The Spark of the Third Shinobi World War

By the time Guy and Kurenai ran to the school, the sky had already darkened.

There were quite a few people standing at the school gate.

It wasn't the usual scattered groups of students leaving for the day; it was a massive, swarming crowd.

Parents gathered in small clusters, whispering to one another.

The children stood nearby, some still dazed, while others had been caught up in the tense atmosphere.

Guy swept his gaze across the area.

He saw Obito standing at the entrance, standing on his tiptoes and peering in this direction.

"Over here!" Obito waved.

Guy and Kurenai pushed their way over.

"What's going on?" Guy asked.

Obito shook his head, lowering his voice: "I don't know. I just got here, and the gate was already blocked like this. Rin isn't here yet..."

As he spoke, Rin squeezed out from the crowd, running until she was breathless.

"I'm here, I'm here!"

She stood still, caught her breath, and looked at Obito.

"Obito, do you know what's going on?"

Obito shook his head.

"How would I know? Where's Asuma? That kid is the Third's son; he definitely knows more."

The group turned their heads to look.

Asuma was standing not far away, leaning against a tree.

He had a matchstick dangling from his mouth.

His usual cocky demeanor was gone, and his expression was uncharacteristically serious.

Obito hurried over.

"Hey, Asuma, do you know what's happening?"

Asuma glanced at him.

He didn't speak.

Obito was stunned.

"I'm asking you a question!"

Asuma still didn't speak.

He took the matchstick out of his mouth and clenched it in his palm.

He gripped it very tightly.

Watching that movement, Guy felt his heart skip a beat.

This kid definitely knew something.

And it was bad news.

The crowd at the gate suddenly fell silent.

Someone shouted: "Teacher Ikkaku Umino is here!"

The crowd automatically parted to make a path.

Ikkaku Umino walked in from the outside.

His face looked terrible.

It wasn't his usual smiling, gentle expression; it was a heaviness that suggested he was suppressing something.

He walked to the school gate and stood still.

He scanned the students present.

"Are you all here?"

No one answered.

He counted them himself.

"Good. Follow me inside."

He turned and walked in.

The students followed.

The parents tried to follow, but were stopped by the Chunin at the gate.

"Parents wait outside."

The school gate closed.

Inside the classroom.

Twenty-some students sat scattered about.

No one spoke.

Obito, usually the loudest of them all, sat quietly this time, his eyes fixed on the podium.

Ikkaku Umino stood before the podium.

He looked at the faces below.

Six years old, seven years old.

The youngest was only six.

He remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he spoke.

"I called you all here today to tell you something."

The classroom grew even quieter.

One could hear the sound of the wind blowing through the leaves outside the window.

Ikkaku Umino took a deep breath.

"Three days ago."

He paused.

"The Third Kazekage has gone missing."

The classroom fell into a dead silence.

Then, it immediately erupted into a buzz of noise.

"The Kazekage? Isn't that the boss of Sunagakure?"

"Sunagakure? You mean that place that's nothing but desert?"

"What does his disappearance have to do with us?"

"Could it be that we..."

Whispers began to spread.

But they quickly died down again.

Guy sat in the back row, by the window.

When he heard those words, his heart sank.

As expected.

It was the disappearance of the Third Kazekage!

The greatest combat power of Sunagakure, gone just like that.

And this event was the very fuse that would ignite the Third Shinobi World War.

Sunagakure would pour out its entire force to search everywhere.

Kumogakure from the Land of Lightning would seize the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.

Then, they would declare war on the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.

And then.

The war would begin.

Guy clenched his fists.

It was a little faster than he had anticipated.

But not by much.

He turned his head to look beside him.

Obito looked completely bewildered, whispering to Rin, "What does the Kazekage going missing have to do with us?"

Rin shook her head, but her brow was furrowed.

He looked ahead.

Asuma was staring down at his desk.

His shoulders were tensed tight.

Clearly, as the son of the Third, his political intuition was much sharper.

"The Kazekage's disappearance is no small matter."

Ikkaku Umino scanned the classroom.

"Sunagakure is currently under full martial law, and all their ninja are searching. But—"

He paused.

"If they can't find him, what will happen?"

No one answered.

Ikkaku Umino continued on his own.

"If the Kazekage has truly met with an accident, who will Sunagakure think is responsible?"

The classroom grew even quieter.

"Peace has never truly existed between the Five Great Nations."

Ikkaku Umino's voice was flat, but every word landed like a stone.

"Iwagakure and Kumogakure have been reinforcing their borders. If Sunagakure falls into chaos as well..."

He didn't finish the sentence.

But the meaning was already clear.

War.

The word circled through everyone's mind.

Some faces turned pale.

Some swallowed hard.

Some were still dazed.

Ikkaku Umino watched these reactions, remaining silent for a few seconds.

Then, he softened his tone.

"Of course, this is just to inform you for now. Konoha is still negotiating and investigating. It doesn't necessarily mean war will break out."

He paused.

"However!"

"You are students of the Ninja Academy. In the future, you will all be heading to the battlefield."

"So, be prepared."

Having said that, he turned around.

He wrote a few words on the blackboard.

[Effective immediately, training intensity is doubled, and all leave is canceled.]

"Class dismissed."

No one in the classroom moved.

Ikkaku Umino walked out of the room, his footsteps fading into the distance.

"What does that mean?" someone spoke up. "Double the training intensity? Isn't that going to work us to death?"

"Didn't you hear? We're going to war!"

"War? With whom?"

"Sunagakure! The Kazekage is missing; it must have been us!"

"Nonsense! Why would we do something like that?"

"Who knows..."

They started arguing.

But the argument wasn't as lively as usual.

Their voices were kept very low, as if afraid of being overheard.

Guy stood up, and Kurenai leaned in nervously.

"Guy, do you think... will we really go to war?"

Guy looked at her worried expression; though he wanted to comfort her, he still nodded.

"Yes."

Kurenai was stunned, seemingly not expecting Guy to be so certain.

Before she could speak, Guy placed his hand on Kurenai's head, ruffled her hair, and flashed a set of white teeth.

"But it doesn't matter, I will protect you!"

Kurenai's face flushed bright red in an instant.

She didn't even know where to put her hands, feeling incredibly nervous.

This was the first time Guy had ever touched her head like that.

Obito watched Guy from the side, his face full of envy.

He gave a dry cough to clear his throat.

Just as he reached out to place his hand on Rin's head, she immediately dodged away.

"Obito, what are you doing?"

Rin looked at him with wariness.

Obito winced, saying awkwardly, "Haha, I just wanted to say that I will protect you too, Rin!"

Rin rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Then, thinking of Kakashi on the battlefield, she couldn't help but feel worried.

Guy walked over to her and said earnestly, "Kakashi will be fine, and besides, worrying right now won't do any good."

Rin nodded, "I know, I just..."

Guy waved his hand, cutting her off.

"Instead of letting your imagination run wild, you should focus on becoming stronger."

"Only when we become stronger can we become each other's support when we meet in the future, right?"

Rin was stunned.

Looking at Guy's serious expression, she suddenly smiled.

"Guy, it's really great to be in the same year as you."

Kurenai nodded quickly in agreement.

Guy laughed heartily, then walked away without looking back.

"I'm going for extra training; follow me if you want to come."

As soon as he finished speaking, Obito, Kurenai, and Rin immediately followed him.

Ebisu, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, hesitated for a moment before following as well.

Once they had all left, Asuma, who hadn't said much, turned his head to look in their direction.

Although he still maintained his cool demeanor, his eyes had changed.

"Each other's support, huh..."

After a long while, he curled his lip.

Even though Asuma was extremely annoyed that Guy had placed his hand on Kurenai's head earlier.

He had to admit.

He deeply agreed with that guy's words.

"I hope the war... can arrive a little later."