War Begins!

The hatred that had accumulated among the Five Great Ninja Villages over decades would never vanish because of a single alliance agreement.

It was buried gunpowder, waiting only for the right spark.

Once it exploded, it would sweep away everything in its path.

Unfortunately, Minamoto Takuya also knew that Nagato's current body did not have enough time to wait for the alliance to fall apart on its own.

Still, the Five Kage had stumbled upon a rather good solution by accident.

There was another difference as well: the two guards accompanying Minato Namikaze on this trip.

He had expected to see the iconic silver-haired figure of Kakashi Hatake and his usual partner.

Yet reality completely overturned his expectations.

Standing at the sides of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, were Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga!

This unexpected pairing gave Minamoto Takuya a slight start. Then his expression turned strange. He had really balanced things well.

He instantly saw through the deeper meaning behind Minato Namikaze's arrangement.

Choosing the most prominent young geniuses of the Shinobi World's two great clans, the Uchiha and Hyuga Clan, as his guards carried an obvious symbolic meaning.

It was undoubtedly a powerful signal from the Fourth Hokage to both clans: he valued the Uchiha and Hyuga equally within Konoha, with no favoritism toward either side.

On a deeper level, he likely intended to use this opportunity for close cooperation to quietly bridge the ancient, deep-rooted divide and estrangement between the two clans.

Minamoto Takuya's thoughts drifted back to a scene not long ago.

During the final match of the Chunin selection tournament, it had been these two boys before him, Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyuga, who fought an incredible battle that ended in a draw.

Quite some time had passed since then. Although their current strength