Another major meeting was held in the Hokage's Office.
The troops Kumogakure had previously sent south had finally appeared in the Land of Wind.
While Sunagakure and Konoha were locked in a bitter struggle, the Cloud Ninja stormed into the Land of Wind,
capturing territory along the way and plundering considerable supplies from the oases.
But that was not all. Kumogakure also stepped up its plundering of the Land of Fire, without reducing its troops on the Iwagakure front.
Meanwhile, Iwagakure's troops in the Land of Grass also crossed the border and began attacking strongholds in the Land of Fire.
On the Kirigakure front, more and more Shinobi were coming ashore.
No matter how one looked at it, the Shinobi World War had actually already begun.
Aside from Konoha, which was once again passively taking a beating, the other four hidden villages had all made their moves.
Sunagakure and Kumogakure had been driven mad by poverty and were plundering money across the Shinobi World.
Kirigakure's Bloody Mist Village had produced quite a few skilled fighters and even established the Six Ninja Blades. They, too, wanted to break new ground.
Iwagakure was even more ambitious and had never accepted the Land of Fire's dominant position.
The small countries caught in the middle were also choosing sides.
That was how things stood.
Once Hiruzen Sarutobi finished speaking, Danzo sighed again.
"If we'd known it would come to this, we should have used the strategy Bieshu Feifan and I proposed."
Hiruzen Sarutobi grew angry.
"Danzo, if you have nothing useful to say, get out."
Danzo snorted and fell silent.
Then Bieshu Feifan stood up again.
"Monkey, let me lead the troops.
Whether it's Kumogakure or Iwagakure, I can win."
Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could speak, Danzo started again.
"Monkey, the same goes for me.