Highlights
- The Third Great Ninja War significantly impacted the Naruto series, shaping the present world of the shinobi.
- Key events, like Rin’s death and Minato’s rise to Hokage, were pivotal outcomes of the war’s aftermath.
- The war led to major political shifts and conflicts within the Five Great Nations, setting the stage for future events in the series.
The Naruto series offers extremely rich worldbuilding, and part of this includes the show’s in-depth history and past events. The events of the Great Ninja Wars are the most notable ones, as these wars have been pivotal in shaping the shinobi world of today. However, one war in particular has arguably had the most impact on Naruto’s narrative — the Third Great Ninja War.
The Third Great Ninja War took place almost ten years before the set time of Naruto, and the aftermath of this cataclysmic war has shaped much of the show’s present. From Rin’s death to Minato’s appoinment as the 4th Hokage, the Third Great Ninja War foresaw significant changes within the Hidden Leaf Village, along with a rapid shift in the shinobi world’s political landscape.
The Reason Behind the Third Great Ninja War
The first two Great Ninja Wars were instigated in a bid to gain more political influence, power, and control. The Third Great Ninja War began similarly, with the Five Great Nations witnessing a decline in their power and influence. This led to a string of skirmishes and battles between the Ninja villages and smaller nations around their borders. These smaller battles spread throughout the Ninja world, engulfing almost every single nation into the war.
While the fights were initially confined to the great nations and their surrounding villages, the actual war broke out after the Hidden Stone instigated an attack against the Leaf. With neither side willing to cease, the war grew at unprecedented rates, leading to bloodshed and financial strains on all the Great Nations. The effects of the war became extremely grave, even forcing villages to send children into battle, leading them to their untimely deaths.
Major Events Of the Third Great Ninja War
The Third Great Ninja War soon became a hotbed of rattling incidents and all-out war crimes. While the Hidden Leaf and Hidden Stone villages seemed to be the major aggressors in the conflict, the Mist, Cloud, and Sand Villages also partook in the war. Several war heroes rose to prominence, while others met their untimely demise in these inhumane battles.
Some of the nations had direct skirmishes and battles, yet others dealt in backhanded tactics, with multiple accounts of espionage and sabotage. The Hidden Mist was at the forefront of these antics, even plotting to destroy the Hidden Leaf through a Tailed Beast rampage. Each nation contributed greatly to the bloodshed and destruction during the war.
Clashes Between The Hidden Leaf and the Hidden Cloud
While the Hidden Cloud was never a major aggressor in the war, it was embroiled in the conflict after other nations made their advances into the Land of Lightning’s surrounding nations. One major battle fought by the Hidden Cloud was against the Hidden Leaf, with A, the Fourth Raikage, and Killer Bee facing off against Minato Namikaze.
Despite Killer Bee and A creating the ultimate tag-team to fight off Minato, they were no match for his lightning speed. There was no significant outcome of the battle, though it did lead to a few personalities gaining fame in the ninja world. Minato’s unmatched speed and accuracy led to the moniker “Konoha’s Yellow Flash” spreading throughout the shinobi world.
Obito’s Supposed Death And Kakashi’s Rise to Fame
Obito’s supposed death, an incident that became a precursor to the series’ endgame plot, also took place during the Third Great Ninja War. It was during a war mission that Obito found himself crushed underneath a boulder. Believing that it was impossible to save him, Rin and Kakashi were forced to leave Obito behind, though it was later revealed that he was rescued by Madara Uchiha.
I’m going… to die now. But… I’ll become one of your eyes… and I’ll see… what the future holds.
Before forcing Rin and Kakashi to leave, Obito gifted his left eye to the latter as a present for becoming a Jonin. With his new Sharingan, Kakashi quickly rose to fame due to his feats during the war, which led to him being dubbed as “Kakashi the Copy Ninja.”
The Hidden Mist’s Plan to Cause a Tailed Beast Rampage
Underhanded tactics have always been commonplace within the shinobi world, yet the Hidden Mist went a step further with its depraved attempt at destroying the Hidden Leaf. A group of Mist Anbu kidnapped Rin Nohara and implanted the Three Tails within her, with the goal of forcing her to retreat to the Hidden Leaf where Three-Tails would eventually rampage.
The plan would surely have been successful, yet it was foiled by Rin’s own intuition. Realizing that a Tailed Beast was within her, Rin refused to retreat to the Hidden Leaf, and eventually sacrificed herself by intercepting Kakashi’s Raikiri. With Obito witnessing this event and resigning himself to Madara’s vision, this event single-handedly changed the course of the entire series.
The Akatsuki’s Downfall
Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan formed the Akatsuki right after the Second Great Ninja War, with the goal of barring other nations from using the Hidden Rain as a battlefield for their vain wars. With the Hidden Rain coming under fire once more, the Akatsuki sought to mend things between the primary belligerents to stop further bloodshed.
Yahiko… you’re the leader, so you must die.
However, Danzo’s meddling in the Hidden Rain’s affairs led to Hanzo killing off Yahiko, an incident that led to the demise of the original Akatsuki. This event became the turning point for the Akatsuki, with Nagato joining hands with Obito in his pursuit of garnering all the Tailed Beasts.
Other Notable Events
Apart from a few major events that had a significant impact on the narrative, some other notable events also took place during the Third Great Ninja War. The Third Raikage was the only Kage to be slain during this war, and that too while fending off thousands of shinobi, allowing his men to retreat safely. On the other hand, Minato took up the role of the Fourth Hokage after Hiruzen resigned due to the Leaf’s disapproval of his policies.
However, this appointment became quite controversial among the Uchiha Clan, since Fugaku Uchiha was never nominated for the position despite boasting similar feats in the war. This animosity eventually led to the Uchiha’s rebellion years later. Lastly, Minato’s feat of taking on a thousand Hidden Stone shinobi single-handedly ended the Third Great Ninja War, a feat that cemented his strength throughout the Ninja world.
Heroes of the Third Great Ninja War
Despite heavy losses in every single nation, several war heroes rose to prominence after the conclusion of the Third Great Ninja War. From the Hidden Leaf Village, Team Minato was applauded for its war efforts. The Sannin also received their fair share of acclaim for their support in the war. Both Minato and Kakashi earned their respective monikers and became feared fighters throughout the shinobi world.
From the Hidden Mist, Ao earned fame after stealing a Hyuga Clan member’s Byakugan, earning the title of “Byakugan Killer.” Sasori from the Hidden Sand became a prominent shinobi after the war, known primarily for dyeing the sand red with blood after killing hordes of shinobi. He earned the moniker Sasori of the Red Sand, and his puppeteering became a notorious threat to other villages.
Aftermath Of the Third Great Ninja War
The Third Great Ninja War had several repercussions on the shinobi world, with the Akatsuki’s downfall and Rin’s death being the most consequential events. Still, the Third Great Ninja War was able to put an end to large-scale conflict forever, as this was the last war fought between multiple nations simultaneously. It revived diplomatic relationships between all five nations, and the final armistice signed between the nations prevented future wars from breaking out.
However, the Hidden Leaf’s poor decisions during and after the war eventually took a toll. The only two nominations for the position of Hokage were Minato and Orochimaru, with Fugaku Uchiha, the leader of the Uchiha Clan, being entirely sidelined. This led to even more detest towards the Senju-influenced leadership, forcing the clan to revolt years later.
Naruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
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