After Joren left, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane stood stiffly for a long time, ultimately accepting the order in helpless resignation.
After all, they didn't dare gamble the lives of their entire clans on whether Hiruzen Sarutobi could regain power.
Early the next morning, a massive crowd of ninjas from various clans gathered in front of the Hokage Monument at the back of the mountain. At the very front, in the most prominent position, stood the Uchiha clan led by Jie Uchiha.
Ahead of everyone else stood Fugaku Uchiha, occupying the spot that traditionally belonged to the Hokage. As it came time to deploy, Hiruzen ultimately chose to remain in his hospital bed and did not attend the rally. In truth, even with his absence, only a handful of civilian ninjas expressed any mild confusion, and their murmurs were quickly drowned out by the vast sea of people.
"News from the border guards indicates that the Kumogakure army has arrived," Fugaku announced, wasting no time on pleasantries as he laid out the situation clearly. "The enemy has reached the battlefield. The war has begun."
He took a deep breath, his voice projecting across the silent crowd. "To protect our village, and to protect our clans—move out!"
"Raaah!"
With a thunderous battle cry, the entire army began their march toward the border.
Meanwhile, at the Land of Fire's border, somewhere between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Sound, the Fourth Raikage sat inside his command tent, listening to Mabui's report.
"Intel from our spies in Konoha confirms that their ninja army has mobilized. They are expected to reach the battlefield by tomorrow night," Mabui read from her scroll. "According to the reports, Konoha has drafted fifteen hundred elite ninjas from the major clans and twenty-five hundred civilian ninjas, totaling a force of four thousand."
The Fourth Raikage nodded, his tone even. "That old monkey, the Third Hokage, has actually grown a spine in his old age. To think he'd dare send out such a large force to face Kumogakure head-on."
Mabui pushed up her glasses, a hint of doubt flashing across her face. "Lord Raikage, this wasn't the Third Hokage's decision. According to our intel, the commander of Konoha's forces this time is the head of the Uchiha clan, Fugaku Uchiha. It was Fugaku who persuaded the major clans of Konoha to assemble such a massive army."
Hearing this, the Fourth Raikage looked up with surprised curiosity. "Did that old monkey change his stripes? To think he'd dare let the Uchiha clan represent Konoha in battle."
The Uchiha clan's awkward position within the Hidden Leaf was practically an open secret across the ninja world. After all, during the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha had relegated such a powerful fighting force to a mere logistics and transport unit. It was blatantly obvious that the village brass didn't want the Uchiha accumulating prestige through combat.
For Hiruzen Sarutobi to willingly deploy them against Kumogakure now felt exceptionally strange to the Raikage.
"I apologize, Lord Raikage, but this is exactly what puzzles me as well," Mabui said calmly, pushing her glasses up again. "Intelligence suggests there was an incident during Konoha's pre-war meeting. Immediately afterward, Hiruzen Sarutobi was rushed to the Konoha Hospital. Following that, Fugaku Uchiha temporarily seized the Hokage's authority and became the commander of the ninja army."
"An incident? What kind of incident?" the Fourth Raikage pressed.
"Our spies do not have the security clearance to attend their pre-war meetings, so the details remain unknown."
"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter anyway," the Fourth Raikage said dismissively. "Whether it's Fugaku Uchiha or Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha cannot possibly be a match for Kumogakure. With B and me here, breaking through Konoha's defenses is only a matter of time." He cracked his knuckles, his face brimming with absolute confidence.
"While confidence is a good thing, Lord Raikage, Konoha shouldn't be underestimated." After a moment of silence, Mabui decided it was best to remind her leader of a lingering anomaly. "A spy in Konoha previously relayed intel that on the day our Kumogakure operatives were executing their mission, two giants of light appeared in the village."
She continued, "The traces of their battle destroyed Konoha's entire back mountain and a portion of the Hokage Monument. Even the former Hokage Assistant, Danzo Shimura, perished in that clash. Because the concept of 'giants of light' seemed so absurd at the time, I assumed it was false intelligence and withheld the report."
Mabui's expression turned grave. "But now, I suspect Konoha might possess a forbidden jutsu capable of summoning these entities. It's even possible that this is a technique exclusive to the Uchiha clan. Therefore, Lord Raikage, we may despise our enemy strategically, but we must take them seriously tactically."
Seeing Mabui's stern warning, the Fourth Raikage frowned slightly before nodding. "Understood. But Fugaku Uchiha is set to arrive at the border tomorrow night, right?"
"Yes."
"Then, B," the Raikage turned toward the side of the tent. "Tomorrow night, take a few squads and send Fugaku Uchiha our regards. Let him know that Kumogakure isn't to be trifled with."
Killer B, the Fourth Raikage's sworn brother and captain of his guard, had been in the tent the whole time, listening to everything.
"Yo, bro, trust in me! Konoha won't see it comin', guarantee!" Killer B rapped in his eccentric rhythm, doing a little dance. "Oh yeah!"
Watching B flail about, several veins popped on the Fourth Raikage's forehead.
Time passed quickly. By the following afternoon, Fugaku Uchiha was leading the Konoha ninja army, advancing rapidly toward their designated position.
"Halt!"
Suddenly, the Hyuga clan scouts leading the vanguard stopped in their tracks.
"What is it, Hizashi?" Fugaku asked, stepping forward.
"There's a Kumogakure ambush eight hundred meters ahead," Hizashi Hyuga reported. Veins bulged around his temples, making it obvious he had been keeping his Byakugan active. "One of them possesses a terrifying amount of chakra."
"A real ambush?" Fugaku furrowed his brow slightly before immediately turning to his son. "Jie, take fifty Uchiha ninjas and go scout ahead with your Uncle Hizashi. Just stir them up, but avoid getting tangled in a drawn-out fight. The main force will be right behind you."
Jie nodded. He immediately gathered fifty members of the Uchiha clan and stepped forward.
He perfectly understood Fugaku's intentions. After all, this ninja army only had two Kage-level fighters in total. As the commander, Fugaku obviously couldn't risk himself on a scouting mission, so the task naturally fell to Jie.
"Jie, be careful. Don't act recklessly," Fugaku couldn't help but caution him right before they departed. "This is a war, not a game."
Jie offered a reassuring nod. Leading Hizashi Hyuga and the fifty Uchiha ninjas, he dashed swiftly toward the enemy line.
'Are we compromised?' Hiding in the shadows, Killer B noticed the main Konoha force suddenly halt. A moment later, a single ninja squad broke off and charged directly toward his position. He immediately realized that Konoha had discovered his ambush.
"Byakugan's sight, ruining the night! These fools wanna fight! Yeah, fool, ya fool!"
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