First Stop: Iwagakure

The Land of Earth, Iwagakure.

This ninja village, built in a massive rocky mountain range, is renowned for its sturdiness and tenacity. The towering rock walls serve as natural fortifications, the labyrinthine tunnels are perfect defensive works, and the ninjas who live here are as resilient, stubborn, and unshakeable as the rocks themselves.

The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, had his office at the highest point of Iwagakure, on the top floor of a tower entirely carved from granite. From here, one could overlook the entire village: the buildings built against the mountainside, the crisscrossing tunnel entrances, and the snow-capped highest peak of the Land of Earth in the distance.

Ōnoki sat behind his desk—or rather, floated. This elderly man, less than 1.3 meters tall, possessed the rare Light- Light-Weight Rock Technique, allowing him to levitate in the air to compensate for his short stature. But at this moment, there was no relaxed expression on his wrinkled face.

Kurotsuchi stood beside him; the future Fourth Tsuchikage, granddaughter of Ōnoki, was frowning as she read an intelligence scroll. Her father, Iwagakure Jonin, Kitsuchi by the window, vigilantly observing the movements outside.

"Grandpa, there's new activity from Kumogakure." Kurotsuchi put down the scroll, her tone grave. "The Fourth Raikage has dispatched three elite squads to patrol the border between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire. It seems he's really preparing to take action against Konoha."

Ōnoki snorted, his voice full of disdain. "That brute A, all he thinks about is muscles and hatred. Sasuke Uchiha attacked Cloud Village, stole the Eight-Tails, and even crippled one of his arms—of course he wants revenge. But choosing this time... foolish."

"Should we intervene?" Kitsuchi turned and asked. "If Cloud Village and Konoha go to war, Iwagakure could take advantage of the situation—"

"Take advantage of what?" Ōnoki interrupted his son. "Take advantage of the situation? Or take advantage of the situation to weaken two opponents? Kitsuchi, you're too young. The current situation in the Shinobi World is far more complicated than you think."

He floated to the window, looking down at the bustling village below. "The Akatsuki are collecting the Tailed Beast. Is Konoha the mastermind behind it all? If not, the Akatsuki's power is terrifying, but if they are, Konoha's threat is the most deadly. Before the situation is clear, it would be foolish to act against the grudges between Cloud Village and Konoha."

Kurotsuchi pondered for a moment, "Grandpa means... we should unite with other ninja villages and deal with the Akatsuki first?"

"A united front?" Ōnoki smiled bitterly. "Easier said than done. Cloud Village hates Konoha, Konoha is wary of everyone, Sand Village is forced to take sides, Mist Village chooses neutrality... The Five Great Shinobi Villages are like five repelling magnets; the more you try to push them together, the further apart they become."

Just then, there was a loud knock on the office door.

"Come in," Ōnoki said.

A member of the Iwagakure Anbu rushed in, kneeling on one knee, his voice trembling with urgency. "Lord Tsuchikage! A member of Akatsuki has appeared in the sky above the village!"

Ōnoki's pupils contracted sharply. Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi simultaneously assumed fighting stances.

"How many people?" Kitsuchi asked urgently.

"One! Only one person!" the Anbu gasped. "He was wearing a red cloud-patterned black robe and standing on the rock face directly above the village! He said... he said he wanted to see Madara Uchiha Lord Tsuchikage declare war on Iwagakure!"

The air in the office seemed to freeze.

Ōnoki slowly floated to the window. Through the glass, he could see the black dot above the village in the distance—it was indeed just one person, standing on a protruding Rock Pillar, his black robe fluttering in the wind.

"Uchiha Clan... Madara?" Ōnoki's voice was soft, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth. "That ghost who should have died at the Valley of the End long ago?"

He turned and ordered the Anbu: "Notify all Jonin to enter Level 1 combat readiness. Barrier Team, activate the highest level defensive barrier. Kurotsuchi, Kitsuchi, follow me."

"Grandpa, this might be a trap!" Kurotsuchi said hurriedly.

"It's a trap, of course." Ōnoki had already floated towards the door. "But the other party is only one person, and he specifically asked to see me. If Iwagakure can't even face a situation like this, what right does it have to call itself one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"

A few minutes later, Ōnoki hovered above the Iwagakure square. Behind him were Kurotsuchi, Kitsuchi, and twenty elite Iwagakure Jonin. The village's defensive barrier was fully activated, and a pale yellow Chakra light screen enveloped the village like an inverted bowl.

Outside the barrier, fifty meters above the village, Neji —or rather, "Sake"—stood quietly.

His crimson robes billowed in the dry winds of the Land of Earth. A sealing scroll hung at his waist, and his hands hung naturally at his sides, without any Hand Seals or offensive posture. But that composure, that casualness as if he were strolling in his own backyard, only made the Iwagakure ninjas more wary.

"Remnants of the Akatsuki," Ōnoki spoke, his voice amplified by Chakra, echoing throughout the entire plaza. "State your name. Then explain why you dared to intrude into Iwagakure alone."

Neji lowered his head, his Byakugan behind his special lenses sweeping over the Iwagakure Ninja standing ready below. He could see the vast and pure Earth Release Chakra within Ōnoki's body, the guarded postures of Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi, and the Chakra flow trajectory of the Barrier Team as they maintained the barrier.

Everything is under control.

He didn't answer Ōnoki's question, but slowly raised his right hand and formed a simple hand seal.

"Untie."

The sealing scroll unfurled, and white smoke exploded. When the smoke cleared, Neji found two items in his hands.

Left hand, a huge Gunbai. Right hand, a massive scythe curved like a crescent moon.

A collective gasp rippled through the plaza. The younger generation of ninjas might not recognize them, but the older generation, such as Ōnoki and Kitsuchi, who had experienced the war, instantly recognized the two weapons.

Uchiha Gunbai. Giant Uchiha Sickle.

"Impossible..." Ōnoki muttered to himself, a look of shock appearing on his wrinkled face for the first time. "Those two weapons... should have been buried in the Valley of the End along with Madara Uchiha ..."

Neji crossed his Gunbai and scythe above his head, letting the sunlight reflect off the blades in a blinding flash. Then, he amplified his voice with Chakra, ensuring that every word reached the ears of every Iwagakure Ninja below with perfect clarity:

"The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and the entire Iwagakure."

His voice was calm, yet possessed a peculiar penetrating power.

"I, codenamed 'Sake,' have come on the orders of Lord Madara Uchiha to deliver this final message."

He paused, letting his words settle in the air.

"The Eye of the Moon Plan is nearing completion. Madara Uchiha has obtained the Rinnegan, controls the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, gathered the power of all eight Tailed Beasts, and commands an army of 100,000 White Zetsu. The centuries of war, hatred, and suffering in the Shinobi World are about to come to an end."

"And the way it ends is up to you."

Neji pointed his Gunbai and scythe forward, with the blade tip aimed at Ōnoki below.

"Option 1: Surrender. Acknowledge Madara Uchiha as the ruler of the Shinobi World and accept the protection of the Eye of the Moon Plan. In the eternal dream, obtain peace without pain, loss, or war."

"Option Two: Resistance. Gather all your strength, unite with all available allies, and make a final stand. Then, in the real world, experience utter destruction."

His voice suddenly turned cold:

"Fifteen days. Madara Uchiha has given the entire Shinobi World fifteen days to prepare. If the Five Great Shinobi Villages have not made a choice after fifteen days, the war will officially begin."

"And Iwagakure," Neji's gaze pierced through his mask, locking onto Ōnoki, "As one of the 'most threatening enemies' in the eyes of Madara Uchiha, will be the first ninja village to receive this notification. This is an acknowledgment of your strength, and also a final warning to your stubbornness..."

After speaking, he put away his Gunbai and scythe, and resealed them into the scroll. The whole process was calm and unhurried, as if the hundreds of Iwagakure Ninja below and the heavily guarded defensive barrier did not exist.

Ōnoki's face had turned ashen. He had lived for so many years, experienced three Shinobi World Wars, seen countless powerful figures, and faced countless threats. But never before had he been "declared war" on with such arrogance and contempt as he was now.

And the other party was only one person.

"Madara Uchiha..." Ōnoki's voice trembled slightly with anger, "That arrogant ghost, did he think he could intimidate Iwagakure with just two old weapons?!"

He began to Hand Seals, and terrifying Chakra erupted from his short body:

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primal Boundary--"

But Neji was faster. A second before the pillar of Dust Release materialized, Neji had already completed the hand seals.

"Flying Thunder God Technique"

Space distorted. His figure vanished from the spot, as if he had never existed.

The beam of light from Dust Release missed its target, striking the rock wall high in the sky and disintegrating the entire rock wall into atomic-level dust that drifted away with the wind.

The square was deathly silent.

Ōnoki hovered in the air, his hands still in the Hand Seals, but his eyes no longer held anger, only a deep, chilling horror.

It's not the Body Flicker Technique. It's not the Substitution Technique. It's... Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Moreover, the other person didn't even glance at him before leaving.

"Lord Tsuchikage..." Kitsuchi flew to his father's side, his voice hoarse, "That person... what he said..."

"Summon all high-ranking officials," Ōnoki interrupted his son, his voice filled with a weariness Kitsuchi had never heard before. "Immediately. Also, send someone to contact the other ninja villages... no, I'll write the letters myself."

He turned and flew towards the office, his black robe leaving a heavy trail behind him.

"The Shinobi World... is about to change."

Meanwhile, Neji, who had already teleported to the border of the Land of Earth using the Flying Thunder God, was standing on a cliff, looking back towards the direction of Iwagakure.

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

First stop, complete.

What he didn't tell Obito was that during the declaration of war, he carefully observed Ōnoki's Chakra flow using his Byakugan, especially the unique fluctuation of the three Chakra Nature Transformation merging when Dust Release was activated.

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, it was enough for Neji.

His Byakugan can see through the essence of Chakra. And the "secret" of Dust Release is slowly beginning to be revealed in his eyes.

"Next," Neji looked towards the Land of Lightning, "Kumogakure. The Fourth Raikage A ... I hope you won't act too impulsively."

He activated the Flying Thunder God, and his figure vanished into the wind.

Meanwhile, in Iwagakure, Ōnoki was writing furiously at his desk. Five letters were addressed to the Kage of the other four great ninja villages, and an urgent report was sent to the Rock Village Elder Council.

He pondered the last sentence of the letter repeatedly before finally writing it down:

"Madara Uchiha might really still be alive. And this time... he's not bringing war, he's bringing the end of the world."

Outside the window, the sky over the Land of Earth remained clear. But Ōnoki knew that this clear sky wouldn't last much longer.

A storm is brewing in the Shinobi World. And Iwagakure to sense the impending storm, is now gripped by unprecedented panic and unease.

The real declaration of war has only just begun.