Eve of War

"Not bad, Minato. You only attended class for two months, then skipped another two months all at once."

That day, when Soji entered the classroom and saw Minato already in his seat, he could not help showing a surprised expression before walking over.

"Minato, where have you been these past two months? Everyone was worried about you." Choza Akimichi quickly asked as well.

The other students nearby also began asking after Minato all at once.

"Thank you for worrying about me. I took on a teacher and spent these past two months furthering my studies with him. I already informed Lord Hokage. I'm really sorry for making everyone worry. From now on, I'll return to school and attend classes normally."

Faced with everyone's concerned questions, Minato could not help but look guilty.

Thinking about it, they had all been studying together every day, only for him to suddenly disappear one day without even saying goodbye. Anyone would have found that hard to adjust to.

"Hmph, Minato, you're my target now too. Once I surpass Soji, you'll be next." Uchiha Homura declared to Minato with fighting spirit burning in his eyes.

"Haha."

Minato helplessly scratched the back of his head and could only respond with a smile.

"That's great. Someone can finally help me share the burden. Thank you, Minato."

After hearing Uchiha Homura's words, Soji looked delighted. Ever since Minato had been gone these past two months, Uchiha Homura had been unbearably annoying, fixating on Soji during every Training Class.

Minato was speechless at Soji's thanks. Was this karma coming back around? Was Soji finally getting back at me for all those times I teased him?

After that, Minato returned to his usual life. Every day, he trained and studied with his friends, occasionally fooling around with them as well.

Although his strength did not improve as quickly as it had when he was with Lord Jiraiya, striving alongside his friends made him feel far more fulfilled.

Meanwhile, two days later, Tsunade also returned to Konoha Village from the front lines.

One by one, Konoha's higher-ups, the Clan Heads of the various ninja clans, and representatives of the civilian jonin gathered in Konoha's highest council hall.

The meeting went on for a long time, beginning in the morning and lasting until the sun set in the afternoon.

Afterward, every attendee who left was in a hurry. The Clan Heads returned to their clans and immediately convened meetings to discuss the details related to this matter.

The ninja clans' meetings did not end until dawn.

As for how Soji knew all this, it was because his grandfather, Hyuga Kumokawa, returned at that time, just as Soji had finished his training for the day.

Hyuga Kumokawa did not hide anything from him and directly told him about the clan meeting and how he would soon be heading to the front lines to fight.

Of course, Hyuga Kumokawa did not reveal the specific arrangements. After all, major matters such as Konoha taking the initiative to start a Ninja World War and launching surprise attacks on Sunagakure and Kirigakure could not possibly be told to Soji. Hyuga Kumokawa still had that much awareness of the bigger picture.

"Grandpa, at your age, you still have to go fight on the front lines?" Soji looked at Hyuga Kumokawa with concern.

"You brat, what kind of thing is that to say? You think your grandpa is old, do you? You're asking for a beating!" Hyuga Kumokawa raised his fist as if he were about to hit Soji.

"Ah, Grandpa, of course not." Soji hurriedly covered his head with both hands and pretended to dodge.

However, Hyuga Kumokawa's fist did not actually land on Soji's head. At the moment it came down, he opened his fingers and placed his hand on Soji's shoulder instead.

"Soji, at my age, I truly don't need to insist on going to the battlefield. But this time, I have my own purpose. I have to go!" Hyuga Kumokawa looked Soji in the eyes, his tone resolute.

"Grandpa, can you tell me what that purpose is?" Soji asked tentatively.

"Haha, little fellow, even if you ask, I won't tell you." Hyuga Kumokawa's old childish streak suddenly surfaced.

Grandpa wants to pave one last road for you. Hyuga Kumokawa kept those final words to himself.

He did not have much time left. Over this past year, he had also sensed the urgency in Soji's heart. Though he did not know what was troubling him, as his grandfather, he had a duty to consider his grandson's future.

"Grandpa, you're so stingy." Soji muttered with rare childishness.

Only in front of his grandfather, Hyuga Kumokawa, would Soji show this side of himself.

Soji treasured this bond deeply. After all, Hyuga Kumokawa was his only family in this world.

Whether or not it had anything to do with the original owner's memories, Hyuga Kumokawa's care for Soji over the past year had not contained even a trace of selfishness.

That was also why Soji was so worried about Hyuga Kumokawa going to war.

"Alright, go get some rest. During the Yin Hour, Grandpa will lead some of the clan members out with Lord White Fang." After saying that, Hyuga Kumokawa returned to his room.

Lord White Fang? Konoha's White Fang Sakumo Hatake? Hatake the 50/50's future father? Soji muttered inwardly.

Without thinking too much about it, Soji returned to his room and went to sleep as well.

When the Yin Hour arrived, the moon hung high in the sky, and only faint moonlight spilled over the silent Konoha Ninja village.

Suddenly, batch after batch of shadowy figures darted out from Konoha Village. Some nodded to each other in greeting, but none spoke as they gathered at the village gate.

Konoha's gates remained open that night. Two groups had already formed there.

The leader of one group had long silver-white hair tied in a ponytail. He held a Chakra Short Sword and wore a dark green flak jacket. His eyes were closed, as though he were resting, or perhaps deep in thought.

Beside him stood a female ninja who appeared to be under twenty years old.

She had light blonde hair gathered into a large ponytail, a blue-purple diamond-shaped mark on her forehead, thin pale-blonde brows, and bright brown pupils that seemed to glow even in the darkness. Her lips were light red, and her figure was voluptuous, especially her upper body. In Jiraiya's words, it was a landscape of rolling peaks.

These two were two of Konoha's current Kage-level experts: Hatake Sakumo, known as Konoha's White Fang, and Konoha's princess, Tsunade of the Senju Clan!

The two leaders of the other group were likewise two of Konoha's Kage-level experts. If Minato had been here, he would definitely have recognized them, because he knew both of them.

One was Minato's teacher, Jiraiya. The other was Orochimaru, who was as famous as Jiraiya and Tsunade.

This lineup could have directly wiped out one of the other four great ninja villages.

Why had four Kage-level experts gathered at Konoha's gate, with ninjas arriving one after another around them?

Because of war!

After Tsunade's return, Konoha's higher-ups finalized the candidates for the surprise attacks on Sunagakure and Kirigakure.

Hatake Sakumo and Tsunade would lead an elite force of two thousand to attack Sunagakure, while Orochimaru and Jiraiya would lead another two thousand elite ninjas to attack Kirigakure.

The Third Hokage and Konoha's other higher-ups were determined to win this battle!

They did not expect to crush both Sunagakure and Kirigakure outright, but they at least intended to eliminate a large number of their fresh forces, leaving them unable to join Kumogakure and Iwagakure in a four-against-one assault on Konoha.

This plan had already been decided two months ago. Today was merely the day it was officially put into action.

At 3:15 AM, as the final batch of ninjas arrived, Hatake Sakumo, commander of everyone present, opened his eyes!

"Alright. I'm sure your clans and captains have already explained this mission clearly, so I won't waste time repeating it here."

After a brief pause, Hatake Sakumo continued, "For the village, for every person we care about, we must win this battle! Let us head to the battlefield with the determination to claim victory. At the same time, I hope every one of you can return alive."

In the dead of night, although Hatake Sakumo's words had set everyone's blood boiling, they knew they could not make a sound.

They were setting out at this hour precisely to avoid spies from the other ninja villages within Konoha. If they shouted loudly in the middle of the night, then it could hardly be called a surprise attack.

"Orochimaru, Jiraiya, I'll leave the surprise attack on Kirigakure to you. Make sure to cripple them in one strike and leave them unable to fight again." Before they parted ways, Hatake Sakumo instructed Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

"Don't worry, Lord Sakumo. We won't let a single Kirigakure soldier slip through into the Land of Fire." Jiraiya's face was utterly serious at that moment, without the slightest hint of carelessness.

"Hehe, we won't spare a single Mist Ninja we encounter." Orochimaru licked his lips as he answered cruelly.

"Hey, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, be careful. Don't go getting yourselves killed on the battlefield. When you get back, we'll go have a drink at the Izakaya together!" Tsunade said domineeringly, hands on her hips.

Though her words were meant as concern, they somehow sounded venomous coming from Tsunade's mouth. Perhaps that was simply how the three of them got along.

"Hahaha, we will. Tsunade, you need to be careful too." Jiraiya replied with an expression of flattered surprise at Tsunade's concern.

"Heh." Orochimaru's silent mockery said it all. He had no desire to drink with those two drunks!

One drink?

Those two bottomless booze hounds! Did they have no self-awareness? Every time he drank with them, he only had one or two cups, while they might already have downed one or two barrels!

In the end, he always had to carry those two stinking, passed-out fools away, pay the bill under the pitying gazes of everyone nearby, and then take them home!

If Tsunade had proposed any other condition instead of surviving, Orochimaru guaranteed that he would choose that option!

There was no reason for it. He simply did not want to drink with those two!

"Hm? Orochimaru, what do you mean by that? And besides, with Lord Sakumo, how could I possibly run into any danger?" Hearing Orochimaru's "heh," Tsunade resisted the urge to roll up her sleeves and start a fight. They were about to depart, after all.

"Alright, alright, it's time for us to leave. Then I'll leave the other side to you." Seeing the atmosphere about to take a sudden turn, Hatake Sakumo hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over.

As the overall commander of both forces, Hatake Sakumo indeed had the authority to stop the three of them.

It was not just because of his seniority, but because Konoha's White Fang possessed strength that surpassed all three of them.

In all of Konoha Village, even the Third Hokage would not dare claim that he could steadily defeat Hatake Sakumo. White Fang's swordsmanship was simply too troublesome and too strange.

That was also why the Third Hokage had given Hatake Sakumo the position of overall commander rather than handing it to one of his three disciples.

Afterward, the two sides organized their forces and left the village gate under cover of darkness, one heading left and the other right, toward the battlefields of Sunagakure and Kirigakure respectively.

Overall Commander of Both Forces: Hatake Sakumo

Commander of the Surprise Attack on Sunagakure: Hatake Sakumo

Deputy Commander of the Surprise Attack on Sunagakure: Tsunade

Commander of the Surprise Attack on Kirigakure: Orochimaru

Deputy Commander of the Surprise Attack on Kirigakure: Jiraiya

This was the final list of battlefield commanders decided by the Third Hokage.

Hyuga Kumokawa led part of his clan to follow the force assigned to the surprise attack on Sunagakure.