A/N: Short but necessary...

Prelude to the Finale

~Strength~

The Five Great Countries survived the 4th Shinobi War, just as they did the previous three. Despite suffering widespread devastation, they came out stronger and more influential.

But just like previous wars, there were winners and there were losers, those proven weak and those proven strong. And even with the winning side, there were those that benefited, and those that had to cope with irrecoverable loss. But coping had many layers, especially for some helpless creatures without any idea what the conflict was about in the first place.

How would they know that those who fought the war did it for the greater good?

They could only see the bad.

How would they understand that loss came in many forms?

They could only see their own suffering.

How would they feel for others who got hurt but still found the will to move on?

They chose not to.

And yet it still made sense… for strength had always meant more than the physical. The strength of the heart, the mind and the soul are intangible things but of far greater impact to one's being…inner strength that enabled one to accept and to understand that strength itself could never be gained nor gauged without trials…

But for some, such things are far too hard to grasp. So instead of strength, they lose themselves to the weakening clutches of despair…

During those moments when Madara was demonstrating his power, various places were blown up at random. When Aiba came out of the rubble, everything he ever cherished was gone, his wife, his children and his entire property…just gone, in a blink of an eye, within the flourishing Northern territory of the Land of Fire.

That the Alliance fought for the greater good held no meaning. "It's for their own greater good, not mine. This is their doing. I hope they all rot in hell!"

Conflicts had always arisen from such a sentiment and even for a helpless man like Aiba it provided a way for hate to rear its ugly head and sow one arable seed toward destruction...

Next: Double Chapter Finale and Conclusion (Ready?)