Konoha, Hokage Building
"Kakashi, what exactly happened!?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his chair, frowning as he looked at Kakashi, whose left eye was wrapped in white cloth. Wisps of smoke occasionally curled up from the pipe in his hand.
Kakashi stood ramrod straight, his face grim as water, his fists clenched, and fury burning in his eyes:
"Hokage-sama, all I remember is entering the room, and then I passed out."
And the most important gift he had was taken.
"So you didn't see the enemy."
"No..." Kakashi was also startled. Who was it that could take him out without him noticing, and why didn't they kill him outright?
"I will have someone investigate this matter, but Kakashi, you know the current situation of the Village, so there might not be a quick result." Hiruzen Sarutobi felt helpless. He didn't understand why, specifically during this time, another powerful individual had appeared in Konoha and stolen a Sharingan. If you want a Sharingan, why don't you go steal one from the Uchiha?
"Hokage-sama!" Just as Kakashi stepped out of the Hokage Building, a black shadow suddenly appeared without warning.
Taking a closer look, it was an Anbu Ninja wearing black night clothes and a mask.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart jolted. This Anbu was from the external forces. Normally, the Anbu operated secretly and methodically. This was the first time he had seen such haste and urgency.
The Anbu Ninja didn't even have time to catch his breath before speaking rapidly at lightning speed: "Hokage-sama, this is terrible news! According to the latest intelligence, at the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, the Hidden Cloud Village has suddenly mobilized a large Ninja army and is aggressively advancing into our Land of Fire territory!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Ninja stood motionless like a statue, but a closer look revealed his legs were trembling slightly and uncontrollably.
Almost immediately after the Anbu Ninja finished his report, a sharp, piercing bird cry was heard outside the window.
Following that, a bird Summoning Beast resembling an eagle darted in like lightning, landing steadily on the desk in front of the Sandaime Hokage.
Seeing this, the Sandaime's expression immediately became solemn and serious. He quickly reached out, untied the letter bound to the Summoning Beast's leg, and eagerly unfolded the paper to read it carefully.
After reading the contents of the letter, the Sandaime's face grew even darker and uglier. He suddenly stood up and roared furiously, "Immediately assemble all Ninja!!"
Following his furious roar, numerous ANBU Members who had been hidden throughout the Hokage Building sprang into action upon hearing the command.
Before long, high-ranking figures from Konoha Village's major renowned clans and families also arrived successively beneath the Hokage Building. The atmosphere was extremely tense and oppressive.
Everyone was discussing amongst themselves, and their expressions were grim. Assembling all Ninja—they weren't fools, they had already guessed what was about to happen.
The situation was extremely critical, and time was so pressing that there was no room for delay. Even before a large number of Ninja had arrived, the Third Hokage solemnly announced the shocking news that war was about to break out.
The Third Hokage did not hesitate. He immediately began assigning roles on the spot, rapidly deploying forces to deal with this sudden crisis.
His keen gaze swept over every Ninja present, desperately searching for someone who could take on the heavy responsibility of intercepting the Kumogakure Ninja.
However, unexpectedly, after scanning the room, the Third Hokage was surprised to find that Konoha currently had no one capable of stopping Kumogakure's infamous A-B Duo.
Konoha was currently in an unprecedented state of weakness.
In this difficult moment of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, the Third Hokage frowned, filled with worry.
After careful consideration, he ultimately had no choice but to appoint Jiraiya as the commander-in-chief, leading a group of Ninja to intercept the aggressive Kumogakure army.
At the same time, the ordinary residents within Konoha Village also keenly noticed the unusual movements of the Ninja army.
Large numbers of Ninja were seen surging outward like a powerful tide, rushing continuously toward the outskirts of the Village.
This sight caused great panic and worry among the villagers. They whispered and discussed, their faces filled with terror.
"Is there going to be another war?" someone asked in a trembling voice.
"Please, no! My son just graduated from the Ninja Academy, he can't go to the battlefield so soon!"
"Which country are we fighting?" People discussed heatedly, and various speculations and worries filled the entire Village.
At this moment, a cloud of unease, heavy as a block of lead, pressed down suffocatingly over Konoha.
At this critical juncture, everyone turned their gaze toward the Third Hokage, hoping he would step forward and give a speech to stabilize their panicked minds.
After all, as the leader of Konoha Village, he had always been the pillar of strength in everyone's hearts.
However, the Sandaime currently had no time to attend to such matters.
Because immediately after he had finished arranging the details for the Ninja's departure to resist the Hidden Cloud Village's attack, another shocking piece of news reached his office like a gale—the Iwagakure also brazenly launched an attack!
This sudden change made the Sandaime's heart sink. He had initially thought it was just a temporary impulse from those reckless fools in the Hidden Cloud Village, but now it seemed the situation was far more complicated.
Clearly, this was no accident; it was a large-scale war conspiracy meticulously planned and long premeditated by Kumogakure and Iwagakure!
The Sandaime couldn't help but frown, pondering to himself: Since Kumogakure and Iwagakure have joined forces, could there be other Ninja Villages participating as well?
Like the Hidden Sand Village or Kirigakure? If that were the case, this conflict might escalate into another brutal war sweeping across the entire Ninja World!
Thinking of this, the Sandaime felt an unprecedented, mountain-like pressure weighing heavily on his shoulders.
Far away from Konoha Village, at the gap bordering the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, a vast and imposing Hidden Cloud Ninja army was advancing rapidly.
Leading the vanguard of this great army was the Fourth Raikage—A.
At this moment, his resolute face was filled with uncontrollable excitement, as if he could already see victory in sight. Closely following him were Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and the strategist C.
A burst into hearty laughter, saying, "This time, I will definitely conquer Konoha in one fell swoop! I'll let everyone know the might of my Hidden Cloud Village!"
Hearing this, Killer Bee, running quickly beside him, forcefully waved his arms while continuously shouting, "Yeah! Conquer Konoha, conquer Konoha!"
However, compared to the excitement of A and Killer Bee, the young C seemed much calmer.
His keen eyes constantly surveyed the surroundings. He then turned to the Raikage and said, "Raikage-sama, in my opinion, Konoha must have learned of our operation. By now, they should have already organized their forces."
Facing C's warning, A laughed heartily again, completely unconcerned: "Hmph! So what if they have? Anyone who dares to block us, we'll kill them! Moreover, the Uchiha Clan is currently inactive, and that despicable Danzo has already perished. I ask you, how much strength does Konoha have left to stop our advance?"
"Danzo is only suspected to be dead..." C looked at the fanatical look in A's eyes and simply kept quiet.
On the other side, Ōnoki of Iwagakure did not personally lead the troops. Instead, Ōnoki's son Kitsuchi and his disciple Akatsuchi led the main force forward.
"Kitsuchi, Konoha must have deployed their troops by now, right?" Akatsuchi looked at the dense jungle before them and asked Kitsuchi.
"Yes. I'm curious who they'll send to stop us, considering Kumogakure is much more dangerous than we are." Kitsuchi, standing beside him, wore an Iwagakure Hat, a yellow scarf around his neck, and an Iwagakure Jonin Vest, his eyes filled with amusement.
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