Within just a few days, the entire ninja world was shaken out of its former peace. Every village across the Five Great Nations entered a full state of war readiness.
Tens of thousands of shinobi gathered across the Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Lightning.
Kirigakure's forces split into two divisions, heading respectively to Konoha and Kumogakure, while Sunagakure's shinobi were dispatched to Iwagakure and Konoha.
The ninja of the Rain Country were directly incorporated into Konoha's army. After all, Amegakure had never been large—its total force barely exceeded four thousand.
Smaller nations continuously sent their ninja contingents to nearby major villages, reinforcing logistics units and rear-line supply operations.
War was like an enormous gear, accelerating the entire ninja world whether anyone wanted it to or not.
Even the daimyō who had previously rejected the authority of the Ninja Association finally grasped the severity of the situation.
Funds were allocated frantically, fear of defeat driving every decision.
After all, ninja villages were their military backbone. If the shinobi fell, the collapse of the entire world would not be far behind.
No matter how deep old grudges ran, they would have to wait until after the Fourth Ninja World War.
At least for now, unity against a common enemy was unavoidable.
Half a month passed in tense anticipation. Every village lived on edge, prepared for war at any moment.
Finally, on this day, intelligence returned from the surprise attack unit led by Kakashi, as well as the four-man reconnaissance team headed by Hashirama.
Uchiha Hikaru began the final mobilization for war.
The three main ninja armies were fully assembled. Whether in Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or Konoha, from above one could see vast formations of shinobi standing in disciplined ranks, stretching endlessly into the distance.
Each force numbered over thirty thousand. At the front stood Nagato, Kitsuchi, and Darui.
A massive screen suspended before them suddenly lit up.
The figure that appeared was Uchiha Hikaru.
Clad in the dark-blue combat uniform of the Uchiha Clan, a forehead protector engraved with the word Ninja across his brow, he stood straight-backed and calm. His features were sharp and composed as he appeared before the allied shinobi for the first time.
For many ordinary ninja, this was the first time they had ever seen the true face of the President of the Ninja Association.
"So this is the President…? He's so young!"
"Young and handsome too~!"
"They say Uchiha men are all good-looking, and the women are beautiful. Is it really true?"
"Brother, it's absolutely true. The Uchiha are on another level when it comes to looks."
"Huh? You've seen it?"
"More than seen it. I'm from Konoha—my girlfriend is an Uchiha. We agreed to get married once the war is over."
"You bastard, you deserve to die!!!"
The Konoha jōnin's words instantly drew murderous envy from those around him.
Only when Uchiha Hikaru finally spoke did the vast army fall silent.
"Everyone," he said calmly, his voice carrying across the battlefield,
"what we face now is the most dangerous and most insidious rebel the ninja world has ever known."
"He intends to destroy our homes—kill our parents, our children, our lovers, our friends."
"Can you accept that?"
"NO!!!"
Nearly one hundred thousand voices answered as one, the sound shaking the sky.
"Since the birth of the ninja world, conflict has never ceased," Hikaru continued.
"Even after the establishment of the one-village, one-country system, three great wars still erupted."
"But now, as shinobi, we face a single enemy and share a single purpose."
"To protect our families and our villages!"
"From today onward, no matter what grudges you carry, no matter what hatred lies in your heart—it ends here."
"If you turn your weapon on your comrades during this war, that is cowardice."
"Tell me—are you cowards?!"
"NO!!!!"
"Good," Hikaru said, a faint smile touching his lips. "Very good."
"From this moment on, anyone who harms their comrades during the war will be executed on the spot by their unit captain."
"Now—"
"The Fourth Ninja World War begins!"
As his words fell, the Five Kage standing behind him raised their voices together.
"Ninja Alliance—advance at full force!!!"
Uchiha Hikaru opened his eyes.
His Mangekyō Sharingan spun into motion.
In an instant, he activated his dōjutsu—Yachihoko Eye Technique.
Through the screen itself, he cast the illusionary mark upon the entire Allied Shinobi Forces. The technique bypassed resistance through layered hypnosis, subtly rationalizing its presence so that every bearer believed it had always existed.
Any shinobi marked by the Eight Thousand Spears could now see a faint blue chakra beacon hovering above their allies' heads.
White Zetsu infiltration was rendered completely impossible.
As for how the technique could be transmitted through a screen—
That device was not powered by electricity.
It was one of Orochimaru's inventions, a chakra-transmission system that propagated chakra through the air via specialized waveforms, mimicking radio transmission.
Uchiha Hikaru didn't fully understand the mechanics.
But in his heart, he could only exclaim:
Uncle Snake is terrifyingly amazing… (;ﾟДﾟ)
As expected, the advancement of ninja science still depended on Orochimaru.
...
Elsewhere.
A White Zetsu slowly emerged from the ground.
"Obito. Black Zetsu."
"The three main armies of the Allied Shinobi Forces have launched a full-scale assault, advancing on the Moon Kingdom from three directions."
"What should we do?"
Obito tightened his grip on the Uchiha war fan.
"Hmph. A rabble like that isn't worth mentioning."
"Black Zetsu. Begin."
At his side, Black Zetsu formed seals, then slammed his hands onto the ground.
A massive summoning formula spread across the cavern floor.
"Impure World Reincarnation!"
Thousands of coffins erupted from the earth.
At the front stood the former Jinchūriki of the One-Tails through Eight-Tails, along with the infamous Gold and Silver Brothers.
Obito glanced over them—and frowned.
"Where is Madara?"
"Why didn't you summon him?"
Black Zetsu shook his head.
"This is not the right moment."
"Madara should only be summoned when all nine Jinchūriki gather—or when you confront one directly."
"That way, we can strike without warning and extract the Tailed Beast on the spot."
The plan was ruthless—and effective.
Obito said nothing more.
In fact, if Madara remained unrevived, it only made things more convenient.
If the Ten-Tails was resurrected before Madara returned…
then Obito himself could become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki first.
At that point, Madara's revival would be meaningless.
Two days remained.
Once the celestial anomaly occurred—the golden ring solar eclipse—the final phase would begin.
Obito believed that one hundred thousand White Zetsu infiltrating the Allied Forces would be enough to throw them into chaos from within.
What he did not know—
Was that Uchiha Hikaru also possessed the Eight Thousand Spears Eye Technique.
Within a single day, the casualties among the White Zetsu were reduced by more than half.
Far beyond the ninja world, two transparent figures hovered silently above the moon.
The two ancient men watched everything unfold below, their expressions complicated—
as though witnessing an absurd, overdramatic stage play.
For a long while, neither of them spoke.
...
...