Over the next two months, several major events indeed shook the shinobi world.
First and foremost, the Third Shinobi World War began transitioning into a state of peace negotiations.
Kirigakure had inexplicably managed to lose their own Three-Tails. Yagura had attempted to summon it multiple times without success and was forced to accept the reality that they were down one Tailed Beast. There was no longer any need, nor any possibility, for him to become the Three-Tails Jinchūriki. Fortunately, the exchange of interests promised by Iwagakure and Kumogakure remained in place; though the plan had failed, the Hidden Mist didn't suffer a total loss.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure, realizing they had no real way to break Konoha, could only resort to bullying Sunagakure. The Hidden Sand, for their part, finally had enough. To hell with this, we're not playing your game anymore.
Under the immense pressure of the war, Sunagakure signed a "Peace and Friendship Covenant" with Konoha. To put it simply, they pivoted entirely toward the Leaf, acknowledging Konoha as the leading power and effectively becoming their subordinate. It wasn't a pleasant feeling; as one of the Five Great Nations, being forced to follow another nation that was supposedly their equal in status was inherently uncomfortable. It was much like how the British Empire was eventually forced to accept the United States as the leader; the resentment was there, but the reality of the situation left them no better choice.
Thus, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, gritted his teeth and signed the accord. Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, finally managed to reap some tangible benefits from this Great War. Of course, the seeds of future trouble were sown; the Hidden Sand's later participation in Orochimaru's "Konoha Crush" was not just because Orochimaru had replaced Rasa, but because the Sand had long desired to break free from this subordinate relationship.
As Konoha negotiated peace with the other four nations and gained a subordinate in the process, Hiruzen's prestige within the village began to rebound from its lowest point. If this upward trend had continued without Danzō finding new ways to undermine him, Hiruzen might have chosen to postpone his retirement and serve another few years.
But at this critical juncture, a massive scandal erupted in Konoha, dragging Hiruzen's reputation through the mud once again.
Danzō nearly laughed out loud.
The Third Hokage's personal disciple, the one Hiruzen had publicly declared his most cherished protege... Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, had committed a series of heinous crimes within the village and defected. Hiruzen had personally gone to pursue him but failed to capture him.
In reality, at his current peak, Hiruzen was entirely capable of dismantling Orochimaru. Although Orochimaru was a Sannin, his strength lay more in his bizarre and versatile techniques; in terms of raw power, he wasn't overwhelming. While Hiruzen might struggle against Jiraiya, handling Orochimaru should have been no problem. But Hiruzen was a man of sentiment, or rather, he was far too emotional. Orochimaru gave him a piece of his mind, turned around, and walked away. To the very end, Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to strike.
And the "heinous crimes" Orochimaru committed weren't actually related to forbidden experiments. Initially, he had intended to go that route, but Danzō had meddled once and helped clean up the aftermath. Since then, Orochimaru had been so busy he hadn't focused much on those things, concentrating instead on developing his Living Corpse Reincarnation.
In the original timeline, he was supposed to have fled after being caught performing illicit research on the forbidden Wood Release Kekkei Genkai, which involved the deaths of fellow shinobi and experiments on infants. Now, however, Orochimaru hadn't bothered with Wood Release at all. He believed it held little promise; he saw Diarmuid and the Sharingan as the only viable paths for evolving Wood Release. Naturally, he hadn't bothered with ordinary ninjas or infants.
The atrocity Orochimaru committed before leaving Konoha was a brutal assault on the Uchiha Police Force. He murdered eleven members of the Uchiha clan, essentially wiping out everyone on duty at the station that night.
And he took every single Sharingan with him!!!
The reason he was able to carry out such a massacre at the station was the element of surprise. The Uchiha never imagined that a disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the Sannin would suddenly turn on them with lethal intent. They had no reason to be on guard against Orochimaru. The result was a slaughter. After the deed was done, he made a clean escape.
This incident injected fresh conflict into Konoha's internal divisions. Orochimaru's sudden, violent turn against the Uchiha was baffling; before this, he'd had no grievances with the clan and almost no contact with them. His motive for the murders was entirely unclear.
Then, the Third Hokage took the Anbu to personally pursue him. Everyone knew Orochimaru was no match for the Third, yet he wasn't caught, Hiruzen hadn't even lifted a finger! How could the Uchiha clan, having lost over ten members, possibly tolerate this?
Internal tensions were already high, and the relationship between the Uchiha and the Hokage's lineage was historically poor. They were old rivals. Consequently, conspiracy theories began to circulate within Konoha. Rumors claimed that Hiruzen, finding the Uchiha clan an eyesore, had secretly tasked Orochimaru with their assassination. Then, Orochimaru "defected" as a cover, and Hiruzen's "pursuit" was merely a charade to ensure Orochimaru's safe escape from the Land of Fire.
When Danzō learned of this, he roared with laughter, nearly losing his breath. He knew some of the inside truth, for instance, that Orochimaru truly intended to betray Konoha to go carouse with Diarmuid. Hiruzen's personality made it impossible for him to arrange such a scheme as Orochimaru left. Danzō could swear that for once, he wasn't the one to blame; he hadn't released these conspiracy theories, and he hadn't ordered Orochimaru to kill the Uchiha.
Yet, he was undeniably the greatest beneficiary.
Danzō had been disgruntled seeing Hiruzen turn things around at the end of the Third War, securing Sunagakure's loyalty and starting peace talks with the other nations. Hiruzen's plummeting popularity had started to recover. Although Danzō couldn't compete for the position of Fourth Hokage himself, Hiruzen stepping down was still a massive benefit. Danzō was a veteran; Hiruzen could keep him in check, but Minato might not be able to!
Now, it would be impossible for Hiruzen not to step down!
What delighted him even more was the Uchiha's misfortune. Though Danzō didn't know what madness had possessed Orochimaru to strike the Uchiha so ruthlessly, he was overjoyed. Danzō found the Uchiha clan intolerable from every possible angle. He was the type of man who put personal interest first and Konoha second, but whether from a personal standpoint or the village's overall interest, he felt the Uchiha were a fundamental instability. The sooner they were dismantled, the better!
He had even been planning how to eradicate the Uchiha himself. As the "Darkness of the Leaf," wasn't that his duty? But before his plans could even take root, Orochimaru had gone on a rampage, leaving the Uchiha humiliated and their prestige in the village damaged. How could he not be happy? It must be said that while Danzō might not have learned much else from Tobirama, he had inherited Tobirama's will and desire to crush the Uchiha in its entirety.
And so, the Great War essentially ended, but the victorious Konoha did not have a dignified finale. In fact, aside from Sunagakure, the other Great Nations refused to acknowledge Konoha as the victor. The treaties they signed weren't surrender documents; they were formal "Peace Treaties."
As for Orochimaru's defection, his decision to go on a killing spree against the Uchiha had nothing to do with conspiracy. He had simply been inspired by Diarmuid's interest in the Sharingan. He figured since he was leaving anyway, he might as well help himself to some loot on the way out. At the moment, he likely didn't realize the profound significance of his actions.
In reality, the impact was enormous. This single move ensured there was no longer any room for reconciliation between the Hokage's lineage and the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha were now firmly convinced of Hiruzen's "conspiracy." The war just ended, and our Clan Head, Fugaku, hasn't even returned from the front lines yet, and you of the Hokage's line are already so impatient to eradicate us?
If the Uchiha Massacre in the original story still had a chance of being averted, if Hiruzen had been more decisive in suppressing Danzō or if he had supported Shisui's plan to integrate the clan, now, the conflict between the Uchiha and the Hokage's faction was beyond repair.
…
On the day the Five Great Nations signed the peace accords, officially ending the Third Shinobi World War, inside a cave near Kannabi Bridge...
Madara looked at Obito before him with satisfaction. Previously, even while living in this dark cave, Obito had been bright and cheerful, clinging to his hopes for the future. Now, he had transformed into a grim, ruthless man. He was radiating hatred, a loathing for the world, madness, and obsession. This was the "masterpiece" Madara had crafted, the "successor" he acknowledged most.
"Very good. It seems you have mastered the power I taught you," Madara said with a smile. It might have been an illusion, but he seemed exceptionally spirited today, as if experiencing a final burst of life before the end.
Obito nodded without speaking. He felt immensely powerful. If he had been this strong before, the tragedy at Kannabi Bridge wouldn't have happened, and Rin wouldn't have died afterward. He felt that now, with one eye and one hand, he could easily crush Kakashi, the one he once viewed as a genius.
This damned world... I will destroy it with my own hands and create a world that has you in it!!!
Madara rose from his "throne" connected to the Gedo Statue and walked slowly toward Obito. Behind him, the tubes extending from the Statue that sustained his life gradually pulled taut. Two more steps and he would tear them away, ensuring his death. But Madara's slow, staggering pace carried an extraordinary sense of resolve. He showed no fear of death; he was walking toward it by choice!
One... two... one after another, the tubes snapped. Madara's complexion, however, grew increasingly flush with life. He finally reached Obito, placed a hand on his shoulder, and wore a bold, heroic smile.
"From this day forth... you are Uchiha Madara."
In that moment, Madara entrusted everything to the boy. As he finished his sentence, the arm resting on Obito's shoulder lost its strength. Then, the life force within him withered away.
And so, the legendary hero Uchiha Madara died in silence within that nameless cave. He died firm in the belief that when he returned from the Pure Land, the world would crawl at his feet!
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