Bang!
Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed the table, his face filled with fury.
"What did you say?! Kumogakure tried to abduct Kushina?!"
"Y-Yes, Hokage-sama!"
The ANBU reporting trembled, lowering his head deeply.
"But fortunately, Hoshino Yoru killed all three invading Kumogakure ninja!"
Damn it!
Hiruzen's expression turned ashen.
He had been careless!
After observing Uzumaki Kushina for over half a year and finding nothing unusual—
And with Hoshino Yoru escorting her daily—
He had withdrawn the ANBU protection.
Manpower was already stretched thin due to rising tensions.
He hadn't expected—
It would nearly lead to disaster.
"Go!"
Hiruzen suppressed his anger, his voice turning cold.
"Notify all Jonin and village leadership!"
"In half an hour—an emergency meeting!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
…
Is war coming…?
Hiruzen felt a shadow slowly descending over Konoha.
"Hokage-sama! Urgent message from the Daimyo!"
A communications ninja suddenly rushed in.
"Hand it over!"
The moment Hiruzen read it—
Bang!!
His fist slammed into the desk again.
"Bastards!"
The message stated:
Preparations had already begun—
To systematically clear the Land of Rain—
In anticipation of the coming war to divide its territory.
Hiruzen's face darkened.
How could he not understand?
This was an agreement between the Fire Daimyo and other Daimyo.
The Land of Rain—
Would become the battlefield.
Three great nations—
Would carve it apart.
And what followed—
Would be total war.
Large-scale conflict could not be fought within the core territories of major nations.
That would devastate their lands.
So instead—
They would choose a smaller country.
Crush its military—
And turn it into a battlefield.
"…The Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning."
Hiruzen's expression grew colder.
Given the Land of Rain's location—
The participating nations were obvious.
And with recent disasters in those lands—
War was the perfect outlet for internal pressure.
This—
Was turning the entire Land of Rain—
Into a meat grinder.
The great nations would not suffer fundamental losses.
The Daimyo were merely playing a game.
And the ninja—
Were the pieces.
"Go! Summon the Ninja Academy principal as well!"
"And raise the meeting level—S-Class!"
"Yes—wait, S-Class?! Hokage-sama, this—"
The communications ninja was stunned.
S-Class meetings hadn't been held in years.
Every single one—
Signaled the coming of war.
"Go!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen's gaze flickered.
War—
Was now inevitable.
…
Half an hour later—
The highest-level conference room in the Hokage Building.
"S-Class meeting… I've never attended one."
"Damn… something big has happened."
"Is war really coming?"
Jonin and clan heads whispered among themselves, their faces tense.
"Hey, Orochimaru… S-Class meeting. I've never been in one before."
Even Jiraiya had cold sweat on his face.
He might act foolish—
But he understood exactly what this meant.
Beside him—
Orochimaru and Tsunade remained calm—
Though unease lingered deep in their eyes.
"The Hokage is here!"
The room fell silent instantly.
"Everyone, take your seats."
Hiruzen stood at the front, clad in his Hokage robes, his expression grave.
"I have several announcements."
He spoke slowly.
"Is the Ninja Academy principal present?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
"From this moment on—"
"All students from third year and above will graduate early."
The room froze.
Even the principal's expression changed repeatedly—
Before he finally gritted his teeth.
"…Yes, Hokage-sama."
The atmosphere grew even heavier.
Has it really come to this…?
Forcing children to graduate early—
The war was truly imminent.
"By order of the Daimyo—"
Hiruzen continued.
"Konoha will dispatch a large number of ninja into the Land of Rain."
"To systematically eliminate its armed forces—"
"And establish forward strongholds."
Boom—
The room erupted.
"What?! Hokage-sama, this—!"
"Are we turning the Land of Rain into a battlefield?!"
"How could the Daimyo give such an order?!"
Shock. Fear. Excitement. Unease.
Every reaction appeared.
"Silence!"
Hiruzen's voice cut through everything.
"The order has been issued. It cannot be changed."
"All clans will prepare—each must dispatch ninja."
"Further orders will be delivered individually."
"Meeting adjourned!"
…
"Tsunade!"
Just as she exited—
Jiraiya rushed over.
"Third-years graduating early… that means Minato and the others—"
"Shut up! I know!"
Tsunade's expression was equally grim.
Jiraiya only had Minato to worry about—
But she—
Had Yoru.
And her younger brother, Nawaki.
"Prepare yourselves," Orochimaru said calmly.
"We'll be heading to the battlefield soon."
"…Damn it!"
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