The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning have officially become sister nations, following the marriage of the Fire Daimyō to one of the Lightning Daimyō's heir-princesses.
Kumogakure and Konohagakure, now sister villages, stand united.
Thanks to the efforts of the Shadow Monarch, who supported Kumo's remaining forces on the Iwa front, a devastating strategic strike was launched—one that shook the world. Only the Tsuchikage survived, fleeing in disgrace back to Iwa.
Seizing the opportunity, the Land of Wind launched a massive assault, forcing Iwa to deploy its Tailed Beasts in a desperate standoff.
Meanwhile, Kirigakure, having attacked the Land of Lightning, found itself ensnared by the combined might of Konoha and Kumo, forcing a full retreat to the sea. Kumo then invaded the Land of Water, pushing Kiri back even further as they scrambled to counter Kumo's own Tailed Beasts.
The Land of Rain, seeking to avoid further bloodshed, pleaded for peace with all nations—on the condition that its borders remain untouched. Yet, as always, they were ignored.
The Suna Council, for reasons unknown, decided to attack Konoha's frontline camp. Leading them was Chiyo, the Puppet Master and Poison Specialist.
Yet, with every mile crossed, a growing unease weighed on her heart.
At a crossroads stood a lone blonde youth, waiting.
Chiyo's wrinkled face twisted into a scowl as the dust settled before her. There, standing alone in the scorching sunlight, was Konoha's Yellow Flash—Minato Namikaze. His blue eyes held neither anger nor hatred, only a quiet, unsettling certainty.
"Commander of Suna," he called, his voice carrying effortlessly across the dunes. "I ask you to retreat. Spare your shinobi. There is no victory for you here."
Chiyo scoffed, her fingers twitching toward her puppet scrolls. "Just you? Konoha overestimates itself."
Minato exhaled softly—almost sadly. Then, in the span of a heartbeat, the world erupted into violence.
The first Sand ninja died mid-sentence, his throat slit before his comrade could blink.
"Formation! NOW—" A chūnin's order ended in a wet gurgle as Minato's kunai carved through his spine.
A jonin lunged, scimitar gleaming. "Die, Konoha scum—!" His head toppled before his blade could descend.
Bodies fell like wheat before a scythe.
Minato moved as if time itself bent to his will.
Sand shinobi scrambled backward, their formations collapsing into panic.
"Earth Style: Wall—!" A barrier erupted—only for Minato to appear behind its caster, driving a rasengan through his ribs.
"Poison needles! Fire at will—!" A hail of projectiles found only afterimages. Then, a kunai thunked into a sniper's eye socket from behind.
Chiyo watched in mounting horror as her finest were reduced to meat and severed limbs.
For one hour, the slaughter continued.
Minato was everywhere—flashing between Suna's ranks like a specter. A puppeteer's strings snapped before his blades; a medic's healing hands were severed at the wrists. The dunes ran red.
Finally, the survivors broke.
Men who had faced down Tailed Beasts now wept as they fled.
As the last Sand forces retreated, Minato reappeared atop a bloodstained dune. His cloak billowed, untouched by grime.
His voice, calm and deliberate, carried like a funeral bell:
"Suna has chosen a path without redemption."
A pause. The wind howled over the corpses.
"I hope you can forgive yourselves… for forcing Konoha's hand."
Chiyo's fists clenched. Not in rage—but in shame.
She had led them to slaughter.
And the Yellow Flash had not even broken a sweat.
--
Chiyo stood frozen in frustration. 500 men lost—to a single shinobi.
And worse… there was no sign of Konoha's main force.
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Meanwhile, inside Sunagakure itself…
Footsteps echoed in the darkness.
The security detail lay dead.
Shadow beasts prowled the halls.
The Sunagakure treasury—looted.
Secret ANBU research—stolen.
Poison engineering archives—taken.
A full list of Suna's active spies—compromised.
Kaji stood amidst the wreckage, laughing coldly.
"What a bountiful harvest."
His orders were simple:
Burn the main building.
Burn the agricultural silos.
Destroy the hospital.
Level the ANBU headquarters.
While Suna's army had marched on Konoha's frontlines…
The Shadow Monarch had struck their village directly.
-----
Urgent Report!
A battered Suna ninja collapsed before Chiyo, gasping:
"The Shadow Monarch attacked the village! The losses… are catastrophic!"
Tears fell from Chiyo's eyes.
The Land of Wind was not poor—but neither was it rich.
Suna depended on vast distances for food and water—now, their infrastructure was crippled.
She ordered a full retreat.
When Rasa, the Kazekage, learned of this, he raged—but the truth was undeniable.
Suna was broken.
They could no longer pay their shinobi.
Nobles would abandon them, turning instead to the Wind Samurai.
And so, Suna withdrew from the war.
Konoha did not offer peace.
The message was clear:
"Step into the Land of Fire, and you die."
---------
With Suna neutralized, Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled 8,000 of the 10,000 shinobi stationed at the Wind border, leaving only a rotational force of 2,000.
Operation: Uproot the Weeds had yielded:
100 billion Ryo in looted resources.
Poison studies sent to Konoha's medical corps.
Puppetry techniques, long-guarded secrets, now available for study (with a profit-sharing system for those who mastered them).
Every Suna spy in Konoha executed in a single rainy night.
Wind and Water Release scrolls added to Konoha's mission reward vaults.
Yet, despite Suna's devastation…
Ōnoki felt no pity.
He continued his march to steal the River Country's territories from the Land of Wind.
The Wind Daimyō, under immense pressure, roared at the Kazekage—but they were powerless.
Then came the coup.
The ministers assassinated the Daimyō, installing a new ruler who invested billions into Suna—but with one decree:
"No Kazekage shall ever declare war on Konoha or the Land of Fire again."
The focus now?
Total war against Iwa.
As the dust settles…
The final stages of the Third Shinobi World War loom on the horizon.
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A handful of small shinobi were playing in one of Konoha's parks.
"Ugh, why do I always have to be Sunagakure?" grumbled one little boy, kicking at the dirt.
Another child smirked. "Because you're always late to our games!"
*"Well, today I wanna be Kumogakure—lightning and thunder, SWOOSH!" the first shot back, throwing his arms wide.
"Fine, then I'll be Konoha!" declared a second boy, puffing out his chest.
"Hey, that's not fair!" protested a third. "I want to be Konoha too!"
Even the boy who'd been stuck as Sand pouted. "M-me too! I wanna be Konoha this time!"
The others groaned. "Who wants to be stuck with some dusty wind village? Forget it—let's just play hide-and-seek!"
"Haaaaaiiii!" they all cheered, scattering into the trees.