Declaration of War

The news of Uchiha Kagami's death spread quickly throughout Konoha. The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was deeply pained; no matter how much he had marginalized the Uchiha, Uchiha Kagami was an Uchiha whom he, Sarutobi Hiruzen, acknowledged as possessing the Will of Fire.

"Cloud Village..." Sarutobi Hiruzen murmured.

This village had left a very poor impression on Sarutobi Hiruzen, but at the same time, the strength of the Cloud Village was beyond doubt. His teacher, the powerful Second Hokage, had indirectly died at the hands of the Cloud Village.

The newly appointed Third Raikage was rumored to be a hardliner. For the past few years, he had been stabilizing his village and had brought all the elders under his control; currently, he was hailed as the strongest Raikage.

Unexpectedly, the Third Raikage could not sit still either. He had rushed to the battlefield, and crucially, he had killed Uchiha Kagami. This was undoubtedly an act of war against Konoha.

"Koharu, Homura, that is the situation. I have decided to declare war on the Cloud Village!" Sarutobi Hiruzen said calmly. Whether because of the matter regarding the Second Hokage or the incident with Uchiha Kagami, this war was unavoidable.

"Currently, Iwagakure of the Land of Earth and the Hidden Mist Village of the Land of Water are fighting fiercely. If we go to war with the Cloud Village, will the Hidden Sand Village launch a sneak attack on us?" Mitokado Homura asked with concern.

"Given the barren conditions of the Hidden Sand Village, they will certainly bite us if they see an opportunity," Utatane Koharu said with certainty.

Sarutobi Hiruzen puffed on his pipe; this was also the problem that worried him.

"Hiruzen, why don't Koharu and I go to the border of the Land of Rivers to prevent a sneak attack from the Sand?" Mitokado Homura suggested immediately. There were few people available in the village now, so he had no choice but to volunteer.

Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. Bringing Mitokado Homura and the others here was exactly for this purpose.

Otherwise, Sarutobi Hiruzen would not have needed to discuss everything with them.

Having settled the matter regarding the Hidden Sand Village, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to mobilize the village's ninjas to head to the front lines. There was no other way; since the Cloud Village had killed a high-ranking official of the village, there was no room for negotiation.

The Uchiha clan was also filled with righteous indignation, and many expressed their desire to go to the Cloud Village battlefield to avenge their elder.

Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed; he had no reason to stop them in such a situation.

Just like that, the behemoth that was Konoha began to operate once again, and many ninjas rushed to the front lines.

On the border of the Land of Fire near the Land of Hot Water, Danzo was making deployments. They had already changed to a new camp; after all, since they were going to war with the Cloud Village head-on, they naturally would not stay near places like the Land of Grass. Now, the Land of Hot Water was the area where Konoha ninjas were focusing their defenses.

The Uchiha clansmen who had arrived from Konoha were currently in Danzo's tent, expressing their dissatisfaction, but Danzo did not indulge them in the slightest.

"Although the Sharingan is your bloodline limit, this was also Kagami's dying wish. Since I, Shimura Danzo, have promised, I will spare no effort to fulfill it. Now, you only have this one path to take; otherwise, the front line will be your final destination!" Shimura Danzo said coldly.

The current Great Elder of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Hikaku, stopped the clansmen from making a scene. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Very well, Advisor to the Hokage, let this matter end here."

Danzo glanced at the Uchiha group, a trace of contempt flashing in his eyes. Aside from Kagami, these Uchiha people were truly pathetic.

But it was wartime, and Danzo was a man who considered the big picture. Moreover, he had to make some concessions this time to handle the aftermath of Uchiha Kagami's Sharingan.

Fortunately, providing convenience within the scope of his authority did not count as breaking the rules.

Indeed, Danzo had told them quite bluntly: think clearly, I am in charge of this battlefield, so decide whether you want to be cannon fodder on the front lines or have me look after you appropriately.

The Uchiha clan made a wise choice, and the matter of the Sharingan was put to rest.

For the past few days, Li Yi had been practicing his ninjutsu coordination. As for the Uchiha people, Li Yi ignored them entirely; in any case, with Danzo holding the line in front, it wouldn't be his turn to deal with them.

It was not until a ninja appeared before Li Yi and told him to meet with Danzo that Li Yi headed to the Konoha camp.

After Li Yi entered, only Danzo was inside. Seeing Li Yi walk in, Danzo said, "Li Yi, you are now a Konoha Jonin. There are two missions here; take a look and see which one you will accept!"

As he spoke, Danzo tossed over two scrolls. After Li Yi caught them, he opened them to take a look. One of the S-rank missions was a long-term mission: to snipe the vital forces of the Cloud Village. It involved operating in the Land of Hot Water, the Land of Moon, and the border of the Land of Lightning that bordered the Land of Moon. The mission was flexible; kill if you can, run if you can't.

Of course, one also had to guard against being lured into a trap; the judgment required for this depended on Li Yi himself.

The other was also an S-rank mission, but it required acting with the Jonin squad. The autonomy was much lower, and other ninjas could easily become a burden to Li Yi.

"Lord Danzo, I will take this one!" Li Yi said, raising one of the scrolls in his hand. He placed the other scroll on the table in front of Danzo.

Danzo took a look, frowned, and said, "This mission will be very dangerous. We cannot provide you with support, and it is very likely that you will encounter powerful ninjas from the Cloud Village. You must think this through."

Li Yi nodded and said, "Lord Danzo, I have thought it through."

Seeing Li Yi so determined, Danzo said no more and replied, "Very well, then depart immediately. Take this!"

As he spoke, Danzo threw out two scrolls. Li Yi's eyes lit up; these were space-time scrolls that could store quite a few items. These things were very expensive in the ninja world, and ordinary ninjas could not afford them.

At the very least, a pauper like Li Yi could not afford them.

Carrying the two space-time scrolls given by Danzo, Li Yi went to the logistics department to seal up a significant amount of supplies before finally setting foot on the land of the Land of Hot Water.

Just as he stepped onto the land of the Land of Hot Water, Li Yi was discovered by a squad from the Cloud Village, which began to track him. Li Yi glanced behind him; one Jonin leading three Chunin—a very standard team configuration.

No matter how Li Yi changed his position, the other party was able to stay on his tail. Li Yi knew that the other party must have a sensory ninja. If he didn't want to expose himself too early, Li Yi wouldn't have bothered with them, but unfortunately, that wasn't an option now. Being targeted by a squad with a sensory ninja would be very troublesome.

Li Yi's plan had been to enter the village quietly and not fire a shot.

This squad clearly intended to take Li Yi down, perhaps thinking that since Li Yi was alone, it shouldn't be difficult to capture him, which was why they kept pursuing him.

Finding a mountain hollow, Li Yi stopped. Soon, the pursuing Cloud ninjas arrived. Upon seeing Li Yi, these Cloud ninjas had no intention of talking; the three Chunin directly formed hand seals and launched their ninjutsu.