Develop Quietly, Don't Get Cocky!

Orders were issued one after another, and people immediately passed them down. Before long, an army of several thousand ninja had assembled, gathered in the shortest possible time. One could imagine just how deep Konoha's reserves ran.

Even so, facing a two-front war would not be easy for Konoha. This war might even develop into fighting on three fronts, or even four.

Who knew what Iwagakure's attitude would be after Kirigakure joined in? What if they decided to jump in as well? That would be when Konoha faced its hardest days.

Dealing with Sunagakure had been easy enough. Even with Iwagakure declaring war on Konoha, fighting on two fronts left Konoha somewhat flustered, but they could still handle it. Once Kirigakure joined in, though, Konoha would no longer merely be flustered. At that point, every Konoha higher-up aside from Hikaru would probably have a splitting headache.

Not to mention Kumogakure, who loved swooping in to reap the rewards. If they joined the fray too, the consequences would be unimaginable.

While the war with Sunagakure was still ongoing, Iwagakure declared war on Konoha. Their ninja army had already arrived at the border, leaving Konoha's villagers deeply worried that Konoha might not hold out, allowing the enemy to pour into the Land of Fire, wreak havoc, and perhaps even attack Konoha itself.

Fortunately, Konoha's swift response put the villagers at ease. A large ninja army left Konoha and headed for the border, though it was in a different direction from the Sunagakure battlefield.

The ninja army departed first, and the news reached the camp immediately. At that moment, everyone had gathered in the camp's command headquarters, and every face was grim.

No one had expected Iwagakure to suddenly make trouble for Konoha at a time like this, declare war on Konoha, and