Chapter 178 – Reactions, Flying Thunder God
Iwagakure's speed was first-rate. A force of one thousand shinobi completed assembly in a single day, a clear sign that the entire village had long been prepared for war. Even without the incident involving Sunagakure, they would have made a move soon enough—only the target might have been different.
On the first day, the Iwa forces gathered and set out. By the second day, they had already reached the frontline camp in the Land of Birds. After merging with the local garrison, their total strength swelled to two thousand. On the third day, they swept aside Sunagakure's scouts in the region and charged straight into the borders of the Land of Wind.
The sudden assault did catch Sunagakure off guard. However, contrary to Iwagakure's expectations, they were not crushed in one decisive push. Instead, relying on the natural terrain advantages of the Land of Wind, they managed to hold the line with great difficulty.
This outcome puzzled the Iwa forces on the frontlines and left Ōnoki at the rear deeply confused.
In truth, Sunagakure was not as chaotic as Iwa had assumed. While there had been initial disorder, Chiyo's return and the appointment of an acting Kazekage quickly stabilized the internal situation. However, such internal shifts were not something Iwa's spies could easily uncover.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure's unprovoked attack completely enraged Sunagakure. The disappearance of the Kazekage had already raised suspicions pointing toward Iwa. Now, this sudden invasion seemed to confirm those suspicions.
With emotions in the village already running high due to the Kazekage's disappearance, Iwagakure's move was seen as undeniable proof. Even if they hadn't acted alone, they must have colluded with a Sunagakure rogue ninja.
Thus, a strongly worded declaration of war was issued.
In essence, it accused Iwagakure of conspiring with a Sunagakure rogue to assassinate the Third Kazekage, then shamelessly launching an invasion to take advantage of the chaos—condemning their actions as dishonorable and beneath the dignity of a great nation (followed by an endless tirade of denunciation). Sunagakure formally declared war on Iwagakure.
At the same time, alongside this public declaration, Sunagakure sent a request for support to Konoha—along with a copy of the recently signed mutual defense treaty.
In Chiyo's own words: "The treaty is already signed. Sending a letter costs nothing. Who knows—maybe Konoha will actually send troops."
The outbreak of war between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth instantly became the center of attention across the shinobi world. Just days earlier, news had spread of the Third Kazekage's disappearance. Then, almost immediately, Iwagakure launched its invasion.
Unfortunately for Iwa, the attack failed to secure a decisive victory. Not only did they fail to break through Sunagakure's defenses, they also earned a reputation for orchestrating the assassination of another nation's leader and initiating war without declaration.
In short—they tried to profit, but ended up losing both face and substance.
For a time, Ōnoki became the laughingstock of the shinobi world.
"Hahaha! So even that old geezer Ōnoki can mess up like this!" boomed the Third Raikage's laughter from his office. "Always scheming and calculating—only to trap himself in the end!"
But laughter aside, the Raikage was not one to sit still, nor was Kumogakure a village that played by the rules.
"Darui," he said, lifting a heavy dumbbell as if the matter were trivial, "do you think there's anything we can gain from this situation?"
Darui's face darkened instantly. The Raikage was once again acting on impulse, leaving others to deal with the consequences.
"Fortunately, Ōnoki made the first move," he said after a pause. "Otherwise, you were already considering sending people into Sunagakure to stir things up. Even if we couldn't take territory, looting resources would have been something."
"Hah! Then we should thank the Tsuchikage!" the Raikage laughed.
Darui inwardly sighed in relief. Previously, the Raikage had indeed considered dispatching forces into the Land of Wind, but he had managed to dissuade him due to poor timing. Now, with Iwagakure having tested the waters first, it had become clear that Sunagakure had already stabilized internally.
Otherwise, given the Raikage's temperament, he would have sent elite squads to raid the Land of Wind. And facing a fully prepared Sunagakure, whether those squads could return alive would have been uncertain.
In that sense, the Third Tsuchikage had unwittingly spared Kumogakure from disaster.
"Well then, forget Sunagakure," the Raikage continued, his thoughts already shifting. "What about Iwagakure? I've never liked them. Now that they're fighting Sunagakure, we could strike them from behind."
Darui's expression turned completely dark.
"Raikage-sama, the war between Sunagakure and Iwagakure has only just begun. And from what we can see, Iwagakure still holds the advantage. Their guard against us hasn't weakened at all. Even if we intend to attack, we should wait until both sides are locked in a stalemate before making a move
The Third Raikage's expression dimmed. The moment he had spoken earlier, he had already realized the flaw in his own idea. Now, after Darui's analysis, he found himself agreeing with his assessment.
"Fine. Then we'll hold our position for now. But increase manpower—gather as much intelligence as possible on all nations. This shinobi world is about to get a lot more lively."
While Sunagakure and Iwagakure were locked in fierce conflict and Kumogakure chose to watch from the sidelines, Konoha found itself facing a dilemma.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado gathered once more. On the table lay a letter requesting aid.
No one spoke.
The alliance they had signed to stabilize the southern front had not only failed to serve its purpose—it had instead become the fuse pulling Konoha into a deeper war.
"Let's hear your thoughts," Hiruzen said at last, taking a few puffs from his pipe. There was a trace of anger in his voice—whether directed at himself or Sunagakure, no one could tell.
Danzo remained calm and silent. The alliance hadn't been his idea, so he was in no hurry to speak. He wanted to see how Koharu and Homura would handle it.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing the same helplessness in each other's eyes. No one had expected the situation to change so abruptly.
The Third Kazekage—dead, just like that. No warning, no preparation.
The treaty that was supposed to give Konoha breathing room had instead tightened around its throat.
If they sent troops, it would violate Konoha's strategic priorities. If they didn't, their credibility would collapse.
Unlike other villages that treated treaties as disposable tools—using them when convenient and tearing them apart when not—Konoha valued its reputation deeply. It had never been the one to break an agreement first. That reputation was precisely why so many missions were entrusted to Konoha.
"How about… we send a token force?" Homura suggested, though even he sounded unconvinced. "That way we won't be breaking the treaty. After all, we just fought Sunagakure, and we have defenses to maintain on all sides. It's reasonable that we don't have enough troops."
Under the gazes of Hiruzen and Danzo, his voice gradually faded.
Hiruzen shook his head in disappointment and turned to Danzo, clearly hoping for something more practical.
Seeing everyone's attention shift to him, Danzo felt a surge of satisfaction. You all wanted an alliance back then. Now look where it got you.
Of course, he kept those thoughts to himself.
Pretending to think for a moment, he finally spoke. "We send reinforcements… but to the Land of Grass. We already planned to increase forces there in response to Iwagakure's buildup. Now we can achieve two goals at once."
He continued calmly, "Tell Sunagakure that we've urgently deployed troops to the Grass front to help them contain Iwagakure."
Hiruzen's eyes lit up. It was indeed a clever solution—maintain their own plans while giving Sunagakure an acceptable explanation.
"But will they believe it?" Koharu asked.
"Believe?" Danzo scoffed. "Why do they need to believe it? It's just an excuse everyone can accept. At most, we make a bigger show of activity in the Land of Grass. Besides, even if we really sent troops—would Sunagakure even allow our forces to pass through their territory?"
The others exchanged looks. He was right.
Even if Sunagakure allowed it, Konoha wouldn't dare risk it. They had just been enemies not long ago—who knew if their troops would even make it back alive?
And so, a thousand-man force was quickly assembled and sent toward the Land of Grass under the pretense of containing Iwagakure.
At the same time, an official reply was delivered back to Sunagakure, stating that Konoha had fulfilled its alliance obligations by reinforcing the Grass border and diverting Iwagakure's attention.
While Sunagakure and Iwagakure clashed fiercely, Taichi—back at the camp in the Land of Rivers—finally received his long-awaited reward.
Inside the command tent, he arrived after being summoned. To his surprise, only Jiraiya and Nara Shikaku were present.
The two were chatting casually, completely at ease. Taichi relaxed and approached at a slower pace.
"Jiraiya-sensei, you called me without saying why—I thought it was something urgent," Taichi said with a grin.
"You brat," Jiraiya laughed. "At a time like this, if I call you, it must be something good."
"Something good?" Taichi's eyes lit up. "Don't tell me… the village rewards are here?"
"Haha!" Jiraiya laughed. "See? I told you he's sharp."
Shikaku nodded with a smile. "That's right. The rewards have arrived. Your discovery and retrieval of the Kazekage's body has been classified as an S-rank mission. In addition, you're allowed to choose one jutsu from the Sealed Scroll as a reward."
Even Shikaku couldn't help but feel a hint of envy. An S-rank mission record alone was impressive—but choosing a jutsu from the Sealed Scroll required not just merit, but strong backing.
"Finally!" Taichi's eyes gleamed as he rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"Look at you," Jiraiya teased. "Don't get ahead of yourself. If you pick something I don't know, you'll have to wait until we return to Konoha."
Both Jiraiya and Shikaku watched him closely.
Taichi had already made up his mind. In peacetime, he might have chosen the Spirit Transformation Technique to study souls and Yin Release. But in war—
There was only one answer.
"I've decided," he said confidently. "I want the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Jiraiya and Shikaku both froze.
"Taichi… are you sure?" Jiraiya said seriously. "Don't be fooled by Minato using it. Since the Second Hokage created it, only he and Minato have mastered it. No one else has even scratched the surface."
He wasn't doubting Taichi—he simply knew how absurdly difficult the technique was.
"It's fine," Taichi said calmly. "Even if I can't master it, I'll treat it as expanding my knowledge."
Jiraiya sighed. "You geniuses never give up, do you?"
After a moment, he relented. "Alright. I'll have Minato teach you. But if you don't have the talent, you must stop immediately. Then you'll come back and choose another jutsu."
Taichi blinked in surprise, glancing at Shikaku—who was suddenly very interested in the tent ceiling.
"Is that… allowed?"
"You idiot," Jiraiya waved it off. "If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who's going to know you chose twice?"
He even looked at Shikaku. "Right?"
"Hm? What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything," Shikaku replied innocently.
Taichi couldn't help but laugh inwardly. So this is how flexible 'rules' can be.
"Alright, stop standing there," Jiraiya said, scribbling a note and handing it over. "Take this and go."
"Thank you, Jiraiya-sensei. Thank you, Shikaku-sama."
Taichi accepted the note respectfully and left the tent, practically bouncing with excitement.
He began searching the camp for Minato Namikaze, eager to start learning the Flying Thunder God as soon as possible. But the camp was large enough that finding someone wasn't so simple.
Half an hour later, he suddenly slapped his forehead.
Idiot.
He had a perception technique—and had completely forgotten to use it.