Late at night.
The world had slipped into the quietest hour of the day.
While most people slept, an army of several thousand moved swiftly through the darkness, advancing toward Konohagakure.
It was Kirigakure's army.
They had taken a long detour through the Land of Rivers, moving only under the cover of night to avoid detection. Somehow, they had slipped past several border defense lines and entered deep into the Land of Fire.
It was only when they approached Konoha and entered a more densely populated area that they were finally discovered.
"Report!"
Inside the Sarutobi Clan compound, a sharp cry tore through the night.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been asleep, opened his eyes at once.
"Report!"
"Lord Third! Emergency!"
Before Hiruzen could even finish putting on his robes, the voice had already reached the front of his residence.
The speed of the messenger and the urgency in his voice were enough to tell him that something serious had happened.
Hiruzen pushed open the sliding door.
"What happened?"
As he stepped outside, he quickly pulled his Hokage robes over his shoulders.
The ninja carrying the report dropped to one knee.
"An army of roughly five thousand is advancing toward Konoha from the direction of the Land of Rivers."
"At their current speed, they are less than thirty kilometers from the village!"
Hiruzen's expression changed at once.
"From the Land of Rivers?"
His first thought was Sunagakure.
After all, that was the direction of the Sand's territory.
But Sunagakure had only just surrendered. They had already signed the treaty. Why would they send five thousand troops straight toward Konoha now?
Were they really willing to throw away the rules of the shinobi world and drag Konoha into a fight to the death?
"We still don't know who they are," the messenger said quickly. "The moment the enemy was spotted, Captain Yūto sent me back to report."
"Captain Yūto and the others are setting traps ahead of them to slow their advance."
Hiruzen's face darkened.
That defense line was already Konoha's second layer of protection.
If the enemy broke through, the village itself would be in danger.
"Notify the Military Police Force immediately."
His voice turned firm.
"Sound the highest combat-readiness alarm."
"Yes!"
The messenger vanished.
Hiruzen immediately rushed toward the Hokage Residence.
An army of five thousand was approaching, yet most of Konoha's main forces had already been deployed elsewhere.
The weight pressing on his chest felt heavier than stone.
He had to gather the village leadership at once.
Before long, the alarm rang through Konoha.
A sharp, piercing sound echoed across the sleeping village.
Men, women, children, shinobi, and civilians alike were startled awake.
Lights began flickering on one after another.
At the Hokage Residence, the clan heads and senior officials arrived in haste.
"Sarutobi," Danzō said coldly, his brow furrowed. "What is going on?"
"Why was an emergency meeting called in the middle of the night?"
"And why has the village been placed under the highest combat alert?"
The shinobi sent to summon them had only said one thing.
Lord Hokage's emergency order.
Nothing more.
Because of that, none of them knew the full situation yet.
Hiruzen looked at everyone in the room, his expression grave.
"An army of roughly five thousand is advancing from the direction of the Land of Rivers."
"At this rate, they will reach Konoha soon."
The room instantly erupted.
"What?"
"From the Land of Rivers?"
"Is it Sunagakure?"
"Did they break the surrender agreement?"
"Those fools… Do they want another war?"
"If they force Konoha into a death match now, the other great nations will only benefit!"
Anger, confusion, and disbelief spread through the room.
Just like Hiruzen, most of them immediately assumed Sunagakure was behind it.
"Report!"
Another voice came from outside.
A moment later, an intelligence ninja rushed into the room and dropped to one knee.
"Lord Third! Everyone!"
He took a breath, then spoke quickly.
"The enemy has been identified."
"It is Kirigakure's army."
"And leading them…"
His expression tightened.
"…are the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
The room fell silent.
Then—
"Kirigakure?"
"How is that possible?"
"They came from the Land of Rivers?"
The elders and clan heads looked at one another in shock.
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"Bring the map."
A shinobi behind him immediately disappeared.
Moments later, a large map of the shinobi world was spread across the conference table.
Hiruzen leaned over it, and the clan heads gathered around.
The Nara Clan head studied the map for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"They didn't land through the nearer route by the Land of Bears…"
His finger traced a long path across the map.
"They circled around by sea, landed near the coast of the Land of Rivers, then moved inland from there."
He paused.
"In other words, they intentionally avoided the obvious route and came in through our rear."
Hearing that, the others all fell into thought.
After all, taking the sea route to the Land of Rivers would cost far more time and resources than a direct landing.
If Kirigakure had been aiming for the Land of Wind, that route would still make sense.
But they had taken such a long detour just to strike Konoha from behind.
Wasn't that being far too cautious?
And with such a stretched supply line, were they not worried about logistics?
For a moment, everyone in the room had the same doubts.
"These Mist shinobi really know how to make trouble."
"Exactly. They circled around by sea and landed in the Land of Rivers. That means the two thousand troops we stationed near the Land of Bears are completely useless now."
"But why go that far? If their front line stretches too much, it should be just as dangerous for them."
After a few breaths of silence, everyone began throwing out their own guesses.
The conference room quickly grew noisy.
"Enough."
Hiruzen's voice cut through the room.
"This is not the time to guess Kirigakure's motives."
His gaze swept across everyone present.
"The enemy is already at our doorstep."
The room fell silent again.
Hiruzen's expression was heavy as he asked, "Among your clans, how many shinobi above Chūnin rank can still be mobilized?"
No one answered immediately.
After all, most of Konoha's available forces had already been sent to the battlefields.
The remaining clan heads exchanged glances.
Finally, the Aburame clan head spoke first.
"The Aburame clan can still send a little over ten shinobi above Chūnin rank."
"The Yamanaka clan is about the same."
"The Inuzuka clan as well."
"The Hyūga clan still has some branch-family members available."
Under Hiruzen's gaze, each clan head reported their remaining strength one by one.
But even after adding them together, the number barely reached five hundred.
Hiruzen's heart sank further.
At that moment, Danzō's calm voice rang out.
"There is still one clan that has not been deployed."
Everyone turned toward him.
"The Uchiha."
Only then did they remember that the Uchiha elder had not spoken.
The Uchiha Grand Elder's face stiffened slightly as everyone's eyes fell on him.
"The Uchiha clan…"
He paused for a moment before answering.
"We can gather around five to six hundred shinobi."
He had always wanted the Uchiha to join the war and earn merit.
But that did not mean he wanted them thrown onto the battlefield against Kirigakure.
Most Uchiha specialized in Fire Release.
Kirigakure shinobi, on the other hand, were known for Water Release.
In a direct clash, the Uchiha's ninjutsu would be at a natural disadvantage.
"Even with them, we barely have over a thousand," Hiruzen said, his face still grim.
He had indeed overlooked the Uchiha earlier.
Or rather, he and Danzō had grown too used to keeping the Uchiha away from the main battlefields, preventing them from gaining too much military merit.
Without realizing it, excluding the Uchiha had almost become instinct.
"If that is still not enough…"
Danzō spoke again, his voice low and emotionless.
"Then mobilize the Genin as well."
Hiruzen's brows tightened.
Sending Genin to face an army like that was almost the same as sending children to die.
But Danzō's expression did not change.
"In a crisis that concerns the survival of the village, no one has the luxury of standing aside."
For Danzō, as long as it was for Konoha, anyone could become a sacrifice.
"I agree with Danzō."
Utatane Koharu also spoke.
"The village is in danger. We should gather every force we can."
She and Danzō were both disciples of Senju Tobirama.
To them, the village always came first.
Hiruzen closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled heavily.
"…Very well."
His voice was filled with reluctance.
"Summon the Genin as well."
At this point, they had no other choice.
With only a little over a thousand shinobi, there was no way to stop an army of five thousand.
Then Hiruzen suddenly looked toward Mikoto.
"Mikoto."
"Yes, Lord Third?"
"Try contacting the Iwagakure battlefield."
His expression grew sharper.
"Find out how Yagami and the others are doing."
"If the situation there allows it, have them quietly detach a unit and send reinforcements back to the village."
At this moment, only Yagami's side, which had a Den Den Mushi, could communicate with the outside battlefields quickly enough.
"Understood, Lord Third."
Mikoto knew how urgent the situation was. She immediately took out the Den Den Mushi and tried calling Yagami.
But after dialing…
There was no response.
The call would not connect.
"What happened?"
Seeing Mikoto trying over and over again while the Den Den Mushi still failed to connect, Hiruzen finally asked with a tense expression.
"It still won't go through…"
Mikoto frowned slightly as she held the receiver.
"Yagami-kun probably activated another barrier."
There was obvious anxiety in her voice.
The same thing had happened before. Whenever Yagami deployed one of his large-scale barriers, the Den Den Mushi's signal would be completely blocked.
Hiruzen let out a tired sigh.
"…Again, huh?"
Last time, it had also happened during a critical moment.
Now, with the village facing an even greater crisis, the same problem appeared again.
For a moment, even Hiruzen felt speechless.
Just how many strange jutsu had that boy developed?
"Lord Third, please don't worry."
Mikoto quickly spoke up after noticing Hiruzen's reaction.
"Yagami-kun is probably busy with something important right now. I'll keep trying."
Recently, the village leadership had placed extremely high expectations on Yagami.
Mikoto had noticed it clearly.
Because of that, she did not want anyone to develop a bad impression of him just because the Den Den Mushi failed to connect.
Hiruzen looked at her for a moment before sighing helplessly.
"…Alright. I'll leave it to you."
He could naturally tell Mikoto was protecting her lover a little.
Still, he never intended to blame Yagami in the first place.
After all, no one could have predicted a situation like this.
Hiruzen soon turned toward the others again, his expression growing serious.
"There's no more time."
"Notify every clan immediately and gather all remaining shinobi."
"And…"
He paused slightly before continuing.
"Call the Genin to assemble as well."
The room grew heavy.
Even Hiruzen himself looked reluctant after saying it.
If there was another choice, who would willingly send children to war?
On a battlefield like this, the survival rate for Genin was terrifyingly low.
"We understand."
The clan heads and Jōnin all stood up one after another.
Soon, they quickly left the Hokage Residence and scattered toward their respective clan compounds.
Meanwhile…
Far away from Konoha.
Inside a barrier-covered camp.
"Hah… now you understand what happens when you keep provoking me first thing in the morning."
Yagami lay back comfortably and looked at Kushina with a satisfied grin.
Kushina was completely limp beside him.
If he smoked, this would have been the perfect moment for a cigarette.
"You're the shameless one here…"
Kushina turned her flushed face away, not daring to look at him.
"You were obviously waiting for an excuse to bully me."
Yagami burst out laughing.
"Oh? Weren't you acting all confident this morning?"
"This is karma."
Kushina bit her lip lightly and refused to answer.
Seeing her too embarrassed to even look at him made Yagami feel even more amused.
After all, only an hour ago she had still been acting proud and competitive.
Now she looked completely exhausted.
"Kushina?"
Yagami blinked after not hearing a response for a while.
He leaned closer curiously.
Only then did he realize that Kushina had already fallen asleep.
Her breathing had become soft and steady.
"…Seriously?"
Yagami stared blankly for a second.
"She actually fell asleep instantly…"
A little sweat still lingered on her forehead, making it obvious just how exhausted she was.
Yagami's expression softened slightly.
He took out a delicate handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Only after that did he finally close his own eyes and rest.
However…
What Yagami did not know was that while he had forgotten to remove the barrier, Mikoto had spent the entire night trying to contact him from Konoha.
The next morning.
Just as the sky began to brighten slightly, Yagami slowly opened his eyes.
For nearly ten years, he had maintained the habit of waking up early.
Sleeping in simply no longer suited him.
The moment he opened his eyes, he immediately noticed the transparent barrier surrounding the camp.
"…Ah."
Only then did he remember.
He had forgotten to release the barrier last night.
Yagami raised two fingers.
"Release."
The barrier gradually disappeared.
And the instant it vanished—
Bururururururu!
The Den Den Mushi suddenly began ringing nonstop.
Yagami's eyelid twitched.
That familiar feeling instantly gave him bad memories.
The last time this happened, the village had also been facing an emergency.
Without wasting time, he quickly grabbed the Den Den Mushi buried under his clothes.
Click.
The Den Den Mushi immediately transformed, mimicking Mikoto's exhausted appearance perfectly.
Even the dark circles under her eyes were copied.
Yagami frowned instantly.
"Mikoto?"
"You haven't slept all night?"
Mikoto quickly spoke before wasting another second.
"Yagami-kun, Konoha has been attacked by Kirigakure."
"The Third Hokage and the others have been fighting outside the village since last night."
"The battle still hasn't stopped."
Her voice carried obvious exhaustion and anxiety.
Wave after wave of shinobi had already been sent onto the battlefield.
Even Genin were being forced into combat now.
As someone watching from inside the village, Mikoto felt terrible.
But behind them was Konoha itself.
No matter how cruel it was, they had no choice.
"What?!"
Yagami's expression changed immediately.
"Kirigakure attacked the village?!"
His voice instantly woke Kushina beside him.
"Yes."
Mikoto nodded quickly.
"They circled around by sea and landed through the Land of Rivers."
"They attacked our rear directly."
"The two thousand defenders stationed near the Land of Bears probably still don't even know what's happening yet."
As she explained the situation, explosions could faintly be heard from her side through the Den Den Mushi.
It was obvious she was still extremely close to the battlefield.
Yagami's face gradually became serious.
"How much combat power does the village still have?"
Honestly, he did not particularly care about Konoha itself.
But Mikoto was there.
That alone was enough to make him uneasy.
"At last night's emergency meeting, the Third Hokage already mobilized every remaining shinobi from the major clans."
"But even then, our numbers are still heavily outmatched."
Her voice lowered slightly.
"So… they started sending the Genin onto the battlefield during the night."
Yagami's eyes narrowed.
Then Mikoto continued,
"Also… Lord Third wanted me to ask about your situation."
"If the battlefield on your side is stable, he hopes you can send a unit back to reinforce the village."
Mikoto explained everything in one breath before finally pausing slightly to catch it.
Yagami fell silent for a moment.
Then—
"…Understood."
"I'll head back immediately."
"And Mikoto…"
His voice became lower.
"Be careful."
After saying that, Yagami ended the call.
Beside him, Kushina had already fully woken up.
The moment she heard the conversation, all traces of sleepiness disappeared from her face.
The village was in danger.
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