The War Begins!
Every name that Uchiha Kō called out sent a shiver down the spines of the people of Konoha.
There's no other reason than that these people are invincible; some were former Hokage of Konoha, and others were Konoha's past nightmares.
They were born in the Warring States Period, and their fame spread throughout the Ninja World.
As the four men stepped onto the stage, everyone fell silent once more, their fighting spirit surging once more.
If this were an individual leading the fight, then Konoha.
Moreover, Konoha has expanded its territory considerably in recent years, and with the support of the Land of Fire and the village's finances, its population has increased nearly fivefold.
The number of combat-capable ninjas in the village has increased from 20,000 to 80,000!
Other villages could only muster 15,000 people even if they risked their lives, which shows just how strong Konoha is now!
Except for Senju Hashirama, the other four wore smiles, seemingly supporting Uchiha Kō's decision, believing that only through war could the war in the Ninja World be completely resolved.
Instead of relying on words, because many people say one thing to your face and another behind your back, saying one thing and thinking another.
History always judges by actions, not intentions; history is always written by the victors.
Although Senju Hashirama wore a melancholy expression, he knew all of this was for Konoha, and that his younger brother, his best friend, and his best friend's brother were all willing to do such a thing.
Does that mean he'll just give up? That's impossible.
"This battle concerns the unification of the Ninja World and the very survival of Konoha. I hope the four of you will give it your all in attacking the four hidden villages!"
"And fellow ninjas, your actions are crucial to the battle! We are now one step away from unification, so please give it your all." Uchiha Kō rallied his troops once more.
The ninjas immediately declared, "We will not fail the Lord Hokage's trust and will dedicate ourselves to the great cause of Konoha's unification, even unto death."
Senju Hashirama watched the Konoha Ninja united in their resolve, their eyes burning with fire and light, his heart skipped a beat. He knew that their hearts were now entirely with Uchiha Kō.
If that's the case, then I can only prioritize protecting the villagers and safeguarding the ninjas in my team!
"I'm sorry, Sunagakure, but for the future of Konoha, I have no choice but to ask you to do this." Senju Hashirama's gaze was resolute. Since this battle was unavoidable, then so be it!
Upon observing this, Uchiha Kō's lips curled into a smile. People, doing something positively and doing it negatively produce drastically different results. Uchiha Kō understood that Senju Hashirama would come to his senses. Although he had great love, in his eyes, Konoha was more important than anything else.
This is why Senju Hashirama killed Uchiha at the Valley of the End. This war concerned the survival of Konoha, and Senju Hashirama would never allow his own selfish desires to lead to the destruction of Konoha.
This is Konoha, built by his generation through a lifetime of hard work and countless sacrifices; it is his entire spiritual sustenance!
Seeing that Senju Hashirama had mentally prepared himself and that he and the other three had accepted their orders and left,
Uchiha Kō said, "The remaining 40,000 ninja will remain to guard Konoha, led by Namikaze Minato, to prevent the other four villages from resorting to desperate measures and launching a surprise attack on Konoha!"
"Nara Shikaku will assist Namikaze Minato in protecting Konoha, with Nara Rokumei providing guidance. You must ensure Konoha's absolute safety!" As soon as the words were spoken, Namikaze Minato and Nara Shikaku stepped onto the stage to receive their orders.
This is not just an appointment, but also a message to everyone that Namikaze Minato is the successor to Uchiha Kō Hokage Position. One day in the future, after Uchiha Kō steps down, Namikaze Minato will be the successor.
Uchiha Kō smiled. "Minato, I hope you will live up to my expectations and lead 40,000 ninja to protect Konoha!"
"Minato will not fail the Lord Hokage's trust and will put the responsibility of protecting Konoha above my own life and death." Namikaze Minato knelt on one knee and bowed to Uchiha Kō.
Uchiha Kō smiled and helped him up, then said, "After everyone returns to their clans, the entire village will prepare for war!"
"Yes!" all the ninjas present replied. Seeing such a lineup, even the 20% of ninjas who had initially disagreed joined in, because they couldn't imagine how this war could be lost!
After the meeting, all the ninjas returned to their clans and called all the ninjas on missions outside, regardless of the size of the mission, instructing them to return to their villages. This even alerted the other four villages, who were all speculating about what Konoha was up to!
They tried to get information from their own spies, but their spies were like corpses, unable to send out any messages, and Konoha had even closed its gates!
This caused widespread panic among the other four major ninja villages, who were all speculating about Konoha's intentions. Subsequently, the four hidden villages also recalled everyone to their villages, and the Ninja World is now eerily quiet.
Just one week later
The Konoha Gate opened, and tens of thousands of ninjas emerged from the Konoha. Senju Hashirama, Uchiha Senju Tobirama, Madara Uchiha, and Uchiha Izuna led their respective groups in four directions.
The ninjas who had been lying in ambush outside Konoha for a week stared wide-eyed at what they saw. "Holy crap? What's going on? Starting a war? Against whom? Do they really need 40,000 ninjas?"
And were those four guys leading the team serious? Who could possibly beat them? They left at breakneck speed, afraid that if they were too slow, they would be spotted by the swarming army that filed out. They were a dense mass, all wearing Konoha's latest iron suits, their bodies completely covered except for their eyes.
This equipment has never been seen used in Konoha before. What's going on now?
Upon receiving the news, the Kazekage, Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage were thrown into chaos. Their mood was far from pleasant. Sasori of the Red Sands Sunagakure, had not yet matured, Kumogakure had just undergone reforms, resulting in the killing of a number of people and leaving the village vulnerable.
Kirigakure breathed a slight sigh of relief; with the ocean separating them, it wouldn't be easy for Konoha's forces to cross over in the short term. Iwagakure, Ōnoki gaze sharpening, thought, "So this day has finally come?"
From the very beginning, Ōnoki knew that Uchiha Kō was a difficult person to deal with, and that he might launch a war against the four ninja villages one day. This is actually quite understandable, if Ōnoki had such strength, such an army, and such a leader.
He might have started the war long ago. He only hoped that it wouldn't happen in his time, but it has come to pass!
"Pass on my order: prepare the army for battle. This battle is a matter of life and death for Iwagakure. All able-bodied men, from six years old to over six, must go to war. All supplies will be provided by Iwagakure." After saying this, Ōnoki turned and looked out the window.
"Yes!" Kitsuchi cupped his hands in greeting and led the others out of the Tsuchikage's office.
When the door closed, Ōnoki's legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground. He knew that facing Uchiha was futile no matter how much he prepared. Ever since that time he went to Konoha with his master and met Uchiha Madara, he had known that some people you could spend your whole life chasing after and still not even catch a glimpse of their backs.
Uchiha was like that, and so was Uchiha Kō, so why didn't their Iwagakure have such figures?
Uchiha Kō followed the army towards Iwagakure, because Iwagakure was currently the only ninja village besides Konoha that still had considerable strength. Although Uchiha was able to defeat Ōnoki, Uchiha Kō did not want to make too many sacrifices. The instantaneous Dust Release had left a deep impression on him, and only by defeating Ōnoki could he feel at ease.
Although I really don't want to bully an old man, for the sake of the unity of the Ninja World, I'm sorry, Ōnoki, I have no choice but to ask you to step down!
Unification has always been Uchiha Kō's wish. The Ninja World has been fighting for who knows how long; it's time to end it all.
Even without the invasion of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, Uchiha Kō would have chosen the path of unification, though perhaps not so soon, maybe another ten years or so.
Now, the invasion of the Otsutsuki has made him realize that the strength and resources of a single village and country are not enough to keep them out. Only by gathering the power of the entire Ninja World can those people be killed.
"Ding, system updated mission: Unification of the Ninja World. Reward Eight Inner Gates Released (No Side Effects Version). Current progress: 0%"
The system, which hadn't appeared for a long time, reappeared, indicating that Uchiha Kō was on the right path. Uchiha Kō smiled, and suddenly a gust of wind blew, and a leaf flew into his hand.
Uchiha Kō held up the leaf, pointing it at the sun. "Konoha, I have come from another world, I will not let you down." After saying this, he put the leaf away, composed himself, and followed Uchiha Madara, chatting and laughing as they walked towards Iwagakure.
One hundred miles outside Iwagakure
Ōnoki led over 13,000 Iwagakure ninja to welcome Uchiha and his entourage. Upon seeing this, Uchiha raised his hand to stop the Konoha army from advancing.
Ten kilometers away, Uchiha gazed at Ōnoki. That little brat from back then had now become the Third Tsuchikage. Time really flies, and appearances can be deceiving!
"Is the person here Uchiha?" Ōnoki shouted through the megaphone.
Uchiha didn't use a megaphone; instead, he formed hand seals Hand Seals "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!" A pillar of fire shot from his mouth, traveling ten kilometers towards the Iwagakure forces.
Ōnoki roared, "Hand Seals! Earth Style Wall!" He was the first to Hand Seals, followed by Kitsuchi and Deidara, and then everyone else. A wall three hundred meters high appeared, blocking the Great Fire Annihilation.
A wave of heat swept over them, making Ōnoki and the others feel the scorching heat even through the walls. He was speechless; why was Uchiha's way of greeting them so peculiar?
Truly worthy of being called the God of Shinobi!
The Konoha ninjas cheered wildly, "This is so awesome! We won without even lifting a finger! Madara's move must have terrified the opposing ninjas!"
Uchiha saw that the Earth Style Wall had only turned red from the heat and had not changed anything else, so he finally stopped using the Great Fire Annihilation Technique.
Ōnoki looked at his hand, blistered from the burn, and trembled uncontrollably. He gritted his teeth, "Damn it, it's so hot! Is it inevitable that we will lose this battle?"
He held up his scalded hand, looked at the sky, and his eyes welled up with tears. Why was it so difficult for him to Tsuchikage?