As Second Tsuchikage 41

Chapter 41: Unintentionally Triggering the First Great Ninja War

"Uwaaah! Sensei, you're finally awake! I thought you were going to die from chakra exhaustion! If you had died, what would I even do...!"

Ōnoki flung himself onto Mū, sobbing uncontrollably as tears and snot streamed down his face.

Cough, cough.

"Alright, I’m not dead yet," Mū said, voice still hoarse as he let out a dry cough. Activating Light-Weight Boulder Technique, he gently lifted Ōnoki off him and set him aside. "Tell me, how long was I unconscious? And where exactly are we now?"

Still regaining his senses after waking up, Mū’s perception felt sluggish, so he relied on Ōnoki for answers.

"Sensei, you’ve been out for almost a full day. Right after you passed out, the four great villages set up camp here in Takigakure. Everyone’s been waiting on you to wake up before making any further moves."

Ōnoki reported everything clearly, then broke into a grin, eyes lighting up with admiration.

"Sensei, you’re incredible! There’s no one in the entire shinobi world more amazing than you! You actually led the other three Kage and brought down the Twin Gods of the ninja world! Everyone’s talking about it. From the rocky highlands of Iwagakure in the west to the far islands of Kirigakure in the east, your name is on everyone’s lips!"

He waved his hands excitedly as if trying to mimic the scale of the rumor, his awe unmistakable.

Mū raised an eyebrow, surprised the word had traveled so fast. But after a moment’s thought, it didn’t seem strange.

This was the heart of the continent. A massive battle involving all four major villages, the deaths of the God of Shinobi and the Demon of the Ninja World. It would’ve been impossible to keep something like that quiet.

"Sensei, while you were unconscious, the other three who fought beside you were incredibly worried. Now that you’re finally awake, I’ll go let them know!"

Ōnoki bolted from the room before Mū could say another word.

"Go ahead," Mū muttered, making no move to stop him. He closed his eyes and focused on drawing in chakra, slowly recalibrating his senses and restoring his energy.

About an hour later, the sound of footsteps approached from outside.

With Gengetsu Hōzuki’s voice echoing through the corridor, the door was pushed open and three figures entered.

"Mū! You idiot, you big baka! You really had us worried!"

Gengetsu walked in with that familiar swagger, slapping a hand down on Mū’s shoulder and flashing a toothy grin.

"Glad to see you recovering, Mū-dono," the Second Raikage said with a composed smile.

"This time, it’s thanks to you. You’ve removed a burden that has weighed on all of us for far too long."

Shamon followed, placing a bouquet of fresh flowers beside Mū’s bed and giving a warm nod.

"Heh... you’re exaggerating..." Mū said, chuckling under his breath.

Still, he knew it was true.

Hashirama and Madara had loomed over the shinobi world like legends cast in stone. Their existence alone was enough to keep the other villages in a constant state of hesitation.

And with Konoha backed by two warriors of such overwhelming strength, it was no surprise the rest of the world had been living under their shadow, unable to act without fear.

Though Hashirama spoke often of peace, the other villages lacked the same all-seeing perspective. From where they stood, who could say it wasn’t all a carefully constructed façade? No one would dare entrust their future to someone they couldn’t fully trust.

Now that Mū had taken the lead and struck down both Hashirama and Madara, it felt as if a massive weight had vanished from their shoulders. The pressure they had silently endured for years had evaporated in an instant.

Only Konohagakure was left to bear the consequences.

"Thank you, all of you. But the credit doesn’t belong to me alone. Without the three of you, I doubt I’d be standing here right now."

A smile formed beneath Mū’s bandaged face.

The truth was, he couldn’t take full credit even if he wanted to. The others had done just as much. Even with his Dust Release, trying to defeat either Hashirama or Madara solo would have been an insurmountable task.

"And of course, there’s one more person we should thank. That’s Tobirama Senju."

Mū’s tone carried a trace of dark humor.

At his words, all three men burst into laughter. But deep down, there was no one Mū felt more grateful to than Tobirama Senju.

If Tobirama hadn’t first agreed to cooperate in the ambush against Madara, everything would’ve turned out differently. Without his help, Mū never would’ve convinced the others to join in. It was Tobirama’s unease about Madara’s intentions that gave Mū the leverage he needed. That one moment of agreement had set the dominoes falling.

Had Tobirama chosen instead to stay loyal to the village and turned down Mū’s proposal, none of this would have happened. Perhaps there would’ve been peace. Perhaps Hashirama would still be alive.

"Alright! No need for modesty. Without your Dust Release, we’d have had no chance. You were the centerpiece of everything!"

The Second Raikage praised him, smiling with sincerity.

"Yes! I completely agree." Shamon added with a firm nod.

"Now get up already. Everyone’s been waiting for you." Gengetsu Hōzuki stepped in and helped Mū out of bed.

"Hm? Waiting for me? What for?"

Mū blinked in confusion.

Before Gengetsu could answer, Shamon spoke first.

"To decide how we’re going to divide the Land of Fire, of course!"

"Now that Hashirama and Madara are gone, and with how fertile the Land of Fire is, we of the Land of Wind desperately need better land to survive." Shamon’s tone was bold, his ambitions laid bare without shame.

"Indeed. Shamon-dono is correct. We of the Land of Lightning have our eyes on the northern territories of the Land of Fire, and perhaps even the nearby Lands of the Moon, Hot Water, and Rice Fields."

"Even though we in Kirigakure live on islands, we’ve always wanted control over the eastern coastline of the Land of Fire. This is our chance to seize the seas and draw the entire eastern region under our influence."

Second Raikage and Gengetsu spoke one after another, laying their plans out without hesitation.

Mū stared at the three of them in stunned silence.

Damn it.

He had eliminated Hashirama and Madara to relieve pressure on his own village, not to ignite chaos across the continent. But these three… they were talking about launching an all-out war. And not just any war.         This would be the four great villages uniting against Konoha alone.

His original goal had been simple: protect Iwagakure, strengthen it, and create a more stable balance of power. Instead, what lay ahead now was open conflict. Without even intending to, he had triggered what would become the First Great Ninja War.

"Please wait. Even though Hashirama and Madara are gone, we can’t afford to lower our guard. Konoha’s bloodline clans and secret technique families still outnumber all of ours combined…"

Mū’s voice grew serious, his gaze hardening.

He remembered the timeline. He knew Konoha’s true strength better than anyone here.

Even without its two strongest figures, Konoha wasn’t fragile. The Uchiha and Senju had both been forged in an age of brutal warfare, and their power hadn’t disappeared with Hashirama. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the Hyūga, the Sarutobi, and numerous other elite clans were all still active.

If a war broke out, Mū might survive, but countless lives would be lost.

And there was something else.

He had heard rumors that Ashina Uzumaki was still alive. That old man was easily at a quasi-Kage level. If the Uzumaki clan chose to back Konoha, their sealing techniques alone could turn the tide. Mū had no interest in dealing with the Reaper Death Seal himself.

Tobirama also had a slew of forbidden techniques.

Especially Edo Tensei...

Wait.

Suddenly, Mū’s eyes narrowed. A chill crept down his spine.

If someone like Tobirama used Edo Tensei...

"Hold on. What did you do with the corpses of Hashirama and Madara?"

Mū spun and grabbed Gengetsu’s arm without warning, his voice sharp with urgency.

All three were caught off guard, blinking at his sudden shift in tone.

Then Gengetsu casually scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, those two? Madara’s body was nowhere to be found. I think your Dust Release disintegrated him completely. As for Hashirama... well, his corpse self-combusted. Looked like he had a failsafe jutsu in place to stop us from messing with it."

He shrugged, unfazed by the implications.