A dark, subterranean cave hidden beneath the thick roots of ancient trees.
A frail body, a heavily lined face, and withered, stark white hair. The elderly ghost of the Uchiha, Madara, sat quietly on his stone throne, resting with his eyes closed.
At that moment, the formless Black Zetsu and the pale White Zetsu phased out of the cavern wall.
"Good news," Zetsu reported smoothly. "According to intelligence gathered by our clone network, the Sand Ninja have launched a massive surprise attack on the Land of Fire. The Third Shinobi World War has officially broken out."
"Hehehehe... war?" Madara's voice was dry as dust, rasping in the dark. "Just foolish child's play. But that is fine. My physical vessel is growing weaker by the day. It is finally time for the Eye of the Moon Plan to move to its next phase—finding a useful, pliable tool."
Zetsu nodded. "Now that the war has begun, the conflict will inevitably expand. To deal with the pressure on multiple fronts, Konoha will surely send the Uchiha Clan to the battlefield. We can select a suitable candidate then."
Madara slowly opened his eyes, revealing the mesmerizing, blood-red glow of his Sharingan. A slight, cruel smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"I know the Uchiha Clan's true nature better than anyone," Madara whispered. "Their emotions are intensely deep, bordering on obsessive. As long as you violently destroy their loved ones and provide enough psychological stimulation... they can be easily, perfectly manipulated."
Hearing such cynical words coming from your mouth is truly ironic, Zetsu thought to himself, remaining perfectly silent.
Meanwhile, the very "tool" Madara would soon choose was currently sitting in a bustling Konoha barbecue restaurant, standing on his chair with his hands on his hips.
"Hahaha! I'm an absolute genius of the Uchiha!" Obito boasted loudly. "Look at me, guys! I've officially become a ninja!"
Kyosuke gave him a deadpan look, casually reaching his chopsticks across the grill to snatch a perfectly cooked piece of premium beef right off Obito's plate. He popped it into his mouth.
Delicious.
Seeing Kyosuke effortlessly steal Obito's food without a shred of guilt, Kakashi wordlessly reached his own chopsticks over and snagged another piece of Obito's meat.
Nohara Rin, sitting beside them, had her own serving of fresh strawberries—her absolute favorite. She ate them slowly, watching the boys bicker with a happy, gentle smile.
After boasting for a solid two minutes and realizing no one was actually listening to him, Obito looked down at his empty plate. He turned beet red with indignation.
"Hey! This meal is supposed to be my treat! Do you know how long I saved up my allowance for this?!" Obito yelled, waving his arms. "At least pretend to listen to me!"
Feeling comfortably full, Kyosuke leaned back in his seat, casually picking his teeth while teasing the goggled boy.
"Oh, my apologies, isn't this the great Genin Obito? You've got good eyes, knowing you should treat your esteemed seniors to a meal. Chunin Kakashi, let's make sure we look after this rookie in the future."
Seeing the meat was entirely gone, Kakashi neatly placed his chopsticks down.
"Dead last," Kakashi stated objectively. "I wonder what poor soul is going to be unlucky enough to be stuck as your teammate. Just try not to hold them back and get them killed."
Obito clenched his fists, completely infuriated.
"Don't look down on me, Bakakashi!" Obito roared. "I'm the future prodigy of the Uchiha! I'm going to be the first Uchiha Hokage, and both of you will end up as my subordinates!"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."
Kyosuke extended his right hand, wagging a finger condescendingly in front of Obito's face.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, Obito. Although I do enjoy eating your free barbecue, I absolutely refuse to give up the seat of Hokage to you."
"Two complete idiots," Kakashi muttered, summarizing the situation perfectly.
At that moment, Rin giggled. Her bright, bell-like laughter immediately defused Obito, who had been about to scream a rebuttal.
"We're all officially ninjas now, and I'm just really happy we're together," Rin smiled gently. "I truly hope you both achieve your dreams. When you do, we'll come back here and celebrate again!"
Obito immediately curled his lip, pointing an accusing finger at Kyosuke. "There's only one Hokage! It's physically impossible for both Kyosuke and me to achieve our dreams!"
Kyosuke shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's you who won't achieve your dream, not me. If you're really not convinced, let's step outside and duel right now. The stakes? The loser pays for another round of premium barbecue."
Obito had challenged Kyosuke several times in the past. Not only had he gotten spectacularly beaten up every single time, but the power gap between them had only widened since Kyosuke made Chunin. He had absolutely zero hope of victory.
Hearing Kyosuke's blatant provocation, Obito fumed with rage, but he could only stammer uselessly, his face turning bright red.
Rin couldn't help but glance at Kyosuke. Looking at his well-proportioned, athletic physique, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy.
"Kyosuke, you're amazing," Rin sighed. "You eat so much fatty meat, yet you don't gain an ounce of bad weight."
Hearing this entirely off-topic comment, the three boys rolled their eyes in perfect unison.
Girls really do have a completely different thought process, Kyosuke thought.
Just then, a massive commotion broke out on the streets outside. Having finished their meal, the group curiously walked out of the restaurant to see what was happening.
High above Konoha Village, several large messenger eagles soared back and forth in a frantic pattern, letting out sharp, piercing cries.
Numerous Konoha ninjas on the street suddenly looked up, their expressions changing drastically. They immediately dropped whatever they were doing, drew their weapons, and leaped onto the rooftops.
The Jonin, in particular, moved with terrifying urgency. They blurred across the skyline, quickly converging on the plaza directly below the Hokage's administrative building.
Following the crowd, Kyosuke's group arrived at the plaza. The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood on the balcony. Danzo Shimura and the two village elders, Homura and Koharu, stood grimly by his side.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru stood at the very front of the assembled ninja army below, fully geared for combat. The ninjas who arrived later quickly fell into strict military formation behind the two Sannin.
No one spoke a word. A heavy, suffocating atmosphere pressed down on everyone's hearts.
Seeing that the village's main fighting force had assembled, the Third Hokage slowly took his pipe out of his mouth.
"We have just received a verified intelligence report," Hiruzen's voice echoed across the silent plaza, magically amplified so every shinobi could hear. "The Sand Ninja have launched a massive, unprovoked surprise attack on our border forces. They have already breached the territory of the Land of Fire."
Hiruzen gripped the railing, his eyes hard. "The Third Shinobi World War has officially begun!"
Although the political situation in the Ninja World had been teetering on a knife's edge for a year, and every veteran knew war was inevitable... hearing the official declaration still caused a violent fluctuation in everyone's emotions.
The Cloud and the Mist had been locked in a bloody standoff for months, yet a full-scale war hadn't officially been declared there. For the Sand Ninja—who had recently suffered a devastating internal rebellion—to quietly march an army directly into the Land of Fire was utterly beyond anyone's expectations.
"I didn't expect those Sand fools to be the first to launch an invasion. How incredibly surprising," Orochimaru murmured.
A faint, chilling smile appeared on his pale face, his long dark hair swaying in the breeze. Inwardly, however, Orochimaru was absolutely furious.
His forbidden experiments had been progressing perfectly. This damn war was going to severely delay his pursuit of ultimate truth and immortality. If he weren't the Third Hokage's prized disciple and a vital military asset, he wouldn't bother participating in such a boring, senseless slaughter.
Jiraiya felt exactly the same, though for vastly different reasons. He loathed war because he knew the destruction and suffering it brought to the innocent. There is so much beauty in the world; why can't people just appreciate it instead of butchering each other?
"Hokage-sama! Give the order!" a Jonin shouted from the crowd. "We will crush the Sand!"
"Give the order!"
"Attack! Defend the village!"
Now that the war had begun, the initial shock gave way to fierce patriotism. The ninjas drew their weapons, expressing their absolute determination to fight.
Seeing the high morale of his troops, Hiruzen nodded with grim satisfaction.
"Orochimaru! You will lead the vanguard army and intercept the Sand forces immediately!" Hiruzen commanded. "Konoha is now in a state of absolute war. All active shinobi are to remain on high alert. We must assemble the main army to deal with any and all enemies!"
Speed was of the essence. With Orochimaru as the supreme commander and elite clans like the Ino-Shika-Cho acting as the tactical core, a vanguard force of nearly a thousand shinobi was mobilized in under an hour, marching rapidly toward the western border.
After the vanguard was dispatched, Jiraiya stood inside the Hokage's private conference room, expressing his deep concerns.
"Sensei, the Sand Ninja have clearly been preparing for this specific invasion for a long time," Jiraiya argued, slamming a hand on the desk. "The Third Kazekage is highly likely to strike the frontlines in person. Orochimaru might not be able to hold them off alone. Let me go with him!"
Hiruzen took a deep puff of his pipe, his brows furrowed tightly. He didn't answer immediately, so Danzo stepped forward from the shadows to provide the cold, military logic.
"The current situation in the Ninja World is far too unstable, Jiraiya," Danzo stated flatly. "We do not know what the Hidden Mist, the Hidden Cloud, or the Hidden Stone will do next. We absolutely must retain enough high-level combat power here in the capital to deal with a secondary invasion."
Hiruzen exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his aged face obscured in the haze.
"I can only pray the Sand Ninja haven't secretly allied with the other hidden villages," Hiruzen murmured.
Being besieged simultaneously by multiple Great Nations was Konoha's ultimate nightmare—yet it was a terrifyingly likely possibility.
Because the Land of Fire occupied the most fertile land and possessed the most abundant resources in the world, the other nations had been coveting it with jealous, starving eyes for decades.