Sunagakure.
Pakura stood before the window, watching as ninja gathered in the streets—individual shinobi forming squads, squads gathering into companies, and every company moving toward the gates of the Sand Village.
A storm was coming.
Ninja were weapons, always prepared to fight for their village.
A major hidden village could organize several thousand shinobi and send them to the front line within half a day.
Everyone knew the Third Shinobi World War was about to erupt.
No one knew exactly when.
Perhaps one afternoon, the Third Raikage would finally fail to suppress the impulse in his heart, notify the other Kage, and the war would begin.
Sunagakure had long prepared its war supplies—kunai, explosive tags, golden ironwood, steel, and more.
Advisor Machi appeared with Body Flicker and found Pakura.
"Pakura, take the Bunpuku Teapot and leave the village with the Sealing Team. Head to the Land of Rivers."
Pakura's heart tightened.
She had not exposed her true goal.
No one knew her ultimate objective was to stop Sunagakure from participating in the Third Shinobi World War.
"Understood. I'll prepare immediately."
After returning to her residence, Pakura quickly used the Three Gods Faith's Phantom Blood Shadow Technique.
Her consciousness arrived in the divine hall.
Once again, she saw the three magnificent statues.
Leader Thunder Calamity—Fox—was already waiting for her.
"Leader! I've received orders to take the Bunpuku Teapot to the Land of Rivers. This isn't a drill. It isn't a Shukaku sealing exercise. This is war!"
Pakura saw Thunder's blood shadow grow solemn.
"So it's finally here…"
"If Sunagakure's forces are moving, then the other villages must have already begun moving too."
Yako formed a one-handed seal, and the other members of the Calamity Organization appeared within the hall.
Minato's crimson silhouette emerged, looking at the leader in confusion.
Plague Calamity Hidan asked, "Leader, did you call me for something? I just finished a sacrifice in the Capital of the Land of Wind."
Yako asked, "Plague, which towns and cities in the Land of Wind have you used sacrifices to establish shrines in?"
Including the Capital, Hidan listed over a dozen cities.
Yako waved a hand, and blood surged from the blood pool, forming a map of the shinobi world.
Each time Hidan named a city, a red point lit up in the Land of Wind.
Yako's gaze settled on Windbird City.
Windbird City lay halfway between Sunagakure and the Capital of the Land of Rivers.
If Sunagakure wanted to invade the Land of Rivers, Windbird City was an important supply city near the border.
Ninja needed food.
They needed water.
Staring at Windbird City, Yako said, "Rasa is determined to start this war.
My patience has run out.
Wind Calamity, use the Three Gods Faith shrine in Windbird City and the intelligence provided by Fire Calamity to assassinate Rasa there.
Fire Calamity, after Rasa dies, you will be responsible for ending Sunagakure's chaos and finding a way to ascend to the position of Kazekage.
I can promise you on Konoha's behalf: Konoha and Sunagakure will become allies who advance and retreat together. Konoha will absolutely not attack Sunagakure."
A trace of hesitation flashed through Pakura's eyes.
Assassinating the Kazekage.
That was something she would never have dared imagine before.
But Rasa was too stubborn, lost in his fantasy of the anti-Konoha alliance.
He would drag Sunagakure into the abyss of destruction.
Sunagakure was the weakest link in the anti-Konoha alliance. If Konoha wished, it could destroy Sunagakure first.
Others did not understand Fox's strength.
Pakura had seen him fight Shukaku.
The terrifying Shukaku, a calamity in legend, had not lasted long in front of Fox.
"Understood. I'll provide Wind Calamity with intelligence."
Minato ended the Phantom Blood Shadow Technique and slowly rose from his chair, then jumped out through the window.
He wanted to go to the ANBU base in the Forest of Death, but after thinking about it, it would be inappropriate to actively seek out ANBU.
He quickly headed to the Hokage Tower to find Advisor Tsunade.
When he arrived, he found that Tsunade was preparing to go to the Hokage's office.
Konoha's important figures were all heading there.
Seeing Minato, Tsunade beckoned to him.
"Minato, since you're here, come with me to the Hokage's office. You'll be my temporary assistant."
Minato followed Tsunade into the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at Namikaze Minato.
Both Tsunade and Fox treated Minato as the most important junior.
Tsunade's reasons went without saying. Training Minato meant training Kushina.
Most Konoha shinobi were very devoted when it came to their partners. Once they formed a bond, they cherished it for life.
Under the pressure of death, ninja valued those closest to them.
Surely no one would have ten or so lovers, right?
Fox was also training Minato. Fox had informed Sarutobi Hiruzen that he had taught Minato the forbidden technique, Flying Thunder God.
With support from both of them, Namikaze Minato had already become Konoha's brightest new star.
Hatake Sakumo's sacrifice had not affected Minato's growth at all.
Tsunade sat on the sofa, while Minato stood behind her.
Behind Nara Shikakaku stood Minato's former classmate, Nara Shikaku.
Behind Commander Fox stood squad captain White Ram.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said, "Fox, tell us. What intelligence has ANBU received?"
White Ram placed an intelligence scroll on the Hokage's desk.
Yako said, "Hokage-sama, Sunagakure has not formally declared war, but over the past few days, they have successively dispatched more than two thousand ninja toward the Land of Rivers.
At the same time, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure have all begun moving.
War is coming."
This was Nara Shikaku's first time attending a meeting of this level. His expression was solemn, and his eyes occasionally swept across the faces of the senior leaders.
After thinking briefly, Nara Shikakaku said, "Will the enemy attack us from multiple directions?
Surrounded on all sides?
Why is this shinobi world war beginning with the four great villages besieging Konoha?"
"The tallest tree in the forest is the first to be broken by the wind," Yako said. "Konoha is too strong."
Nara Shikakaku thought to himself, whether Konoha was strong or not was one thing—but Fox, you're certainly getting stronger and stronger.
Sarutobi Hiruzen opened the intelligence scroll and read it carefully.
"Sunagakure can send at least three thousand ninja. Iwagakure can send at least twenty thousand. Kumogakure can send at least eight thousand. Kirigakure can send at least seven thousand.
If they deploy this many forces at the same time, what should we do?
How many defensive forces should we assign to each front?
Discuss it and produce a response plan as quickly as possible."
Nara Shikakaku said, "Let's begin with the weakest—Sunagakure.
The pressure on the other fronts is too great. I believe we can send at most one thousand ninja to the Land of Rivers front.
Send one Kage-level shinobi there. Even if we're at a disadvantage, that's all we can afford."
Yako thought to himself that the Land of Rivers was Chisa's territory. He had no intention of letting it become a battlefield.
He said, "I developed an important spy inside Sunagakure.
There is no need to send a thousand-man ninja force.
Send Namikaze Minato directly, with at most one squad as support. Let Minato cooperate with the spy and assassinate the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa."
Sarutobi Hiruzen and Nara Shikakaku instantly turned their heads, their gazes shifting back and forth between Fox's mask and Minato's face.
Nara Shikakaku could not help saying,
"Fox… isn't that too risky?"