Ambush

Konoha, Hokage Building.

One piece of intelligence after another was delivered here by the Anbu.

Assistant Hokage Shimura Danzō looked at the reports the Third Hokage had thrown onto the table, stepped forward, and read through them one by one.

"Sensor Ninjas from Sunagakure were discovered at the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire. They penetrated twenty li into our Land of Fire and have now been eliminated."

"At the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Fire, negotiations with a Sunagakure shinobi squad that invaded the Land of Fire failed. The Sand Shinobi were wiped out, while we lost three Chunin."

"In the southwest of the Land of Fire, a Sunagakure Jonin squad infiltrated our territory. Persuasion failed, and the Jonin leading the team, Namikaze Minato, wiped them out alone."

"..."

A flicker of delight flashed through Danzo's eyes as he read this string of reports. He glanced at the Third Hokage without giving anything away, then slammed the intelligence down onto the table.

"Is Sunagakure trying to declare war on Konoha?!"

Danzo appeared utterly furious, his face now filled with killing intent.

The Anbu captain beside him pondered for a moment before voicing his thoughts to the Third Hokage.

"If Sunagakure were to declare war on Konoha, it doesn't seem to be in their current interests..."

"Should Konoha send an envoy to Sunagakure to discuss this?"

The Third Hokage did not answer.

He had already received definite news that the Kazekage had gone missing. Sunagakure was now divided among many factions and in the midst of turmoil. Sending a Konoha envoy there could take advantage of the situation and stir up Sunagakure, causing them to descend into internal chaos first.

"Hiruzen, what are you waiting for?"

Shimura Danzō stared at the Third Hokage and spoke in a deep voice.

The Third Hokage sighed.

"I'm wondering if there's still room to turn this around."

As one of Konoha's hawkish figures, Danzo had always been hard-line in foreign affairs. Hearing this, his eyes widened.

"Hiruzen, Konoha isn't some stray dog or cat for these Sunagakure people to test our bottom line again and again."

The Third Hokage fell silent for a moment, then determination flashed through his eyes.

"Gather every Jonin currently in the village. I have something to announce.

Also, send word to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. Those in the village are to come tonight. For those outside the village, have the Anbu search for them. Once they are found, summon them back and tell them it is urgent!"

"Yes!"

The Anbu captain acknowledged the order and used Body Flicker to leave.

"It seems the Ninja World will soon become unsettled."

The Third Hokage sighed, then shifted his gaze to Shimura Danzō.

"During the previous wars and conflicts, the fighting generally took place in the Land of Rain. Send your Root ahead to make arrangements in the Land of Rain, and take the opportunity to negotiate with Hanzō, the leader of Amegakure... You should understand the specifics."

"It wouldn't be convenient for me to act in this matter, so I'll leave it to you!"

At the task assigned to him, a sharp gleam flashed through Shimura Danzō's eyes.

"One more thing. Before we formally declare war on Sunagakure, keep your subordinates under control. If there is even the slightest chance for peace, you must seize it!"

Shimura Danzō did not take it seriously.

If I'm personally stepping in, how could there still be peace?

Shimura Danzō wore a respectful expression and hurriedly agreed.

"Anything that threatens Konoha, no matter what methods I must use, I will help Konoha eliminate it! That is the meaning of Root!"

With that, and with the Third Hokage's tacit approval, Shimura Danzō left the Hokage Building.

The Third Hokage looked out at the streets of Konoha through the window and sighed.

"We must avoid war at all costs!"

At the Border, Uchiha Yufeng, Yuhi Kurenai, and Uzuki Yugao continued their usual patrol and reconnaissance.

"There seem to be quite a few more Sunagakure shinobi these past few days than before."

Uchiha Yufeng looked over the endless wilderness, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.

"Yufeng, what do you think?"

With a Kunai in hand, Yuhi Kurenai stabbed several venomous insects in the sand to death, then turned back to look at Uchiha Yufeng.

"Mm... yeah, yeah, yeah!"

Hearing such a distracted response, Yuhi Kurenai quickly walked over.

"Yufeng, what are you looking at?"

Uchiha Yufeng ignored her and raised his binoculars.

As the binoculars blocked Yuhi Kurenai's view of his eyes, his gaze turned scarlet, three tomoe spinning within his eye sockets.

The distant scene became crystal clear.

"This is... a Sunagakure squad?"

Uchiha Yufeng's expression changed when he saw the shinobi team in his field of vision.

"Retreat! A large Sunagakure force is coming!"

He put away the binoculars and turned to the two girls.

Knowing Uchiha Yufeng's ability to sense danger, the two quickly packed up their things.

The three headed one after another toward where the Jonin had been stationed.

"Shinku Sensei, a small Chunin unit is heading our way. There are about thirty of them!"

Thirty Chunin?!

Yuhi Shinku and the two Jonin's expressions sank.

If even Chunin had arrived, would there be Jonin squads following behind them?

Had these Sunagakure people gone mad?

Were they trying to start a full-scale war?!

"Akimichi Hikawa, Yamanaka Yuyang, each of you take five men. We'll go stop them!"

Yuhi Shinku looked at Uchiha Yufeng.

"Yufeng, you're fast and quite capable. Head south along the trail I told you about before and seek reinforcements from Minato and the others!"

"As long as Minato arrives, it won't matter how many shinobi the other side has!"

Uchiha Yufeng looked at Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao.

"Yufeng, that's an order!"

"You don't need to worry about Yuhi Kurenai and Uzuki Yugao. I'll protect them!"

Hearing this, Uchiha Yufeng nodded and immediately dashed away.

"Kurenai, you don't want to embarrass yourself by having too great a gap between you and your sweetheart, do you? If you want to prove yourself, make sure you put the ninjutsu I taught you to good use this time!"

As Yuhi Shinku sorted out his weapon pouch, he spoke to Yuhi Kurenai.

His expression grew increasingly grave.

They could still hold back this surprise attack by the Chunin, but if it was followed by a main assault involving Chunin and Jonin squads... it would be deadly.

However, as long as they could hold out until Uchiha Yufeng brought Minato and the others for reinforcements, there was still hope.

"Yes, Father!"

A trace of resolve appeared on Yuhi Kurenai's face.

At this moment, Uchiha Yufeng had left Konoha's outpost in the Land of Fire and was moving rapidly north.

He was moving nearly ten times faster than usual.

Because Uchiha Yufeng knew that under the pressure between the two nations, even an old schemer like Shimura Danzō had no time to focus his energy on sending people to watch him. His attention would be on the village's interests, let alone anyone else's.

This time, Uchiha Yufeng could completely unleash his strength and release his Chakra without restraint.

The eyes in his sockets alternated between the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and their normal state, looking bewitching and terrifying.

"Who goes there?!"

Among the twenty-man Jonin squad that had just infiltrated the Land of Fire ahead, a Sensor Ninja noticed Uchiha Yufeng's rapid approach and shouted a warning.

The group immediately went on alert.

This time, Uchiha Yufeng did not conceal himself in the slightest. He openly used Body Flicker to appear before them.

A clear bird cry rang out.

Several intimidating flashes of Lightning Glow appeared in Uchiha Yufeng's palm.

Chidori Senbon!

Without giving them time to react, Uchiha Yufeng raised his hand and unleashed it at the nearest five.

Lightning Release Chakra surged forth, transforming into a tangible lightning spear that shot toward them.

The terrifying power of the lightning instantly pierced through the hearts of all five.

Chidori, Shuriken!

Uchiha Yufeng directly attached the remaining Chidori to his Shuriken, and the cunningly angled Shuriken flew out at once.

Eight Sunagakure Jonin fell in response.

"Damn it, Sand—"

One Jonin was the first to recover from his shock and was just about to form hand seals.

But when he saw Uchiha Yufeng's eyes, he suddenly froze.

A pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan was now bewitching and terrifying beyond measure.

Uchiha Yufeng moved swiftly, a Kunai appearing in his hand.

He reached the shinobi caught in Genjutsu and drove the Kunai straight into his heart.

At some point, a Ronin Katana had appeared in Uchiha Yufeng's other hand.

Lightning Release Chakra instantly covered it.

Uchiha Yufeng stepped forward quickly. The subtle movements of the two people before him were perfectly clear beneath the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.

"First."

Uchiha Yufeng's Ronin Katana cut down one man. Without slowing, he charged straight at the second.

"Second!"

The terrifying, frigid Chakra made the remaining Jonin struggle to breathe, their faces filled with fear.

"Sha, Sharingan... You're from the Uchiha Clan?!"

The only answer was a cold voice and a Ronin Katana.

"Third!"

"..."

His killing intent was so dense it was almost tangible. His swift, simple moves seemed created solely for killing.

"Retreat! Retreat now!!"

The remaining three Sunagakure Jonin immediately gave their final order. The three fled in different directions, trying to evade Uchiha Yufeng.

Chidori, Senbon!

Senbon formed from condensed Lightning Release Chakra flew from Uchiha Yufeng's hand.

Three wet thuds rang out.

The final three fell.

Uchiha Yufeng swept his gaze around, stepped forward quickly, and finished them off one by one...

"These Jonin should be the main force of this attack, right?"

The Three Tomoe in Uchiha Yufeng's eyes vanished, returning them to normal. Looking at the Sunagakure Jonin strewn across the ground, he murmured softly.

Then he left the area.