Tobirama stood before the window, holding the letter from the ninja hawk. After reading its contents, he immediately summoned the Jonin of the Village to discuss preparations for the impending war.
His emotions were in turmoil; he truly had not expected Fūmori Masaki's prediction to become reality. The Land of Lightning had indeed launched a war against the Land of Fire, and the speed of it had caught everyone off guard.
Fortunately, Tobirama had acknowledged some of the points in the proposal and made preparations, so there was no need to spend extra time readying the troops. Faced with this offensive from the Land of Lightning, every second could lead to dire consequences.
Within ten minutes, the Jonin had gathered in the room. Although they did not yet know what had happened, summoning all the Jonin during such critical times was certainly a major event. Inquisitive gazes fell upon Tobirama, waiting for the Second Hokage to speak.
Tobirama turned around, looked at the Jonin before him, and said, "Just now, I received information sent by an Anbu squad that was out on reconnaissance. They reported that without any clear prior movements, the Kumogakure Ninja Squad suddenly launched an attack. Caught off guard, the Northern Border Army had its defensive line breached, and a large number of Ninja troops have entered the interior of the country. They are requesting immediate support from the Village."
Upon hearing this, the Jonin were filled with astonishment. They were the ones who had followed Hashirama during the unification of the Land of Fire, so they naturally understood war. It was incredibly risky for Kumogakure to attack the border army alone without the assistance of a Samurai Corps, but it had to be said that this approach was beyond everyone's expectations and had actually achieved significant results.
The Northern Border Army was a battle-hardened Samurai Corps; if they had taken up defensive positions with sufficient preparation, even the Kumogakure Ninja Squad would not have been able to win easily. However, under the surprise attack from the Land of Lightning, the Northern Border Army could not respond in time, resulting in defeat after defeat, and they had actually allowed the Kumogakure Ninja Squad to breach the northern defense line and drive straight into the heartland.
Given the mobility and destructive speed of Ninja troops, in such a surprise attack, not many cities could withstand their offensive. However, there was also a major hidden danger; once the Kumogakure Ninja Squad's offensive was hindered and the Samurai Corps formed an encirclement, they could very likely be completely annihilated.
The desperate, all-or-nothing courage of Kumogakure was admirable, but business is business. Since they were the enemy, their plans had to be stopped; otherwise, Konohagakure would not be spared.
"There is no time to lose. We must set out immediately to curb the momentum of Kumogakure," Tobirama said coldly. "If we let them continue to act so recklessly, the country will not be able to organize an effective Samurai Corps. Once the samurai army of the Land of Lightning arrives, it will result in the fall of the country."
"But the intelligence is very vague, and we have limited manpower. Where should we go to defend?" someone asked.
Tobirama picked up the map of the Land of Fire and said, "Kumogakure surely knows they must fight a quick battle to force a quick decision. Therefore, there is no better method than attacking the capital. Thus, their marching route can be traced. Of course, we must also consider other possibilities, which will require the people from the Hyuga Clan."
As he spoke, Tobirama's gaze turned to a handsome middle-aged man. He was the head of the Hyuga Clan, named Hyuga Masato. He looked at Tobirama and nodded, saying, "The Hyuga Clan will fully assist the Village in repelling Kumogakure."
"Very well. Let us immediately discuss the troops the Jonin will be responsible for. Once you return and finish mobilizing, we will set out at once," Tobirama said upon hearing this.
Upon hearing the news of war preparations, Fūmori Masaki still felt a sense of unreality. He had originally thought that after arriving at the Northern Border Army, he could discern some signs of the Land of Lightning and then warn the Village to prepare early. He had not expected that before he could even leave the Village, the Land of Lightning had already arrived.
Too fast, it was really too fast, Fūmori Masaki thought.
"Masaki." At this moment, he heard Satomi's voice. He turned his head and saw a look of worry on her face as she said, "Has the war really come?"
"Yes, it has really come," Fūmori Masaki said.
"Just as you said, the war has come so quickly." Satomi gritted her teeth slightly. "Damn the Land of Lightning, why did they have to start a war?"
"Regardless, we must prepare to fight," Fūmori Masaki said, then changed the subject: "Are you afraid, Satomi?"
"Afraid? How could I be afraid?" Satomi said without hesitation. "I will absolutely not let these invaders harm the Village."
Upon hearing this, Fūmori Masaki withdrew his words of caution. The two of them prepared briefly, brought their ninja tools, and then left the house to head toward the troop assembly point.
According to the predictions of Tobirama and the Jonin, there were three locations the Kumogakure Ninja Squad might choose. Considering the mobility of Ninjas, they would likely choose to split their forces for operations, not only attacking multiple targets simultaneously but also making it easier to maneuver. Therefore, Tobirama decided to organize four units; three units would go to support the three locations, and the remaining unit would stand by to support the three units at any time or respond to unexpected attack targets.
The four units would be composed of multiple squads, with each unit consisting of three hundred people. Anbu squads would lead regular Ninja squads. Within each unit, they would be divided into close-range combat, mid-to-long-range combat, and reconnaissance squads based on the Ninjutsu used, in order to maximize their own capabilities.
Although Fūmori Masaki could use mid-to-long-range Ninjutsu, given his all-around capabilities, he was assigned to a close-range combat squad, and the same was true for Satomi. Akimichi Torifu seemed to have other uses and was transferred to a different unit; the one who replaced him was Danzo.
Danzo was also an expert at using Wind Release Ninjutsu, but compared to close range, he was more skilled at using mid-to-long-range Wind Release Ninjutsu. Perhaps that was why he was assigned to a different unit; Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was in the same unit as him, could already shoulder that responsibility. There were not many Wind Release Ninja to begin with, so it was impossible to gather too many people who could serve the same role in the same unit.
"Let's do our best, Danzo," Fūmori Masaki said to Danzo with a smile.
Danzo had no ill feelings toward Fūmori Masaki and nodded slightly, saying, "Hmm, come to think of it, this is the first time we fellow disciples are fighting side-by-side in such a large battle; it is indeed a bit stressful."
"I believe the Village will win the final victory; we just need to do our best in battle," Fūmori Masaki said.
Danzo did not know why Fūmori Masaki was so full of confidence, but deep down, he also believed that Konohagakure would achieve final victory; Kumogakure would certainly not be a match for Konoha.
The two did not talk for long before they had to go to their units to await orders. The unit they were in was led by Senju Touka, while the other two were led by Tobirama and Sarutobi Sasuke, respectively, and the Fourth Division was led by Hyuga Masato—
The unit led by Tobirama was mainly composed of Ninjas from the Senju Clan and was the main force of Konohagakure. They would go to assist the largest city, which was also the place where the Kumogakure Ninja Squad was most likely to attack, to engage the enemy head-on.
Sarutobi Sasuke's unit was composed of the Sarutobi Clan, the Shimura Clan, and the Ino–Shika–Chō; they also had to shoulder important responsibilities, assisting Tobirama's main force in repelling the enemy.
The unit led by Senju Touka was mainly composed of parts of various large and small clans, and the membership was complex. Although they did not have the powerful combat strength of the other two units, the Ninjutsu they possessed had miraculous effects. Coupled with some main combat personnel, they did not need to engage the enemy head-on; they only needed to assist and delay.
The unit led by Hyuga Masato was mainly composed of the Hyuga Clan, the Aburame Clan, and the Inuzuka Clan; their main role was to scout the enemy's movements, relay intelligence, and provide support.
After all four units had finished assembling, Tobirama inspected each unit, briefly explained the current situation, and then ordered everyone to set out and rush to the battlefield.
As the main force left Konohagakure, Uchiha Kagami, who was guarding Konohagakure, watched the departing troops and muttered softly, "I hope the war can end smoothly."
As the head of the Uchiha Clan, he could not leave easily. Only by being in Konoha could he maintain control over the clan and ensure they would not cause chaos. Therefore, he could only pray in the Village that his friends would return safely.