The Yamata no Orochi disappeared, leaving only Orochimaru, who was wearing the Hokage hat and panting.

Using his most powerful trump card, the Eight-Headed Stratagem, and using the Withering and Flourishing Flow to change the environment, he actually consumed more than half of Orochimaru's chakra, leaving him short of breath and exhausted.

But what surprised Orochimaru even more was that with the end of the turbulence of growth and decline, green seedlings suddenly sprouted from the ground, even growing taller and spreading their branches and leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Fourth Hokage stared in amazement at the environment he had created. In just a dozen minutes, it turned into a lush forest again.

There were strong chakra fluctuations in the forest. Orochimaru could feel Uchiha Yu's fluctuations, as well as his own chakra fluctuations, and two unfamiliar chakra fluctuations.

Apparently, the chakra in his ninjutsu was plundered, becoming the key to the rebirth of the Wood Release Forest.

Orochimaru laughed bitterly and self-deprecatingly: "I tried my best but couldn't completely clean up Yu-kun's traces. The gap has become so big."

"I can't slack off in the future. I have to hurry up and practice. I can't let the gap between us get any further away."

"I need to let Shikaku work harder and take on more work, and then let Minato get involved and help me deal with personnel and government affairs."

While carefully planning his lazy plan, the Fourth Hokage Orochimaru gradually disappeared. He was going to the Land of Water to end the war with the Hidden Mist Village.

Because no matter how lazy the plan is, it is impossible to implement it in a state of war, and he urgently hopes for peace.

…

Thanks to Uchiha Yuu's direct reminder, Momochi Zabuza escaped, but he did not become the first ninja to return to the Hidden Mist Village.

Contrary to his cold-blooded and cruel image and reputation, Zabuza Momochi is actually a guy who is soft-hearted and does not respond to tough measures. Faced with two timid and obedient subordinates, he could not bear to abandon them and go on the road alone.

So when they were halfway on the boat, the senior ninjas who had escaped from the battlefield overtook them and returned to the Hidden Mist Village first.

Of course, their appearance also gave Zabuza's team definite information about their defeat.

This solved the two Genin's worries about being severely punished, and also made them start to worry about the pursuit of the Konoha ninjas, so they fully cooperated with the captain in rowing.

After working together, the three of them rushed back to the Hidden Mist Village before the pursuing Tiger Unit, and then were blocked in the village.

Of the Kirigakure ninjas who were unfortunately blocked outside the village, a small number chose to surrender, while most chose to become free and independent rebel ninjas.

The brutal battle to annihilate the village did not break out. The master who held all the power chose to surrender voluntarily. He even put a knife to his own neck, forcing young ninjas like Zabuza to give up resistance.

Facing the doubts of the villagers and the Kirigakure ninjas, the master with an extremely thick skin did not even raise his eyebrows. Even if he was spat on, he would not wipe it off and let it dry up slowly.

As an old ninja who had witnessed the first Hokage with his own eyes, Yuanshi understood very well what it meant to be hopeless. He also learned from the experience of the first Mizukage Byakuren what it meant to bow your head when it is time to do so.

When Uchiha Madara came to attack, the First Mizukage refused to give in and fought back.

As a result, he used his serious injuries and the lives of thousands of Kirigakure ninjas to demonstrate what an irresistible trend is.

Now, even if all the Kirigakure ninjas who can lift a kunai are added together, they can't even gather 2,500 people.

Moreover, there are less than 200 hardcore ninjas between the ages of 16 and 40 who are in good health.

When the manpower is so scarce, the traps, barriers, walls and other facilities in the Hidden Mist Village become meaningless, and they cannot even fill the walls.

What's more, the first wave to arrive outside the Hidden Mist Village was the Tiger Force.

This Konoha army, composed entirely of Uchiha with open eyes, is now as famous in the Hidden Mist Village as the Devil's Demon Group, full of terrifying deterrent power.

Seeing this group of Uchiha people divided into teams of four, four teams into squadrons, and five squadrons into squadrons, they formed diamond-shaped combinations of different sizes.

Even a young and inexperienced person like Zabuza Momochi suddenly lost the courage to rush out and fight.

Everyone in the Kirigakure ninja knows that as long as 89 Uchiha are arranged in such a large and small diamond formation, even an attack by thousands of people will be a suicide mission.

The master suggested that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen selected by the Fifth Mizukage were meant to deal with this Konoha ninja force.

Only a small number of elite jonin combinations are most likely to reduce the losses suffered during the assault while ensuring sufficient lethality after a successful assault.

When they saw the Tiger Force, the Kirigakure Ninja remembered the confrontational tactics they had discussed for half a year, and the elite forces they had obtained at a huge cost.

With the last bit of hope, they began to ask:

"Where is our Fifth Mizukage?"

"Where are our Seven Ninja Swordsmen?"

“So many resources have been expended, and at this point, where are they?”

Zabuza Momochi opened his mouth and wanted to say that they were all dead, but fortunately he remembered Uchiha Yu's warning in time and swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

At this moment when people's hearts were becoming increasingly confused, it was Master Yuan who stood up and acted as the black crow that spoke discouraging words.

"Shut up! The Tiger Force was able to block the gate of the Hidden Mist Village only because they were all killed in battle. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the Fifth Mizukage were all killed in battle!"

The collapse of the last bit of hope drove the villagers and ninjas of the Hidden Mist Village crazy. They cried hysterically, cursed the Master madly, and even threw stones at him.

But Master Yuan did not dodge or evade, and took several hits head on.

When blood oozed from the old man's snow-white turban and flowed over his long snow-white eyebrows, it finally awakened the crazy Mist Ninjas and allowed them to gradually calm down.

The old man raised his snake staff and slammed it heavily on the ground. After making a loud noise, he shouted angrily, "Are you all calm now?"

"Calm down, everyone, and just listen to me!"

"The Hidden Mist Village has been completely defeated. We have lost all our chips and there is no room for recovery!"

"But so what?"

"42 years ago, when our Kirigakure Village was first established, we also lost. The entire village was reduced to ruins by the Konoha ninjas. We also had to bow our heads."

"But the Hidden Mist Village was still able to survive and gradually recover. Ten years later, it fought with the Leaf Village in the entire Ninja World."

"As long as we, the Kirigakure Ninja, don't give up and don't lose heart, all the suffering will pass!"

The master stroked his long eyebrows and said half-jokingly, "Even if my eyebrows fall out like my hair, I will definitely live on and live to see the day when the Hidden Mist Village is revived again."

"Do you believe me?"

The Kirigakure ninjas felt extremely ashamed and they didn't know what to say.

The red-haired, blue-clothed Mei Terumi, who was standing behind the Master, had tears in her eyes. She opened her mouth slightly to say something, but a masked Chunin, who was younger than her, jumped up from below.

Momochi Zabuza stared at the Master fiercely, but in fact he was full of admiration. He shouted with all his might: "I believe in you, Master. The Hidden Mist Village will definitely be revived!"

Zabuza's roar was like turning on a switch in the throats of the Kirigakure ninjas. They followed suit and shouted, "The Kirigakure Village will definitely be revived!"

The Kirigakure ninja's shouts were transmitted outside the wall and were heard clearly by the Uchiha people, as well as by Minato Namikaze who had just arrived.

Minato looked solemn and said with emotion: "Although the performance of the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water was not very good in previous wars, it is still one of the five great ninja villages."

"The Fourth Hokage said that the Hidden Mist Village would choose to surrender. He ordered us to accept the surrender. I was reluctant at first..."

"But now it seems that Hokage-sama will not be the leader of Konoha Village. His decision is correct."

Uchiha Shigenobu sneered: "Haha, it's just a last-ditch effort. I believe that the Hidden Leaf Village under the leadership of the Fourth Hokage will never give the Hidden Mist Village a chance to revive."

Namikaze Minato asked curiously: "Why are you so sure?"

Uchiha Shigenobu smiled and replied: "Because our clan leader said that the Fourth Hokage represents a new era."

"Times have changed, and past experience is no longer effective."

"The Hidden Mist Village was able to survive the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, but not the Fourth Hokage."

Uchiha Kazushi continued: "The clan leader also said that because the Fourth Hokage has a vision for the entire ninja world, the new era will be an era of unification."

Namikaze Minato murmured: "A new era... an era towards unification..."

Uchiha Tadamichi reminded him: "It will be possible to create an era of long-term peace. It is not the peace that the first Hokage intimidated the ninja world for 12 years, but a peace that lasts for a hundred years without relying on anyone."

Namikaze Minato's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief: "A hundred years of peace? It would be great if it could really be achieved."

Just as the Konoha ninjas were imagining the future and waiting for the Fourth Hokage Orochimaru, the gate to the Hidden Mist Village opened.

The Master, whose face was covered in blood and had not yet been cleaned, walked out through the gate with more than two thousand Kirigakure ninjas.

The old man held a snake staff in his right hand and a white flag in his left hand, clearly expressing his surrender.

The Hidden Mist Village surrendered.

An hour later, Orochimaru arrived and accepted the surrender of the Hidden Mist Village.

Two days later, the Kizuna clan, who were chased to the south of the Fire Nation and had no way to escape, laid down their weapons, ending the war once and for all.

…

By the time the information was finally passed on to the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Iwa Village, the dust had already settled and there was no chance to intervene.

When he received the information that the Hidden Mist Village had surrendered, Ōnoki even knocked over his favorite teacup.

He said with despair on his face: "It's over, Konoha Village has reached the point where it is invincible."

"I shouldn't have been so serious with the Third Raikage. I should have let him go back to the Hidden Mist Village!"

Even the hot-tempered Jinchūriki, Lao Zi, did not confront Ōnoki for the first time. He even asked tentatively: "Now that we have established an alliance with the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Rain Village, can we still suppress the Leaf Village?"

Ohnoki shook his head and said, "That's impossible."

"Nagato of the Hidden Rain Village is too young and thinks too highly of himself that he refused to even meet the messenger I sent."

"The Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village is very experienced and mature. He is likely to accept the new alliance, but I don't trust the Hidden Cloud Ninjas. I don't trust them at all."

"Such an alliance is meaningless..."

Lao Zi was getting anxious. He asked angrily, "Do we have to wait for the Konoha ninja to come knocking on our door?"

Ohnoki nodded helplessly and said, "Now we can only wait."

"Fortunately, we are no longer directly connected to Konoha Village, but are separated by the Hidden Cloud Village and the Hidden Rain Village. We are destined to be the last target of Konoha Village's attack."

"Our only hope lies here. We hope that Konoha Village will suffer enough losses when attacking these two families, giving us a chance to counterattack."

…

Unlike Ōnoki who decided to wait for the outcome, the Fourth Raikage Ai immediately decided to end the war with the Iwagakure Village and to withdraw all his troops.

The Kumogakure jonin Dodai asked hesitantly, "Are we going to have a decisive battle between the Kirigakure and Konohagakure?"

The Fourth Raikage nodded: "Yes, this is the only way."

Tutai asked again: "Why don't you try asking the Iwagakure Village? Maybe..."

The Fourth Raikage interrupted him with a wave of his hand and said directly: "There is no maybe. The Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Rock Village cannot form an alliance."

"They don't trust me, whose father just died, and I even less trust the Tsuchikage Ohnoki, who forced my father to death using despicable means."

"The future of the Hidden Cloud Village can only be fought for by us, the Hidden Cloud Ninjas."

Following the order from the Fourth Raikage, the Hidden Cloud Ninjas scattered in the Land of Grass, the Land of Water Trap, the Land of Iron and the Land of Earth all retreated to the Land of the Moon and the Land of Lightning.

The Hidden Cloud Ninjas retreated eastward, and as they got closer to the Land of Lightning, they gradually gathered together.

From a small team of three or five people, to a squadron of thirty to fifty people, and finally to a large force of hundreds of people, or even larger in scale.

When the Kumogakure ninja arrived at the border of the Land of Lightning, behind the Fourth Raikage was an army of more than 13,000 ninjas.

Looking at this powerful and elite Kumogakure Ninja Army, the Fourth Raikage couldn't help but feel full of confidence.

This is the ninja army that his father saved with his life. Although it is unrealistic to challenge Konoha Village head-on, in the Land of Lightning which has the geographical advantage, it will definitely be no problem to stop the attack of Konoha Village!

The Fourth Raikage proudly said to Dodai: "With the army of the Hidden Cloud Village, it will be no problem to defeat the Hidden Leaf Village in the Land of Lightning."

"As long as I can shock Orochimaru enough, I will be able to sign a ceasefire agreement and end this war in a dignified manner instead of surrendering."

Just then, there was a noise from the front of the team.

Soon a dark-skinned Kumogakure ninja came to report: "Lord Raikage, the Konoha ninjas have blocked the Wind Stealing Pass!"

"What?"

Upon hearing these words, the Fourth Raikage, Dodai, and the other Kumogakure jonin all jumped in shock.

Even Kirabi, who was obsessed with composing songs, was scared to death.

The Wind-Thief Pass is one of the most important transportation hubs in the Land of Lightning, and is the only way to return to the Hidden Cloud Village from south to north.

This pass was blocked by the Konoha ninja, which also blocked the way of the entire Kumogakure army. If another Konoha ninja army appeared behind them at this time, they would be surrounded!

The Fourth Raikage was so anxious that lightning appeared on his body and he immediately entered the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

He shouted to Killer Bee, "Beehive, follow us! Let us work together to destroy the Konoha ninjas and open up a way home!"

Kirabi responded excitedly, "Yes! Big Brother! I finally have the chance to fight alongside you!"

But when they reached the pass, the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee were stunned, because there was only one Konoha ninja blocking the road, but there were over a hundred Kumogakure ninja lying around him.

Uchiha You looked at the Fourth Raikage and asked with a smile: "Do you feel that even though it's the first time you see it, the scene in front of you feels very familiar?"

"Yes, I am paying tribute to the Third Raikage. I also want to imitate him and perform a feat of single-handedly fighting against thousands of troops."

"But I'm not as weak as him. The final result will definitely be that I win completely."

"Uchiha Yu, you bastard!" The Fourth Raikage roared, his hair flying up in anger, and the thin linen rope that tied his hair was broken.

The lightning on his body also surged, and the Lightning Chakra mode was operating at its extreme.

The chakra of the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee became one, and the lightning on their bodies was also transmitted between the two.

The powerful Lightning Release Ninjutsu is about to be released.

But just as the ninjutsu was about to be launched, a golden fist larger than a human suddenly appeared in Killer Bee's position and knocked the still young Jinchūriki away.

Uchiha You didn't know when he unfolded Susanoo, and the golden Susanoo was unprecedentedly huge.

He shouted to the Kumogakure ninja: "I don't have the patience of the Third Raikage, let's make this a quick battle."

"For the coming new era, your"

Along with Uchiha You's shout, the golden Susanoo suddenly grew two new heads and four extra arms, turning it into a creature with three heads and six arms.

Susanoo's six hands held four chakra swords, and the other two hands were quickly forming hand seals, performing his most proficient ninjutsu.

Fire Style: Great Fire Extinguishment

A line of fire shot out from the huge palm, and after flying dozens of meters, it expanded into a huge wall of fire with a width of hundreds of meters and a height of more than forty meters.

The increasingly large wall of fire advanced horizontally forward, easily sweeping through the formation of the Hidden Cloud Ninja, forcing them to hide everywhere and causing chaos.

…

At the same time as the golden Susanoo rushed into the crowd of Kumogakure ninjas, five Uchiha Yuu appeared outside the Iwagakure Village, facing the four corners and the gate of the Iwagakure Village respectively.

"I remember that Ohnoki had seen Uchiha Madara and Madara's Susanoo, and he was at the gate of the Iwagakure Village."

"Then let's use Susanoo to awaken his memory today."

"I hope he can understand the situation and honestly choose to surrender. This will save me trouble, save him trouble, and save a lot of killing."

Rumble——!

Five golden Susanoos rose from the ground in succession and surrounded the Iwagakure Village.

The golden giant faced the flying rock bullets and explosive ninja tools, and slowly walked towards the Hidden Rock Village amid the dense explosions...

As the giant approached, a heart-shaking shout echoed in everyone's ears: "Iwagakure ninjas, try your best, and you will eventually usher in the end of the war in despair."

"I, Uchiha Yuu, the head of the Uchiha clan of Konoha Village, will also do my best to defeat you and make you understand why a new era has arrived."

"Because I want it to come!"