Five Years, The War of Endurance Rekindled

A butterfly fluttering its wings on the far side of the ocean could stir up a hurricane.

The impact Souya had made after more than a decade in this world was obviously far greater than that of a butterfly.

The fact that the Third Kazekage and Sasori were still safely holed up in Sunagakure was the best proof of that.

Yet the calm of the Ninja World was merely a temporary facade. As time passed, even without the disappearance of the Third Kazekake, friction and conflict between the great nations had slowly begun to emerge.

Assassinations of key figures and plundering of supplies became commonplace. Under the constant accumulation of minor disputes, enormous waves were eventually stirred up.

The Land of Lightning, with its fiercest temperament, was the first to draw the curtain on war, brazenly launching attacks on the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.

The Land of Earth, the Land of Fire, and the Land of Water each responded in turn, with a continuous stream of actions like defense, offense, and pillaging.

Unexpectedly, however, the Land of Wind did not provoke any friction. Instead, it huddled within its borders, doing everything in its power to avoid contact with other nations.

As the Land of Fire faced enemies on three fronts and the pressure on its battle lines grew heavier, the Third Hokage made a decision. To avoid the worst-case scenario of being surrounded on all sides, he sent envoys to negotiate with the Land of Wind, intending to conclude a non-aggression pact between Wind and Fire.

After all, the Land of Wind had coveted the fertile territory of the Land of Fire for a long time. The Third Hokage believed the Land of Wind would not stand idly by forever. Faced with such a potential threat, measures had to be taken.

The Land of Wind did not hold back either, seizing the opportunity to demand the annexation of the Land of Rivers.

The Land of Rivers contained only a very small Valley Hidden Village, its strength quite feeble, but its land and resources were far superior to the endless yellow sand of the Land of Wind.

The Land of Wind had long wanted to annex this country, but since its protector was Konoha, an unprovoked attack would be tantamount to declaring war on Konoha. In the past, Konoha's strength far surpassed the Land of Wind, making this plan impossible to carry out.

As for the Land of Rivers serving as a buffer zone in wartime, that was insignificant compared to the immense benefits of turning it into one's own territory.

Negotiations were a drawn-out process, because the Land of Wind was not actually afraid of invasion. Even if others occupied these desert regions, they would be of little use.

The Land of Fire, however, was worried that the dormant Land of Wind would suddenly bare its sharp fangs and strike at the Land of Fire's rear.

But the Third Hokage dared not make the decision to give up the Land of Rivers. If the Land of Wind annexed it, the two nations' territories would be directly adjacent.

If the Land of Wind then turned its back on the agreement, it would cause even more severe harm to the Land of Fire. Moreover, having a great nation as a neighbor would be like a fishbone stuck in the throat, inevitably requiring strengthened border defenses.

During these negotiations, other nations naturally caught wind of the news. The most direct response came from the Land of Lightning. Their delegation stated plainly that if the Land of Wind attacked the Land of Fire, they could not only provide financial support but also form an alliance and jointly plan military operations.

According to frontline intelligence reports, ninja from Iwagakure and Kirigakure had also begun to appear at the borders of the Land of Wind, conducting harassment.

After more than five years of accumulation, under the Third Kazekage's bold reform measures, Sunagakure's appearance had undergone considerable change. Its strength had clearly risen several levels compared to before.

One shocking piece of news after another arrived in Sunagakure.

Inside the Kazekage's Office, a group of jonin had gathered for discussion. The majority were men, but there were a few striking female figures among them.

"This is the situation as it stands. What do you think our next move should be?" The Kazekage sat to the left of his desk, angled toward the group, his gaze fixed on the map of the Ninja World behind him, marked with red circles and crosses.

"Kazekage-sama, those petty scoundrels from Kirigakure dare to provoke us! We should strike back directly, crush them all!" A middle-aged jonin with a terrifying scar on his face spoke up, his temper clearly rather hot-headed.

The Kazekage did not respond, his eyes still wandering between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.

"Kazekage-sama, we have lain low for years. It's too early to reveal our full strength. Kirigakure is clearly testing our village's capabilities. They might not even realize they're being used as pawns by another nation..." Baki, half his face covered by white cloth, spoke up.

"The Third Raikage is dead, and Iwagakure has lost a massive amount of its fighting force!"

"Konoha is running itself ragged, its national power waning day by day. If not now, when will we attack?" the scar-faced jonin retorted.

"Though the Third Raikage is dead, the reputation of the AB Brothers is in no way inferior to his!"

"And they have the perfect Eight-Tails Jinchuriki!"

"If the Eight-Tails were to run rampant in our village, do we have a ninja like the Yellow Flash to match it?" Baki said without hesitation.

The foundations of the great nations were indeed not to be underestimated. Though people constantly fell in war, even more new stars were rising.

The most prominent among them were the AB Brothers of the Land of Lightning and the Yellow Flash of the Land of Fire!

The Third Kazekage couldn't help but sigh. Was Konoha truly blessed by heaven? In every war, they produced a ninja who could decide the outcome. In the last great war, there had been the "Three Ninja" and the White Fang.

Now, an even more extraordinary ninja had appeared—one who had mastered the most difficult Space-Time Ninjutsu in the Ninja World, allowing him to quickly shuttle between battlefields to provide support.

This was why the Land of Fire could still stand firm despite being attacked on three fronts.

"So we just keep hiding in the village like a turtle?" The scar-faced man's face flushed red and pale as he spoke. He was clearly a warmonger, but now he could only resort to inflammatory words.

Many of the ninja present seemed moved by this, clenching their fists secretly.

The Kazekage's gaze left the map. He turned back, sweeping his eyes across the group, taking in their reactions.

Finally, the Kazekage's eyes settled on a young man who had just come of age.

He had a tall, slender build, with scattered black bangs hanging over his forehead. His handsome face still held a trace of unrefined youthfulness.

His deep eyes seemed to draw in all the surrounding light into his pupils, and his thick, sharp eyebrows added a touch of heroic spirit.

He wore a black-and-red combat outfit. Unlike most ninja, he carried no blade on his back. Instead, a rod as thick as a walnut was slung diagonally across his shoulder, densely engraved with black runes. In places not covered by the runes, a golden rod body was revealed beneath, looking quite peculiar.

The other ninja present followed the Kazekage's gaze, all turning in unison toward this young man.

After all, among the two great geniuses who had risen in Sunagakure in recent years, this one's reputation was the most resounding.

Others had also heard that many of the village's reform measures had been first proposed by him.