War!

The sun sank in the west, casting an orange-red glow over the land. Banks of fiery clouds drifted slowly across the sky, gathering and scattering into all sorts of strange shapes.

Yemo and his two companions strolled toward Konoha along a shady street, where the leaves blocked the sunlight.

Suddenly, Inoichi said, "Yemo, I've realized the Chakra you Uzumaki have is downright monstrous. You used the Great Fireball Jutsu over a hundred times in a row today, and you didn't seem to run low on Chakra at all. Having that much Chakra from birth is just unfair."

"It's all right. I wouldn't call it monstrous. The clans with Kekkei Genkai are the real monsters," Lin Yan replied.

Shikaku nodded in agreement. "That's true. Those Kekkei Genkai clans really are strong. Take the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan and the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan here in Konoha. Once they awaken their eyes, their strength can increase exponentially."

"Your clans aren't bad either," Yemo said with a smile. "The Yamanaka Clan, Nara Clan, and Akimichi Clan have passed down their own secret techniques for generations. Especially when you work together in the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, you can take on enemies numbering more than ten times your own."

For a small village, Konoha had no shortage of clans: the Uchiha and Hyuga out in the open, as well as the Senju Clan, which had withdrawn from sight in recent years, and the Sarutobi Clan. It could be said that the great village of Konoha was actually made up of these clans behind the scenes, and that the village's backbone and pillars were the ninjas from those clans as well.

The three chatted as they arrived at a barbecue restaurant. Chōza had already reserved a table, and by the time Yemo and the others arrived, he had already started eating.

"Cheers!"

The four raised their cups and clinked them together, then drained them in one gulp.

As he ate his grilled meat, Chōza asked, "Yemo, how did your Ninjutsu training go today?"

"It went all right. I learned what Shikaku taught me," Lin Yan said.

Shikamaru waved his chopsticks. "What do you mean, all right? You really missed out by not coming today. Yemo gave Inoichi and me one hell of a shock. You have no idea what happened..."

Hearing that, Chōza was immediately curious. What could have happened to surprise Shikaku so much? He even stopped eating his grilled meat and listened as Shikaku recounted the details.

Shikaku then described everything that had happened while Yemo was learning Ninjutsu that day. Chōza's initial curiosity turned to shock, and he looked at Yemo in disbelief.

"Yemo, I didn't know you were so impressive. Shikaku was right. Looks like I really did miss a good show today," Chōza said in surprise.

"What good show? Don't listen to Shikaku's nonsense." Suddenly remembering something, Yemo said, "Oh, right, there's something I wanted to ask you. Do you have time in the next couple of days?"

Without even thinking, Shikaku said, "We don't have any time these days. But what is it that you need our help with?"

As soon as Shikaku finished, Chōza and Inoichi also looked at Yemo, their faces full of curiosity and confusion.

Yemo shrugged and said casually, "It's nothing important. My sister won't be home for the next couple of days, and I'll be bored, so I was planning to gather some medicinal herbs. I wanted to ask if you wanted to come."

Holding a piece of grilled meat in his chopsticks, Chōza said, "If we had time, we could go with you. But we've got things to do these days. I'm afraid we'll have to leave Konoha for a while."

"Leave Konoha? What are you going to do?" Yemo asked curiously. His sister was leaving Konoha, and so were Chōza and the others. Could there be a connection between the two?

"It's because of Kumogakure," Shikaku said reluctantly. "After spending these past few years recovering, Kumogakure has started acting up again. Their ninjas have been crossing the border between the two countries a lot lately. Things are anything but peaceful at the border now. We fight battles of all sizes with the Kumo ninjas every day."

"Fighting? Is a war going to break out?" After listening to Shikaku, Yemo looked serious too. He had never even heard of this. It seemed Konoha High Command had suppressed the matter to keep ordinary people from finding out.

Then again, the Second Shinobi World War had only recently ended, and everyone had finally enjoyed a few years of peace. If they suddenly learned that Kumogakure and Konoha were clashing, it would probably cause unnecessary panic again.

No wonder Yemo had noticed ninjas deploying frequently from the village lately, and many Jonin-level powerhouses were absent. Fighting had broken out at the border.

Shikaku waved a hand and analyzed the situation. "It won't come to an all-out war. The Second Shinobi World War wasn't that long ago, and neither Konoha nor Kumogakure has fully recovered from its effects. Starting a war now wouldn't benefit either side."

"So Konoha High Command and Kumogakure's high command have confined the fighting to the border. Konoha High Command has also suppressed news of the fighting between the two sides to keep ordinary people from finding out. Based on my analysis, an all-out war probably won't break out, but small-scale battles are unavoidable."

He truly was the future brains of Konoha, who would one day command the hundred thousand-strong Allied Shinobi Forces in battle. At such a young age, he had already analyzed the thinking of the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, Konoha High Command, and Kumogakure's high command with complete clarity. Today, Yemo had finally witnessed Shikaku's true intelligence.

Chōza picked up a piece of cooked meat and put it in his mouth. "I don't know what Kumogakure is thinking. They suddenly crossed our border, but they aren't planning to start an all-out war."

"Who knows? But since Kumogakure was willing to attack us first, they must have some objective. That's none of our business, though. The higher-ups will investigate and get to the bottom of it. What a drag." By the time Shikaku finished speaking, his throat was a little dry, so he poured himself a cup of sake and gulped it down.

"There's something I find strange," Yemo said. "Even if Kumogakure and Konoha are fighting at the border, surely there's no need to send Genin like you who only recently graduated from the Ninja Academy."

Konoha was at its peak right now. Its top powerhouses included the Third Hokage in the prime of his life, the Sannin renowned throughout the shinobi world, and the powerful White Fang of Konoha. The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans also had powerhouses in abundance, and there were the powerful Anbu and Shimura Danzō of the Root, which was rotting away in the shadows. Konoha's strength was probably at its greatest since the First Hokage was alive.

For a small, limited war, Konoha had no need to send fledglings who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy onto the battlefield, did it?

Hearing Lin Yan's question, Inoichi smiled and explained, "The three of us weren't ordered to the border by the higher-ups. We're going with our elders for training and to see what a real battlefield is like. They won't have us join an actual battle, and we'll have very few chances to fight."

Yemo understood at once. So that was it. Children of the great clans really were different. They could even take part in a war and gain experience through bloodshed, with their clan elders there to watch over them. How could ordinary ninjas ever receive that kind of treatment?

"What a drag!" Shikaku complained reluctantly. In his view, going to the border was less worthwhile than hiding away and sleeping every day.

Yemo had learned quite a bit tonight, and he began to worry about his sister. He had originally thought she had only gone out to have fun with Minato, but now it seemed his guess had probably been wrong.

His sister had most likely gone to take part in the fighting at the border too. But when he remembered that Minato was with her, Yemo felt much less worried. As the future Fourth Hokage, Minato was still young, but his strength could no longer be underestimated. Protecting his sister shouldn't be a problem.