Naruto: Choosing from Birth

"Hello, I'm Yuji Senju, commander of Konoha's border forces!" Once the Konoha ninja had come to a stop, a Konoha ninja wearing a jonin flak jacket stepped forward and called out.

"I'm Ohara Yuichi, captain of Amegakure's border division. Why have you Konoha ninja crossed the border without authorization?" Ohara Yuichi felt heavy-hearted. The Senju Clan of Konoha was renowned, and the ninja across from them outnumbered his side by more than three to one.

"Our Konoha envoy was attacked in the Land of Rain. Its leader's whereabouts are unknown. We need to find him and uncover the culprit." Yuji Senju's voice was like a bitter winter wind, radiating chilling cold.

"Please remain calm. If such a thing truly happened, the Land of Rain will certainly investigate it thoroughly and give you a satisfactory answer." Ohara Yuichi wiped away his cold sweat and quietly recited the official line.

"Then please step aside. We will investigate this matter ourselves."

"Impossible. This is the Land of Rain. Don't act recklessly."

"Konoha has never acted recklessly. We've been polite to your tiny little country for two years, and this is how you repay us?" A cold glint flashed in Yuji Senju's eyes. "All units! Kill!"

In an instant, a torrent of every kind of ninjutsu poured down...

The fires of war were first ignited in the Land of Rain.

Afterward, a group of mysterious people disguised as Konoha ninja began slaughtering their way through the Land of Rain.

That year, a little red-haired boy with ripple-patterned eyes became an orphan.

Land of Earth.

Most of the Land of Earth consisted of desolate rocky cliffs. Cold winds blowing from the north crossed the mountains, scattering fine fragments of rock from their slopes across the land and creating the famous phenomenon known as Rock Rain.

The Ninja Village of the Land of Earth was Iwagakure. Surrounded by natural barriers, it was renowned throughout the shinobi world for its defenses.

At this time, Iwagakure's leader was the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki.

During his tenure, he pursued a policy of military supremacy and vigorously developed ninja education. This allowed Iwagakure to train vast numbers of ninja and ushered in the village's golden age.

Of course, training so many ninja consumed an enormous amount of resources. Iwagakure, already poor and barren, found its burden steadily growing heavier.

To relieve the pressure, it had continuously sent ninja out over the past few years disguised as Rogue Ninja to plunder the surrounding smaller nations.

"Report! Konoha's envoy in the Land of Rain has been attacked. Its leader, Asakura Senju, is missing and is suspected to have already been killed."

"His father, Yuji Senju, led the border garrison in a lightning assault and has officially invaded the Land of Rain."

"Konoha forces have currently advanced thirty li into the Land of Rain and have set up camp to establish a frontline position!"

"Konoha's upper ranks have tacitly approved Yuji Senju's actions. He is likely being used as the vanguard, and all signs indicate there is a strong possibility that the main force will be deployed afterward."

Inside the Tsuchikage Building, an Anbu vividly reported on the situation in the Land of Rain.

Whenever a region underwent a sudden upheaval, the hidden agents in that region would operate at full capacity to obtain the most accurate intelligence as quickly as possible.

This was merely the war machine of the great Ninja Villages beginning to warm up.

Ōnoki's enormous bulbous nose seemed to turn even redder with excitement.

"At last, the time has come."

As the richest and most powerful Ninja Village in the shinobi world, if Konoha did not move, the other Ninja Villages would always be somewhat restrained, afraid that if they made too great a move, they would be the first to bear Konoha's gunfire.

But now...

"Pass the order. All division commanders and Elders are to gather at the Tsuchikage Building for the highest military council."

"Yes!"

The next day!

The massive Stone Ninja army split into three forces. It was the first to deploy corps totaling more than ten thousand troops, simultaneously threatening three nations and shocking the shinobi world.

First force: invade the Land of Birds. The Land of Birds lay between the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.

Second force: station troops at the border of the Land of Rain, establish a border front, and organize logistics.

Third force: invade the Land of Grass. The Land of Grass lay between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.

The Land of Grass was best known for Kusagakure, which had established good diplomatic relations with Konoha. Though its Ninja Village was relatively weak, it was skilled at using diplomacy to maneuver among the major powers, allowing it to grasp changing circumstances early and preserve itself.

Both the Land of Birds and the Land of Grass were small nations and lacked the strength to directly confront a great Ninja Village.

Thus, letters and delegations seeking aid rushed toward neighboring countries. Their first move was to seek assistance from the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire.

Sunagakure!

A village situated amid an endless sea of sand.

As the Land of Wind's strongest military force, it was constrained at every turn because it did not even have enough water for its own needs, making it heavily dependent on the daimyo's support.

Kazekage Building!

"The battle plan has been issued. Everyone, give it your all!" the Third Kazekage said with a grim expression.

"We're fighting on three fronts too? What kind of joke is this? Sunagakure can support at most two fronts! Three fronts means three logistics divisions. What about food? Wars aren't won by charging around like a madman!" Ebizo slammed the table and roared.

"This is the daimyo's order, and he will provide a batch of grain. We don't need to worry about logistics on the Land of Birds front. As for everything else, we'll fight wherever we go, loot wherever we go, and solve our food problem locally!"

"This is the early stage of the war. Before the other countries can react, we must rapidly seize resources. This is our only chance. Once we have enough resources, we can consider managing the territories we occupy."

"Do you want to be trapped in this damned desert for the rest of your lives? For Sunagakure's future, I'm counting on you all."

Known as the strongest Kazekage, the Third Kazekage was even more masterful in political maneuvering.

"Fine... fine." Ebizo exchanged a glance with his sister, Granny Chiyo, and finally agreed.

After all the higher-ups had left, the Third Kazekage brought down a heavy hammer blow, smashing the large round conference table into pieces.

That damned daimyo.

All for the sake of appearances, he had said, "If Iwagakure can fight on three fronts, then we shouldn't fall behind them..."

He had not considered Sunagakure's own problems at all.

The Third Kazekage's expression shifted unpredictably.

According to his original plan, they should have concentrated the entire army in one direction. That would have given them complete control of the initiative and allowed them to seek the greatest possible gains.

That hateful daimyo had no place in his eyes for ninja like them who risked their lives in battle.

One day...

Thus, the next day.

Following Iwagakure's example, Sunagakure also split its forces into three and opened three fronts.

First force: answer the Land of Birds' plea for help and head north to support it.

In return, the Land of Birds had to supply all logistical needs for the Land of Wind's expeditionary army and pay a portion of the resources in advance.

Second force: station troops at the border of the Land of Rain and await changes in the war there.

This force's primary target was the Land of Rain's water sources. Even if they could not occupy the entire country, they had to secure a source of water.

Third force: invade the Land of Rivers.

The Land of Rivers served as a buffer zone between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. Its territory was not small and was surrounded by vast wilderness.

As a result, communication was difficult and hiding was easy. It was the most suitable place to establish a "secret base." In the original story, Gaara had the tailed beast extracted from him in a cave somewhere in the Land of Rivers, after which Sasori of the Red Sands, Haruno Sakura, and Granny Chiyo fought there.

Therefore, it would also become the Land of Wind's first target for plunder and sweeping raids.

While Konoha strongly condemned the Land of Rain for brutally slaughtering Konoha's envoy, its army set out as well, with Mitokado Homura serving as commander-in-chief and advancing toward the Land of Rain.

At the same time, Utatane Koharu and Tsunade led a force north to support the Land of Grass.

As for the Land of Rivers, numerous ninja squads infiltrated it under the guise of missions, mapping its latest terrain and gathering information on its people and customs.

At this time, Orochimaru's team, which was carrying out a mission in the Land of Grass, suddenly received a new mission from the Hokage:

Scout the movements of Iwagakure's army!

Provide accurate location information for the Konoha reinforcements that would soon arrive.

The long-lasting Second Shinobi World War had finally erupted in full...

PS: A map for the shinobi world war has been posted in the work-related section. Those interested can take a look to better understand things, though it won't affect reading if you don't.

Also: thanks to the big boss Tianhei for the twenty extra-update tickets. Sadly, this humble servant simply can't manage it~~~ I was writing that chapter until two-thirty last night.

Thank you all for your support, extra-update requests, and rewards. There's no need for those anymore. I only ask that you give it a subscription when it goes premium.

I'll work desperately to write, but my speed really is a little slow. Otherwise, I wouldn't be writing until late at night. If you want to criticize me, go ahead. I'll keep writing according to my established plan. I'll be fast if I can, but if I can't, there's really nothing I can do T.T

Land of Grass.