Despite the allied nations' declaration, the Northern Countries were hardly going to give up so easily. The Land of Fire had always been the strongest nation on the Shinobi Continent. Now that the Daimyo Mansion at the heart of the country was in conflict with its military representative, Konoha Ninja Village, there had never been a better opportunity.
However, the outbreak of the Civil War did not mean the Land of Fire was powerless to fight back. According to intelligence gathered by the Northern Countries, the elite samurai stationed along the borders had not joined the Civil War. Konoha Ninja Village had only deployed around five thousand troops, while the rest remained on standby in the village.
Although Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi had left the village, as long as Kazemori Masaki remained, Konoha Ninja Village still had its guiding pillar and a powerful sense of unity. Under those circumstances, a rash invasion was not a good idea.
Even Ōnoki, who never stopped thinking about striking the Land of Fire, remembered his mistakes in the previous war. Until the situation truly changed, he would never order an invasion. In the last war, his impatience had led him to invade the Land of Fire before the Land of Lightning made its official declaration, tarnishing his reputation and leaving him unable to back down.
Although they could not invade immediately, the Northern Countries could deploy their armies in advance. If the situation within the Land of Fire grew increasingly critical, they could save time and march straight into the country in force. They also understood that conquering the Land of Fire in one stroke was impossible. It was a powerful nation that had repeatedly fought three great nations without falling. Even counting the Daimyo Mansion Army, the pressure