Late night, January 24th, Year 44 of Konoha
A pall of impending war hung over the seemingly tranquil Kikyo Castle, so heavy that even the air itself felt sluggish, as though time had thickened and refused to move.
It had already been four days since Sunagakure's supply lines were severed and their stockpiles destroyed. Yet the encircling army—tens of thousands strong—had not withdrawn in the slightest. On the contrary, Konoha's scouts reported that scattered Suna forces from across the region, along with the remnants struck by the surprise assaults of Shimizu and Orochimaru, were steadily converging upon Kikyo Castle. With each passing hour, their numbers swelled.
Anyone with eyes could see it clearly: Sunagakure would not retreat. Not until their objective was achieved. Not until Kikyo Castle had fallen.
And yet, in stark contrast to Suna's desperate resolve, Konoha's high command remained exceedingly cautious—refusing to take the initiative, choosing instead to wait in silence for the enemy's assault. Thus, for four consecutive days, their forces had done nothing but maintain the highest level of wartime vigilance, bracing for an attack that might come at any moment.
But such passivity, in the face of a looming battle, inevitably weighed on the morale of Konoha's shinobi.
At a central watch post within Kikyo Castle , two guards stood their shift that night.
"When do you think Suna's actually going to make a move?" one of them, a shinobi named Taniguchi, asked abruptly, breaking the long stretch of silence.
"Who knows?" replied his companion, Iwasaki, without much interest.
"I really don't get what they're trying to do. They've surrounded the Kikyo Castle for so long—launched a few probing attacks, then nothing. Just… silence."
"And you think I'd know any better?"
"Sigh... they really can endure. I wonder when this will end." Taniguchi couldn't help but yawn, his eyes beginning to droop.
Noticing his companion's slackened posture, Iwasaki frowned. "Don't you think you're being a bit careless?"
"Well, you're here, aren't you…" Taniguchi muttered lazily. "Besides, I'm exhausted. They kept saying for days that the battle was about to start—I thought it really would. But nothing's happened. All this tension, all this waiting… it's drained me dry."
"Even so, you need to stay sharp. Suna's a cornered beast—they won't last much longer."
"Yeah, yeah…" Taniguchi waved him off, then added under his breath, "At this rate, I might collapse before they even attack."
"Hey—keep your voice down. What if a superior hears you?"
"I'm just telling the truth," Taniguchi insisted, a flicker of stubbornness in his tone. "They've got tens of thousands of troops—so do we. Konoha's supposed to be the strongest village in the shinobi world. So why are we holed up in Kikyo Castle like this, letting a place like Suna push us into a corner?"
He exhaled, frustration bleeding through his words. "Four straight days of high-intensity patrols, constant alertness, always ready for war… I guarantee I'm not the only one in worse shape than this. If it goes on much longer, how many people are going to hold out?"
"This war… it feels suffocating."
A beat passed. Then he stretched, as if casting off the weight of his own thoughts. "Ah… finally said it. That actually feels good."
Having vented the resentment he'd been bottling up, Taniguchi felt a strange lightness settle over him.
Iwasaki fell silent for a moment before replying, his voice calm but firm. "…Lord Hokage must have his reasons. We just follow orders."
"Hey, relax. I'm just blowing off some steam," Taniguchi said with a faint grin. "I trust the Hokage—and Lady Tsunade, too. They're the ones who led us to victory in the Second Greatg Ninja War."
"This time won't be any different."
"Konoha will win." He clenched his fist, conviction steadying his voice.
"…Yes," Iwasaki answered quietly. "Konoha will win."
…
At the same time, inside the command chamber of Kikyo Castle—
"How are things on Suna's side today?" Tsunade asked, her eyes closed as she rubbed her temples, her voice low with fatigue.
"So far, their main force hasn't made any significant movement," replied Nara Shikaku, one of the famed trio of Ino–Shika–Cho.
After a brief pause, he continued, "But it's already been four days. The supplies they're carrying can't last much longer. If they're going to strike, these next couple of days will be their last window."
He hesitated, then added, "Lady Tsunade… perhaps you should get some rest."
"That's right—you've barely slept these past four days," the other two, Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi, said in quiet agreement as they stood nearby. The strain she bore—and the pressure pressing down on her—had not gone unnoticed by any of them.
The exhaustion had seeped into her bones.
As the commander of an entire army, the weight she bore in the face of an impending war was something no ordinary person could begin to comprehend. Slowly, Tsunade opened her eyes. Once a clear shade of warm brown, they were now threaded with bloodshot veins, fatigue etched plainly within them—yet her resolve remained unshaken.
"There's no need," she said firmly. "Sunagakure won't be able to hold out much longer. We'll wait for them to come."
From the side, Maruboshi Kōsuke spoke up, his tone measured. "In truth, we could force their hand—push them into starting the battle sooner. It isn't just us who are on edge. The pressure they're under should be no less than ours."
After a brief pause, he added, "The difference is, we can choose not to fight. They don't have that luxury."
Nara Shikaku turned slightly toward him. "Are you suggesting a night raid? Or perhaps harassment tactics under cover of darkness?"
"Either would do. It's only a suggestion," Kōsuke replied. "From what I've seen, some of Konoha's rank-and-file shinobi are already in poor condition. If this drags on, it may end up hurting us more than them."
"…That is a problem," Shikaku admitted, his brows knitting as he sank into thought.
"The old man has forbidden us from taking the initiative," Tsunade said bluntly. "I received another sealed letter from him today—orders to remain exactly as we are."
Shikaku frowned. "What is the Hokage thinking…?"
"The Cloud Village has begun mobilizing along the border," Tsunade explained. "Konoha cannot afford to fight on three fronts at once. The higher-ups would prefer that we drive Sunagakure away without a battle—or better yet, force them to collapse on their own."
She exhaled softly, though the tension in her voice did not ease. "If they truly intend to attack, then we are defending, and they hold no advantage in numbers. They'll have to weigh the costs carefully, consider what they stand to gain or lose."
"But if we make the first move and give them an opening, then the consequences would outweigh any benefit."
"I see…" The others nodded, finally understanding the caution that guided both the Hokage and Konoha's leadership.
Among those present, more than a few harbored a quiet, unspoken hope: that this war—so costly and unrewarding for Sunagakure—might ultimately cause them to withdraw of their own accord.
But Shikaku quickly shattered that fragile optimism.
"If they intended to retreat, they would have begun preparations no later than yesterday," he said, his voice calm but cutting. "Our Anbu have not reported a single sign of withdrawal."
He continued, his gaze steady. "If they try to leave now, their supply lines won't hold. At that point, their entire force would become an exposed target for us."
"Judging from their prior mobilization, their preparations, and the precision of their movements… they are not the kind to make such a basic mistake."
He paused, letting the weight of his conclusion settle over the room.
"So there's no doubt about it—Sunagakure will attack Kikyo Castle."
"They're simply waiting… for the right moment."
...
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