"But... Kirigakure won't be easy to defeat. The Land of Water is overseas, and if they choose to drag the war out, they could cause us a great deal of trouble. If we get bogged down, Iwagakure and Kumogakure definitely won't pass up the opportunity."
Mitokado Homura shook his head and voiced his concerns.
In his view, the Third Hokage's idea was far too naive and presumptuous.
If the war went badly, Konoha would find itself fighting on three fronts!
Even though Konoha was powerful and wouldn't fear a united front of the Three Great Shinobi Villages, the Third Hokage, as the one who started the war, would still face questions from the Daimyo.
"What if we joined forces with Sunagakure and declared war on Kirigakure together?"
Utatane Koharu hesitated, then made a suggestion.
The Land of Fire and the Land of Wind had become staunch allies, and Konoha and Sunagakure had grown close as a result. If Konoha asked Sunagakure to join it in declaring war on Kirigakure, Sunagakure probably wouldn't refuse.
If it did, it would only mean the offer wasn't tempting enough.
But the Third Hokage shook his head.
"Sunagakure only just received a financial grant from the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. This is the best time for them to develop their village. They'd be delighted if the other villages went to war, so they could profit from it. Besides, Sunagakure is in the desert, far from Kirigakure. Even if it declared war, it would be difficult for it to send many people."
"So, to ensure victory, I plan to send Orochimaru, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Sakumo to the battlefield, along with an alliance force made up primarily of the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan, and backed by other shinobi."
At this, Koharu and Homura