Invite the Uchiha Clan Head for a Talk

As the war broke out, spies from various ninja villages were constantly gathering intelligence—

Konohagakure side: No fewer than three thousand shinobi, led by one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, with his summoning beast, Manda of Ryūchi Cave; and Jiraiya, with his summoning beast, Gamabunta of Mount Myōboku.

Sunagakure side: No fewer than three thousand shinobi, led by the bloodline limit users—Magnet Release user Rasa and Scorch Release user Pakura.

Battle situation: Konohagakure reinforcements arrived and launched a surprise attack on the Sunagakure encampment in the dead of night. The result was a retreat of the Konohagakure forces, while Sunagakure held their ground.

This battle report, with extreme speed, reached the desks of the leaders of every major ninja village as the morning sun rose.

Land of Earth, Iwagakure.

The entire village was embedded deep within craggy mountains, with sturdy stone buildings layered one upon another, resembling a natural, massive fortress.

In the office at the very top of the Tsuchikage Building, the short stature of Ōnoki of Both Scales hovered in mid-air.

He held the intelligence that would determine their strategic direction, a shrewd glint flashing in his clouded eyes.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen... as expected, he still chose to pick the softest persimmon to squeeze."

"Wanting to concentrate his strength to tear an opening through Sunagakure while surrounded on all sides—it is indeed his usual steady style."

"Unfortunately, his strength is insufficient; he is about to bring trouble upon himself."

Ōnoki muttered to himself.

It was a consensus among the other major ninja villages that Konohagakure's war potential should be weakened.

But when circumstances allowed, the villages did not mind stabbing their "allies" in the back.

Alliance and confrontation, backstabbing and compromise—this was the eternal main theme between the Five Great Nations.

How to seize the greatest benefits for Iwagakure was the only thing he, as Tsuchikage, truly needed to consider.

Now, Konohagakure had deployed their reserve forces to the Land of Rivers in the southwest.

Without a doubt—Iwagakure's opportunity had arrived, but they must not be rash.

Ōnoki looked at the Anbu before him, composed his thoughts, and issued the highest order.

"Pass the order to Higashi Shinin, who is stationed in the Land of Grass: the plan remains unchanged; advance steadily toward the border of the Land of Fire."

Ōnoki deliberately deepened his tone, emphasizing, "Remember, it is a 'steady' advance. Without my command, you are absolutely forbidden from engaging the main force of Konohagakure in a head-on conflict!"

"What we must do is use our numerical advantage to press forward slowly like real mountain rock, forcing the troops on Konohagakure's northwest border to constantly shrink their defensive lines."

"At the same time, dispatch elite ninja squads, break them into smaller units, and penetrate deep into the Land of Fire... their mission is not to assault strongholds, but to harass logistics and, as much as possible, 'collect' wealth—especially bloodline limit users."

The Third Tsuchikage's tone was profound, carrying the unique tenacity of Iwagakure and the cold-bloodedness of a ninja.

"Strike when they are sick—but this process of taking their lives must be like the weathering of rock: wait for the right moment and advance step by step."

With his white beard fluttering, Ōnoki watched the Anbu depart, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Land of Fire, eyes deep and distant as he murmured to himself.

"Sarutobi Hiruzen, how do you plan to arrange the Uchiha?"

Having witnessed the god-like power of Uchiha Madara in his youth, Ōnoki sat back in his chair to rest—at his age, many things were beyond his physical capabilities.

"Iwagakure has no successors at this time; if only the Uchiha were in Iwagakure, how good that would be."

As he thought, a mocking smirk appeared on the corner of Ōnoki's mouth, though it was unclear whether he was laughing at Sarutobi Hiruzen's poor judgment of character or envying Konohagakure's abundance of geniuses and vast wealth.

Meanwhile, at the border of the Land of Hot Water, the Kumogakure frontline camp.

Continuous rows of tents were built against the mountains, and flags with black backgrounds and white clouds snapped in the biting mountain wind.

Thousands of Kumogakure shinobi were gathered here; the shouts of training and the clashing of metal never ceased, and an aura of slaughter permeated the valley.

Inside the commander's tent, the Third Raikage A—the Raikage who shook the ninja world with his formidable physique and Lightning Release Nintaijutsu—stood before a massive military map.

His burly, majestic frame was like an iron tower; merely standing there, he naturally radiated a suffocating sense of oppression.

His original plan was to lead his army southwest, traverse the towering ranges, and strike directly at Sunagakure, which had fallen into chaos due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage.

But at this moment, in A's rough palm, he was clutching a piece of top-secret intelligence that had just arrived.

As his gaze swept rapidly over the text on the scroll, the Third Raikage's mouth twitched slightly, and then, a booming, bell-like laugh erupted, causing the entire tent to hum.

"I didn't expect those sand-eating bastards in Sunagakure to actually have some skill."

A's five fingers tightened abruptly, and his powerful Lightning Release chakra instantly reduced the intelligence scroll in his hand to powder.

"Now that most of Konohagakure's top combat power is dragged into the quagmire of the Land of Rivers, their home defense must be empty!"

"A heaven-sent opportunity—how could I miss it!"

"Pass my order—"

The Raikage's voice sounded like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out all the clamor outside the tent, "Break camp! Target: Land of Fire! March south and capture the monkey!"

"This time, I will personally tear open that seemingly sturdy turtle shell of Konohagakure!"

"I might as well go and test whether that 'Strongest Hokage' Sarutobi Hiruzen, whom they boast about to the heavens, is stronger or weaker than the murderous Senju Tobirama from the First Great War!"

A's gaze seemed to pierce through the tent, seeing the fertile land to the south.

"At the same time, go and seize, go and plunder; bring back all the beautiful things from the Land of Fire to our village!"

This order was like a drawn lightning blade, instantly igniting the entire Kumogakure camp.

On the eastern side of the continent, the briny sea breeze, laden with moisture, blew against the towering Mizukage Building.

The Third Mizukage stood silently before the window, his figure gaunt, his face obscured by shadows.

Only a pair of pitch-black eyes reflected the scene outside the window—

In that misty bay, over a dozen pitch-black warships were lined up silently like dormant behemoths, their masts like a forest, their sails tightly furled.

Suddenly, a pool of thick, ink-like liquid seeped silently from the floor at his feet, defying logic as it crawled upward, took shape, and finally, like a bizarrely blooming black man-eating flower, slowly "opened"—

In the center of the stamen appeared a humanoid creature, half-black and half-white, with a grotesque silhouette.

"It can begin."

Black Zetsu's whisper, a blend of hoarseness and chill, echoed in the silent room.

Not long after, the Kirigakure Shinobi Army appeared at the docks, then transformed into streaks of black shadows, darting toward their respective warships.

Mooring lines were severed, and the sails billowed open with a roar, driven by chakra.

The massive fleet sailed away from the port like a moving shadow of death, heading toward the Land of Fire in the west.

The clouds of war, triggered by the indecisive battle in the Land of Rivers, began to gather rapidly over the Land of Fire.

In the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took a deep drag from his pipe.

"Go quickly and invite the Uchiha Clan Head for a discussion!"