm.
"His Excellency the Daimyō will of course support the shinobi village under his rule.
For the three-hundred-million-ryō initial payment, the daimyo's office can provide half."
A's heart loosened slightly—
but the advisor's next words made his expression grow even darker.
"However," Tsuchiya's tone shifted,
"for the next three years, the daimyo's annual budget allocation to Kumogakure will be reduced by twenty percent."
"At the same time, all long-term budgets—such as new shinobi tool research and development, and border defense construction—will be frozen indefinitely."
"Lord Raikage, His Excellency hopes you understand: every coin in the national budget is hard-earned.
Once the daimyo's trust in the shinobi village is lost, it must be regained through time… and real results."
With that, he gave a shallow bow, turned, and departed.