In the early morning, the sky was still gray, and a thick cloud piled in the sky.
Different from the deserted place in the past, Konoha Gate is now full of noise. Soon, under the order of Squad Leader Jonin, the troops calmed down and then ran towards the outside of the village in an orderly manner.
Uchiha Chen watched the torrent go away. After a moment of silence, he turned around and walked towards Hokage Building.
As we approached the building, there were gradually more pedestrians on the street, but there was always a depressing atmosphere among the crowd.
This kind of atmosphere is not unfamiliar to Chen. When Second Great Ninja War broke out, the village was also like this. At that time, he was just a student of the Ninja Academy.
War never makes people happy, everyone hates it, but no one can stop it.
After entering the building, Chen pushed open the door of Hokage Office.
Watching him walk in, Anbu Ninja who was hiding around him also disappeared. There were some things that they couldn't hear.
"You're back, Chen."
Third Hokage, whom he had not seen for several months, was standing alone in front of the window on the second floor, looking at the morning star in the sky, looking lonely.
"Well, Konoha Jonin, Uchiha Chen has met Master Third Hokage."
"Okay, let's skip these common etiquette." Sarutobi Hiruzen waved his hand, motioning for him to come closer.
Chen took a step forward gently and stood side by side with Third Hokage at the window. What came into view were the three huge statues of Hokage Rock.
The seventeen-year-old Uchiha Chen has already surpassed Third Hokage in terms of height. He has short black hair and an increasingly handsome face, full of the sharpness and arrogance of a young man.
"How is Sage Art practicing?" Third Hokage asked.
"I have completely mastered it."
"It doesn't matter if you don't learn it. In the future..." Third Hokage suddenly stopped, looked at Chen in disbelief, and asked, "What did you say?"
"I have completely mastered Sage Art."
Third Hokage took a breath, he really just asked casually, and did not expect Chen to learn Sage Art, let alone within half a year.
He knew how difficult it was for Sage Art. After all, Jiraiya was also studying and had not made much progress for several years.
Now Chen says he has learned...
So, is it an hallucination caused by the impact of airflow, or is it that my hearing has declined due to masturbating too much recently?
Third Hokage looked Chen up and down, as if looking at a monster. After a while, he couldn't help but ask, "I'm curious, are there any techniques you can't learn?"
Chen thought carefully for a moment and said seriously, "We haven't found anything yet."
"..."
This pretender... Third Hokage is a little speechless. I, Professor of Ninjutsu, don't even dare to say such things.
But if you think about it carefully, Chen does have the capital to say this.
During the Ninja Academy period, he developed several A-level Ninjutsu. He became Jonin the year he graduated, setting the record for being the youngest Shinobi World. Raiden dissected Shukaku and made great achievements on two battlefields...
Any words of exclamation are powerless to describe... Compared with Chen, Shinobi World's ninjas who were dubbed geniuses are all like parallel imports, even Sarutobi Hiruzen's most proud disciple Orochimaru is no exception.
Fortunately, Chen is his disciple, not his enemy, otherwise he would be very worried.
Third Hokage, who was in a much better mood, had a smile on his face, like a burst anus. "Now that I have learned Sage Art, I will exchange more experiences with Jiraiya. He will definitely be very happy."
"Are you sure?" Chen looked suspiciously.
"Haha, don't look at me like that. It's been so long. Jiraiya is still in the entry-level stage. A little stimulation won't do him any harm." Third Hokage blinked, "Believe me, that's right."
Believe it or not, you bad old man is very bad.
Chen is sure that if he obeys Third Hokage's instructions, Jiraiya will definitely write him into the novel.
Just like the name Orochimaru, it has appeared many times in someone's 18-ban novels... and they all appear as ugly villains.
If Chen had better information, he would know that Jiraiya had just made up his mind to let himself go, and in his writing, Orochimaru would become a man with special quirks... He especially liked a certain posture - it sounded painful, but it was impossible to conceive a child.
Therefore, the most insidious one of Konoha is actually Jiraiya.
"Okay, let's not talk too much. You probably know what I'm calling you back this time. Now I'll talk about the core part." Third Hokage thought about the wording for a while, and then slowly said to Chen.
"Third Mizukage is missing."
"Have you found out the reason?"
The disappearance of Third Kazekage in the previous life was caused by Xie, but now the timeline is too early. Third Kazekage is not dead, but Mizukage died first.
The Butterfly Effect caused by Chen was a bit big. The plot had changed significantly since a few years ago, so he was curious about who did it.
In his mind, Third Mizukage has been controlled by Madara. It couldn't be that Madara did it to provoke a war, right?
It seems... quite reasonable.
Third Hokage shook his head. "Third Mizukage's disappearance is too mysterious. No clues can be left, but it doesn't matter... To promote a war, sometimes all it takes is a key. As for the material of the key and the fingerprints on it, no one cares."
Third Hokage's voice was very soft and a bit harsh, but what he said was the naked truth.
The disappearance of Mizukage is just an introduction. Without Mizukage, there would still be Tsuchikage, Raikage, or Third Kazekage in the previous life. The wheel of history will not stop because of one or two characters.
This is the eternal truth.
"How is Shinobi World doing now?"
"It's not too bad, everyone is still in the trial stage."
Third Hokage pulled Chen to the table, with a detailed strategic map spread out on it.
"The most direct threat now comes from Hidden Sand Village."
Uchiha Chen was stunned, "Not Hidden Mist Village?"
Third Hokage shook his head. "Using Five Kage Summit's gap to attack Land of Fire... Yagura made a good plan, but before going to Land of Iron, we established a defense system along the coastline.
It's a pity that Fourth Mizukage shouted loudly, but Hidden Mist Village's strength is not as powerful as his talk. "
Third Hokage is actually a very euphemistic way of saying it. The real situation is that Kirigakure was directly stunned.
They who have not participated in Second Great Ninja War have not been able to fight a war for twenty years.
Ninja combat and large-scale combat are two different things.
Moreover, Hidden Mist Village has been exhausted due to Third Mizukage's efforts in the past few years. How could he be Konoha's opponent in a hurry.
Third Hokage continued, "During this period, the troops at the front and Mist Ninja have fought twice, and Konoha won both times.
Mist Ninja also learned a little better and settled in Land of Hot Water, Land of Waves and Land of Bears. "
From the map, these three countries are in a straight line. Kirigakure's move is to build an island chain to seal off Konoha's coastal areas.
In this way, they can attack from any direction, and once the war breaks out, Konoha will have to deal with four countries at the same time, and it will definitely not be able to cover everything.
Third Hokage moved his finger towards Land of Rivers, and said with a solemn expression, "Hidden Mist Village started to divide its troops, and the pace of the attack was greatly slowed down, so there is no problem on this front for the time being."
"What we have to worry about now is Hidden Sand Village. Judging from the intelligence, the vanguard of Sunagakure has arrived at the border of Land of Wind and Land of Rivers. There are about a thousand people in total. Their rank is unknown, but the person leading the troops is Rasa, a disciple of Third Kazekage..."
"Hidden Sand Village is already so out of touch?" Chen asked doubtfully.
Rasa is only seventeen years old now. In terms of strength and prestige, he is far from enough to hold this position.
"Their development has been slow in recent years, but they are not so shabby." Third Hokage considered his words and continued, "Hidden Sand Village's current situation is a bit special. Because of the last war, many ninjas in the village are dissatisfied with Third Kazekage.
And the ninjas of the Chiyo and Ebizo series, because of Chiyo, have gradually retired in recent years..."
"It turns out it was an internal fight." Chen said silently.
Third Hokage nodded. "Yes, that's why Third Kazekage jumped out in such a hurry. He wanted to use this war to divert the conflicts in the village and ruin the signed agreement."
The best way to divert conflicts is war... This is what the heads of state in previous lives did, and it has proven to be very effective.
"What about Hidden Stone Village and Hidden Cloud Village?" Chen asked.
"The troops of Iwagakure have reached the border of Land of Grass. However, they are not in a hurry to attack. Instead, they are building a long-term supply line. The most important thing is... they have also divided their troops."
Chen looked at the map and guessed: "Land of Waterfall?" "
Third Hokage showed admiration: "It's Land of Waterfall, Third Tsuchikage is guarding against Hidden Cloud Village." "
Second Great Ninja War, taking advantage of Iwa-nin's defeat in Land of Rain, Hidden Cloud Village, who had not participated in the war, struck Land of Earth with lightning.
If Eight-Tails hadn't gone berserk in the end, Second Great Ninja War wouldn't have ended so quickly.
If some people fall into the same pit once, they will fall into it again... next time.
But Ōnoki doesn't. He always remembers this grudge.
Don't look at Five Kage Summit, he has been targeting Sarutobi Hiruzen, but in his heart, the one he wants to kill the most is Third Raikage - the guy who seems rude but is actually sinister.
Third Hokage turned his attention to Land of Lightning, which was separated from Konoha by several small countries, and said, "Compared to several other villages, Hidden Cloud Village is much more low-key. It is still mobilizing for war and has no intention of sending troops."
"But I remember that Cloud is a militarized village."
"That's right, if Hidden Cloud Village wants to go to war, everything can be prepared in three days, so Third Raikage is still waiting... for an opportunity to break in."
Chen nodded, Hidden Cloud Village has always been like this, he would rather be Voldemort than be the first to do it.
Of course, this is also his Uchiha Chen creed.
The process is not important, eating chicken is the most important!
Third Hokage continued, "Due to the urging of allies, Third Raikage will send troops sooner or later, and Tsuchikage has done this again, so they can only attack Konoha.
Therefore, even if Konoha cannot be directly threatened for a while, we still have to guard against it. "
Chen's eyes moved across the map, and after stopping in the middle of the map, he asked, "What about Land of Rain?"
Although Land of Rain is a small country, there is the existence of "Demigod" after all. When the four countries besieged Konoha, he would inevitably not be moved. Otherwise, those astronomical compensations would really mean compensation for two hundred years!
"Land of Rain Don't worry for the time being. I have sent Danzo to negotiate with Hanzō. Land of Rain has suffered from famine in recent years and many ninja organizations have appeared. Hanzō is also having a hard time."
"Ninja organization?"
"That's right, some mercenary groups formed by Rogue Ninja, under the banner of love and peace."
Chen's eyes flickered. Isn't this the philosophy of Tuanxiao, the first day in Asia?
If you think about it carefully, Akatsuki Organization should also be established during this time period.
I don't know how the three little ones are doing now. It has been many years since they first met.
"Shinobi World's situation is almost like this." Third Hokage closed the map and motioned for Chen to sit down.
"Everyone is testing now, and the other four villages have not used all their information to attack Konoha."
Obviously, it is impossible for anyone to reveal all their trump cards at the beginning. They all have various concerns, and even have a sense of luck that Konoha will give in.
"Since you have learned Sage Art, it means that your strength has surpassed your teacher and reached my level." Third Hokage thought for a moment and said, "Then I will not treat you as an ordinary ninja, do you know?"
Chen nodded. "Is there any task that I need to perform?"
"You and Jiraiya lead a batch of ninja troops respectively, leaving some intelligence ninjas in Grass Country and Land of Hot Water.
As for the remaining ninjas, all throw themselves into the battlefield of Land of Wind, and then join up with Advance Unit. "
Judging from Third Hokage's arrangement, the number of ninjas Konoha placed on the Land of Wind battlefield was actually not many.
This is normal. After all, when one fights four or even one fights five, Konoha must retain enough ninjas to deal with other countries.
Second Great Ninja War, even though there was no sign of Wu and Yun villages participating in the war, Konoha still sent ninjas to defend themselves.
This is also one of the reasons why the number of Konoha Ninja on Land of Rivers Battlefield at that time never exceeded Hidden Sand Village.
"Since there is no doubt, the resident ninja troops will gather at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. If you have any questions then, please ask Jiraiya. Also, this is a detailed list of intelligence ninjas."
Third Hokage handed the only neat document on the table to Chen, and then said seriously:
"Chen, when your teacher Orochimaru left, I told him, and now I also give these words to you."
"You have been dealing with Sunagakure for so long, and you know them well.
The situation in the village is good now, but it will definitely not be optimistic if it continues, and Hidden Sand Village is the weakest among the villages.
I hope to defeat them as quickly as possible. The situation we faced in the last war is different. This time we are besieged by several major powers. They can defeat them, but we cannot afford to defeat them, and we cannot defeat them... Do you understand? "
"Understood!"
"Everything... just please."