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An order from the daimyo manor arrived at Konoha with the highest priority.
Minato immediately gave an order upon receiving it.
"Give the command!"
"From the border war zones of the Lands of Wind, Earth, and Water, immediately dispatch five hundred shinobi to converge at full speed on Material Transfer Station Number One!"
"A temporary combat unit is to be formed in the village. Five hundred jonin and chunin are to depart immediately, destination as above!"
The Hokage's order, like a stone thrown into a lake, immediately stirred up huge waves within Konoha.
The war had only just subsided.
Peace had not lasted long, and such a large-scale military deployment made everyone smell a tense atmosphere.
The two thousand Konoha shinobi who received the order, like a surging torrent, converged from all corners of the Land of Fire toward the same location.
This material transfer station was located on the northeastern border of the Land of Fire, only one hundred kilometers from the border of the Land of Lightning.
The materials stockpiled here were enough to support the consumption of a localized war.
They, along with the front-line troops led by Jiraiya, could advance to the front lines within a day to support any potential conflicts.
Or, they could retreat and ensure the rear supply lines were secure, providing support for the entire front.
This would firmly pin down the border of the Land of Lightning.
A single order from the daimyo instantly switched the entire Land of Fire's war machine into a state of readiness!
Almost simultaneously.
In the Land of Earth.
The Third Tsuchikage Onoki, an old man known for his stubbornness and toughness, also received the highest directive from his daimyo.
After a brief moment of surprise, the Iwagakure shinobi quickly sprang into action.
A large-scale force began to move toward the border between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
They did not cross the border, but merely set up camp along the border and conducted regular military exercises.
However, the towering chakra fluctuations and the murderous aura brought by the assembly of thousands of shinobi pressed heavily on the border of the Land of Lightning.
Deterrence!
Naked military deterrence!
For a time, the entire shinobi world was in turmoil.
The illusion of peace was shattered, and the clouds of war once again gathered.
Countless intelligence organizations were frantically trying to gather information.
Why did the Land of Fire suddenly increase its troops?
Why did the Land of Earth deploy troops to the border?
Although the Land of Wind had no military actions, its daimyo publicly spoke out, calling on all parties to exercise restraint.
In his words, the spearhead was directed at a certain hegemonic country attempting to disrupt regional peace.
Even a fool could see that these three were in cahoots.
And there was only one target.
The Land of Lightning!
The eyes of all forces converged on that land perpetually covered by thunderclouds.
They were waiting.
Waiting for the Fourth Raikage's response.
Would it be concession? Or... war?
The entire shinobi world was like a lit powder keg.
It could explode at any moment...
The capital of the Land of Lightning.
Inside the daimyo manor, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning slammed the joint diplomatic note, signed by the three countries of Fire, Wind, and Earth, onto the floor.
"Outrageous!"
"They've gone too far!!"
The daimyo's roar echoed through the hall.
His chest heaved violently, his face flushed, and his eyes were filled with anger and humiliation.
He had never imagined that merely wanting that small thing called the Fire Crystal, merely wanting to enjoy that sweetness like other daimyo, would invite joint pressure from the three great nations!
This was no longer a trade issue.
This was humiliation!
Humiliating their Land of Lightning!
This was telling the entire shinobi world that his Land of Lightning had been kicked off the table of top players!
"My lord, please calm down."
Below, a civil official tremblingly spoke, trying to appease his daimyo.
"Calm down? How can I calm down!" The daimyo pointed at the scroll on the floor, furious. "That young brat from the Land of Fire, how dare he bully me so!"
"And those two bastards from the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind, how dare they also follow along and cheer!"
"What do they want to do? Do they want to force our Land of Lightning to kneel?!"
Below the main hall, the civil and military officials were silent.
Everyone bowed their heads, not daring to endure their daimyo's wrath.
Just then, a voice full of explosive power rang out.
"If they want to fight, then let's fight!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice.
A burly man walked in from outside the hall.
He was shirtless, revealing his bronze, muscular physique, exuding an oppressive aura.
It was none other than the Fourth Raikage, A!
"Raikage, absolutely not!"
The previous civil official immediately stood up to refute. "Now the Land of Earth has already deployed troops to the border, eyeing us covetously! If we go to war with the Land of Fire, Iwagakure will surely take advantage of our weakness!"
"At that time, we will be in the desperate situation of fighting on two fronts, neglecting one for the other, and the country will be in peril!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another civil official immediately echoed. "What the lord says is absolutely correct!"
"Although the Land of Wind has not sent troops, its stance is already tied to the Lands of Fire and Earth."
"Now that the three nations are united, if we rashly go to war, it will be one against three, with no chance of victory!"
"Chance of victory?"
The Raikage let out a sneer.
His cold gaze swept over the group of civil officials with worried faces, full of disdain.
"You bookworms, what do you understand besides calculating gains and losses?"
"The Land of Earth and the Land of Wind?" The Raikage's voice was full of mockery. "Just a bunch of hyenas blinded by profit!"
"Do you really think they would fight to the death with our Kumogakure for that small trade share with the Land of Fire?"
"They're just here to make some noise and seize the opportunity to make a profit!"
The Raikage took a step forward, his voice suddenly rising.
"As for the Land of Fire! Do you still think they are the Konoha of back then?!"
"The Third Shinobi World War, Konoha claimed victory, but at what cost?"
"Except for Minato and those old geezers, the entire Konoha is already struggling, with a generational gap in its core strength!"
"The current Konoha is just an empty shell! The position of the shinobi world's strongest nation should have changed hands long ago!"
"Now is their weakest moment!"
"If not now, then when?!"
The Raikage's words instantly ignited the young officials present.
Each of them breathed heavily, clenched their fists, and shouted in agreement.
"The Raikage is right!"
"Fight! Strike while he's down, finish him off!"
The civil officials were refuted, their faces flushed, but they still held their ground.
One of the civil officials stammered, "But... but a lean camel is still bigger than a horse!"
"Konoha's foundation is still there, and once war breaks out, the national strength of our Land of Lightning will also be greatly consumed, which is not worth the loss!"
"This is exactly what those people from the Land of Earth hope to see!"
"Shut up!" The Raikage roared, lightning crackling around him, blue arcs of electricity snapping on his muscles.
The powerful pressure instantly silenced the civil official, who was dripping with cold sweat.
"A bunch of weaklings who only know how to push pens! What the hell do you know about war!"
"You..."
"Everyone, stop!"
Seeing that the enemy hadn't even arrived, and his own people were about to start fighting, the daimyo of the Land of Lightning finally spoke to stop them.
The anger on his face had faded, replaced by deep solemnity.
Looking at the two distinct factions below, he remained silent for a long time.
To fight, the risk was too great. Once bogged down, the Land of Lightning might decline from then on.
Not to fight, this resentment could not be swallowed, and the prestige of the Land of Lightning would be utterly lost.
This was a difficult choice.
"This matter... will be discussed later!"
"Everyone, withdraw for now!"
The daimyo of the Land of Lightning waved his hand, dismissing everyone.
However, no one knew.
Late that night, the Fourth Raikage secretly met with his daimyo.