Third Shinobi World War (RW109)

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A battle during the Third Shinobi World War.

The Third Shinobi World War (第三次忍界大戦, Daisanji Ninkai Taisen, English TV: Third Great Ninja War) was the third of the four shinobi wars that involved the majority of the shinobi villages. It took place more than ten years prior to the beginning of the series. Because of a decline in national power, the reign of the Five Great Shinobi Countries was crumbling. Along their borders, skirmishes with smaller nations broke out all the time. The prolonged conflicts gradually spread their flames everywhere, until at last, it developed into an all-out war. The conflict turned into an unprecedented war of attrition, tormenting all nations with a shortage of war potential. Not even excluding a great power like Konoha, incredibly young children, some of whom were barely out of the Academy were thrown onto the battlefield, eventually losing their young lives during the war.

War

Konohagakure and Iwagakure fought across Kusagakure after the latter infiltrated it to lay siege at the border of the Land of Fire. It was not until the destruction of the Kannabi Bridge that the war began turning in Konoha’s favor. Iwagakure was also known to have been fighting Kumogakure with various skirmishes between the two villages. Sunagakure also participated in the war. Kumogakure was also seemingly a part of this war, with at least Konohagakure clashing with shinobi from this village, specifically Minato and A. This is also the war in which the Third Raikage died. The Fourth Raikage was appointed. Kirigakure also partook in the war against Konohagakure and made Rin Nohara into the jinchūriki of the Three-Tails. Rin chose to die by Kakashi’s hands, rather than be used as a tool to destroy her village. The Kiri shinobi were adamant in retrieving Rin’s body and allowing it to fall into enemy hands. Rin achieved this by letting herself be stabbed by Kakashi’s Chidori which not only stopped the Three-Tails from being released but also resulted in Rin’s death. Grief-stricken Obito Uchiha, who unbeknownst to his teammates, had survived and was a witness to Rin’s murder, massacred the Kiri shinobi by himself, despite their best attempts. Sometime after this, Madara Uchiha would pass away, but not before passing his plans onto Obito to fulfill until the time of his resurrection. Ao from Kirigakure also defeated a member of the Hyūga clan and took the member’s Byakugan for his right eye socket.

During this war, Kushina Uzumaki and Toshirō Shunsoku became legendary shinobi throughout the world after defeating the then-invincible Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist by themselves, earning the monikers Red Death (赤い死, Akaishi, Viz: Crimson Death) and the Tailed Beast Without a Tail (尾を持たない尾獣, O o Motanai Bijū, Viz: Tailless Tailed Beast), respectively. Afterward, the seven blades were returned to Kirigakure in exchange for a peace treaty with Konoha.

The war that swallowed up shinobi from every land came to an end after an armistice agreement between Konoha and Iwagakure, which were the principal aggressors of the war, was concluded. The Tsuchikage was more reluctant to accept the peace treaty, only accepting it after Minato and Toshirō stopped an invasion consisting of two thousand Iwa shinobi, respectively.

Effects

Minato becomes Hokage.

In Konoha, although the war had been proceeding favorably for the village, the Third Hokage established a policy of reconciliation to bring an end to the fighting with an unprecedented offer to not seek reparations from Iwa. Advocates for the war opposed Hiruzen’s seemingly weak decision, and to keep dissatisfaction in the village in check, he decided to step down as Hokage. The Konoha shinobi that received the most attention for their war efforts in the village were the Sannin and the surviving members of Team Minato. Toshirō Shunsoku became legendary as the Tailed Beast Without a Tail (尾を持たない尾獣, O o Motanai Bijū, Viz: Zero-Tails, English TV: Tailless Tailed Beast) and Minato Namikaze, now known as Konoha’s Yellow Flash (木ノ葉の黄色い閃光, Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō), nominated him to be Hokage; however, he politely turned it down because he preferred to being on the field than doing paperwork. This left Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru as the last two candidates the village officials put forward to succeed Hiruzen. Ultimately, it was Minato who became the Fourth Hokage.

Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan.

Between Fugaku Uchiha not receiving praise for his work during the war alongside his name not being put forth to become Hokage, members of the Uchiha clan came to despise village officials. During the war, Fugaku at some point awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, earning the moniker Wicked Eye Fugaku (兇眼フガク, Kyōgan Fugaku). Itachi Uchiha was traumatized by the violence of the war and grew to seek peace at any cost because of it: an experience that would lead to the Uchiha Clan’s downfall and prevent his clan triggering the Fourth Shinobi World War; however, Obito Uchiha who had been saved from death by Madara Uchiha during the war eventually caused the next world war, after witnessing Rin Nohara die and taking on his savior’s identity.

In Sunagakure, Sasori earned fame as Sasori of the Red Sand (赤砂のサソリ, Akasuna no Sasori), due to his ingenious puppets dyeing the sand red with his enemies’ blood. In Kirigakure, Ao gained a Byakugan from a Hyūga clan member he killed during the war, which in term lead him to be known as Byakugan Killer (白眼殺し, Byakugangoroshi). In Konoha, Kakashi Hatake eventually gained fame throughout the shinobi world as Copy Ninja Kakashi (コピー忍者のカカシ, Kopī Ninja no Kakashi), after he gained a Sharingan from a dying Obito during their mission to destroy the Kannabi Bridge.

In Iwagakure, the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, Han became known worldwide for his prowess with steam ninjutsu. Paired with him was the Four-Tails’ jinchūriki Rōshi against Team 6. As the two jinchūriki fired their Tailed Beast Balls, Minato Namikaze teleported his team to safety. Rōshi eventually left Iwagakure at some point to better understand and control the power of the beast within him.

Nagato protects Konan.

In Amegakure, Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and many other shinobi formed a group that eventually fought the rule of Hanzō who as approached by Danzō Shimura who manipulated the paranoid leader into believing Akatsuki would attempt to usurp his power. He offered to help Hanzō in eliminating this supposed threat to his leadership with his Root Anbu in exchange for an alliance with Konoha against Iwagakure, a mutual enemy. Agreeing to the new alliance, Danzō had his undercover operatives capture Konan while on patrol before Yahiko and Nagato arrived at the planned meeting place. There, Konan was brought as a prisoner by Root Anbu while Yahiko and Nagato were surrounded by Hanzō, Danzō, and their combined forces from a higher vantage point. Hanzō demanded Nagato kill Yahiko in exchange for Konan’s life. Nagato could not bring himself to kill Yahiko, and Konan was about to be killed under Danzō’s orders when Yahiko committed suicide by impaling himself on Nagato’s kunai and slumping onto Nagato whose emotional trauma awakened his Rinnegan powers, using Shinra Tensei to a shower of kunai from both Root and Ame shinobi. He then rescues Konan but at the cost of a paralyzing injury to his legs by Hanzō’s Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation. Danzō left via the Body Flicker Technique alongside his Root Anbu, abandoning Hanzō and his forces. Angered by Danzō’s betrayal, Hanzō orders his shinobi to attack them. Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and by using the black receivers which embedded itself into his back, it was able to slaughter every shinobi instructed to kill him. Not completely satisfied, Nagato attempted to kill Hanzō who fled via the Body Flicker Technique. With Yahiko and the other remaining members of Akatsuki dead (killed by the masked man and Zetsu, unbeknownst to everyone), Nagato and Konan were the only survivors left. Nagato was later confined to a machine for the rest of his life, his body having become severely emaciated as a result of his linking with the statue. He later became the new leader of the new Akatsuki while slashing his forehead protector, revealing he no longer wanted to be associated with Hanzō. Eventually, a civil war erupted, splitting Amegakure until it ended when Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain eliminated the members of Hanzō’s faction while Nagato, using Yahiko’s body, confronted and later killed Hanzō.

Trivia

• It was claimed in Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire that during this war, the missing-nin Hiruko was actively working to finish his Chimera Technique and had tracked Kakashi to brand him with his Puppet Curse. He claimed that, eventually, the Third Hokage ordered his assassination to be carried out by his former friends, the Sannin.
• It was claimed in Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Lost Tower that Rōran was destroyed during this war.
• In Six-Tails Unleashed, the Third Hokage made a peace treaty with the Tsuchigumo clan sometime during the war.
• In the anime, Danzō was shown to be a driving force in this war, having members of Root transform into Iwa-nin and frame the village to cause war between the two villages.

References