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The declaration of war tore apart the false alliance.
Clouds of war hung over the entire continent.
Konoha.
Inside the Hokage's office, the atmosphere was heavy.
Minato Namikaze stood before a giant map of the shinobi world, his golden hair hiding his wrinkled brow.
His usually gentle eyes now held only seriousness and unease.
"Do we... really have to fight?" His voice was soft, as if he was asking himself, or perhaps the person behind him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat on the sofa, smoking his pipe, one draw after another.
The swirling smoke completely hid his old, wrinkled face.
He didn't speak.
From the moment he personally ordered the execution of those three thousand Kumogakure shinobi prisoners, he knew the shadow of war had returned.
He just hadn't expected the war to come so quickly, so fiercely.
"At this point, we can only fight!" Koharu's voice was as cold as ice. "The daimyo has declared war. Konoha, as the sword of the Land of Fire, can only move forward."
"That's right, this battle is justified!" Homura nodded in agreement. "The Land of Earth was untrustworthy first, and then massacred our shinobi. We are in the right."
"Righteousness?" Minato Namikaze turned around, a bitter expression on his face. "Is righteousness bought with war still righteousness?"
"Minato!" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke. "Put away your unrealistic ideas!"
"From the day we became shinobi, war has been our destiny!"
"We cannot stop war. What we can do is end it as quickly as possible, with the smallest possible cost!"
He took a few quick steps to the map and slammed the bowl of his pipe heavily onto the Land of Earth's territory, making a dull thud.
"The daimyo's order has arrived."
"Konoha will immediately enter a state of war!"
"All shinobi currently on missions abroad must return to base within the deadline!"
"Immediately create a battle plan, gather a vanguard, and be ready to deploy to the front lines at any time!"
Command after command issued from the mouth of the former Hokage.
In the face of war, he had once again become the shinobi hero who led Konoha to victory in two shinobi world wars.
Minato Namikaze looked at the Third Hokage's back, the confusion in his eyes fading.
As the Fourth Hokage, he should not hesitate.
"I understand, Third Hokage." Minato Namikaze nodded seriously, his eyes filled with firmness, and ordered. "Hear my command!"
"Konoha, effective immediately, enters level one war alert!"
"The war has begun!"
...Land of Earth, Iwagakure.
In stark contrast to Konoha's seriousness.
An air of confidence filled here.
"Hahahahaha! Excellent!"
Inside the Tsuchikage Tower, Third Tsuchikage Onoki held the declaration of war in his hand, not angry but laughing, his laughter loud.
He then crushed the declaration into a ball and threw it into a brazier, where the flames instantly ate it up.
"That Land of Fire daimyo actually has some guts!"
He had already been informed by his own daimyo that the Land of Fire daimyo would not personally enter the fight.
"Father, are we really going to fight a combined army of the Land of Fire, Land of Wind, and Land of Water at the same time?" Kitsuchi, standing by, was full of worry. That was an alliance of three great nations!
"So what?" Onoki's body slowly floated up, and from his small frame, a presence like a mountain burst out. "Don't forget, this is the Land of Earth!"
"We have the strongest fortresses, the most dangerous terrain!"
"The Land of Fire doesn't have the ability to run wild on our Iwagakure territory!"
His voice was high-pitched and passionate, echoing throughout the entire Tsuchikage Tower.
"And don't forget our plan!"
"As long as we keep the Land of Fire tied up and don't give them a chance to use their full strength!"
"The war will eventually become a standstill!"
"At that point, the Land of Fire will have only two choices: either make the Land of Wind and Land of Water pay for the war expenses!"
"Or, the Land of Fire pays itself!"
"You know, the Land of Fire daimyo is a greedy man!"
"As long as we hold the Land of Fire on the front lines, and hold them for a long time!"
"I guarantee their alliance will collapse on its own!"
Onoki's analysis instantly drove away the gloom in the hearts of the Iwagakure higher-ups present.
That's right!
The so-called righteous alliance was nothing more than a quickly put together makeshift group!
As long as the leader's path forward was blocked, this so-called alliance would fall apart without a fight!
"Hear my command!"
Onoki flew out of his office, looking down at the majestic village made of rock below.
"All shinobi, gather!"
"Let those ignorant fellows from the Land of Fire see what true... rock-solid strength is!"
"Roar!"
Earth-shaking roars burst from every corner of Iwagakure, coming together into a flood powerful enough to shake mountains.
The gears of war began to turn madly.
Fire capital, daimyo manor.
Shin stood before a giant floor-to-ceiling window, quietly looking out.
In the sky, a hawk circled, letting out a clear cry.
"My lord."
Aono's figure appeared silently behind him.
"The front-line troops have begun to gather."
"On Konoha's side, the Third Hokage and Fourth Hokage are jointly overseeing the command."
"Jiraiya will serve as the general commander of the first army, leading the vanguard directly to the Land of Earth's border."
"The Land of Wind and Land of Water have also sent their main forces, forming a pincer movement on the Land of Earth from the west and east, respectively."
Aono's report was as short and efficient as ever.
Shin hummed softly. "How are our people placed in the Land of Earth doing?"
"Everything is going smoothly!" Aono replied. "They have gotten into key positions along the Land of Earth's supply lines."
"Very good." Shin nodded. "Tell them to hold their positions for now."
"Wait until the war reaches its most intense point, then present that old man Onoki with a grand gift."
The outcome of a war is never decided solely on the front lines.
Supply lines, information, morale... these unseen battlefronts are truly deadly.
"There's one more thing, my lord." Aono hesitated. "Regarding that... special operations unit from Kirigakure."
"Do you really intend to use them now?"
Shin turned around, a playful expression on his face. "Why not?"
"A blade is meant for killing. Once sharpened, it needs to see blood to know if it's fast enough."
He walked to his desk, picked up a scroll that had already been prepared, and handed it to Aono.
"Give this to Mei Terumi."
"Tell her this is her and her companions' first opportunity to prove their worth to me."
"Yes, my lord!"
Aono took the scroll, bowed, and withdrew.
Silence returned to the study.
Shin walked back to the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through time and space.
Kumogakure had fallen.
Now it was Iwagakure's turn!
Once Iwagakure was crippled, his grand blood exchange for this rotting world could officially begin.
He was already somewhat impatient to see what an interesting state this world would become after the great blood exchange.