The Third Shinobi World War Had Begun

Minato Namikaze, who understood the gravity of the situation, and the other Jonin present all changed expressions.

After calming everyone down and having them leave in an orderly fashion, all the Jonin rushed toward the Hokage Office.

"I wonder what happened?"

Seeing all the Jonin tense and acting as though they were facing a powerful enemy, the crowd leaving the arena became slightly agitated.

"Could it be..."

Long Ye's heart sank.

If he had guessed correctly, war must have broken out along the Land of Fire's border. Iwagakure's surprise attack had already begun—in other words, the Third Shinobi World War had started ahead of schedule.

Why had it started early? He thought of the captured Tao Gui.

The news that Konoha had captured Tao Gui alive clearly could not remain secret forever. In the end, it had reached Iwagakure.

Realizing that their plans had changed, Iwagakure could only launch its surprise attack ahead of schedule.

Although all of this was merely Long Ye's speculation, he believed he could not be far off.

That same day.

Konoha's Jonin and a large number of Chunins left the village in groups and headed for the border battlefield.

The ninja village was thrown into a state of panic.

Over the following days, Long Ye saw wounded people being carried back into the village through his window, while grim news of one person or another dying in battle kept arriving.

At the same time, a group of ninjas was drafted from the village every day, leaving for the battlefield.

Because of the war, the village was no longer as lively as before. A lifeless, oppressive atmosphere filled every corner. What left the deepest impression on Long Ye was the worry etched across the ramen shop owner's face.

Everything showed just how brutal this battle was. It seemed that it had only just begun.

One day, half a month after the Chunin Exams ended.

A series of soft footsteps came from outside Long Ye's room.

It was Rin.

At this time, Rin no longer wore the smile that usually lingered on her face.

"Rin, what's the situation outside?" Long Ye knew that Rin's information was far more up-to-date than his own.

"Teacher Minato said that the village had already learned that the Land of Earth might wage war against us. The information came from the Iwagakure rogue ninja we captured alive."

"Although we prepared for it in haste, the Land of Earth had completed its war preparations long ago. So even though we hastily mobilized a large number of troops to reinforce the border, we still suffered heavy losses."

Long Ye's expression grew solemn as he asked, "Did you hear where Iwagakure launched its surprise attack from? Did they come through Kusagakure?"

"No!"

Rin shook her head firmly.

"What I heard was that they took advantage of our failure to complete the defensive deployments and launched a surprise attack from the weakest point along the border. Fortunately, Lord Hokage dispatched troops in time and stopped them from advancing farther."

Long Ye's expression changed slightly.

This was not how the Iwagakure forces had launched their attack in the history he knew.

The thing I least wanted to see has happened after all. History has undergone a major change. Everything I know may no longer be useful.

This was also why Long Ye had known that Iwagakure would launch a surprise attack on Konoha but had not dared to tell Konoha's higher-ups.

What he knew might very well never happen in the future.

If he had rashly told Konoha's higher-ups that Iwagakure would secretly pass through Kusagakure and suddenly start a war against Konoha, his fate now would certainly have been grim.

Because his judgment had been wrong, he might have been branded an Iwagakure spy who had tried to divert attention from Iwagakure's attack on Konoha.

Long Ye felt somewhat fortunate that he had not said too much at the time.

"I heard that the border is in dire straits and that Iwagakure keeps sending more troops into the war. Konoha is already short-handed. According to the information I heard, those of us who have just been promoted to Chunin will probably be sent into battle soon as well."

Hearing Rin's words, Long Ye nodded solemnly.

"Long Ye, promise me you'll be extremely careful, all right?"

Rin looked worried.

Long Ye was indeed very strong in her eyes, but once he entered the battlefield, Jonin would be everywhere. No matter how strong a person was, it was easy to become surrounded. Almost no one was safe.

Rin was worried about him, so how could Long Ye not be worried about her?

According to the history he had previously known, Rin would die during the Third Shinobi World War.

But now history had deviated again. Even he could no longer determine whether Rin would still face that life-and-death crisis.

Everything had begun to become unpredictable.

"All newly promoted Chunins are to report to the Hokage Office immediately."

A man's voice rang out from the village's broadcast speakers.

Long Ye and Rin exchanged a glance. They both understood that the flames of war had finally reached them. From this point onward, they would truly take part in this brutal war.

Hokage Office.

Including Long Ye and Rin, fewer than twenty people stood in two rows. Without exception, they had all been promoted to Chunin just one week earlier.

Most of them were familiar faces.

Might Guy, Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, and the others—all future pillars of Konoha—were present.

The most eye-catching of them all was Shisui Uchiha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a solemn expression as he looked at everyone and said:

"You may have heard that the Shinobi World is currently undergoing an upheaval the likes of which has not been seen in a decade. War has already broken out between the various nations. Judging from its current scale and the way it is escalating, it will likely develop into the Third Shinobi World War."

"To pursue its interests, Iwagakure has started a war against Konoha. The war is currently intensifying, so we must mobilize every available force and launch a full-scale counterattack against Iwagakure."

"You have all only just been promoted to Chunin. Since you have become Chunins, it means you already possess the ability to participate in battle. Although war is cruel, it can also help you grow at the fastest possible pace."

None of the Chunins present showed fear, but one person alone had excitement in his eyes:

"The flames of youth should be unleashed on the battlefield! Lord Hokage, give the order! I can't wait to join the fight..."

Might Guy's eyes blazed, and his entire body radiated vigor.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing his hat, smiled and nodded before looking toward the nearby aide.

The aide understood at once. He stepped forward, opened a scroll, and began reading:

"You will be divided into different squads, with one captain appointed for each squad. From now on, you will carry out missions as squads. I will now announce the composition of each group."

"First group: Tokuma Hyuga as captain, with Muta Aburame and Lan Hua as team members."

"Second group: Might Guy as captain, with Genma Shiranui and Gekko Hayate as team members."

"Third group: Kakashi as captain, with Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yuhi as team members."

Long Ye was startled.

He was also technically a member of Minato Namikaze's team, so why had Kakashi's group not included him and Rin?

Before he could ask, the Hokage's aide looked up.

"Because this is your first time participating in a brutal war, the squads have been arranged according to each person's strengths, primarily for your safety."

"Take the third group, for example. Kakashi can fight enemies head-on, Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu is superb and can provide support from the side, while Rin Nohara is a gifted medical ninja who can maximize her teammates' chances of survival. The other groups were arranged according to similar principles..."

Rin tilted her head slightly and stole a glance at Long Ye, feeling somewhat disappointed.