The Struggle for the Third Hokage

On June 18th of Konoha's twenty-fifth year, war broke out between Konoha and Kumogakure. The two sides engaged in a tentative clash at the border between the Land of Moon and the Land of Hot Water, then swiftly withdrew.

Both sides had merely been probing during their first encounter. After all, the last war between major villages had been twenty years ago, so everyone was cautious at the outset.

Furthermore, neither side had committed much strength in the early stages. Though all the forces deployed were elite, they remained within controllable limits.

Kumogakure directly dispatched the Heaven Thunder Unit under the Raikage's command, assisted by the Anbu. They also incorporated the remnants of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku Unit, forming their initial shinobi army. Konoha, meanwhile, directly sent the Uchiha Clan out as the vanguard. Though those people usually held their heads high and looked down on everyone, and had been quite unruly even during the Second Hokage's time, everyone had to admit that having them charge into battle really

gave the villagers a sense of security.

After the war began, however, the first thing both sides did was not reinforce the battlefield, but address the power structure within their own villages.

Whether it was the Raikage or the Hokage, they were the core of their respective villages. War had now begun, yet no new Kage had been chosen. This was an extremely serious matter and could not be delayed. There was no need to discuss Kumogakure; they naturally had their own village-specific methods for choosing a Raikage. As for Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the successor personally designated by the Second Hokage, found himself trapped in an awkward position. The Hokage seat he had expected did not simply fall into his lap

.

The heads of the major clans were not all