Chapter 103 – Return to Konoha
Land of Rain - New Amegakure
Ever since Hanzō was killed by Kazane, Amegakure fell into chaos. Hanzō's death had sparked all kinds of thoughts and ambitions.
With only a handful of jōnin remaining, the shinobi of Amegakure split into multiple factions. Each group acted independently, filled with mutual hostility. Every minor leader sought to devour the others and crown themselves the new ruler of the Land of Rain.
But then, the Akatsuki made their move. Under the might of Nagato's Rinnegan and "Yahiko's" power, Amegakure was swiftly unified once more.
Nagato soon learned from the Amegakure shinobi that it had been Kazane who killed Hanzō—Kazane had avenged Yahiko.
Moreover, unaware of White Zetsu's involvement, Nagato believed it was Kazane who had rescued them after slaying Hanzō.
He didn't understand why Kazane had left them in that cave and departed before they woke up, but he assumed their only link was through Jiraiya. Back when they had challenged Kazane, he had spared them—likely out of respect for Jiraiya.
Maybe, this time too, Kazane had saved them for the same reason.
Standing atop the highest point in the Land of Rain, Nagato's thoughts drifted to the fallen Yahiko.
Before dying, Yahiko had told him that Kazane was right: only through overwhelming force could peace be brought to the shinobi world.
After witnessing the chaos in Amegakure, Nagato came to understand this truth. If he had possessed the power to effortlessly kill Hanzō back then, Yahiko wouldn't have died.
Now that Yahiko was gone, it was Nagato's responsibility to realize his dream—to bring lasting peace to the ninja world.
In his grief, Nagato forged his own interpretation of peace. The great ninja villages were driven by greed and self-interest; they would never achieve peace on their own.
Only through absolute power—forcing them to feel pain and making them cower before his might—could true peace be achieved.
He believed that this would fulfill Yahiko's dream: a world where peace was born not from compromise, but from fear and deterrence.
But now, staring at the intelligence in his hands, Nagato reached the same conclusion as Uchiha Madara: Hatake Kazane was the greatest obstacle to his plan.
"Anyone who stands in my way will die. Even if you once saved me—for the sake of peace, I will kill you."
Nagato's eyes narrowed as he gazed toward Konoha, as though he could already see Kazane across the great distance between them.
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Meanwhile, Kazane—unaware that many eyes were now fixed on him—was walking on the road back to Konoha.
The war was over, and with it went the urgency and desperation that had accompanied their departure.
At the moment, Kazane was walking alongside Tsunade and Shizune. After that awkward incident, both he and Tsunade had been subtly avoiding each other.
But thanks to Jiraiya, the two were forced to meet again. That's right—our dear Jiraiya-sama had gotten himself injured once more.
Contrary to what he had imagined, Sage Mode was indeed powerful… but the Eight-Tails—nurtured carefully by the Third Raikage—was no easy foe.
Turns out, the real threat wasn't its Tailed Beast Ball—it was its taijutsu!
Last time, the Eight-Tails had suffered humiliation at the hands of Danzo's Root sealing team. This time, it took it all out on Jiraiya.
Gamabunta, swinging his massive watermelon blade, had wanted to show off his swordsmanship against the beast.
But really, he should've thought it through—Kumogakure was a village where everyone trained in kenjutsu and taijutsu. And Killer B, the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, was a master of blades.
So instead of bombarding it with ninjutsu from afar—where the Eight-Tails couldn't do much—Gamabunta charged in with his blade.
And the Eight-Tails? It was thrilled.
Gamabunta didn't even last three moves before being pinned down and thoroughly pounded into the dirt.
With Bunta out, it was left to Jiraiya and the Two Great Toad Sages to flee on foot.
To make matters worse, Jiraiya also had to protect the other Konoha shinobi, helping them escape the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb.
It was miserable. His Sage Arts looked effective at first, but the Eight-Tails simply regenerated after every hit.
Then, one moment of hesitation—one missed dodge—and the beast landed a kick that fractured two of Jiraiya's ribs.
Fortunately, Kazane's battle with the Third Raikage had ended early. If not, Jiraiya might've ended up with far worse than just a couple broken ribs.
With Jiraiya around, neither Kazane nor Tsunade would bring up what had happened between them.
And given Tsunade's brash and carefree personality, it didn't take long before she let it go.
But just because Tsunade forgave Kazane didn't mean Shizune did.
Shizune didn't know exactly what had happened between Tsunade and Kazane—but she knew something was off. Tsunade hadn't been herself lately, and Kazane was clearly the reason. No one else had ever made Tsunade angry before.
Still, Shizune wasn't the confrontational type. She wouldn't outright ask Kazane.
But in her heart, she had made up her mind: one day, she'd get back at the jerk who made Tsunade upset.
Unlike their journey to the frontlines, the road home was silent.
Even though they were on their way back—about to reunite with their families—no one felt the joy of return.
It wasn't just because Jiraiya, normally the most cheerful, was injured and couldn't lift the mood.
It was because almost everyone was carrying the ashes of a fallen comrade.
Yes—they had made it back. But many others had not.
The lucky ones were those whose bodies were recognizable. Their families could give them a proper burial. But so many others had been disfigured beyond recognition by enemy jutsu—bodies broken and incomplete.
All that identified them were fragments of clothing and damaged forehead protectors. Their names, even, were unknown.
These bodies were cremated together and brought back in shared urns. They were heroes too—even if not whole in death.
But the most tragic were those who had died under the Tailed Beast Bombs—reduced to nothing, not even bones remaining.
These chūnin and genin would be remembered only by their closest family. To others, their names were already lost.
The suffocating air of grief hung over the entire company.
After two long days of marching, they finally arrived before Konoha's gates in the afternoon.
Jiraiya ordered the unit to halt and straighten their clothes and ranks.
"As the victors, we return with pride. We must enter Konoha in our best form."
At the village gates, all the villagers—young and old—had gathered.
Under the coordination of the Konoha Military Police Force, they lined both sides of the road, eagerly awaiting the return of their shinobi.
They were desperate to see their loved ones.
These warriors were husbands, fathers, children—the pillars of their households.
On the battlefield, they might've been just a low-ranking genin. But back home, they supported mothers, cared for wives, and raised children just learning to speak.
The villagers stood on both sides of the road, hoping to spot the familiar silhouette of someone they loved.
Soon, Jiraiya led the Konoha shinobi through the gates.
At the front marched Jiraiya, Kazane, and Nara Shikaku—Konoha's heroes.
But none of the villagers looked at them.
Not even for a second.
All eyes scanned the ranks behind them, searching for that one familiar figure.
Occasionally, a shout—a tearful cry of a name—rang out from the crowd. Cries of joy.
These were the lucky ones. They had found the ones they longed for, even if missing an arm, an ear, or an eye. They were still the lucky ones.
The truly unfortunate were those who couldn't even call out a name.
The unit from the Iwa front had returned that morning.
If their loved ones weren't in Jiraiya's ranks, then they weren't coming back at all.
As the final member of Jiraiya's unit passed through the gates, the villagers who couldn't find their families began to collapse—some fainting from grief, others falling to their knees in silent sobs.
But whether they accepted it or not, the truth remained:
From now on, they would have to carry on alone. The one who once shielded them from the storms of life… was gone forever.