While Taiichi's group made their way back to Konoha, Cloud's forces continued tearing through the heart of Wind Country. At first, only Sand knew what was happening. But news like that never stayed quiet for long.
Sand had been confused at first. After the third mining site was hit, they finally understood. Cloud wasn't here to fight a war. They were here to rob them blind. The fact that one of the Five Great Villages would cross an ocean just to loot mineral deposits left even Sand's leadership stunned.
With no other choice, Sand pulled troops that were meant for the front lines and sent Rasa to hunt the Cloud force inside their own borders. They were betting that Leaf wouldn't take advantage of the chaos. After all, Cloud was stealing from both of them.
Two days later, the rest of the ninja world finally found out.
Minato had been sent into Wind Country to gather intelligence. When he saw Sand mobilizing large forces to chase someone inside their territory, he quickly figured out what was going on and reported back. Jiraiya received the news but stayed put. The village had already ordered him to hold position and let Sand and Cloud bleed each other.
Iwagakure got the report not long after.
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki smashed a cup against the wall.
"Those brainless barbarians!" he roared. "Does the Third Raikage only have muscles between his ears? Attacking Sand right now over some damn minerals? Is he insane?!"
Yellow Earth stood there and took the spray of spit without moving. He knew better than to dodge.
After venting, Ōnoki floated over to the window and stared out at the village. His voice turned cold.
"He sent people to steal from Sand while they're weak. He's gambling that he can grab what he wants and run before anyone stops him. But he didn't expect Sand to collapse so fast… or that we and Leaf would just sit back and watch."
Yellow Earth hesitated. "So… what do we do?"
Ōnoki turned around. "If he wants to play dirty, we'll play with him. Call a meeting. We're declaring war on Cloud."
That same day, Iwagakure assembled two thousand shinobi and sent them toward the border with Cloud. A formal declaration of war was released across the ninja world.
The news sent shockwaves through every village. No one had expected Rock to suddenly turn on Cloud in the middle of everything else.
Sand, however, was quietly relieved. One less enemy breathing down their neck.
The next day, Sand also officially declared war on Cloud. They didn't even need to make up an excuse — Cloud's people were still running wild inside their borders.
---
Back in Konoha, the mood in the Hokage's office was the best it had been since the war started.
Hiruzen was smiling more these days. Danzo had taken most of Root to the western front, which removed a lot of pressure from the village. Sand and Cloud were busy fighting each other. Rock had joined in against Cloud. For the first time in months, Konoha wasn't being attacked from every direction at once.
Homura leaned forward. "Sand and Rock are both at war with Cloud now. Shouldn't we do something?"
Hiruzen shook his head. "No. Let them keep fighting. The harder they hit each other, the better it is for us. We'll clean up what's left when they're exhausted."
Koharu nodded in agreement. "We should use this breathing room to stockpile supplies. The real fighting is still ahead of us."
Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the ashtray. "Speaking of which — the group from the southern front arrives this afternoon. We're giving them a proper welcome."
Both advisors looked surprised.
"These are the first people coming back from the front after a victory," Hiruzen said. "They fought hard and won. The village is going to show them that their sacrifices matter."
He looked at both of them. "You two will come with me to greet them at the gate."
Koharu and Homura exchanged a glance, then nodded. They couldn't argue with that.
Word spread through the village fast. By afternoon, a large crowd had gathered near the main gate. Hiruzen led the way with Koharu and Homura beside him, followed by a group of jonin. Behind them came more and more villagers who wanted to see the returning shinobi with their own eyes.
When the long column finally appeared on the road, the crowd erupted.
"They're here!"
"Leaf's heroes are back!"
As the group got closer, people could see the reality of war. Many were covered in dust. Some of the worst wounded were lying in wagons. But every single one of them walked with their heads high.
These weren't just survivors. They were the ones who had crushed Sand's main force and killed their jinchuriki. They had every right to be proud.
Someone in the crowd shouted first.
"Banzai!"
The cry spread like wildfire.
"Banzai!"
"Banzai!"
By the time the column reached the gate, nearly everyone was cheering at the top of their lungs.
Hiruzen stood at the front, watching them approach with a rare, genuine smile.
These were Konoha's real strength. And today, the village would make sure they knew it.