Golden autumn arrived in September, the sky high and the clouds pale.
Five days had passed since Whirlpool Country's destruction. Like a cluster of blazing sparks, it had utterly ignited the entire Shinobi World and finally drawn the attention of the other Five Great Nations.
Before this, although the Land of Flame had steamrolled its way through and occupied several small nations, the great nations had regarded such actions as little more than child's play. They could do the same if they wished, perhaps even more easily. The great nations had long built up their prestige; when a great nation faced a small one, they could often subdue the enemy without fighting at all. There was no need for battle—the small nations would surrender on their own.
Now that Whirlpool Country had been destroyed, no matter how much they looked down on the Land of Flame, they had no choice but to take it seriously. After all, they did not believe the Land of Flame had been advancing so relentlessly merely to bully a few small nations. Its ultimate target had to be one of the great nations.
Yet no matter how imposing the Land of Flame was, it would not provoke two great nations at once. It would choose only one from among the five. But there was still no intelligence regarding which one it would be, leaving several great nations uneasy.
And the mastermind behind all this was not having an easy time either.
Land of Flame, Flame Hidden Village.
On the training platform in the village's central district, two figures flashed and clashed like lightning, stirring fierce gusts of wind. Irritated shouts rang out from time to time.
"Hey! Big Brother! Don't hit me in the face! Your little brother still hasn't found a partner!"
"Hmph! Aren't