May 21st
Little more than a week had passed since the skirmish between Konoha and Iwa. Since then, only small probing clashes between scouts occurred — brief, sharp, and inconclusive.
The Uzumaki seals and formations and the trench/defensive warfare that defined the battlefield began to fade once the Kage level powerhouses and unique elite shinobi taskforces, such as explosion corps, took over the front.
The Explosion Corps alone — fewer than 500 members, with 45 jonin and 5 elite jonin — had already forced Konoha to abandon several defensive strategies. Their long‑range bombardments shredded formation traps and sensory nodes before they could be activated.
Only the Uzumaki barrier and sensory seals still prevented surprise attacks on the base. Only Mu, the Tsuchikage could pull off such feat with his chakra concealment ability.
No decisive battles occurred and both armies spent their efforts on searching for the same target:
The Five‑Tails Jinchūriki.
***
Tobirama stood alone on a cliff overlooking the Kusa plains. The wind tugged at his blue armor, carrying the distant sounds of winds whistling against the grass and trees.
His eyes were fixed on the horizon, but his mind was elsewhere.
'This war… is not the war I prepared for."'
He had expected that systems of coordinated formations, layered traps, and Uzumaki sealing arrays, would give Konoha a decisive edge.
But the reality was different. Fighting villages was not the same as fighting clans. Villages could deploy multiple Kage-level shinobis, elite corps, jinchuriki, and mass-produced specialized units.
From Iwa: Dust Release erased entire defensive lines. Explosion Corps shredded formations in seconds. Mu's invisibility could bypass every sensor.
And Kumo could deploy its own jinchuriki. (Tobirama misunderstood reports on Kingaku and Gingaku as jinchuriki)
Tobirama exhaled slowly.
"Normal jonin… even elite jonin… cannot stand against this."
He had always known the gap between himself and the two titans of the previous era — Hashirama and Madara. Hashirama could deter wars by simply existing. And Madara could crush armies instantly with his Susanoo. But Tobirama was neither. He was a tactician, a researcher, and a bureaucrat— not a God or Shura.
And he had made a critical miscalculation.
'I overestimated Konoha's strength… by excluding the Uchiha from this war.'
He had believed the clans, Anbu, Uzumaki reinforcement, his disciples, and himself were enough. But Iwa and Kumo had proven him wrong. Konoha was being pushed back — slowly, but undeniably.
Tobirama tapped his finger on the shoulder plate.
"If this continues… we will lose. But if I bring the Uchiha in to the war… It may birth another Mangekyō Sharingan."
He knew the pattern. He had studied enough and seen it many times. Most Uchiha awakened their 'eyes' through loss, grief, and trauma, and war was the perfect catalyst.
Bringing them into this war meant more potential for instability and more risk of creating another Izuna... or even... Madara.
But not bringing them also meant Konoha would suffer unnecessary casualties.
Tobirama closed his eyes.
'Internal instability… or external threat.'
He hated the choice. He hated that his brother, Hashirama was gone.
But he was the Hokage. He had to choose.
---
As Tobirama digested his dilemma, footsteps approached behind him. Homura and Hiruzen approached, escorting an Anbu messeger.
"Hokage‑sama!"
The anbu knelt as he reported.
"Urgent report from the western front!"
Tobirama's finger continued to tap on his shoulder plate.
"Proceed."
The messenger swallowed hard.
"Yesterday, May 20th, Sunagakure… has declared war on Konoha."
The wind seemed to stop as Homura and Hiruzen too froze in shock.
Tobirama turned slowly with the sun behind his back. They couldn't read his expression, but they could sense the tension rising in the air.
The Anbu messenger continued.
"In response, Commander Kagami crossed the Land of Rivers border and confronted Suna''s forces. They have successfully intercepted Suna's movement and stabilized the front!"
Hiruzen's eyes lit up as he pumped his fist in excitement.
"As expected of Kagami!"
But the Anbu wasn't finished. He presented a scroll marked with symbol Kirigakure (Mist).
Tobirama gestured and Hiruzen took the scroll.
"Our operatives confirmed that Kiri has amassed over fifty combat vessels with sixty crew capacity each, and twelve transport vessels capable of carrying four hundred to five hundred shinobi. All are ready to set sail at a moment's notice."
Anbu paused and swallowed hard.
"The commander of the operatives believes that the invasion is imminent. The planned D-day is assumed to be at the latest before the end of this month."
Silence fell, as Tobirama stopped tapping his armor.
Then he spoke.
"Send word to Uchiha Sosuke."
Hiruzen's eyes widened.
"Sensei…"
Tobirama continued.
"Konoha can no longer afford restraint. Mobilize the Uchiha clan. Tell him to send another division to support Kagami. And tell Kenji (Hashirama's second son and Tobirama's nephew) to take 1,000 more troops from the reserve and join the Uchiha in reinforcing the western front."
Anbu bowed his head and vanished. Tobirama turned his head to take a last look over the plains again.
"External threats first. Internal threats later."
He returned his gaze to Hiruzen and Homura.
"Prepare the army. The real war is about to begin now."
***
two days later, May 23nd
Tobirama's decision to reinforce Kagami was correct, but it was till too late.
Yesterday, before the reinforcements could reach the front, Konoha suffered a major defeat.
"Shamon... Monzaemon Chikamatsu... and the puppet brigade…"
These were weapons the shinobi world had never seen before.
Rumors had circulated about Suna developing experimental puppet units to compensate for their low population.
No one had taken it seriously.
At least not until today.
Tobirama was genuinely surprised by the prowess of Suna's puppet team. He was well aware of Uchiha Kagami's strength and capabilities. Not to mention the elites of Uchiha clan's Seventh's division supporting him.
The fact that Kagami suffered a loss meant only one thing, Suna's Puppet Brigade was another outlier equivalent to the Iwa's Explosion Corps.
Tobirama was sure that Uchiha can handle Suna front with ease, then he will settle Iwa, and finally confront Kumo with rest of the force and bring a swift end to the Shinobi War.
However, reality has it that Konoha is being pushed to its limit.
He could only order the reinforcements to rush their deployment.
He closed his eyes and crossed his arms in silence, waiting. Until—
"Sensei! Troops are ready!"
Hiruzen burst into the tent
Tobirama opened his eyes. His crimson eyes now lacked any hesitation, only resolve and determination that were a bit unusual even fanatic to a degree filled them.
Tobirama nodded at Hiruzen and exited the tent.