We know that the spark that ignited the Third Shinobi World War was the disappearance (and death) of the Third Kazekage. With the leader of Sunagakure gone, the other nations naturally began to stir. A long time had passed since the last war, and every country had recovered and was ready to fight over the spoils again. And so, the Third Shinobi World War broke out.
I. Nations at war: all Five Great Nations were drawn into the conflict.
1. The Land of Wind: One battle in the Third Shinobi World War proved decisive: the Battle of Kikyo Pass, fought on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire. It ended with Konohagakure defeating Sunagakure. Konohagakure captured many young enemy ninja, including the young Kabuto. By then, Sasori had already placed a seal on Kabuto and turned him into a spy. Other spies working for Sasori included Yura—the one who acted as a spy when Sasori and Deidara captured Gaara—and another unfortunate soul who became a sacrifice for the Phase Transition Technique.
The Land of Earth: Minato Namikaze made a name for himself in the Third Shinobi World War, in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge against Iwagakure. Iwagakure sent over a thousand ninja to attack the Land of Fire's border. At the time, Minato was still a jonin, but he was assigned to destroy the enemy's supplies. Kannabi Bridge was a strategic target. After the battle, Obito's name was carved into the Memorial Stone, Kakashi became known as the Copy Ninja, and Minato killed fifty enemy ninja in an instant. The Flying Thunder God Technique shone in that battle, and the name Yellow Flash became famous. Iwagakure ordered its ninja to abandon their missions if they encountered Minato, with no repercussions.
The Land of Water: The original story only briefly mentions the war between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire. There were no famous battles. In fact, the Land of Water seemed to have no noteworthy military history at all, perhaps because of its geographical location. However, Ao, the Mizukage's bodyguard—the man with a Byakugan in one eye—apparently obtained it during this battle.
This battle also revealed a problem. First, members of the Hyuga Clan's Branch Family all bore Cursed Seals, so even if they were captured, they couldn't reveal the Byakugan's secrets. That means members of the Main Family must have fought in the battle, too. In addition, Ao said that he had fought Shisui Uchiha and was deeply impressed by his genjutsu. That means the Uchiha Clan also took part in the battle against Kirigakure. This shows that the Land of Fire really was under immense pressure, fighting four nations at once. If the pressure hadn't been so great, they wouldn't have sent the Uchiha Clan, known for its Fire Style, to face the Kirigakure ninja, who specialized in Water Style.
4. The Land of Lightning: We learned from a flashback that Minato once fought the AB Brothers. That battle taught the future Fourth Raikage and Killer B what true speed was. The AB Brothers came close to death, which was why the Fourth Raikage never forgot Minato. Afterward, Kumogakure's leadership issued an order similar to Iwagakure's: if they encountered Minato, they could flee at once.
During that battle, Minato told the Fourth Raikage—who hadn't yet taken the title—that the next time they fought, they might face each other as Kage. This shows that Minato already knew he had built up enough political capital to secure the next Hokage position. The other candidates, led by Orochimaru, all lost out.
II. Timeline: Years 46–47 of Konoha.
1. In Year 60 of Konoha, when the story began and Orochimaru destroyed Konohagakure, Kakashi was six. One year earlier, in Year 47, he was five and took part in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge under Minato's command, despite already being a jonin. At the end of the manga, it was said that the fighting in the Shinobi World War ended after this battle. In other words, the Third Shinobi World War ended in Year 47 of Konoha.
In Year 6 of Konoha, Sasori was five. According to Chiyo's recollection, Sasori had left Sunagakure twenty years earlier, in Year 4 of Konoha. After spending several years undercover and building up enough resources, Sasori infiltrated Sunagakure and killed the Third Kazekage. Adding the time it took Sunagakure to search for the missing Kazekage, the Third Shinobi World War must have broken out in Year 44 or 45 of Konoha.
When Sasori left Sunagakure, he placed the Puppet Curse on three people. The most important of them was Kabuto, who was said to be zero years old in Year 60 of Konoha, making him only a few years old in Year 4. He should still have been studying to become a ninja in Sunagakure, and it was normal for Sasori to notice him because he showed some promise. During wartime, children graduated at a very young age. Kakashi, for example, graduated at five and became a chunin at six; even Itachi didn't graduate until he was seven. If we assume Kabuto also graduated at five, he would have graduated in Year 45 of Konoha. Having just graduated and with war underway, he would naturally have been sent to the battlefield. Later, Kabuto took part in the Battle of Kikyo Pass. Sunagakure was defeated, and Kabuto was captured as a child and sent to an orphanage. Danzo and Orochimaru later recruited him in turn and sent him to various places around the world as a spy, until he eventually joined Orochimaru. This confirms that the Battle of Kikyo Pass took place in Year 45 or later. Of course, if Kabuto graduated a year later, then the battle would have taken place in Year 46 or later. That would leave little time before the war ended in Year 47, but considering that the Second Shinobi World War lasted only two years, it still seems possible.
We have another key figure: Itachi Uchiha. In Year 60 of Konoha, Itachi was eighteen, and according to his profile, he "witnessed the Shinobi World War at the age of four." Everyone knows Itachi was a prodigy. He began training at a very young age, graduated at seven, became a chunin at ten, joined the Anbu at eleven, and became an Anbu squad captain and massacred his clan at thirteen. So "witnessed it at four" means the war broke out when he was four, not that he only began to remember things at that age. Itachi turned four in Year 46 of Konoha, so the Third Shinobi World War broke out then. Based on the earlier deduction, the Battle of Kikyo Pass must have been the opening battle of the war.
4. In Year 60 of Konoha, Neji was fourteen. According to a flashback, when he was four—in Year 50 of Konoha—a leading ninja from Kumogakure abducted Hinata. It had been several years since the Third Shinobi World War ended. Kumogakure judged that Konohagakure did not want to start another war, which was why it dared to carry out this plot. This fits the situation at the time.
Based on the analysis above, we can narrow down the dates step by step. We conclude that the Third Shinobi World War began in Year 46 of Konoha and ended in Year 47, lasting two years.
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