As Konoha prepared for the Fifth Hokage's inauguration ceremony, the situation in the shinobi world was also changing quietly.
Because of Shisui, more than half of Kumogakure had been reduced to flat ground, with devastating casualties. On top of that, the Fourth Raikage had gone to Konoha for peace talks, only to leave in disgrace. The double blow and humiliation spurred the Fourth Raikage on. While gathering strength, he was constantly preparing to launch another great war against Konoha.
Unfortunately, the Fourth Raikage's wish was destined to fail.
Before he could start a war, that old man Ōnoki had set his sights on the heavily damaged Kumogakure first.
Other than the ever-growing Konoha, which was at the height of its power, Iwagakure and Kumogakure had originally been evenly matched.
However, because of Shisui's previous invasion, Kumogakure's strength had been greatly diminished.
Ōnoki did not dare provoke Konoha lightly, so he naturally turned his attention to Kumogakure.
The two sides had already clashed countless times, and a full-scale war seemed liable to break out at any moment.
Sunagakure, too, was beginning to stir.
With the funding allocated by the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, Sunagakure was doing far better than in the original story and had been quietly developing its strength.
During the Third Shinobi World War, Sunagakure had been forced to go to war with Iwagakure, yet ultimately gained nothing from it. This left Rasa and the village's hawkish faction deeply dissatisfied.
The only major nations bordering the Land of Wind were the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. Unable to wage war against Konoha, Rasa naturally set his sights on Iwagakure.
Across the entire shinobi world, only Konoha and Kirigakure remained relatively stable.
Konoha was stable because it was powerful enough that the other shinobi villages