Ever since the Battle of Lishi, there'd been whispers in Konoha about negotiating with the Wind-Cloud Alliance. The writing was on the wall: Konoha's main forces were gutted, and even if they scraped out a win or two, the cost would be catastrophic. Why bleed themselves dry when they could swallow their pride, pay some reparations, maybe even cede a little land, and live to fight another day? With Konoha's deep bench of talent, recovery was just a matter of time. If Jinghang could wait ten years to unleash his trump card, surely Konoha could rebuild faster than Sunagakure ever did.
It was practical advice, and even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was tempted. But the proposal never made it to the table—it was dead on arrival.
Why? Two main reasons.
First, two humiliating defeats had shattered Konoha's pride. The old powerhouse couldn't stomach the reality. If they didn't get some payback, their collective psyche wouldn't recover.
Second, Sunagakure's victories had been brutal. Over twelve thousand Konoha ninja lost—every clan, every family wore mourning. The hatred ran so deep that anyone suggesting peace would get eaten alive—no soy sauce, no wasabi, just raw.
Danzo, the self-styled "hawk," was quick to seize on this mood. With Hiruzen pushing him to the margins and his faction scattered, he rallied his remaining loyalists with slogans like, "Konoha can be defeated, but never destroyed!" and "One hundred thirty thousand martyrs—fight until the world turns upside down!" Public support for Danzo soared.
Hiruzen had no choice but to toss the peace proposal into the fire. His logic: win at least one battle, so Konoha wouldn't be completely humiliated at the negotiating table.
But the reality? They barely scraped a draw at Tsūtatsu Road—and lost both the Nine-Tails and Minato Namikaze. Scoring a real victory was looking less and less likely.
So why did Danzo betray Orochimaru and snatch the "Living Dead Plan"? Weren't they supposed to be allies?
Sure, Danzo's lust for power was part of it. But more importantly, he genuinely saw a chance for victory in Orochimaru's scheme. If he could pull off a major win, he'd cement his place as the Fourth Hokage—whether the war continued or not.
But plans never survive first contact with reality. Once Jinghang started playing the "family" card with the Senju brothers, the whole Living Dead Plan went off the rails.
If those two managed to broker peace, Danzo's reign would be toast. And let's not forget: grave-robbing alone could get him booted from office any day.
"Who wants to negotiate with you?! At Moon Lake, your Sunagakure killed four thousand of my ninja. At Lishi, another eight thousand! With blood debts like that, you still want peace? Jinghang, I'd eat your flesh and sleep on your skin if I could!"
Hashirama and Tobirama's eyes shifted—now they looked at Jinghang with a new wariness.
So the kid's hands were pretty bloody. Two battles, twelve thousand Konoha dead. This wasn't just about justice or injustice anymore—it was blood feud territory.
This wasn't something logic could untangle.
It's like those scenes in old police dramas: a murderer or drug dealer hides in their rural hometown, and when the police come, the whole village surrounds them. You try reasoning? Talking law? Even a gun won't help. They'll fight you to the death to protect their own.
Same principle here. With so many ninja lost, there was no way Hashirama and Tobirama could just let it go.
Seeing their attitude shift, Jinghang dropped the polite act. He stared Danzo down.
"Yeah, Sunagakure did it. And I don't regret a thing! Moon Lake, Lishi—all within the Land of Wind. Defending our home is our right. I'll say it again: if you want to provoke these two legends into attacking me, go ahead—I'll take it head-on. When I swore my oath in Sunagakure, I said: however long Konoha wants to fight, we'll fight alongside you—until total victory!"
Tobirama's fingers tapped against his shoulder, killing intent radiating from him.
"Tobirama!" Hashirama grabbed his brother's shoulder, shaking his head. Then he turned to Jinghang.
"Jinghang, I'll give you one last chance. Withdraw. End this war here, or you'll die today. Pull back now—we can talk details later."
Jinghang didn't flinch.
"Lord Hashirama, no offense, but I can't just pack up and leave because a dead man says so. How would I explain that to these twenty thousand ninja? Danzo! You're the Fourth Hokage—give me an answer!"
His tone wasn't just disrespectful; it was downright confrontational.
Danzo gritted his teeth. "I'll say it again—leave the Land of Fire and I'll spare your life."
Jinghang clapped his hands, looking straight at Hashirama.
"Well, you heard him. I've got nothing more to say. Let's fight."
With that, he turned and headed back toward the Wind-Cloud Alliance camp.
"Shame. He's got guts," Hashirama sighed, shaking his head.
"No need to sigh, big brother. I just realized this kid's no pushover," Tobirama replied.
"Really?" Hashirama glanced at Danzo.
"Absolutely. Number one in the ninja world—undefeated since day one," Danzo said, practically painting a target on Jinghang's back.
Hashirama's battle aura flared.
"Huh?"
He sensed something off.
"Big brother, you noticed too, right? We're only at sixty percent strength—one-on-one, we might not be able to take him."
Tobirama agreed.
Danzo was confused. Sixty percent? The Living Dead Plan said eighty! Was Orochimaru scamming me?
"Let's regroup and strategize. Worst case, we take him together," Hashirama said, trying to reassure them. The three turned back toward the Konoha army.
"It's the only way," Tobirama muttered.
Just then, Jinghang—who hadn't walked far—shouted:
"Tobirama Senju!"
Tobirama instinctively replied, "Hn?"
Before he could even turn around, his entire body was hurled through the air—straight toward Jinghang and the Third Raikage.
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