143. Endure with Strength? Just Endure, and That’s Right

On the face of the Hokage Rock in Konoha Village, the visage of the Fifth Mizukage was carved.

No one could have anticipated that Kisame Hoshigaki, serving as the Mizukage, would make such an outrageous and excessive demand.

As everyone knows, the Will of Fire forms the very foundation upon which Konoha was established, passed down from generation to generation with an unbroken lineage. The Hokage, embodying this Will of Fire, is immortalized on the famed Hokage Rock, serving as a constant reminder to the villagers of this noble spirit.

Now, Kisame had not only defiled the Hokage Rock but insisted on replacing the statues of all former Hokage with his own likeness, transforming the Will of Fire into the "Will of Water."

Such an act was nothing short of a slap in the face to Konoha, an insult beyond endurance.

Yet, Kisame’s formidable strength—able to single-handedly take on an entire village and even slay demi-gods of the ninja world—stood unchallenged. Confronted with his tyranny and arrogance, no matter how much dissatisfaction and resentment brewed within the people of Konoha, they could only suppress it in their hearts.

Amid the silence of the Konoha shinobi, Jiraiya was the first—and the only one—to raise his voice.

“Kisame Hoshigaki, you have gone too far!” he shouted.

To him, agreeing to such a humiliating condition meant that from then on, whenever the shinobi or villagers of Konoha looked up, they would see Kisame’s statue staring back at them. What would become of Konoha’s dignity?

“So what if I have gone too far?” Kisame sneered arrogantly at Jiraiya, his words cutting him down effortlessly. Then, ignoring Jiraiya, he turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“Third Hokage, I, Kisame Hoshigaki, as Mizukage, hereby promise that as long as my statue remains on that Hokage Rock, Kirigakure will not wage war against Konoha. Do you accept, or not?”

Hiruzen’s expression flickered multiple times before he clenched his teeth and once again made a concession to Kisame.

“To the Fifth Mizukage, I hope you keep your promise.”

“Hahaha, of course,” Kisame laughed heartily.

Today, he had witnessed firsthand the so-called "Ninja Hero," Hiruzen Sarutobi’s tolerance. One could say it was truly remarkable—or perhaps merely weakness.

On the inside, Hiruzen had endured and yielded repeatedly to Danzo’s schemes, even bearing assassination attempts without retaliating. On the outside, the most telling incident was when an envoy from Kumogakure visited Konoha and attempted to abduct Hinata Hyuga, only to be killed by Hizashi Hyuga.

That matter, intended by Kumogakure to stir up trouble, was defused by Hiruzen at the cost of sacrificing his own people—handing over Hizashi’s corpse to the enemy to placate Kumogakure’s wrath.

As Hokage, such weakness and incompetence were truly astonishing.

Kisame had keenly perceived Hiruzen’s lenient nature, which is why he repeatedly made unreasonable demands, all of which were, unsurprisingly, acquiesced to.

A "Ninja Hero"? Just endure and that’s all. Even a thousand-year-old tortoise wouldn’t be as patient.

“Very well, you may begin immediately. When my statue is completed, Uchiha Fugaku and Hizashi Hyuga will be released. Kisame Hoshigaki always keeps his word.”

Before departing, Kisame instructed the people of Konoha further, “By the way, make sure to hire the best artisans to carve me, make me look handsome.”

The Uchiha and Hyuga clans heard this and seethed with silent fury.

Without waiting for Hiruzen’s command, they bypassed the Hokage and set about clearing the cliff and contacting craftsmen to build Kisame’s statue.

At that moment, Kisame crouched his massive form and extended a claw toward Tsunade.

“Come, my princess.”

Tsunade said nothing but stepped onto Kisame’s palm. No sooner had she done so, he grasped her firmly, eliciting a surprised cry.

“Hahaha.”

With a wild laugh, Kisame flapped his wings and soared into the sky.

Soon, he vanished beyond the horizon.

Thus, the princess of Konoha was taken captive by the Demon King.

“Hokage-sama, something terrible has happened!”

No sooner had Kisame left than an Anbu ninja, covered in blood and panic-stricken, burst in to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

“Danzo and Orochimaru were abducted by remnants of Root and have escaped Konoha. Yellow Flash pursued alone.”

“What?!”

Hiruzen trembled violently at the news. Had Jiraiya not caught him swiftly, he might have collapsed on the spot.

Danzo and Orochimaru—though they had committed many offenses—were, to Hiruzen, a long-time dear friend and his beloved disciple respectively. He could not bear to impose the harshest punishments upon them.

Previously, after the negotiations ended in the council chamber, Hiruzen had ordered their temporary detention, intending to give them time to reflect.

Unexpectedly, the two traitorous men chose outright defection.

Danzo and Orochimaru held high positions and were among Konoha’s greatest forces. Their betrayal dealt a blow that compounded an already dire situation.

“Contact Minato immediately and have him return. Do not pursue further.”

Once recovered, Hiruzen gave the order to the Anbu. Minato Namikaze was now Konoha’s top fighter and utterly loyal. Losing him would be a loss Konoha could never bear.

“As for Danzo and Orochimaru...”

Hiruzen paused, sighed, and said, “Let them go.”

One must prioritize matters.

For Konoha now, the most urgent task was to rebuild the village from the ruins, soothe the hearts of its people, and emerge from the shadow of this devastating defeat.

Konoha must not fall; it must rise anew from the ashes.

With this firm resolve, Hiruzen, his disciple Jiraiya, and the Konoha shinobi under their command wasted no time, plunging headlong into the monumental task of reconstruction.

...

As Kisame soared away from Konoha, the Third Great Ninja War officially came to an end.

Yet, the profound repercussions of this conflict for the various ninja villages and nations had only just begun to unfold.

The news of the battle in Konoha spread throughout all ninja villages within a single day, shaking the entire ninja world.

Kisame Hoshigaki—a mere fourteen-year-old prison inmate from Kirigakure—had been thrust into the role of Fifth Mizukage. Not only did he singlehandedly annihilate the five thousand Konoha shinobi invading Kirigakure, but he also counterattacked alone, storming Konoha and forcing its ninja into submission, ultimately compelling the Third Hokage to surrender and sign a humiliating defeat treaty.

Such a tale was almost unbelievable unless witnessed firsthand.

In truth, even the Konoha shinobi who lived through it struggled to grasp reality, initially believing it a nightmare from which they wished to awaken.

During the war, Konoha’s buildings were almost entirely destroyed, the village reduced to rubble. Its treasure trove of ninjutsu was plundered by Kisame, and even the village princess, Tsunade, was abducted.

For Konoha, the foremost of the Five Great Ninja Villages, this was a catastrophic defeat unprecedented since its founding.

Consequently, Konoha fell into considerable turmoil and internal strife.

That very day, many clans and villagers united, demanding that the Third Hokage bear full responsibility for the war’s failure and resign to appease public outrage.

Amidst the uproar, Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to resign, ending his tenure as Third Hokage as a vanquished leader.

Thereafter, a fierce power struggle for the Fourth Hokage’s position erupted within Konoha.

Beyond Konoha, other parts of the ninja world were equally unsettled.