The Third Shinobi World War.
At this time, the Land of Earth had provoked a war against the Land of Fire.
Yet the ones who suffered most were the small countries caught between them.
In wars between great nations, smaller countries instead became buffer zones.
The Land of Grass was one of them.
It was a small country sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.
After the war began, in order to stop Iwagakure of the Land of Earth from advancing, Konohagakure of the Land of Fire placed its main battlefield within the borders of the Land of Grass.
Konohagakure's opponents included not only Iwagakure, but also Kumogakure and Kirigakure.
This left Konohagakure severely short-handed, to the point that those who should have remained behind...