Preparations for War on All Sides

The footsteps of war gradually quickened.

During wartime, the best way to stay alive was not to go to the battlefield. But Aburame Tetsumaru understood Konoha well enough by now—going to war was mandatory. In Konoha, everyone except the upper ranks had to take the field. Only ninjas who proved their combat strength on the battlefield could safeguard their interests.

All of this stemmed from the fact that the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was a deeply contradictory figure:

He valued Ninja Academy education, yet restricted the spread of ninjutsu.

He promoted the Will of Fire and called for the protection of Konoha's children, building Orphanages—yet sent ninjas under ten years old to the battlefield in droves.

He valued civilian ninjas and suppressed Ninja Clans, even tacitly allowing the extermination of the Uchiha, yet indulged the Sarutobi Clan as it expanded a hundredfold.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's greatest flaw lay in his indecisiveness. He agonized and hesitated over every internal and external decision, displeasing the hardliners. Combined with his lack of courage to shoulder responsibility, this gave rise to Shimura Danzō and Root.

His pursuit of moral purity and complete separation from darkness resulted in Root becoming fully independent, splitting the Hokage's authority and creating all manner of twisted policies.

No matter what the Third Hokage said, his actions proved that he did not care that much about those who did not go to war. In his heart, they were all expendable.

Aburame Tetsumaru understood that only great strength gave him hope of surviving the war.

Affected by Sarutobi's reforms, Aburame Tetsumaru had no access whatsoever to high-level ninjutsu or Genjutsu, forcing him to place his hopes in Chakra Rune research and Ninja Insect experiments.

With all his friends having graduated, there was no longer any value in staying at the academy.

Aburame Tetsumaru seriously considered what excuse he could use to take leave. Perhaps he could apply for leave in the name of research, but what results could he use as a cover?

He scratched his head, completely unable to think of a suitable reason for leave. He might as well skip class.

After skipping class, he could increase his daily testing time to twelve hours and test sixteen hundred combinations. Of the remaining 125,000 seal combinations, he could finish them in about eighty days.

Good, very good. That would leave him time within three months to think about combat methods. The plan was set.

Aburame Tetsumaru then entered a frenzied class-skipping mode. Every day, he only attended the first lesson. As long as there was no exam, he would sneak home starting from the second lesson.

Three months later, Aburame Tetsumaru, burdened with six warnings, completed the first stage of his Chakra Rune research.

But he had not found any inspiration, nor had he uncovered the Shinobi World's greatest secret in one stroke. His strength had not skyrocketed either. Honestly, he was somewhat disappointed.

There were only six months left until graduation. He had to seize the time to improve his strength and combat methods.

Fortunately, no matter how busy he was, Aburame Tetsumaru never relaxed his Chakra training or meridian adjustments. He now possessed not only a strong body comparable to an adult's, but also an enormous amount of Chakra.

In this era, Senju Hashirama, the unit used to measure mountains of Chakra, had been dead for a long time, while Kakashi, the unit used to measure Chakra, had not yet been born. Aburame Tetsumaru also could not often meet the Hokage, so he could only use his teacher, Domoto Daibutsu, as a benchmark. The Chakra circulating through his Chakra Grand Circulation was equivalent to fifty Domotos.

What allowed ninjas to eliminate samurai and onmyoji was Chakra. With his enormous advantage in total Chakra reserves, Aburame Tetsumaru was confident that he could handle any Genin.

Some of Konoha's Genin did not count.

He could even handle Chunin with weak offensive power. Aburame Tetsumaru was confident that he could drain an enemy's Chakra dry before killing him.

But Jonin were different. Jonin existed on another level.

Aburame Tetsumaru's Chakra reserves definitely exceeded those of a Jonin, but in every other aspect, he was insignificant. He simply had no means of harming a Jonin.

During the six months before graduation, he had to find a way to gain the ability to escape in front of a Jonin.

At this time, Sunagakure, the Shinobi World's foremost reckless hothead, provoked Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Konoha simultaneously. It ultimately selected its main offensive direction, and the young Third Kazekage personally arrived at the newly built northern fortress.

After the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, cursed furiously, he reluctantly dispatched his son Kitsuchi to lead reinforcements. The ninja armies of both sides faced each other directly, and a single spark could set things off at any moment.

Sunagakure—

Chiyo stood before the office window, watching the village and silently pondering.

Behind her, more than a dozen ninjas led by her younger brother Ebizo were calculating figures. Before long, Ebizo picked up a stack of forms and walked to his sister's side.

"Big sister, the statistics are complete."

"What is the situation?"

"Very bad. Once the ninjas gathered together, the resources they consumed far exceeded our expectations. The northern fortress has the most serious consumption problem. Food has to be transported entirely from the village, and a considerable amount of fresh water must be transported as well."

Ebizo's voice grew low.

"The village has sufficient grain reserves, and the Oasis has ample water sources, but we cannot transport them north. Our transport capacity is insufficient—severely insufficient."

Chiyo gave an even colder, self-mocking laugh. "We never realized that once transport volume rose to this extent, the losses during transport would be so outrageous."

"Our teachers taught us all of this, but we never took it to heart. Truly..."

At this time, Sunagakure was organizing mobilization efforts, and the clamorous crowds cheered for the coming war.

Chiyo sighed. "First, order the Puppet Masters to research transport puppets."

"Second, mobilize the Genin of every clan and supplement transport capacity with manpower."

"Third, send word to the Third Kazekage and ask him to return as soon as possible. We need to change our direction of attack."

After the messenger ninja left, Chiyo turned back to the window and murmured, "Teacher was right. He was always right. We were the fools."

Only when one managed a household did one understand the cost of rice and firewood. The newly established Sunagakure leadership bitterly discovered that once they truly embarked on the road to war, "wealthy" Sunagakure did not even have enough water to use. Its vast territory became an even more serious burden during an offensive.

Iwagakure—

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was furious. The Kamizuru Clan was still as arrogant and unruly as ever, actually questioning his decisions.

Iwagakure's war strategy had three conflicting directions: the Tsuchikage faction advocated striking the Land of Wind first, destroying Sunagakure's northern fortress, driving those desert rats back into the desert, and then attacking the Land of Fire;

The powerful clan faction led by the Kamizuru advocated attacking the Land of Fire with full force while maintaining defenses against the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning;

The Daimyo faction believed the Land of Wind was weak and the Land of Fire cowardly. Only the Land of Lightning was a formidable enemy.

In Ōnoki's view, the powerful clan faction had been blinded by profit. Sunagakure was strong, and its border was closer to Iwagakure. If they did not crush the Land of Wind first, Iwagakure's ninja army attacking the Land of Fire could have its supply lines cut off by Suna Ninja at any time.

The Daimyo faction was simply inexplicable. Iwagakure's mainstream ninja training was Earth Release, which was countered by Kumogakure's mainstream Lightning Release. Attacking the Land of Lightning across an ocean or several countries was absurd.

Unless they could seize an opportunity and launch a surprise attack on Kumogakure with several times their force, wiping out Kumogakure in one battle, they should not go to war with the Land of Lightning.

Forcibly suppressing his anger, Ōnoki decided to meet the Daimyo and persuade him to support himself.

Then, he failed.

The Daimyo had been persuaded by the Kamizuru. The Daimyo faction turned to support the powerful clan faction's strategy. Ōnoki flew into a rage, but there was nothing he could do. Sometimes, pure ninjas truly could not understand how nobles communicated.

Kumogakure—

The valley thundered without end. A large group of Kumogakure ninjas surrounded its outskirts, watching with awe as their Raikage traded blows with the rampaging Eight-Tails.

Yesterday, the Jinchuriki's seal had suddenly gone out of control. Fortunately, Kumogakure knew its Sealing Technique was lacking, so the Jinchuriki did not live in the village, limiting the damage. The rampaging Eight-Tails could not be sealed, and Kumogakure's ninjas could only attack desperately to prevent it from escaping the valley.

After paying the price of more than a dozen lives, the Third Raikage arrived as reinforcements. Alone, he fought the Eight-Tails blow for blow. The violent Lightning Release Chakra Mode clashed fiercely with the Eight-Tails' complete form, and the shockwaves alone were enough to kill Jonin. The Kumogakure ninjas were forced to flee the valley.

Only two days later, when both sides began to weaken, could the large group of Kumogakure ninjas approach the valley's outskirts and witness the ferocious combat power of their Third Raikage and the Tailed Beast.

The entire valley had been completely destroyed. The Raikage's Four-Finger Nukite had carved trench after trench, crisscrossing the landscape, while the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Bombs had blasted out overlapping circular craters. It had truly dug three feet into the ground.

The battle reached its final stage, and both sides gathered their last reserves of strength to unleash their ultimate moves.

"Roar~~~" The Eight-Tails opened its mouth once more, condensing a Tailed Beast Bomb.

The Lightning Release armor around Raikage A swelled as he extended his right hand forward, overlapping his thumb and little finger.

"Hell Stab: Three-Finger Nukite!"

The Raikage's attack severed three blocking tentacles and charged toward the Eight-Tails' mouth in a shower of sparks and lightning, striking the brewing Tailed Beast Bomb with perfect accuracy.

The newly formed Tailed Beast Bomb shattered, and several thick bolts of lightning leaked out, striking both the Raikage and the Eight-Tails.

The Eight-Tails' eyes rolled completely white as its enormous body slowly fell backward. The Raikage also lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground.

Both sides scored a simultaneous GG.

"Quick! Sealing Squad, seal the Eight-Tails!"

Kumogakure's brains, Jonin Dodai, hurriedly issued the order.

"Medical team, treat the Raikage immediately!"

The watching Kumogakure ninjas rushed into the valley in a fluster, scrambling to clean up the aftermath.

A regained consciousness on his own less than ten minutes after fainting. The final clash had left a lightning-shaped wound on his chest. It was deep and would definitely leave a huge scar.

With bandages wrapped around his chest, the Raikage insisted on working. His first order upon returning to the office was to hear the various reports that had been delayed for two days.

"Postpone the Ninja Academy's expanded enrollment?"

"No. Didn't we suffer enough in this regard during the later stages of the last war? We must expand enrollment according to plan. I will negotiate the money issue with the Daimyo."

Heh. Every ninja understood that this "negotiation" should be read as coercion. Since taking office, the Third Raikage had been gentle internally and tough externally, never considering compromise.

"We need to accelerate the stockpiling of war supplies. Once war begins, even money may not be enough to buy them. If we can buy them with money now, do not be stingy."

"No. Kumogakure will not prepare for an offensive. For at least two years, we must prioritize defense. Preparing an attack is when we are most vulnerable to being ambushed. Until we have a clear target and timing for an attack, we must maintain a defensive strategy."

"Our primary precaution should be the Land of Water. The noble forces of the Land of Earth are stronger. They are greedy and ignorant, so they will target the Land of Fire. The Land of Fire lacks backbone. It is a fat pig that cares only for its family, so there is no need to worry. The Land of Wind is too far away. Only the Land of Water is isolated and chaotic. I cannot figure them out either, so focus our defenses on them first."

After the backlogged work had been assigned, Dodai left with the staff ninjas and casually shut the Raikage's office door.

Soon afterward, sounds of furniture being smashed came from inside the office. None of the staff ninjas found it strange, and they all went about their own business.

Dodai sighed and headed to the logistics department to move another desk. Lord Raikage had been pushed past his limit by the Eight-Tails today and was definitely furious. He did not know whether one desk would be enough. Maybe he should move a few more and keep them ready.

Kirigakure—

The Third Mizukage was deeply troubled. According to intelligence gathered by Kirigakure's Anbu, the four Great Ninja Villages on the continent had fully prepared for war, yet mighty Kirigakure was still caught in internal division.

After the Second Mizukage had inexplicably died together with the Second Tsuchikage, the succeeding Third Mizukage lacked the authority to suppress Kirigakure and fell into the predicament of his orders not leaving the village.

In present-day Kirigakure, three great clans stood in a three-way balance above, while ninja clans large and small fought for power and profit below. They also deliberately united against the Mizukage, with the result that the Mizukage's authority was inferior even to Elder Genji's.

After Konoha's Ninja Academy demonstrated tremendous strategic value, the Mizukage proposed establishing a Ninja Academy in Kirigakure. No problem.

The Mizukage himself serving as the Ninja Academy's principal was also acceptable.

But they would not grant him personnel authority over teachers and recruitment. Those had to follow the Ninja Clans' wishes, and not a single teacher favored the Mizukage.

Kirigakure's Ninja Academy could produce more than a hundred ninjas every year, greatly accelerating the recovery of Kirigakure's strength. Yet the graduating Genin either came from ninja families or were recruited under the banners of ninja families.

Not only were the ninjas loyal to the Mizukage few in number, they were also weak. There was no way to improve the situation in which the Mizukage had been sidelined.

They could establish Kirigakure Anbu directly under the Mizukage by following Konoha Anbu's model. No problem—but again, no personnel authority.

The Mizukage could not obtain personnel authority over the Anbu. Kirigakure's Anbu was fragmented, with most squads controlled by some clan. Their obedience was greatly reduced, and secrecy was out of the question.

"We still have to increase the number of civilian ninjas, slowly expand the Mizukage's forces, reclaim leadership, and only then can we discuss anything else."

A blood-colored light flickered in the Third Mizukage's eyes as a dangerous impulse became increasingly impossible to suppress.

Those damned Ninja Clans. Mere homeless dogs had actually become the masters. They all deserved to die.

At the tense moment when the great war was approaching, Kirigakure quietly implemented the "Blood Mist Policy" in its Ninja Academy: its teaching policy encouraged actual combat and bloodshed, and graduation required students to kill designated competitors. Genin who graduated this way could be sent directly to the battlefield.

Konoha—

The Third Hokage was practically worried to death. According to intelligence, the four Great Ninja Villages were all restless and eyeing Konoha covetously. Konoha's current total number of ninjas was not much lower than the four combined, and it did not lack core Jonin. The key problem was that its top-tier ninjas were not strong enough—there were too few ninjas at Sarutobi Hiruzen's level.

Once war began, there would be at least three fronts, perhaps even four fighting simultaneously. He could command one, Danzo could command one, but there was no suitable candidate for another.

Lady Mito? Her strength was not a problem, but she was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and was already old. She was not suited to leave Konoha.

The Hyuga Clan? No. The Hyuga's ninjas were not strong enough.

The Senju Clan? Sigh. After Teacher died, the strong figures of that generation had all grown old, while the new generation had yet to mature.

Besides, it would be best if the Senju did not produce another powerful figure. Otherwise, things would become even more troublesome.

The Uchiha Clan? Even less possible. If Kagami were still alive, he could have guarded one side and mobilized the Uchiha Clan as well.

Torifu Akimichi? That would not work either. Though strong, he needed coordination to fully display his strength. Moreover, after Kagami's death, Torifu had grown distant from him, and the authority of Ino-Shika-Cho could not be increased any further.

Vexed that his old friends did not understand or support him, Sarutobi Hiruzen drew deeply on his pipe again and again, surrounding himself with smoke.