At the gates of Konoha, Hagoromo was completing the village re-entry registration.
It was a bit of a hassle—but unavoidable. Fire prevention, theft prevention, and spy prevention were top priorities.
He had already changed back into his standard mission gear. Second-stage transformation into a "gourd baby" aside, the important thing was putting the Konoha forehead protector back on.
In a sense, it served the same function as a red neckerchief—
No headband, no entry.
The forehead protector was the most straightforward outward marker that Hagoromo belonged to Konoha. Of course, that alone couldn't actually stop infiltration—no competent spy would stroll in wearing another village's symbol. If that did happen, the proper response would be:
First, contact the Konoha Military Police.
Second, contact the Konoha Hospital's psychiatry department.
The gate guards treated this as nothing more than an ordinary ninja returning to the village. There was no way they could know that the young man in front of them had just completed a top-secret mission—
One that left an indelible mark on the greatest war currently raging between two major hidden villages.
He filled in his ninja registration number and name. The ninja on duty showed no particular reaction upon reading it.
Hagoromo quietly exhaled in relief.
Clearly, he hadn't been officially declared dead yet.
Nor had he been reshaped into a tragic "lone hero" for Will of Fire propaganda.
Excellent.
Strictly speaking, he should have reported to Jiraiya first. But considering distances, returning from the Land of Iron into the Land of Fire meant Konoha was closer than the front lines.
And even if he did report to Jiraiya first, the Hokage would almost certainly summon him back anyway.
So he went straight to the source.
Once inside the village, Hagoromo headed directly for the Hokage Tower.
He looked exactly as he always did. From the outside, no one could imagine that not long ago he had killed the strongest shinobi in the world—
One who stood above tens of thousands of ninja.
One of the Five Kage.
Nor could anyone guess he had nearly been beaten to death by close to ten thousand enemies.
That calm, unbothered demeanor—
It didn't look like someone who had just completed an S-rank mission.
Frankly, it didn't even look like someone fresh off a D-rank errand.
Along the way, people were discussing the war between Iwagakure and Kumogakure—the single biggest topic in the shinobi world right now.
Uzumaki Kushina's name came up with remarkable frequency.
Hagoromo nodded, quite satisfied.
The exact truth of the incident wasn't something ordinary ninja could know—but this kind of vague, explosive rumor was exactly what he wanted.
In that sense, the outcome perfectly matched what Kushina had hoped for.
When Hagoromo arrived at the Hokage's office and reported his name, he was granted an audience almost immediately.
Inside, several of Konoha's top leadership figures were analyzing the current situation.
"At present, the war between Iwa and Kumo is still ongoing," one voice said.
"Yet Kumogakure has not publicly acknowledged the death of the Third Raikage. However, Jiraiya's control over the battlefield has been excellent. As long as we maintain a balance between Iwa and Kumo's forces, the inevitable outcome will be—mutual destruction."
"This is the most advantageous situation for Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke while holding his pipe in one hand and pressing the other against the intelligence files on the desk.
Once a large-scale war began, it couldn't simply be stopped at will.
Even if both Iwa and Kumo realized that continuing would only benefit their common enemy—Konoha—they had no choice but to fight on.
Only when one side crushed the other would they be able to turn their attention back toward Konoha.
Or at least reconsider how to face Konoha's threat.
If things continued this way, the Land of Fire—long besieged and fighting multiple enemies—might experience a fundamental reversal, emerging as the war's greatest beneficiary.
Konoha had already secured peace with Sunagakure and Amegakure.
After this war, both Kumo and Iwa would be crippled at best—and they were now sworn enemies. Iwa would also have to deal with Suna.
Ignoring the military strength of minor nations, the only major enemy still capable of maintaining full strength would be Kirigakure.
Meanwhile, Konoha's stretched manpower would gain significant relief as enemy forces bled each other dry.
As for Jiraiya's "control" of the war—
Although the conflict was nominally between Iwa and Kumo, Konoha actually held part of the initiative.
A crucial part.
Almost immediately after Iwa launched its invasion, Konoha also began pressuring Kumo—using coordinated attacks to increase the strain.
This forced Kumogakure to deploy the Raikage.
Which led to the Raikage's death.
The difference was that Iwa's main force crossed directly into the Land of Lightning, while Konoha's battles with Kumo took place in the Land of Rice Fields.
From Kumo's perspective, deciding which enemy to prioritize was obvious.
Konoha's attacks were largely postural—pressure rather than full commitment.
If intelligence showed Iwa gaining the upper hand, Konoha eased its assault, allowing Kumo to redirect forces against Iwa.
If Iwa faltered, Konoha intensified its offensive, preventing Kumo from expelling Iwa quickly.
This was the textbook definition of an open strategy.
Everyone understood it.
And no one could counter it.
Stubborn Ōnoki had made a disastrous move—not by attacking Kumo, but by allowing Konoha to become the fisherman who reaped the benefit.
At present, the only potential wildcard was Kirigakure. But with Suna allied to Konoha, and Kiri historically hostile to Iwa—
Why would they help Iwa at all?
Kiri and Kumo had already begun minor skirmishes of their own.
In a war like this, every village looked out for itself. Given the chance to watch others spill blood—
Why interfere?
Let them finish weakening each other first.
From Konoha's perspective, the shape of the Third Shinobi World War had, through this single event, become completely clear.
"Um…"
As the Third Hokage finished speaking, Hagoromo stepped into the room.
He had heard roughly half of the discussion.
"The Third Raikage is indeed dead," Hagoromo said calmly before anyone could question him.
"I can confirm that."
Then he reached for his proof.
Naturally, he had evidence.
He had the Raikage's corpse.
He pulled out a scroll from his gear pack and unrolled it on the floor.
Within a circular sealing formula was a single character:
尸 — 'corpse'.
Hagoromo formed hand seals. The seal released instantly, and a body appeared on the floor.
Danzo Shimura,
Hiruzen Sarutobi,
Homura Mitokado,
Koharu Utatane
—all turned their gaze toward the corpse.
After a single glance, they looked back at Hagoromo.
Four pairs of aged eyes reflected a mix of confusion, suspicion, concern—
And restrained anger.
Yes, there was a corpse.
But who on earth was this?
"…?"
Hagoromo froze—then immediately realized.
"Ah—sorry. Wrong one. This is the corpse of… an Iwagakure friend."
That phrasing alone was dangerous. What kind of "friend" did a Konoha ninja have in Iwa?
He quickly pulled out another scroll.
This time, there was no mistake.
The body of the Third Raikage was released onto the floor.
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