Black Naruto: Shadow Moon

Uchiha Kagezuki defeated the 10,000-ninja army of the Hidden Rock Village on the battlefield of the Land of Grass, and cut off the right hand of the Third Raikage Ai in a fierce battle with him on the battlefield of the Hidden Cloud Village.

This series of events not only made Shadow Moon's strength further recognized in the ninja world, but also made the major ninja villages begin to rethink the value and cost of this protracted war.

First of all, Ohnoki, the third Tsuchikage of the Iwagakure Village, realized that Shadow Moon had become the biggest barrier of the Konoha Village.

Every attack from the Iwagakure Village was easily resolved by Shadow Moon, and neither the numerical advantage of the ninjas nor the powerful strength of the tailed beasts could match Shadow Moon's strength.

Several consecutive defeats not only caused the Iwagakure Village to suffer heavy casualties, but also dealt a heavy blow to its morale.

After discussing with other senior leaders, the Iwagakure Village gradually began to consider withdrawing.

They realized that without a better combat strategy, continuing to attack Konoha would only result in unnecessary casualties.

At the same time, the Third Raikage Ai of the Hidden Cloud Village began to evaluate the necessity of this war after losing his right arm.

Ai's original strategy was to launch a blitzkrieg during the war between the Hidden Rock Village and Konoha, in order to gain the greatest benefit in the shortest time.

However, during the battle with Kageyue, Ai personally experienced Kageyue's extraordinary strength, and realized that if the Hidden Cloud Village continued to invest more troops to attack Konoha, it might not be able to gain any substantial benefits from this war, but would instead suffer greater losses from Kageyue.

The situation in Sand Village and Mist Village is similar.

Due to the environment and limited resources of the Wind Country, the Sand Village had lost a large number of elite ninjas and no longer had enough resources to continue the war.

The Hidden Mist Village also found it difficult to invest more manpower and resources in the war due to the conflicts between the bloodline limit families and ordinary ninjas, as well as the turmoil within its rule.

As the major countries in the ninja world became increasingly exhausted and depleted, the villages gradually realized that continuing the war would not only be of no benefit, but would also intensify internal and external conflicts.

Therefore, signs of a ceasefire began to appear between the five major ninja villages.

Although no party has explicitly stated that it will be the first to cease fire, all major ninja villages have reduced their active attacks on the war front and are more defensive and conservative.

Each village began to turn its attention to how to restore domestic order and rebuild the economy. Especially under the tremendous pressure of war, the number of ninja troops had dropped sharply, and the combat effectiveness of the ninjas in each village was in urgent need of replenishment and restoration.

At the same time, under the leadership of Shadow Moon, Konoha gradually shifted from defense to strategic advantage.

Shadow Moon's extraordinary strength not only consolidated Konoha's defense line, but also invisibly promoted changes in the situation in the ninja world.

Konoha gradually realized that the war situation was developing in a direction favorable to them.

The atmosphere in the Raikage Building of the Land of Lightning was heavy.

The Third Raikage Ai lost his right arm in the battle with Uchiha Kagezuki and is currently receiving emergency treatment at the medical department of the Hidden Cloud Village.

The medical ninjas of the Hidden Cloud Village gathered around the Third Raikage, carefully reporting the latest progress of treatment.

"Lord Raikage," an experienced medical ninja spoke with a hint of hesitation in his tone, "We have properly preserved your lost arm, but it is extremely difficult to reattach it. The wound is not like that caused by an ordinary sword, but it is more like it has disappeared directly... This makes it impossible for us to simply repair it with conventional means."

Another medical ninja added, "Even if we have enough time, we might be able to reattach the arm, but it won't regain its original strength and flexibility."

After hearing this, the Third Raikage Ai remained expressionless, and it was obvious that he had accepted the fact that he had lost his right arm.

This "strongest Raikage" who has long been renowned in the ninja world remained extremely calm in the face of such a huge blow.

He stood up and waved his hand for all the medical ninjas to stand down.

Then, the Third Raikage Ai summoned his son and successor, the Fourth Raikage Ai, to the Raikage Building.

The father and son sat in the conference room. The Third Raikage Ai first expressed his condolences and concern to his son and praised his heroic performance on the front line.

The fourth generation Ai has a strong character and inherited his father's powerful strength and fearless fighting spirit.

"Ai, you already have the same power as I did when I was young," the Third Raikage said with a hint of emotion, "The cruelty of war is inevitable, but the Hidden Cloud Village needs a future, and that future is you. I have decided that you will succeed the Fourth Raikage after the war."

The fourth generation of Ai felt uneasy as he listened to his father's words.

He knew what his father was planning and tried to dissuade him: "Father, you are the pillar of the Hidden Cloud Village. Your strength and prestige are unmatched. The ninjas in the village will understand that you lost your arm. The Hidden Cloud Village still needs your leadership. I... I am not mature enough to bear this burden."

The Third Raikage Ai shook his head, his face firm: "I have made up my mind, Ai. The Hidden Cloud Village needs new blood and a new generation of leaders. Although I have lost my right hand, I am still the Raikage, but the burden of the future must be handed over to you."

He said, his tone full of determination and trust, "After this war is over, you will succeed the Fourth Raikage and lead the Hidden Cloud Village to a more glorious future."

The fourth generation Ai felt pain in his heart, because he knew that his father's decision was based on the reality that he had lost his right arm.

Although he felt tremendous pressure and anxiety in his heart, he also understood that his father's decision could not be changed.

The Third Raikage Ai's decision was not only because he lost his arm, but also because he knew that the future of the Hidden Cloud Village lies in the next generation of young people.

This is his expectation and responsibility for his son and the Hidden Cloud Village.

He believed that the Fourth Generation Ai would take over his ambitions, continue to protect the Hidden Cloud Village, and lead the village to a new peak.

After this private conversation, the Fourth Ai stood up. Although his eyes were filled with the burden of the future, he saluted his father and stated that he would live up to the expectations of the Third Raikage.

At the same time, there are also special circumstances in the Kingdom of Wind.

Due to its long-term resource scarcity and extreme environment, the Land of Wind has always been a place where poverty and conflicts are concentrated in the ninja world.

Most of the land is uninhabited desert, with only a few oases capable of sustaining life, so competition for resources is fierce.

The bigger problem came from the daimyo and lords of the Wind Country, whose luxury and greed exacerbated the hardships of the common people.

After the outbreak of the war, this contradiction became more intensified.

The Daimyo of the Kingdom of Wind frequently increased taxes for the sake of war, making life even more difficult for the already poor people.

However, taxation by daimyo was only part of the problem. What was even more unbearable was the layers of exploitation by bureaucrats and feudal lords in taxation.

A daimyo might order a 10% tax, but through the addition of taxes by bureaucrats at all levels, the tax burden that ultimately fell on the people might more than triple.

Many people went bankrupt as a result, countless families lost their means of livelihood, and more and more people left their homes and embarked on the path of resistance.