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In just a few short days, the events that transpired in Konoha spread like wildfire throughout the shinobi world.
As two of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, both Konoha and Sunagakure were always under the watchful eyes of every hidden village. Orochimaru, an S-rank missing-nin with no moral boundaries, was someone whose mere presence sent smaller nations into panic, praying they wouldn't become his next target.
When these three elements—Konoha, Suna, and Orochimaru—appeared together in a single intelligence report, the impact was immense. Add to that the mention of tailed beasts, Jiraiya, and even two individuals claiming to be descendants of the Uzumaki clan who vowed to ignite the Fourth Shinobi World War, and it wasn't just the shinobi who were captivated; even civilians were talking about it with great interest.
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Earth Country – Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village)
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, sat silently for a moment after reading the scroll in his hands. Then, he burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! So the man known as the 'God of Shinobi' is finally dead, killed by his own disciple? What a joke!"
Beside him, his granddaughter Kurotsuchi propped her long, pale legs on the table and laughed heartily as well. "Grandpa, did you see this? Someone actually said they're going to start the Fourth Shinobi World War—and they announced it outright! Who could be so stupid? If they openly declare their intention to wage war for revenge, how could anyone take them seriously? This is hilarious, hahaha!"
Watching Kurotsuchi laugh until tears streamed down her face, Ōnoki joined in the mirth. But then, with a clap of his hands, several ANBU operatives appeared in the room. His expression immediately turned serious.
"Send agents to gather more intelligence from Konoha," he ordered sharply. "I want to know exactly how many casualties they've suffered. Also, put all border outposts on wartime alert. Increase military drills and prepare supplies. Our forces must remain ready to mobilize at any moment!"
"Yes, sir!" The Iwa ANBU vanished in an instant.
Kurotsuchi leaped up in shock, her mouth agape. "Grandpa! Have you gone senile?! Are we really going to war?!"
Ōnoki gazed out the window toward the direction of Konoha. "The Uzumaki brats are quite something, aren't they? This is an open strategy—a yangmou. Even if we know their intentions, what can we do about it?"
He closed his eyes, reciting sections of the intelligence report aloud: "Corpses littering the battlefield, rivers of blood flowing freely, the entire village consumed by flames and reduced to ruins… The Third Hokage is dead, squad leaders among the jōnin are missing or presumed dead, and the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki hasn't been seen despite the chaos. Konoha's strength has diminished by at least half..."
Ōnoki opened his eyes. "Do you think they're declaring war on the shinobi world? No! They're issuing us an invitation. Facing a weakened Konoha like this, how could anyone with ambition resist taking action? And those without ambition… would never have become a Kage in the first place. Am I supposed to stand idly by while someone else claims the richest nation in the shinobi world?"
"But…"
Ōnoki waved dismissively. "Don't worry—I'm not losing my mind. We'll wait for the right opportunity before making our move. Let others test Konoha's mettle first."
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Lightning Country – Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village)
A massive figure strode purposefully through the corridors of the Raikage's tower. Fourth Raikage A moved with such speed that his secretary, Mabui, had to jog to keep up.
"Raikage-sama, please calm down!"
"Calm down?! How can I calm down when something like this has happened?!" A showed no sign of slowing.
"At least send ANBU to investigate further!" Mabui pleaded.
Standing nearly two meters tall, A's strides forced Mabui to sprint just to stay close.
"Intelligence? That can easily be forged, deceiving us without effort. But there's one method that will never fail…" He reached a large door and flung it open, revealing a group of burly, battle-ready shinobi inside. "…Military reconnaissance!"
"Listen up, boys! It's been ten years since the last war! Have your bodies grown rusty?!"
"Never!!!" Their thunderous roar shook the ceiling.
"Good! I like that spirit!" A grinned approvingly. "We just received word that Konoha was attacked by Suna and Orochimaru. Their power has dwindled by at least half. They lost their Hokage. Now tell me—should we sit back and wait to see how things unfold?"
"What are we waiting for?!"
"Raikage-sama, let us strike now!"
"Crush Konoha! Wipe them out!"
"Excellent!" A roared, continuing, "Waiting on the sidelines isn't our style! But I won't gamble with your lives unnecessarily. Listen carefully! Your mission is clear: conduct military reconnaissance. Casualties can be concealed, destroyed buildings rebuilt—but the dead stay dead. Head to the borders of Fire Country, provoke conflicts, create friction! If Konoha truly has weakened, no matter how hard they try to hold on, cracks will show eventually. Find me those weaknesses in Konoha!"
"OHHHHHHH!!!" The fervor of Kumogakure burned hotter than ever.
Kumogakure had always been an aggressively expansionist village. Ten years ago, they had secretly kidnapped the Hyūga clan's heiress during treaty negotiations. They also wiped out countless ninja families and small villages to steal secret techniques. The instinct to conquer ran deep in their blood.
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Water Country – Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village)
Uchiha Obito stood masked in the shadows, emitting a chilling laugh. "Heh, a fourth shinobi world war, huh? Not bad… After all, the blood of Kirigakure hasn't yet spilled enough."
After laughing for a moment, Obito turned to the Fourth Mizukage beside him. "This should silence those pesky elders, don't you think? Release all the hunter-nin squads and assassination units. Let them kill whoever they want—people from Konoha, other villages, it doesn't matter. Just send them to the battlefield."
The Fourth Mizukage nodded mechanically. His gaze flickered slightly, but a flash of red light later, everything returned to normal. "Understood. I'll make sure the elders agree."
Obito watched the Mizukage leave, satisfied with his control.
Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, was perhaps the most tragic Kage in history. A perfect jinchūriki like Naruto, he should have shone brightly in the shinobi world. However, Obito, driven by vengeance for a woman he once loved, had long ago placed Yagura under genjutsu control. Under Obito's manipulation, Yagura enacted a reign of terror in Kirigakure, issuing brutal policies that caused immense damage to the village.
Unlike other hidden villages, Kirigakure's political system gave significant power to its council of elders. Even decades after Yagura's death, no new Mizukage was chosen; instead, the most respected elder ruled the village. While Obito controlled Yagura, the interference of the elders made retaliatory actions against Kirigakure increasingly difficult.
But now, the events in Konoha provided the perfect excuse.
It was time for Kirigakure to spill more blood.
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Wind Country – Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village)
Maki returned to the village with a grim expression, leading a group of battered and wounded shinobi. This operation had left them one of the biggest losers outside of Konoha. Countless shinobi were dead, their jinchūriki captured, and even the Fourth Kazekage was missing, presumed dead.
Maki gathered the village's leadership to discuss post-war strategies urgently.
"Still no trace of the Kazekage?"
"I've searched everywhere. There's no sign of him!"
"Do you really believe Konoha's claim that Orochimaru killed the Kazekage? Why would Orochimaru bother killing him? I say the Kazekage is being held captive by Konoha!"
Maki rapped the table sharply, drawing everyone's attention. "Whether the Kazekage is in Konoha or not, Gaara is definitely in their hands. This war is already lost. We need to send a delegation to negotiate Gaara's return. If the Kazekage is alive, that's even better. But if not… Gaara will become the next Kazekage."
His words silenced the room.
"We've already lost the war. To bring back a jinchūriki, Konoha will demand exorbitant terms."
"There's nothing we can do about it. We can't leave the jinchūriki in Konoha."
"But our economy is already strained. Before, we relied on the Kazekage refining gold dust in the desert. Now, with him gone, we need funds for pensions and medical care for the fallen and injured. Where will we get the money?"
Despite hours of debate, no viable solution emerged.
Finally, Maki slammed the table decisively. "For now, we'll send envoys to Konoha. I'll ask Chiyo-baa-sama to intervene. With her reputation, at least…"
Sunagakure had fallen so far that they now relied on the goodwill of elders to survive.
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Meanwhile, Mujin and Karin stepped foot back into Grass Country.
"The Hidden Grass Village… It's time to bring it under our control."