Twelve hours had passed since Konoha's internal meeting.
The shadow of war once again hung over the entire shinobi world.
In truth, ever since the Second Shinobi World War ended, the clouds of war had never truly left the shinobi world.
Just as Uchiha Ran had complained, this world possessed an exceptionally peculiar obsession with war and bloodshed.
Almost everyone was certain that with the Land of Wind launching an undeclared war against the Land of Fire, the Third Shinobi World War would erupt in the near future.
It couldn't be helped. Everyone had absolute faith in Sunagakure, the masters of starting fights!
Although the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War was the inevitable result of accumulated conflicts and hatred, its sudden arrival still caught everyone off guard.
On the rooftop of the Hokage Building.
The Third Hokage stood high above, his piercing gaze sweeping over the five thousand shinobi assembled before him.
Sunlight shone upon him, gilding his figure in golden radiance, yet his expression was exceptionally grave, without the slightest hint of ease.
"Everyone, ten years have passed since the Second Shinobi World War, and the shadow of war has once again descended upon the entire shinobi world."
The Third Hokage's voice echoed across the rooftop. His tone was firm and powerful, every word seeming to strike directly against the shinobi soldiers' hearts.
"The outbreak of war is the inevitable result of conflicts and hatred accumulating over time, but we cannot allow it to easily destroy our homeland."
"Konoha is our shared home. Our families and friends are all here. We cannot allow the flames of war to burn all of this away."
He stepped forward, his voice rising higher:
"I know that war is cruel. It takes lives and brings suffering."
"But today, we stand here not for war, but for peace. To protect our home and safeguard our future, we must bravely face this war."
His gaze passed over every ninja's face, as though he wished to see the resolve in each of their eyes.
"You are all Konoha's elites, our strongest force. I believe in you. I believe that in this war, you will display Konoha's courage and resilience."
"We cannot allow our enemies to trample upon our land so easily. We must let them know that Konoha is not a place they can humiliate at will."
"Today, we are not fighting merely for ourselves. We are fighting for our families, our friends, and all of Konoha."
His voice gradually lowered, but his tone became even more resolute:
"Remember, you are Konoha's ninja. Our will is unbreakable. No matter how many hardships lie ahead, we must press forward bravely. For Konoha, for peace, we shall prevail!"
As his words fell, the five thousand shinobi on the rooftop erupted in deafening cheers.
"Konoha shall prevail!"
Before the waves of chanting had fully subsided, before the fervor and determination stirring in the air had cooled,
Uchiha Ran and his squad—three Uchiha elites with equally dark eyes and the fan crest of their clan, Uchiha Daosui, Uchiha Inada, and Uchiha Tetsuka—
were silently led by an ANBU ninja wearing an animal mask to the very front of the assembled forces.
"Uchiha Ran's squad!"
The ANBU's voice sounded cold and mechanical through his mask.
"By order of the Hokage, you are assigned to the Special Advance Reconnaissance Unit. Depart immediately. Objective: the border of the Land of Rivers. Monitor Hidden Sand's movements and delay their advance. Mission rank: S."
Uchiha Ran's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
S-rank? Straight to the front lines? And they specifically named the Uchiha... This arrangement was less trust than it was... sending them to their deaths!
Was this really the Hokage's order? Hadn't he acted enough like an heir to the Will of Fire in front of him? Was that old man, the Third Hokage, really so hard to fool?
From the corner of his eye, he swept his gaze over the surroundings. When the ninja who had just been chanting in unison heard that an Uchiha squad would lead the charge,
many of them showed complex, unreadable emotions: awe, distrust, and even a trace of barely perceptible vigilance.
Ten years of peace had not completely erased the Uchiha Clan's delicate position within Konoha.
"Understood."
Uchiha Ran's voice was calm and devoid of emotion.
Behind him, the three Uchiha clansmen also gave slight nods, their movements perfectly synchronized, revealing both the discipline of elite ninja and Uchiha pride.
Perhaps, in their eyes, serving as the vanguard of the advance force was an honor.
But in this world, that was not wrong. Those who charged first were often the very best among the elites.
Moreover, the role they were playing was that of scouts like the night sentries. If they were not elites, they would simply be handing themselves over to the enemy and damaging morale.
(For reference, Kankuro's advance reconnaissance unit during the Fourth Shinobi World War.)
Just as they were preparing to depart, the Third Hokage had already arrived at Konoha's gates, accompanied by Orochimaru, the overall commander of the western front.
The latter was busy having the staff officers arrange marching routes, though he also cast a discreet glance at Uchiha Ran.
"Uchiha Ran, the Spark of Konoha. Your former teammates, Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai, both believed you were the best teammate. I too believe that you are a true heir to the Will of Fire."
Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice reached him. It was deeper than when he had addressed the entire army earlier, but it carried a sense of expectation.
"The Land of Rivers has complex terrain. Hidden Sand's puppet techniques and poison mist are impossible to guard against."
"The Uchiha's Sharingan is a powerful tool for spotting traps, breaking genjutsu, and tracking enemies. Be cautious. I hope the four of you can buy time for the main force that follows."
After saying that, he patted each of them on the shoulder and offered a few words of encouragement.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Uchiha Ran answered succinctly.
"Mm, Uchiha Ran. By the authority of the Hokage, I hereby promote you to Konoha jonin. I hope you can make the greatest contribution to the village!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Uchiha Ran remained very composed. That old man, the Third Hokage, had long wanted to promote him to jonin so he could take on A-rank and even S-rank missions.
A highly skilled worker still wants to clean up and catch little cats? Dream on. Do you think you're my old friend Maruboshi Kosuke?
Uchiha Tetsuka and the others, however, were thrilled. Who could refuse a charge from the Hokage in front of ten thousand watching eyes?
But Uchiha Ran finally understood that the little monkey and the great beauty had meant well but caused trouble instead.
No wonder his former captain, Uchiha Shizumizu, had fought so desperately to protect the few of them. That monkey really did have something to him.
That was right. During the mission that had made Uchiha Ran famous, his teammates had been Sarutobi Asuma, the Third Hokage's youngest son, Yūhi Kurenai, and a civilian ninja named Haruno Kaze.
The Uchiha jonin leading them had been Uchiha Shizumizu, Uchiha Shisui's father—the son of Kagami Uchiha, the Third Hokage's close comrade.
Unfortunately, during that encounter with Hidden Mist, after he had single-handedly taken down two of their jonin and several lesser ninja, he had been surrounded and killed by dozens of enemy ninja.
He had bought time for Sarutobi Asuma and the others to escape, while also wearing down more than half of the enemy's strength. He had done right by the Third Hokage's trust in him.
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