The Beginning of the Great War

The uproar over Hatake Sakumo's resignation quieted down a week later. The village's voices against him were suppressed, as if nothing had happened.

At this time, Hatake Sakumo, having resigned from his post, was kneeling before the tea table, boiling water to make tea. It was quite pleasant.

"Father, your choice truly exceeded my expectations."

Karot said, picking up a teacup and drinking it all in one gulp.

"Good tea."

"You brat, you can't taste tea like that. How can you possibly discern its flavor by chugging it down like that?"

"You're being too rigid, Father. Everyone has their own way. How do you know my method is wrong?"

Karot's sophistry left Hatake Sakumo both amused and exasperated.

"You still haven't answered my question, Father."

"Since I have to choose, I'll choose you and Kakashi."

Hatake Sakumo said with a smile. Not everyone has the courage to give up their current status. For Hatake Sakumo now, his family was more precious.

Time quietly passed, and an unexpected piece of news shook the entire ninja world. The Third Kazekage, hailed as the strongest Kazekage of all time, had mysteriously disappeared. Although Sunagakure tried its best to keep it a secret, walls have ears. Sunagakure was filled with spies from other countries. When the Kazekage disappeared, Sunagakure naturally had to search for him, so the secret couldn't be kept.

In the Land of Lightning, the Raikage, A, upon hearing this intelligence, sensed his opportunity. An opportunity for the Land of Lightning to dominate the ninja world. Konohagakure needed to move aside.

"War is about to begin."

A said, leaning back in his chair.

"Is this true, Lord Raikage? Are we going to war with Sunagakure?"

His subordinate, the strategist, said excitedly. The Cloud Ninja always loved war. War could plunder resources, especially against a weak Sunagakure. The advantage is ours.

"Hmph, a mere Sunagakure, I don't even bother with it. Not only Sunagakure, but we will also declare war on Konohagakure and Iwagakure simultaneously."

"What?"

The strategist hadn't expected the Raikage's appetite to be so large.

"Lord Raikage, isn't this a bit too much? Fighting them one-on-one, Sunagakure would be no match for us. There's no need for us to offend Konohagakure and Iwagakure."

The strategist did his job, offering his thoughts for the Raikage's consideration.

"What are you afraid of? Our Kumogakure possesses two perfect Jinchuriki. Dealing with other ninja villages will be a piece of cake."

A said arrogantly. Kumogakure was the Raikage's word, and soon the Raikage's orders were issued. Kumogakure's war machine began to mobilize.

The disappearance of the Third Kazekage plunged the entire ninja world into turmoil. Small ninja villages wanted to profit from this large cake, but they forgot that there were only five leaders, and the rest were mere pawns.

In the Land of Fire, Konohagakure, Hokage's office.

"Hiruzen, this is a golden opportunity to take down Sunagakure."

The warmonger Kimura Danzo strongly suggested. Launching a war meant countless merits, a ladder for him, Kimura Danzo, to advance to Hokage. Anyone who stood in his way would be killed.

This time, he was well-prepared and had brought two other advisors to play on emotions, all to persuade Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"That's right, Hiruzen. The war reparations from one ninja village would be enough for us to benefit."

Utatane Koharu chimed in. Konohagakure dealing with Sunagakure was as easy as picking up a handful of sand. Besides, he wouldn't have to fight on the front lines. He could gain benefits just by talking. Only a fool wouldn't do it.

Mitokado Homura didn't speak, but the fact that Danzo had invited him to support him today made his thoughts clear.

"Do you know how many ninja will sacrifice their lives for war once it begins? How many families will lose their pillars? Do you know?"

The current Hiruzen Sarutobi was still the "Ninja Bear" of the ninja world, not yet a political ruler.

"For the future of Konohagakure, some sacrifices are inevitable."

Danzo said resolutely. It was less about the village and more about Danzo's own future.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to persuade them further, a member of the ANBU suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office and whispered a few words into Hiruzen Sarutobi's ear. Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression instantly became one of disbelief.

"Hiruzen, what happened?"

A few words that could instantly change Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression piqued Kimura Danzo's interest.

"The Third Shinobi World War has begun. Kumogakure has declared war on us, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure."

"What? Which madman in Kumogakure? How dare he?"

Mitokado Homura exclaimed in disbelief. Declaring war on three countries simultaneously, was his brain kicked by a donkey?

Everyone present looked worried, except for Danzo, who couldn't hide his excitement. A Ninja World War! The last Ninja War produced Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage. This time, it would be Danzo's turn. Danzo was already envisioning himself ascending to the position of Hokage.

"Hmph, if he dares to come, I dare to kill."

A wisp of killing intent emanated from Danzo.

"Recall Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Minato Namikaze. Convene a war council. All missions are temporarily suspended. All ninja are to be recalled."

Since war could not be avoided, Hiruzen Sarutobi's decisiveness was revealed at this moment as he ordered all measures to give way to war.

"This is truly rare. They've gathered us all here."

Orochimaru said after looking around. The conference room was filled with Konohagakure's high-ranking officials.

"I have some bad news for everyone. The Third Shinobi World War has begun."

After all the high-ranking officials had arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced the shocking news.

The scene erupted in chaos, with the ninja below whispering and murmuring amongst themselves. Everyone was stunned by the sudden announcement.

"All of you? What do we need to do now?"

While everyone was at a loss, Orochimaru had already processed the information and was seeking countermeasures. As expected of someone who could contend for Hokage, his thoughts were always one step ahead. I can't even quietly conduct my experiments, they're forcing my hand.

"We will make the following deployments for the various borders of the ninja world. I hope everyone will unite with sincerity."

"Jiraiya, go find Tsunade. We need her."

"Understood, Old Man."

The ninja world was in turmoil, from the disappearance of the Kazekage to the Cloud Ninja provoking a Ninja World War, it was a whirlwind of events. None of them understood what the Cloud Ninja were thinking, to provoke a three-way war. They just thought the Cloud Ninja had gone mad.

"What do we do? With Lord Kazekage missing, can we still withstand the Cloud Ninja's attack?"

The Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage, was like a stabilizing force in the hearts of the Sand Ninja. Now that he was missing, there was a sense of retreat and surrender among the Sand Ninja.

"Yeah, we only have the One-Tail, while the Cloud Ninja have the Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails. What can we use to resist them?"

The Elder Council debated heatedly, unable to come up with a feasible plan.

Chiyo stepped forward at this moment.

"We are not without a chance. Rasa is our chance."

"Rasa is a ninja who can wield Gold Dust and can completely replace the Third, becoming our Kazekage."

"But can Rasa alone withstand the Cloud Ninja?"

Someone from the Elder Council asked, confused.

"Yes, Rasa alone is not enough. But we are a whole, and the strength of the whole is immense. We have two advantages over the Cloud Ninja."

The Elder Council stared intently at Granny Chiyo, anticipating her to reveal the Sand Ninja's advantages.

"First, we are defending. We are protecting our homeland, and the responsibility to guard our land will boost our morale. Second, the Cloud Ninja are arrogant and have divided their forces into three paths, looking down on us Sand Ninja. Their strength must not be great, allowing us to protect ourselves."