Land of River Falls

August, Konoha Year 39.

To lull the Hidden Leaf Village into a false sense of security, the Hidden Sand Village released misleading signals of peace and dispatched diplomats to the Land of Fire to sign a non-aggression pact with Konoha.

One week after the treaty was signed.

September 1, Konoha Year 39.

The Hidden Sand Village secretly mobilized a massive army and, catching the surrounding nations completely off guard, launched a surprise attack on the neighboring Land of River.

Upon receiving the news, the Land of Fire—another neighbor to the Land of River—acted swiftly to prevent the Hidden Sand Village from annexing the territory and threatening its own borders, dispatching troops into the Land of River on September 17.

By October 6, the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire had occupied the entire territory of the Land of River.

Following the conclusion of the campaign in the Land of River, the Hidden Leaf Village initially intended to maintain peaceful relations with the Hidden Sand Village.

They issued a warning, giving the Hidden Sand Village 48 hours to withdraw from the territory of the Land of River.

Unexpectedly, the Hidden Sand Village tore up the non-aggression pact and launched a surprise offensive against the Hidden Leaf Village's forces, inflicting heavy casualties that neared 500 men.

Upon learning of this, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was incensed. Recognizing the wolfish ambition of the Hidden Sand Village, the Hidden Leaf Village declared war on October 8, Konoha Year 39, and dispatched a force of 5,000 ninja led by Sakumo Hatake into the Land of River.

From that moment on, the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Sand Village were once again plunged into the fires of war.

Inside the Hokage Office of the Hidden Leaf Village.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat behind his desk.

His two senior advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, along with his assistant Danzo Shimura, sat across from him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his hand onto the desk, shattering it to pieces.

Anyone could see the fury burning within him.

"Damn that Third Kazekage, has he forgotten his place? To think he dares to wage war against our Konoha!"

That was five hundred ninja!

Damn that Third Kazekage, does he have any idea how long it takes me to train five hundred ninja?!

"Come to think of it, what is the Third Kazekage's surname, anyway?" Homura Mitokado asked, seizing the moment to voice his confusion.

Koharu Utatane frowned, sensing something amiss. "Wait, he actually has a name?"

"Enough, shut your mouths, you two idiots!"

Why on earth did I ever let you two become advisors?

What about Torifu?

It must be that I was too young back then, blinded by your pretense of shrewdness. I should have chosen Akamichi Torifu!

At least I made one correct decision back then.

At this thought, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward Danzo Shimura.

"Danzo, what is your take on this?"

"Let me go, Hiruzen!" Danzo Shimura looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with excitement.

You truly are a glutton for power!

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a long time before saying with reluctance, "Very well, you shall be in charge of the Land of River front."

The Land of Wind was a major power second only to the Land of Fire; Hiruzen Sarutobi did not feel at ease leaving the battlefield to the younger generation.

Furthermore, as the Land of Fire was situated at the center of all nations, he had to remain in the village to guard against other countries.

As for Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, as long as those two wastes didn't hold him back, it was fine; sending them to the front lines would be even less reliable than the youth!

After a moment of contemplation, Hiruzen Sarutobi added, "I will dispatch Orochimaru and Tsunade to assist you."

"Understood. I will have them prepare; in three days, we depart for the Land of River." Danzo Shimura did not refuse; he chose to accept Hiruzen Sarutobi's terms.

Danzo Shimura was already overjoyed to be heading to the front lines—this was a golden opportunity to gain prestige.

He could not ask for more, and Hiruzen Sarutobi would not have agreed to any other demands anyway.

Three days later, Konoha mobilized another 3,000 troops and, led by Danzo Shimura, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, set out for the Land of River battlefield.

This time, every ninja clan sent a portion of their forces to join the unit.

Not only that, but the Uchiha Clan finally secured the opportunity they had been dreaming of, sending over three hundred ninja to participate in the war.

It was said that Danzo Shimura had secured this opportunity for them.

The next morning.

Senju Genma, Uzumaki Kushina, and Uzumaki Mito arrived outside the clan grounds, followed by six Jonin of the Senju Clan.

The matter of transferring the Nine-Tails was top secret; aside from Genma and the others, only Hiruzen Sarutobi was aware of it.

Therefore, these Jonin only knew they were to escort Uzumaki Mito to a certain location; as for what would happen once they arrived, they were kept in the dark.

The group arrived together at the Konoha Forest outside the village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in black combat gear, had been waiting there for some time.

Standing beside him was a man of broad build, Akamichi Torifu.

Senju Genma sensed that at least three Anbu squads were guarding the perimeter of the forest.

Uzumaki Mito led Genma and Uzumaki Kushina past the two men, leaving the Senju Jonin behind.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Akamichi Torifu remained silent, merely bowing their heads like children who had done something wrong.

Once Uzumaki Mito entered the forest, Akamichi Torifu's eyes turned red.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised his pipe to take a puff and calm his nerves, only to find that he had crushed the stem.

"Hiruzen, the sealing is about to begin. I'm going to patrol the north side," Akamichi Torifu said before turning away with a flourish.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Akamichi Torifu's retreating figure, cursing his own weakness, before quickly composing himself to patrol the forest perimeter personally.

Only the Anbu hidden in the shadows saw that the usually imposing Akamichi Torifu was currently crying like a three-hundred-pound child.

"Isn't this environment a bit too crude? With only a simple barrier set up by the Anbu, it doesn't feel very safe," Senju Genma said, his gaze sweeping the surroundings with a hint of confusion.

Uzumaki Kushina was also surprised; logically, such an important event as transferring the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki should have been prepared with the utmost caution.

Uzumaki Mito answered their doubts in a gentle tone: "Transferring the Nine-Tails is critical, and since we are in a time of war, the Tailed Beast is a terrifying existence capable of destroying a nation single-handedly. Therefore, the fewer people who know, the better!"

"Furthermore, transferring the Nine-Tails is not as complicated as you think. The most important thing is that we cannot afford any mistakes; Hiruzen and the others are our contingency plan should an accident occur."

Senju Genma nodded. Although he trusted in Uzumaki Mito's strength, he still left his Flying Thunder God formula on the outskirts of the forest.

He was well aware of the Nine-Tails' power—the strongest Tailed Beast beneath the Ten-Tails, capable of taking on six others with only half its chakra. If one could become a perfect Jinchuriki, their strength would reach the Super Kage level, which forced him to be cautious.

The three walked for two or three minutes until they reached the center of the forest.

On the ground, a ritual formula had already been drawn with chakra-infused ink, surrounded by a few braziers propped up on stands. The setup was incredibly rudimentary.