Third Shinobi World War

The winter of Konoha's forty-seventh year was exceptionally cold. The powder keg that had long been suppressed across the Ninja World was finally ignited by Sunagakure's army crossing the border, and the flames of war swept across the entire continent like a prairie fire.

Sunagakure marched under the banner of "searching for the missing Third Kazekage" and publicly accused the Hidden Leaf Village of being implicated. Although Konoha sternly denied it, this undoubtedly gave Sunagakure's military action a seemingly legitimate justification. Thousands upon thousands of Sunagakure ninja surged forward like a burst dam under Elder Chiyo's command, swiftly crossing the Land of Rivers. Their spearhead pointed openly at the borders of the Land of Fire. Wherever they passed, resources were requisitioned and villages were brought under control. In an instant, the Land of Rivers became a bloody chessboard for two great nations to clash upon.

Yet Sunagakure's initiative was like a massive boulder cast into a pond, setting off layer upon layer of chain reactions and dragging more nations into the mire of war.

How could Iwagakure, which had long coveted the prosperous Land of Fire, possibly let such a heaven-sent opportunity slip away? Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki, the shrewd old "Two Scales," made the decision to fight on two fronts almost the moment Sunagakure mobilized.

On one hand, he ordered Kitsuchi to lead an elite force swiftly into the Land of Wind from the northwest, where defenses had been left weak by Sunagakure's main force advancing east. They wreaked havoc, captured cities and seized territory, intending to strike at Sunagakure's home territory and force Rasa to divert troops back for reinforcements.

On the other hand, Iwagakure's main army marched in grand formation into the Land of Grass, which bordered the Land of Fire. They massed troops at the border and