Although this wasn't a full-scale war against all four major villages, the facts spoke for themselves: under Menma's leadership, the Hidden Grass and Hidden Waterfall had successfully withstood the military pressure from four of the Great Nations. Menma had personally crushed the main forces of both the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist, and had even forced back the legendary Toad Sage Jiraiya and the Hidden Leaf's army.
Was news like this not shocking enough? Was it not enough to inspire awe?
The prestige of the Five Great Villages hadn't come from nowhere. It had been forged with blood and steel. Even the seemingly weakest Hidden Sand had, decades ago during its rise, defeated countless smaller villages around it to claim its place among the Five Great Nations.
In the decades since, they had only ever lost to the other four Great Villages. As for the mid-tier and smaller villages? They could be toyed with or trampled at will.
The structure of the Five Great Nations and the title of the Five Kage had been built on exactly that kind of bloody achievement. It was not something any other village was allowed to question.
But today, that structure had been officially broken.
The Waterfall-Grass alliance led by Menma had stepped onto the highest stage of the ninja world. They were no longer mere pawns—they were now players capable of controlling the flow of events.
Beating one Cloud Village wasn't enough? Then they beat two more.
From this day forward, the ninja world had truly entered an era of six poles. And the newly risen sixth pole represented by Menma was an incredibly powerful one.
Baki's decision to back down and retreat was just one sign of it.
Far away in the Land of Water, Elder Genji received the news half a day later and fell into a long, heavy silence.
Although he had prepared himself mentally from the start—war always carried risk, even when victory seemed seven or eight parts certain—Genji had never imagined the Mist would suffer losses this devastating.
Most importantly, neither Mei Terumi nor Ao had made it back alive.
It might sound harsh, but their importance far outweighed that of ordinary Mist shinobi. Ao had been Genji's trusted subordinate for many years and carried the only Byakugan outside the Hyuga clan—his value couldn't be measured by normal standards. As for Mei, she was the successor Genji had carefully chosen to lead the next generation of the Hidden Mist.
The Mist had gone years without a Mizukage. Mei had been the most suitable candidate—possibly the only one. Genji had even planned to push her into the position if this operation went well. Now everything had turned to ashes. More than three thousand Mist shinobi had marched out, and nearly half had died. The village, which had barely begun to recover, had just taken another devastating blow.
"Elder Genji…"
Chōjūrō, standing to the side, looked at the old man with deep concern and spoke softly.
Before he could finish, Genji slowly raised a hand. The aged face turned, and his cloudy eyes opened.
"Go, Chōjūrō. I'm fine. Take some men and escort the returning survivors. Then pass down my order: from today onward, no Mist shinobi is to leave the Land of Water without explicit permission from the village. And I mean no one."
"Yes, Elder Genji. I understand."
Chōjūrō took a deep breath, bowed sharply, and vanished in a blur.
Why does heaven refuse to show any mercy to the Hidden Mist?
Once Chōjūrō was gone, Genji stared out at the darkening sky. His already aged face looked even older and more bitter.
The Hidden Mist had suffered endlessly over the past decade and more. Just when a glimmer of hope for recovery had appeared, it had been snuffed out again. Genji could already feel his own life reaching its limit. He had hoped that with Mei in place, the village would remain stable even after his death—that he could face his old friend in the afterlife without shame. But now?
Old friend… please tell me what the right path is…
In the depths of his mind, the image of his closest comrade—the First Mizukage, Byakuren—rose once more.
The choice he had made was one born of pure helplessness.
If they had the strength, no village or shinobi could endure such humiliation—especially after watching so many comrades die, only to be forced to end the war themselves. It was the ultimate shame.
The moment Genji's order went out, the entire Hidden Mist erupted.
The proud Mist shinobi simply could not accept this outcome.
If their opponents had been one of the other four Great Villages and had paid a heavy price themselves, it might have been bearable.
But their enemy was the Hidden Waterfall.
And their own casualties had been far worse.
How could the proud Mist shinobi not feel rage? How could they not feel bitter resentment?
Some of the more hot-tempered—even outright volatile—Mist shinobi marched straight to Genji's residence, demanding an all-out war. They insisted the Hidden Mist must teach the Waterfall a lesson. The village's honor could not be trampled like this.
But Genji crushed every one of those voices under his authority.
Ordinary shinobi could afford to act on emotion.
Genji could not.
Carrying the final wish of his old friend, he could never allow the Hidden Mist to spiral into decline—or worse, destruction—under his watch.
All reckless impulses had to be suppressed.
Genji's iron will completely smothered the frenzy. Only he could have done it. The moment the raging shinobi saw Genji appear and heard his stern rebuke, every spark of defiance was extinguished.
No matter how angry or unwilling they felt, they could only swallow it.
Genji's word was law.
The once-turbulent Hidden Mist fell silent once more and returned to its previous state of isolation.
But the turmoil across the ninja world had only just begun to explode.
Four major villages had applied overwhelming pressure together.
Yet they still couldn't crush a so-called "Waterfall-Grass alliance"!? Even a stalemate would have been world-shaking. The actual result—three major villages suffering crushing defeats—was completely beyond belief.
Anyone who heard the news had to question reality itself.
Had the Five Great Villages been paper tigers all along?
Otherwise, how could this have happened?
Ordinary people simply couldn't accept it. The shockwaves rippling through the ninja world grew stronger by the hour.
And far away in the Land of Earth, inside the Hidden Stone Village, the Third Tsuchikage Onoki received the report and, just like everyone else, refused to believe his own eyes and ears.