The first day of the new year.
Just as the people of Konoha were enjoying the holiday cheer, reality hit them like a bucket of cold water.
A thousand-strong unit of shinobi, accompanied by massive supplies, was deployed to the frontlines.
Everyone knew exactly what that meant.
The streets that had been bustling with cheerful crowds suddenly emptied out.
Even a rousing speech from the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, delivered from the rooftop of the Hokage Tower, couldn't shake the growing sense of dread.
Sure, most villagers believed that under the guidance of the "strongest Hokage," they would ultimately prevail, even if war broke out.
But the looming threat of war still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
Time flew by under this tense atmosphere.
In just two weeks, Konoha had quietly and efficiently dispatched over three thousand shinobi in waves using various means.
Meanwhile, two thousand more were mobilized within the village, undergoing training exercises and team drills in preparation for battle.
And then, the long-debated question of who would take command at the frontlines was finally answered.
After several rounds of tense arguments between the Third Hokage and Danzo—played by Zetsu under Yamanaka Shinno's control—the position ultimately landed in Danzo's lap.
"The Third really does love Danzo the most, huh…"
Shinno stared at the appointment letter in his hand, his expression caught somewhere between amusement and resignation.
From Hiruzen's perspective, the choice made sense.
Danzo was too old now to realistically aim for the Hokage seat. And Root's brutal and often controversial methods over the years had left him with little support among the village's broader shinobi population, no matter how many accomplishments he stacked up.
But to hand over supreme command of the frontlines to him?
That clearly showed Hiruzen trusted his old friend more than people like Jiraiya or Orochimaru.
"What's the situation with the target your squad was assigned to monitor?"
Shinno tucked the letter away and turned to the captain of the third combat squad.
"Five days ago, he was taken in by the owner of the Three Springs bathhouse, Gangen. Since then, he's been working there giving back scrubs to male customers."
His tone was flat and emotionless, as calm and cold as ever.
"The bathhouse owner's a generous guy?"
"According to our findings, after divorcing his wife ten years ago, Gangen has had relationships with multiple men—"
"Enough!"
Shinno immediately cut him off.
He really didn't want that kind of mental imagery ruining his pure, innocent heart.
Knock, knock, knock—
There was a knock on the door.
A Root shinobi from the Intelligence Division entered swiftly after being granted permission and handed over a freshly delivered intelligence report.
Shinno's brows rose slightly when he spotted the bold words scrawled on the scroll: "Loves Cupping Therapy the Most."
He unrolled it and began reading.
(January 7th. Over 5,000 elite shinobi from Sunagakure will depart the village in two waves under the cover of a small sandstorm.)
(The first wave, around 3,000 shinobi, will be led by Rasa and other high-ranking officials. They will rendezvous with Iwagakure forces in the Land of Rain before launching a joint assault on Konoha's frontline camps.)
(The second wave, 2,000 strong, will depart three days later under Chiyo's leadership to provide backup.)
(If this battle goes well, Rasa will become the Fourth Kazekage.)
"That woman again…"
Shinno's face twisted slightly as he mulled over the report, trying to guess at Pakura's motives.
Root had been receiving bits and pieces of intelligence about Sunagakure from other sources recently as well. None as detailed as this, but enough to corroborate it.
But this woman… Both times, her intel had prominently mentioned Rasa...
Due to its harsh environment and limited support from the Daimyo, Sunagakure had few promising young talents left.
If something happened to Rasa, the village—currently suffering a generational gap—wouldn't have many candidates left to rise to power.
As far as Shinno knew, the only real contender would be Pakura herself.
Like Rasa, she had a kekkei genkai.
The main thing she lacked was Rasa's talent for making the village money—not strength or ability.
But using Konoha to eliminate Rasa... even if she did become Kazekage, then what?
Unless she was willing to spend her life as Konoha's puppet, her fate would be sealed the moment the truth came out.
Pakura wasn't stupid.
Shinno had seen her memories—he knew this woman wasn't lacking in brainpower.
So… was this because of what she mentioned in her last report?
That Chiyo had asked her to protect Rasa and help him earn merit?
Was this all just pent-up frustration?
Already mentally unstable from her altered memories, now feeling pushed aside and undervalued in Sunagakure... was that what finally made her defect?
Yet because of her ingrained sense of loyalty and pride, she still clung to the idea of becoming Kazekage?
"My little spy wants to become the boss of another village?"
Shinno tapped his finger thoughtfully on the desk, then rolled up the scroll and stood up.
If Pakura did ascend to the position, it would be nothing but good news for him.
Having a Kage as an insider—whether for future domination, alliance, or battlefield logistics—would be a huge advantage.
The only downside?
Sunagakure was dirt poor.
Without Rasa tirelessly digging up gold, the village would likely be even worse off than in the original timeline.
He'd have to figure out a way to make them rich.
Annoying, but doable.
He opened the office next door and temporarily handed Root operations over to the child-rearing Nono Yakushi and the newly recruited Mikoto Uchiha.
Then, placing a hand on Zetsu—disguised as Danzo—Shinno activated the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the room.
...
The skirmish between Kirigakure and Kumogakure had entered a tug-of-war phase.
Though the battles looked intense, intelligence showed that both sides had deliberately slowed their offensives.
They were clearly waiting for Konoha and the alliance between Sunagakure and Iwagakure to clash first.
The Sunagakure force had already departed eight days ago en route to meet Iwagakure forces in Amegakure.
It wasn't easy to move over 3,000 troops covertly. By Shinno's estimates, they should be arriving about now.
There hadn't been any concrete intel from Iwagakure's side, but given that Onoki was working with Sunagakure to attack Konoha, their timeline probably wouldn't be far off.
Speed was everything in war.
Once the two forces linked up, they would strike the Konoha camp—within two days, tops.
...
Using Flying Thunder God kunai planted in advance by Root shinobi, Shinno and "Danzo" (Zetsu) performed over a dozen long-distance teleportations.
They arrived at an outpost just under fifty kilometers from Konoha's frontline base.
Disguised as a regular squad, the second combat team of Root's field division was stationed here. The squad captain, B, and his three subordinates snapped to attention upon seeing their superiors.
"What's the situation?"
Shinno asked immediately.
"All three hundred ten-man teams have reached their designated hiding spots. No signs of large enemy movements on the frontlines yet."
"And the thousand-man camp?"
"At Lord Jiraiya's orders, the camp remains at Level 2 alert. Patrols continue regularly."
"Good."
Shinno nodded.
The temporary captains of these squads had all been carefully selected from Konoha's elite—Shibi Aburame, Kurama Fuyun, Kurama Unkai, Hiashi Hyuga, Ichikaku Umino, Minazuki, Tsume Inuzuka, Sito Akimichi, Enkai Nara, Taji...
Each one was trustworthy and competent.
Once they saw the prearranged signal, they'd be able to converge within an hour and launch a pincer attack.
With everything in place, all they needed now... was the enemy.
Shinno and the disguised Danzo headed down into the underground bunker of the outpost to rest.
Outside, the sky gradually dimmed.
...
4:00 AM.
Knock, knock.
The knocking jolted Shinno awake.
"Come in."
"Lord Shinno, Lord Danzo! We've just received word—forces from Iwagakure and Sunagakure have launched a coordinated assault on the frontline camp from east and west! Lord Jiraiya has summoned four massive toads and is currently holding them off!"
"How many enemy forces?"
"Estimated at over 3,000!"
"Send the signal. Now!"
Shinno rose, dusting off his wrinkled uniform.
Forming a quick hand seal, he created a shadow clone.
The clone would remain with "Danzo" to oversee operations and coordinate the three thousand dispersed Konoha shinobi to execute the counterattack.
Meanwhile, Shinno teleported straight to the frontline camp, fifty kilometers away.
...
He materialized just under three kilometers from the battlefield—
And immediately realized something was off.
Wait a sec...
Did I just land in the middle of the enemy?
What the hell?!
Weren't Sunagakure and Iwagakure supposed to be attacking from the east and west?
This is the southern route!
Are they trying to completely cut off our retreat?!
All around him, Sunagakure shinobi froze mid-stride, their eyes locking onto him.
Shinno smacked his lips.
"If I say I'm just passing through, will you believe me?"
"Kill him!"
A low voice barked from the crowd.
With mechanical clanks and clatters, dozens of puppets surged toward Shinno!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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