The troops assemble

Tobirama stood by the window, holding the letter delivered by a Ninja Hawk. After reading its contents, he immediately sent someone to summon the village's Jonin to discuss how to handle the coming war.

His emotions churned. He had never truly expected Kazemori Masaki's prediction to come true. The Land of Lightning had indeed launched a war against the Land of Fire, and with such speed that it caught them off guard.

Fortunately, Tobirama had agreed with some of the points in the proposal and made preparations. They would not need extra time to ready their forces. In the face of the Land of Lightning's offensive, even a single second's delay could have grave consequences.

Within ten minutes, the Jonin had gathered in the room. Although they did not yet know what had happened, summoning every Jonin at such an unusual hour could only mean something serious. Their questioning gazes settled on Tobirama as they waited for the Second Hokage to speak.

Tobirama turned to face the Jonin before him. "Just now, I received a report from an Anbu squad out on reconnaissance. With no clear indication of the Land of Lightning's intentions beforehand, the Kumogakure Ninja forces launched a sudden attack. The Northern Border Army was caught off guard, and its defensive line was breached. Large numbers of enemy ninja have entered the country. They have requested immediate support from the village."

The jonin looked stunned. They had all taken part in Hashirama's campaign to unify the Land of Fire and were familiar with warfare. For the Kumogakure Ninja Village to attack the border army alone, without support from a Samurai Legion, was an enormous gamble. Yet they had to admit that this tactic had caught everyone by surprise and achieved remarkable results.

The Northern Border Army consisted of battle-hardened Samurai forces. Had they been fully prepared and taken up defensive formations, even the Kumogakure Shinobi Village's troops could not have defeated them easily. But under the Land of Lightning's surprise attack, the Northern Border Army had failed to respond in time and suffered one setback after another, allowing the Kumogakure Ninja forces to break through the northern defenses and push straight into the heartland.

Given the mobility and destructive speed of ninja forces, few cities could withstand their offensive under such surprise conditions. But the attack also carried a tremendous risk. If the Kumogakure Ninja advance was halted and the Samurai forces managed to encircle them, they could very well be wiped out.

The Kumogakure Ninja Village's courage in staking everything on this gamble was admirable. Still, that was a separate matter. They were enemies, and their plans had to be stopped, or the Konoha Ninja Village would not escape unscathed either.

"We cannot afford to delay. We must set out immediately and halt the Kumogakure Ninja Village's momentum," Tobirama said coldly. "If we let them continue unchecked, the country will be unable to organize an effective samurai force. Once the Land of Lightning's samurai army arrives, our country will fall."

"But the intelligence is very vague, and our manpower is limited. Where should we defend?" someone asked.

Tobirama picked up a map of the Land of Fire. "The Kumogakure Ninja Village must know that they need a swift victory. There is no better way to achieve that than attacking the Capital, so we can work out their likely route. Of course, we must also account for other possibilities. For that, we will need the Hyuga Clan."

As he spoke, Tobirama turned his gaze toward a handsome, refined middle-aged man. He was Hyuga Masato, a member of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family. Looking at Tobirama, he nodded. "The Hyuga Clan will give the village its full support in repelling the Kumogakure Ninja Village."

"Good. We will immediately discuss which units each Jonin will be responsible for. Once you have gathered your troops, we will set out at once," Tobirama said.

When Kazemori Masaki heard that they were preparing for war, it still felt unreal. He had thought that after reaching the Northern Border Army, he might detect some signs of the Land of Lightning's intentions and warn the village to prepare early. He had never imagined that the Land of Lightning would attack before he had even left the village.

Too fast. It really was far too fast, Kazemori Masaki thought.

"Zhenghui." He heard Satomi's voice and turned to see worry on her face. "Has war really come?"

"Yes, it really has," Kazemori Masaki said.

"Just as you said, war came so soon." Satomi gritted her teeth lightly. "Damn the Land of Lightning. Why did they have to start a war?"

"Whatever the reason, we have to prepare to fight," Kazemori Masaki said. Then he changed tack. "Are you scared, Satomi?"

"Scared? How could I be?" Satomi answered without hesitation. "I will never let these invaders hurt the village."

Hearing that, Kazemori Masaki swallowed the words of caution he had been about to offer. The two made a few preparations, took all their Ninja Tools, and left the house to join the assembling troops.

Tobirama and the Jonin had identified three places that the Kumogakure Ninja forces might target. Given the mobility of ninja, the enemy would most likely split their forces, allowing them to attack several targets at once and maneuver more easily. Tobirama therefore decided to organize four units. Three would reinforce the three locations, while the fourth would remain on standby, ready to support any of the other units or respond to an unforeseen attack.

Each of the four units consisted of multiple squads, totaling three hundred people. Anbu squads would lead the regular ninja squads. Within each unit, squads were assigned to close-range combat, medium- and long-range combat, or reconnaissance according to the ninjutsu they used, allowing them to make the most of their abilities.

Although Kazemori Masaki could use medium- and long-range ninjutsu, his overall abilities earned him a place in a close-range combat squad. Satomi was assigned there as well. Torifu Akimichi apparently had another role to fill and was transferred to a different unit, with Danzo taking his place.

Danzo was also skilled in Wind Release Ninjutsu, but he excelled more at medium- and long-range techniques than close combat. That was probably why he had been assigned to a different unit. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been in the same unit as him, could already fill that role. Wind Release users were scarce to begin with, so they could not gather too many people serving the same purpose in a single unit.

"Let's give it our best, Danzo," Kazemori Masaki said with a smile.

Danzo had no ill feelings toward Kazemori Masaki. He gave a slight nod. "Yes. Come to think of it, our first time fighting side by side as fellow students is going to be in a battle this big. It does put some pressure on us."

"I believe the village will win in the end. All we need to do is fight as hard as we can," Kazemori Masaki said.

Danzo did not know why Kazemori Masaki seemed so confident, but deep down, he too believed that the Konoha Ninja Village would achieve the final victory. The Kumogakure Ninja Village would surely be no match for Konoha.

The two did not talk for long before joining their unit to await orders. Their unit was commanded by Senju Toka. The other two were led by Tobirama and Sasuke Sarutobi, while the Fourth Division was under Hyuga Masato's command—

Tobirama's unit consisted primarily of Senju Clan ninja and served as the Konoha Shinobi Village's main fighting force. They would reinforce the largest city, the most likely target of the Kumogakure Ninja forces, and meet the enemy head-on. Sasuke Sarutobi's unit consisted of the Sarutobi Clan, the Shimura Clan, and the Ino-Shika-Cho clans. They too bore an important responsibility: supporting Tobirama's main force against the enemy. Senju Toka's unit consisted mainly of contingents from various clans, large and small. Its membership was diverse, and although it lacked the formidable fighting power of the other two units, its members possessed ninjutsu with unusual and effective applications. Together with a contingent of frontline fighters, they would not need to engage the enemy head-on, only provide support and delay them. Hyuga Masato's unit consisted mainly of the Hyuga Clan, the Aburame Clan, and the Inuzuka Clan. Its primary roles were tracking enemy movements, relaying intelligence, and providing support.

Once all four units had assembled, Tobirama inspected each one and briefly explained the current situation. Then he ordered everyone to move out and head for the battlefield.

As the main force departed from the Konoha Ninja Village, Kagami Uchiha, who remained behind to guard it, watched the troops recede into the distance and murmured, "I hope this war ends without trouble."

As Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, he could not leave lightly. Only by remaining in Konoha could he maintain control over his clan and ensure that they caused no unrest. All he could do was pray in the village for his friends to return safely.

(End of chapter)