Kumogakure's War Intentions

Taking the scroll, Orochimaru glanced over it, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

"Kumogakure is finally making a move? They're really... far too slow."

After a few sinister chuckles, Orochimaru vanished from where he stood.

This war was a good opportunity for him—a chance to bring the Uchiha Clan completely under his thumb.

No one would be allowed to interfere.

Outside the Hokage Building, hundreds of ninja had gathered in response to the urgent summons. At a glance, they were all elite members of the village; not a single Genin could be seen.

Kakashi and Guy were among them, standing in a group with their contemporaries, including Kurenai Yuhi and Mitaraishi Anko.

Kurenai furrowed her delicate brows. "With so many ninja assembled, it looks like there's going to be another war."

Not long ago, on the Night of the Nine-Tails, Kurenai had lost her father. She was still deep in grief, and now the village was about to be taken advantage of and dragged into a war. Her words were tinged with gloom and resentment.

It wasn't that she was afraid to fight. Rather, she had the air of someone driven by grief, eager to take the field and kill the enemy this very instant.

The Konoha Ninja around her felt much the same. The Nine-Tails Incident had come out of nowhere, and even after it ended, they still hadn't found the mastermind. But on the battlefield, the enemy would be right there in plain sight.

Kakashi's face was cold, and he had been silent from the start. Suddenly, his expression shifted as if he'd seen something unbelievable. "Why are they here?"

Following his gaze, the others spotted the ninja squad that had just arrived.

They wore identical uniforms, with the Gunbai crest emblazoned on their backs. Men and women alike wore expressionless faces and gave off an air that warned others to keep their distance.

Guy asked in confusion, "What's up with the Uchiha? They took part in the last war, too."

"You idiot, that's not what Kakashi meant." Mitaraishi Anko shot Guy a sidelong glance, then explained, "Last time, ninja were drafted from among the Uchiha. This time, they're clearly going to fight as the Uchiha Police Force. That's never happened in any of the previous three wars."

"Oh, I see." Guy nodded in realization, though he'd only grasped the most obvious point.

He looked surprised. "Anko, you're amazing. You seem to know a lot about the Uchiha."

"Anyone could see something this obvious." Anko pursed her lips, pretending it meant nothing to her.

In reality, she'd only started paying attention to the Uchiha after learning that Orochimaru had taken on the entire Uchiha Police Force by himself.

"Whoosh..."

A figure appeared outside the Hokage Building with a rush of wind, then vanished through the entrance in the blink of an eye.

Some of the ninja present had sharp eyes and recognized him. A few cries of surprise rose from the crowd.

"It's Lord Orochimaru!"

"Will one of the Sannin take part in this war?"

"If Lord Orochimaru leads us, we'll definitely win much more easily."

"..."

With war looming, some people, like Kurenai, were barely containing their anger and couldn't wait to take the field and kill the enemy. Others knew the brutality of war all too well and were filled with apprehension.

Everyone felt at least a little uneasy. Having a powerful ninja nearby would undoubtedly ease their worries considerably.

Before long, people in the crowd began discussing Orochimaru's strength and battle record.

The most recent and talked-about story was his one-sided fight against a certain dojutsu clan, in which he had completely overwhelmed them.

Since it hadn't been a single battle, some bold Jonin had watched from a distance. Now, as they told the story with animated gestures, they made it sound as if they themselves had fought in it.

Not far away, the expressionless Uchiha looked less composed than before, their faces stiffening slightly.

If they hadn't been on the verge of war, a few of them would probably have gone over and taught those storytelling Jonin a lesson.

"Teacher Orochimaru really is amazing."

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Guy looked proud, as if he had something to do with it.

Anko stared at Guy with displeasure. "Why do you call Lord Orochimaru your teacher?"

Guy grinned. "When Lord Orochimaru taught me Taijutsu, he said I could call him that. You can ask Kakashi if you don't believe me."

After Kakashi nodded to confirm it, Anko's expression soured. Her eyes were full of resentment, and she looked just like a kid whose father had abandoned them.

Leaving aside what was happening outside the Hokage Building, by the time Orochimaru entered the conference room, the long table was almost completely surrounded.

The underground laboratory was far from the village center, so Orochimaru arrived last.

Aside from the Third Hokage and Danzo, no one present dared to give him a hostile look. The rumors spreading through the village lately had given them plenty of reason to think twice.

Orochimaru pulled out a chair at the head of the table and sat down. He lifted his chin, and the Hokage's assistant immediately hurried over to brief him on the latest intelligence.

After listening to the report, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised.

Kumogakure had committed nearly its entire village to this campaign. Apart from leaving enough ninja behind to guard against an Iwagakure surprise attack, almost all of them had been sent to the battlefield.

They were staking everything on victory. Taking advantage of Konoha's weakness, they intended to fight to the death, crush Konoha completely, and settle things once and for all.

The current Raikage had quite the nerve.

In that case, the earlier plan to rely solely on the Uchiha Police Force to deal with the enemy was probably no longer suitable. Even if he proposed it, no one would accept it.

Still, the general strategy didn't need to change.

Orochimaru pondered briefly, and the answer came to him.

The central question under discussion at the meeting was simple: how should they divide their forces?

How many troops should they use to repel Kumogakure's attack? How many should they send to guard the borders and prevent other villages from taking advantage of the situation?

And who would command each force?

Fighting Kumogakure head-on was undoubtedly the most dangerous assignment. With so many Kumogakure ninja invading, the battlefield was bound to become extremely brutal.

The mission of guarding against the other villages was no easy task either. But before fighting actually broke out, it only demanded hard work and vigilance; there was no danger to one's life.

The village had just been through the Nine-Tails Incident. Some clans had suffered grievous losses, while others had emerged unscathed. Those who had suffered naturally didn't want to bear the burden of fighting on the front lines.

But none of that was a problem for Orochimaru.

If this war were a game of shogi, he had already decided which pieces would be used to attack.

Amid the noisy discussion, Orochimaru suddenly spoke. "We can set the other matters aside for now. There's one question we need to consider first.

"Why exactly is Kumogakure starting this war? Does the Raikage really think Kumogakure alone can destroy Konoha?"

At his words, the conference room fell silent. The heads of the various clans looked thoughtful, and even the Third Hokage and the two Hokage Advisors furrowed their brows.

It was true. Even after losing two Kage Level fighters and many mid- and high-ranking ninja on the Night of the Nine-Tails, Konoha was still stronger than Kumogakure.

This wasn't the arrogance of the strongest village in the world for decades. It was a fact—a self-evident fact.

"Doesn't the situation before us seem familiar?"

Orochimaru tapped the table lightly, drawing everyone's attention. "It was the same when the First had just passed away."

Understanding dawned on the Third Hokage's face. He knew what Orochimaru was about to say.

"This is the moment when Konoha has fallen from its position as the strongest and is at its weakest."

Under the others' startled gazes, Orochimaru said calmly, "Kumogakure wants to recreate the First Shinobi World War."