Konoha, Hokage's office.
Namikaze Minato had returned to the village and was reporting to the Third Hokage about the battle in the valley of Forest Fortress.
For Minato, returning to Konoha took only the blink of an eye. The Flying Thunder God Technique was immensely useful not only in battle; no other ninjutsu could rival it when it came to relaying intelligence.
"I never expected Kirigakure to have someone besides the Fourth Mizukage who could stop you. It seems we can't afford to underestimate those old opponents of ours."
By the time Minato finished his report, the Third Hokage's expression had grown very grave. He took a long draw from his pipe before sighing.
The "old opponents" the Third Hokage referred to weren't any particular individuals, but the other four Great Shinobi Villages. Although Konoha had gradually weakened in recent years, it still held an absolute advantage in top-tier ninja among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
But Minato's setback this time had put the Third Hokage under tremendous pressure. If the other great villages also produced enough top-tier ninja to stand against Konoha, then Konoha's position at the heart of the Shinobi World would become even more precarious.
"If Kirigakure interferes, our support for Sunagakure will face considerable obstacles. Even if you lead your team around Forest Fortress and reach Sunagakure, Kirigakure's forces could pursue you from behind. That wouldn't help Sunagakure at all; it would only make the situation more complicated," the Third Hokage said slowly.
Minato nodded. "I considered that as well, which is why I came back immediately to ask for your instructions. Time is running short. I could go to Sunagakure alone. My abilities may be limited, but I believe I could still be of some help."
The Third Hokage furrowed his brow and thought for a few seconds before agreeing. Minato had modestly said that his abilities were limited, but the Third Hokage knew he was already no weaker than the Five Kage, and his mobility was unmatched in the Shinobi World.
If any other ninja—even one of the Sannin—had wanted to carry out this support mission alone, the Third Hokage would never have agreed. But Minato put him at ease. He believed that even if Minato ran into danger, he would still manage to escape.
Seeing that the Third Hokage had agreed, Minato immediately accepted the order and prepared to return to Forest Fortress to arrange for the remaining Konoha forces to head back to the village at once.
But before leaving, Minato still had some concerns. He looked at the Third Hokage and asked worriedly, "Lord Third Hokage, Kirigakure has sent people to intercept us. Could they be planning to go to war with Konoha?"
The Third Hokage smiled faintly and shook his head. "You can put that worry aside. Kirigakure's strategy is probably to escalate the war between Kumogakure and Sunagakure, stirring up conflict in the Shinobi World's inland regions while they watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits."
"So Kirigakure will hinder our support for Sunagakure, but they certainly won't fight us head-on!" the Third Hokage said confidently.
Minato also thought the Third Hokage's analysis made sense. But when he thought of the Konoha ninja who had fallen at Forest Fortress, his heart still burned with indignation.
Seeing Minato's expression, the Third Hokage naturally guessed what was on his mind. He patted Minato on the shoulder and said earnestly, "The Shinobi World has been plagued by war for far too long. Unless we have no other choice, we must never start a war ourselves. You must understand that sometimes a ninja has to make sacrifices for the greater good!"
As soon as the Third Hokage finished speaking, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a ninja rushed in, panic-stricken.
"Lord Third Hokage, there's trouble! Our forward intelligence team has discovered a large number of ninja invading our territory. We've confirmed that they're all from Kirigakure!"
At the news, the Third Hokage's expression froze. Just moments earlier, he and Minato had been firmly asserting that Kirigakure would never wage war against Konoha. Now reality had slapped him in the face.
The Third Hokage's analysis hadn't actually been wrong. What he didn't know was that the Mizukage, who held power in Kirigakure far away, was under Madara's control. Madara's goal was to plunge the entire Shinobi World into chaos, without leaving out a single one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!
The Third Hokage had no time to dwell on the embarrassment of being proven wrong. He gestured for the ninja who had brought the report to wait at the side, then turned to Minato. "Minato, you should hurry to Sunagakure after all. I'll handle things here."
Minato nodded without another word and used the Flying Thunder God to return to the camp near Forest Fortress. The Third Hokage immediately summoned the Konoha High Command to discuss how to respond to the invasion by Kirigakure's ninja.
Just as the Third Hokage received word that Kirigakure had invaded the Land of Fire, Terumi Mei, far away at Forest Fortress, received the same news.
Terumi Mei stared coldly at the messenger sent by the Fourth Mizukage, suppressing her anger as she asked in a low voice, "Why has the Mizukage decided to start a war with Konoha?"
If Kirigakure had only intercepted Konoha's ninja, then even if Konoha's weak-willed leadership had been displeased, they wouldn't have gone to war with Kirigakure. But Kirigakure had now invaded the Land of Fire, making war between the two great villages unavoidable.
As a result, Kirigakure had been dragged into the maelstrom of war as well, with no chance to reap the benefits from the sidelines.
Faced with Terumi Mei's icy expression, the messenger who had come to deliver the news looked somewhat fearful. He swallowed and said cautiously, "Lady Terumi Mei, this is the Mizukage's order. I'm only here to deliver the message."
"Also, the Mizukage has ordered Lord Suikazan Fuguki to lead the assassination squad and join up with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. You are to lead your forces into the Land of Fire and help tie down Konoha's fighting strength."
Terumi Mei took a deep breath, struggling to suppress her negative emotions for the moment. The war had already begun, so she could only follow the Mizukage's plan.
"Message received. You may return and report to the Mizukage."
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