At the gates of Konoha.
Gaara, Mei Terumi, A, and Ōnoki, the Kage of the four great Shinobi Villages, stood at the front.
Gaara looked deeply conflicted. He had no desire to attack Konoha.
But... the Daimyo had personally issued the order, leaving him no choice.
Sunagakure feared the Daimyo more than any other village. Located in the desert, it would probably go bankrupt in no time without the supplies he provided...
The Raikage and Tsuchikage, on the other hand, looked excited.
After all... after so many years of war, they could finally take Konoha down...
None of the previous wars had ended because they wanted them to. By then, the villages had been fighting each other like rabid dogs... how could they possibly stop so easily?
The wars had only ended because the Daimyo ordered it. The various Daimyo had exchanged compensation and held amicable talks, bringing the fighting to a close.
This time was different. This time, they had received orders from the Daimyo to destroy Konoha.
Then... Konoha's various secret techniques, kekkei genkai, and ninjutsu would all be theirs.
As for the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, she was fairly indifferent. Though the Daimyo of the Land of Water held a lofty position, Kirigakure no longer cared much about that. After all, it had endured years of the blood mist.
Many of Kirigakure's ninja had become bloodthirsty lunatics or rogue ninja with no regard for rank or status.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water really had little power to order them around.
The four Kage stood at Konoha's gates, with most of their villages' fighting forces behind them.
At the gates, a group of Konoha ninja watched the people before them warily.
This was the first time Konoha's ninja had seen enemies march right to their doorstep...