Declaration of War

News of Kagami Uchiha's death quickly spread throughout Konoha. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was deeply saddened. No matter how much the Uchiha were marginalized, Kagami was still an Uchiha whom Hiruzen acknowledged as possessing the Will of Fire.

"Kumogakure..." Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured.

That village had left Hiruzen with a very bad impression. At the same time, Kumogakure's strength was beyond question. His teacher, the powerful Second, had indirectly died at their hands.

The newly appointed Third Raikage was said to be a hardliner. For the past few years, he had focused on stabilizing the village and bringing its elders under his control. He was currently hailed as the strongest Raikage.

Unexpectedly, the Third Raikage had also refused to sit idle and had gone to the battlefield. More importantly, he had killed Kagami Uchiha. This was undoubtedly a declaration of war against Konoha.

"Koharu, Homura, that's the situation. I've decided: we're declaring war on Kumogakure!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly. Whether because of what had happened to the Second or because of Kagami Uchiha, this war was unavoidable.

"Iwagakure in the Land of Earth and Kirigakure in the Land of Water are already locked in fierce fighting. If we go to war with Kumogakure, could the Sand shinobi attack us from behind?" Mitokado Homura asked worriedly.

"Given the Hidden Sand Village's poor conditions, they'll definitely come take a bite out of us if they get the chance," Utatane Koharu said with certainty.

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe. This was what worried him, too.

"Hiruzen, how about Koharu and I go to the Land of Rivers border to prevent a Sand shinobi sneak attack?" Mitokado Homura immediately offered. The village didn't have many people to spare right now, so he could only volunteer.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. That was why he had called Mitokado Homura and the others here.

Otherwise, Sarutobi Hiruzen wouldn't have needed to discuss everything with them.

After dealing with the Hidden Sand Village threat, Sarutobi Hiruzen began mobilizing Konoha's shinobi to head to the front lines. There was no helping it. Kumogakure had already killed one of the village's senior figures, so there was nothing left to negotiate.

The Uchiha Clan was also furious, and they all declared that they wanted to go to the battlefield against Kumogakure and avenge their elder.

Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed. He had no reason to stop them from doing so.

And so, the colossal force that was Konoha began moving once more, with many shinobi heading for the front lines.

At the border of the Land of Fire, near the Land of Hot Water, Danzo was making preparations. They had moved to a new camp. After all, they were about to fight Kumogakure head-on, so naturally, they wouldn't stay near places like the Land of Grass. The Land of Hot Water was now the area Konoha's shinobi were focused on defending.

The Uchiha who had come from Konoha were currently in Danzo's tent, voicing their dissatisfaction. Danzo didn't indulge them in the slightest.

"Although the Sharingan is your clan's bloodline, this was also Kagami's dying wish. Since I, Shimura Danzo, agreed to it, I'll do everything in my power to see it through. Now, you have only one path to take. Otherwise, the front lines will be where you meet your end!" Shimura Danzo said coldly.

The Uchiha Clan's current elder, Uchiha Hikaku, stopped his clansmen from arguing. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Very well, Hokage Advisor. Let's put this matter to rest."

Danzo glanced at the Uchiha. A trace of contempt flashed in his eyes. Aside from Kagami, these Uchiha were truly pathetic.

But it was wartime, and Danzo was someone who considered the bigger picture. What's more, he had to make some concessions this time to deal with the aftermath of Kagami Uchiha's Sharingan.

Fortunately, making these arrangements within the scope of his authority wasn't a violation of the rules.

That was right: Danzo had bluntly told them to think it over. He was in charge of the battlefield here. Did they want to serve as cannon fodder on the front lines, or did they want him to give them some consideration? They needed to choose carefully.

The Uchiha Clan made the sensible choice. The matter of the Sharingan was laid to rest.

For the past few days, Li Yi had been practicing ways to coordinate his ninjutsu. As for the Uchiha, he hadn't paid them any attention. Danzo was handling things up front, so it wasn't his concern anyway.

It wasn't until a shinobi appeared before Li Yi and told him to meet with Danzo that he headed to the Konoha camp.

After Li Yi entered, Danzo was the only one inside. Seeing him come in, Danzo said, "Li Yi, you're a Konoha jonin now. Here are two missions. Take a look and choose which one you want."

As he spoke, Danzo tossed over two scrolls. Li Yi caught them and opened them to take a look. One was an S-rank long-term mission: to intercept Kumogakure's active forces. He would operate in the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Moon, and along the border of the Land of Lightning where it met the Land of Moon. The mission was flexible: kill if he could, run if he couldn't.

Of course, he would also have to guard against being lured into a trap and killed. How to handle that was up to Li Yi.

The other was also an S-rank mission, but it involved operating alongside the Jonin Commander. Li Yi would have far less autonomy, and other shinobi could easily become a burden to him.

"Danzo-sama, I'll take this one!" Li Yi said, raising one of the scrolls in his hand. He placed the other scroll on Danzo's desk.

Danzo glanced at it and frowned. "This mission will be very dangerous. We won't be able to support you, and you may run into powerful Kumogakure shinobi. You'd better think it through."

Li Yi nodded. "Danzo-sama, I've made up my mind."

Seeing how resolute Li Yi was, Danzo didn't say anything more. "Fine. Set out immediately. Take these!"

As he spoke, Danzo tossed him two scrolls. Li Yi's eyes lit up. These were space scrolls, capable of storing plenty of things. They were very expensive in the Shinobi World, and ordinary shinobi couldn't afford them.

At the very least, a broke guy like Li Yi couldn't afford them.

Carrying the two space scrolls Danzo had given him, Li Yi went to the supply depot and sealed away a good amount of supplies. Then he set foot in the Land of Hot Water.

As soon as Li Yi entered the Land of Hot Water, a Kumogakure squad spotted him and began tracking him. Li Yi glanced behind him. There was one jonin and three chunin—a perfectly ordinary squad composition.

No matter how Li Yi changed his position, the enemy stayed on his trail. He knew they must have a sensory ninja. If he weren't trying to avoid revealing himself too early, he wouldn't have bothered with them. But that was no longer an option. Being tracked by a squad with a sensory ninja would be a huge problem.

Li Yi's plan was to slip in quietly and not draw attention.

This squad was clearly intent on capturing him. They probably thought that since he was alone, taking him down wouldn't be difficult, which was why they kept chasing him.

Li Yi stopped in a ravine. The Kumogakure shinobi pursuing him soon caught up. Seeing Li Yi, they showed no intention of talking. The three chunin immediately formed Hand Seals and launched their ninjutsu.