March, Konoha Year 46.
Crimson cherry blossoms bloomed on schedule, clustering thickly along the branches. The spring breeze was gentle, and sunlight filtered through layers of blossoms, scattering warm patches of light across the ground.
A peaceful scene unfolded within the Konoha, with children laughing on newly built swings, vendors enthusiastically hawking their wares along the renovated streets, and the energetic shouts of young ninjas echoing from the training grounds.
However, beneath this peaceful facade, undercurrents are already surging.
At the Hokage building, in the top-floor conference room.
The atmosphere was completely different from the vibrant spring outside the window; it was so heavy it seemed like you could wring water out of it.
On both sides of the long table, Konoha's current core leaders gathered.
The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat in the main seat. To his left sat his advisors, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. Even Danzo Shimura, who rarely participated in such routine meetings, sat silently at the far end, where the shadows were darker.
Homura Mitokado pushed up his glasses and spoke first: "According to the intelligence analysis compiled by various parties, Village Hidden in the Cloud, Village Hidden in the Stones, Village Hidden in the Mist, and the Village Hidden in the Sand have increased their procurement of strategic materials since the beginning of spring and have been making frequent moves."
"It is particularly noteworthy that the Village Hidden in the Sand approved the graduation of a large number of students this month without any warning, covering students from the fourth to the sixth grade. Their intentions are self-evident."
Koharu Utatane snorted coldly: "Our good ally is really true to their usual style."
The third Hokage listened quietly, offering no immediate opinion, but slightly increased the speed at which he exhaled smoke. He then turned his gaze to Danzo, who sat at the bottom of the table, and said, "Danzo, has Root detected any additional movements?"
As behemoths in the Shinobi World, the Five Great Ninja Villages cannot completely conceal any large-scale military movements from each other's spy networks; it's merely a matter of timing and the level of detail.
What truly alarmed him were the small ninja villages of various countries that survived in the cracks, seemingly insignificant, yet could suddenly become restless due to changes in the situation, or even be used as a fuse.
While their overall strength is far inferior to that of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, some of them possess special lineages or formidable leaders, and some of them tend to act more recklessly and are more unpredictable.
For example, the Village Hidden in the Rain was led by the man known as Hanzo of the Salamander.
Danzo slowly raised his eyelids: "Over in the Village Hidden in the Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander is very quiet. It seems that after the crushing defeat in the last war, his ambition for expansion has been worn down by reality."
"According to my intelligence, he has focused his efforts in recent years on internal reforms, eliminating opposition, and restoring the devastated economy of the Village Hidden in the Rain. He has shown little interest in external affairs, exhibiting a conservative and defensive stance."
"Village Hidden in the Grass remains indecisive and is not a cause for concern. Village Hidden in the Waterfall maintains its usual policy of not offending either side, and there are no unusual signs. Village Hidden in the Hotsprings..."
Danzo reported on the situation of the small ninja villages near the Land of Fire: "As for Takumi Village, they have recently received a large number of custom orders for weapons and tools, far exceeding the usual amount. The identity of the employer is disguised in multiple ways and is difficult to confirm directly, but based on the flow of logistics and the demand for raw materials, the most likely candidate is still the Village Hidden in the Sand."
At this moment, Danzo spoke again, his voice low and cold: "Hiruzen, the situation is already clear. When others have begun sharpening their blades, if Konoha continues to indulge in the illusion of false peace, it will be courting death. We must immediately initiate comprehensive war preparations, mobilize all available resources, strengthen border defenses and intelligence networks, and expand our combat reserves as quickly as possible."
Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both turned their gazes to Hiruzen in the main seat, awaiting his final decision.
The third Hokage took a deep drag of his cigarette, letting the pungent smoke circulate in his lungs before slowly exhaling.
He scanned every face present, worried, somber, or expectant, before finally speaking: "Notify the logistics and equipment department to immediately activate the contingency plan for the procurement, storage, and allocation of combat readiness materials. Homura, you are fully responsible for coordinating and supervising this aspect to ensure the smooth flow of critical materials and the safety of their inventory."
"You, Koharu, will personally coordinate with the Ministry of Education and the Ninja Academy to conduct a comprehensive evaluation immediately after the start of the new semester next month. We will select a group of students from the fourth to sixth grades who have excellent grades, mature character, and certain combat potential to graduate early."
"Complete the formation training as soon as possible to fill the gaps in lower-ranked ninjas. Pay attention to the methods and approaches to avoid causing unnecessary panic."
Finally, his gaze fell on Danzo Shimura, who sat at the end of the shadows, and his eyes became exceptionally deep: "Danzo, your intelligence network must be kept running at its highest intensity. Any abnormal signs, no matter how small, must be reported directly to me. Make sure that Konoha does not fall behind in intelligence."
The cherry blossoms outside the window were still in full bloom, but everyone in the conference room knew that the tranquility under the warm spring sun was about to end.
In April, the new school semester began as scheduled.
The third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who always attended the opening ceremony and gave heartfelt words to the new students, was conspicuously absent this year. Only a few school officials gave routine speeches.
Shortly after the ceremony, a notice jointly issued by the Ministry of Education and the Ninja Academy instantly ignited enthusiasm on campus, especially in the upper grades.
The notice stated: In order to encourage outstanding students and provide them with the opportunity to put their learning into practice and contribute to the village earlier, an early graduation assessment will be held in one week.
Open to all students in grades four, five, and six, those who pass the assessment will directly obtain the qualification of a Genin and be officially assigned to a team!
"Graduate early!"
"Become a Genin directly!"
These two keywords, like cold water poured into boiling oil, caused a huge uproar on campus.
After a brief moment of shock, the dominant emotion was an almost boiling excitement and eagerness to try!
"Great! Finally, I don't have to go through those tedious academic classes and memorize those damn theories anymore!"
"Hey, did you hear that? We will become real ninjas soon! We can take a mission too!"
"I must pass the graduation exam!"
"Only one week left, I need to train hard!"
In the corridors, by the training grounds, and in the classrooms, you could see boys and girls with flushed faces, having heated discussions.
For many passionate students who were already impatient with the tedious theoretical studies and longed to carry out missions and demonstrate their power like the heroes in the stories, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity!
Most of them didn't delve into the urgent signals that might be implied by this early graduation; their eyes seemed to be only on the headbands that were within reach and the brand-new ninja career.
Just as the students were excitedly celebrating their early graduation exams, Shinichi Higashino was also taking a break from his mission to say a quiet farewell.
After the mission was handed over, he and Kosuke Maruboshi had just stepped out of the Hokage building when they received a personnel transfer order.
"Senior, thank you for your guidance and care over the past year."
Shinichi, holding the transfer order, solemnly bowed to the elderly man beside him, who carried a large pot on his back and always had a slightly hunched back.
"When you arrive at your new team, be careful and get along well with your teammates and your new Jonin leader. You have a long way to go, and Konoha needs more young people like you who are both strong and know what they are fighting for."
Kosuke Maruboshi wore a warm smile, as if he had expected this transfer order.