As the entire Shinobi World focused on the war in the western part of the continent, many quick-witted people spotted the fatal weakness in Konoha's western front. They could not help but wonder: if the Mist Ninja invaded this region, the Konoha Allied Forces, with their rear threatened, would be in grave danger. The route taken by Kirigakure's hundred-thousand-strong army as it continuously advanced northeast seemed to confirm this speculation.
Meanwhile, the troops Konoha could currently deploy were far away on the easternmost edge of the continent, utterly beyond reach.
After realizing this, the upper echelons of every nation in the Shinobi World apart from the directly involved Sunagakure became immensely excited, because they had finally seen hope of defeating Skywalker!
Ever since Skywalker had burst onto the scene, Konoha had remained undefeated. Nawaki guided the entire Shinobi World as though he were controlling puppets. This monstrous display of keeping everything under control had left everyone feeling suffocated. Thus, even if they could not completely defeat Konoha this time, merely causing Skywalker to suffer a single unexpected setback would be enough to delight the leaders of every nation. At the very least, it would prove that Skywalker was not an infallible myth.
After receiving Sunagakure's plea for aid, Konoha immediately issued an announcement strongly condemning Kirigakure's slaughter and formally declaring war on Kirigakure. Other than that, it made no military movements whatsoever. Even the Konoha Shinobi Army within the Land of Lightning remained still, showing no sign of setting out.
To the leaders of the other nations, this only further demonstrated that Konoha was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, strengthening their confidence in their earlier judgment. Everyone awaited the collapse of the myth.
Yagura, in particular, became increasingly confident in his plan. Under his urging, Kirigakure's hundred-thousand-strong army rapidly pushed