Kirigakure Invasion

Konoha, Hokage Office.

Namikaze Minato had already returned to the village and was reporting the situation of the battle at the Forest Fortress valley to the Third Hokage.

For Namikaze Minato, returning to Konoha took only the blink of an eye. The Flying Thunder God technique was not only immensely effective in combat, but it was also unparalleled by any other ninjutsu when it came to intelligence transmission.

"I never expected that besides the Fourth Mizukage, Kirigakure would have someone else capable of stopping you. It seems we cannot afford to underestimate those old rivals of ours!"

After Namikaze Minato finished his report, the Third Hokage's expression turned grave. He took a deep drag from his pipe before letting out a sigh.

The "old rivals" the Third referred to were not any specific individuals, but the other four great ninja villages. Although Konoha had gradually weakened in recent years, the top-tier ninjas it possessed still held an absolute advantage among the five great ninja villages.

However, Namikaze Minato hitting a wall this time placed immense pressure on the Third. If other major villages also produced enough top-tier ninjas to rival Konoha, the situation for Konoha, located at the center of the ninja world, would become even more precarious.

"If Kirigakure is interfering now, our support for Sunagakure will indeed face significant obstacles. Even if you lead a team to bypass the Forest Fortress and reach Sunagakure, if Kirigakure forces pursue from behind, it will not only fail to aid Sunagakure but will also make the situation even more complex," the Third said slowly.

Upon hearing this, Namikaze Minato nodded and said, "This subordinate also considered this factor, which is why I returned immediately to seek your instructions for our next move. Time is already very tight; perhaps I should head to Sunagakure alone. Although my strength is limited, I believe I can still be of some use."

The Third frowned and pondered for a few seconds before agreeing to Namikaze Minato's suggestion. Although Namikaze Minato humbly claimed his strength was limited, the Third knew his power was already on par with the Five Kage, and his mobility was the best in the ninja world.

If any other ninja, even one of the Sannin, wanted to carry out this support mission alone, the Third would certainly not have agreed. But Namikaze Minato gave him peace of mind; he believed that even if he encountered danger, Namikaze Minato would surely be able to escape successfully.

Seeing that the Third had agreed to his suggestion, Namikaze Minato immediately accepted the order, preparing to return to the Forest Fortress to arrange for the remaining Konoha troops to return to the village at once.

However, before leaving, Namikaze Minato still had some concerns. He looked at the Third and said with some worry, "Lord Third, since Kirigakure is sending people to intercept us, could they be thinking of starting a war with Konoha?"

The Third smiled upon hearing this, shaking his head as he said, "Do not worry about that. Kirigakure's strategy should be to escalate the war between Kumogakure and Sunagakure, thereby inciting chaos within the ninja world, while they sit back and watch the fire from across the river, reaping the benefits."

"Therefore, while Kirigakure will hinder our support for Sunagakure, they will certainly not engage us in a full-scale war!" the Third said with considerable confidence.

Namikaze Minato felt the Third's analysis was very reasonable, yet thinking of the Konoha ninjas who had fallen at the Forest Fortress, his heart remained heavy with indignation.

Seeing Namikaze Minato's expression, the Third naturally guessed what he was thinking. He patted Namikaze Minato on the shoulder and said earnestly, "The ninja world has been at war for too long; we must not initiate conflict unless absolutely necessary. You must understand that sometimes, a ninja must sacrifice for the greater good!"

Just as the Third finished speaking, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a ninja rushed in with a panicked expression.

"Lord Third, it's bad! The forward intelligence team has discovered a large number of ninjas invading our borders. It has been confirmed that these ninjas are from Kirigakure!"

Upon hearing this news, the expression on the Third's face instantly froze. Just moments ago, he had been very certain in his analysis with Namikaze Minato that Kirigakure would never launch a war against Konoha, yet reality had slapped him in the face in the blink of an eye.

In truth, the Third's analysis was not flawed, but what he did not know was that the Mizukage, who held power in Kirigakure, was currently being controlled by Madara, whose goal was to plunge the entire ninja world into chaos—not a single one of the five great villages could be left out!

At this moment, the Third could not afford to dwell on the embarrassment of being proven wrong. He gestured for the intelligence-bearing ninja to wait aside, then turned to Namikaze Minato and said, "Minato, you must go to support Sunagakure as quickly as possible. I will handle the situation here myself."

Namikaze Minato nodded and said no more, directly activating the Flying Thunder God to return to the camp near the Forest Fortress. Meanwhile, the Third immediately summoned the high-ranking officials of Konoha to discuss a plan to counter the Kirigakure invasion.

Just as the Third Hokage received news of the Kirigakure invasion of the Land of Fire, Terumi Mei, far away at the Forest Fortress, also received the intelligence.

Looking coldly at the messenger sent by the Fourth Mizukage, Terumi Mei suppressed the anger in her heart and asked in a low voice, "Why would Lord Mizukage take the initiative to launch a war against Konoha?!"

If they were only intercepting Konoha ninjas, the currently weak Konoha leadership might be dissatisfied with Kirigakure, but they would not go to war. But now that Kirigakure had invaded the Land of Fire, a war between the two great ninja villages was unavoidable.

In this way, Kirigakure was also dragged into the vortex of war, leaving no chance to reap any benefits.

Facing the cold-faced Terumi Mei, the messenger who delivered the intelligence showed a hint of fear. He swallowed hard and said cautiously, "Lord Terumi Mei, this is the order of Lord Mizukage; this subordinate is merely delivering the message."

"Additionally, Lord Mizukage has ordered Lord Suikazan Fuguki to lead the assassination squad to rendezvous with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, while you are to lead your troops into the Land of Fire to assist in pinning down Konoha's vital forces."

Terumi Mei took a deep breath upon hearing this, struggling to suppress the negative emotions in her heart for the time being. Now that the war had begun, she could only execute the Mizukage's plan.

"The order has been received. You may return to report to Lord Mizukage."