The sun rose as usual, and its rays shone on this small outpost in the desolate Gobi Desert.
The water splashes on the training field shimmered like shattered diamonds in the sunlight.
Isamu Hyūga stood by the pond, watching the group of soldiers splashing in the water, and suddenly remembered the morning he set off from Konoha half a month ago.
The sunlight that day was the same, reflecting a rainbow of colors through the sealing runes above Konoha.
He walked out of the village gate with his back to the glow of the sunset, feeling both uneasy and lost, unsure of what awaited him.
Now he knew. What awaited him was a training ground pool, a group of soldiers splashing in the water, a dilapidated outpost from a month ago, and a permanent posting bearing the Flame Emblem.
What awaited him was the daily life in the most remote corner of the Land of Fire.
This is no easier than spending your whole life patrolling Konoha.
But standing here, for the first time, he felt worthy Hyūga the Hyuga surname.
In the distance, the wind on the Gobi Desert whipped up a thin layer of sand, sweeping over the newly built walls of the outpost, over the splashing water on the training ground, over the green Caged Bird Seal on Isamu Hyūga's forehead, and then continued westward, blowing into the desert of the Land of Wind.
That direction remains silent for now. But he knows this silence won't last long.
News of the establishment of the Land of Fire Council, the abolition of the Daimyo system, and the dispatch of inspecting ninjas from Konoha to the entire country have already reached neighboring countries through various channels.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind is the most vehement opponent, the Land of Earth remains silent but observes secretly, and the Land of Lightning is temporarily neutral but its attitude is ambiguous. These external pressures will eventually turn from silence into action.
But that's a matter for the next stage.
Inside the Hokage Building in Konoha, the Land of Fire of Hokage.
Lord Hokage, I have urgent information!
A ninja knocked on the door.
"Please come in! "Shinsei put down his calligraphy brush and answered.
The Anbu Ninja strode into the Hokage's office and respectfully handed over a piece of intelligence with both hands.
Shinsei took the scroll from the Anbu Ninja and unfurled it.
It's written very clearly on the scroll.
There are signs of ninja army movements in the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, with their target clearly the Land of Fire.
He tapped on the table.
Despite the sudden and urgent military situation, he showed little tension. Having reached his current level of strength, ordinary ninjas posed virtually no threat to him.
Those who can be effective in battle are at least at the Kage Level. The mobilization of troops by two countries is not a big deal to him.
He's not a third-generation descendant.
However, something about this matter is strange.
Shinsei spread the scroll out on the table, his finger slowly tracing the troop movement routes marked in the intelligence report.
The Land of Earth's troops departed from Iwagakure and advanced southwest. Judging from their marching speed, they should have already reached the northwestern border of the Land of Fire.
The forces of the Land of Lightning marched south from Kumogakure, their target the northeast of the Land of Fire.
The two routes proceeded simultaneously, with their timings highly overlapping, as if they had made a prior arrangement.
The problem lies in this: it's as if they've agreed beforehand that the relationship between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning is far from being one where they can cooperate in battle.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and the Fourth Raikage A, were a cunning and shrewd man, while the Fourth Raikage was hot-tempered and fierce. The two argued more at the Five Kage Summit than they signed any agreements.
The chances of them teaming up are even lower than Naruto stopping eating ramen.
"Go and invite Shikaku Nara," Shinsei said. The Anbu vanished in Body Flicker Technique.
A moment later, Shikaku pushed open the door and came in, holding the latest report from the border garrison in his hand; clearly, he had also received the news at the same time.
He placed the report on the table, spreading it out side by side with Shinsei's intelligence scroll.
"This morning, Isamu Hyūga, the ninja in charge of monitoring the Northwest Border Third Outpost, reported that about two hundred troops from the Land of Earth were stationed five kilometers outside the border. They had not crossed the border and showed no signs of further advance."
News from the northeastern border is similar— the Kumogakure's forces are stationed on the border, making no offensive moves.
"The troops have moved without crossing the border, they're just waiting on the frontier." Shinsei leaned back in his chair. "This isn't about fighting, it's just a show."
Who are you doing this for?
"Their own names." Shinsei pointed to the Land of Earth's unit designation on the scroll. "Look at the organization of this unit."
It wasn't Ōnoki's elite demolition team, nor was it Kumogakure's main assault team; it was a second-line garrison force.
Their ninja tools are old and their fighting ability is average. Ōnoki and the Raikage are both cunning old foxes; they don't want to fight, but they can't openly disobey the daimyo's orders.
So, we'll send a few second-line troops to the border to give the lord an explanation.
Shikaku nodded thoughtfully.
"The abolition of the Daimyo system in the Land of Fire will surely shake the Daimyo of the Land of Earth and the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning."
It's reasonable for them to pressure their respective Kage to intervene. But neither Ōnoki nor the Raikage are willing to be pawns for the Daimyo. If they also want to break free from the Daimyo's control like we have...
"Then they won't really fight," Shinsei chimed in. "Not only will they not really fight, they'll also send people to test our attitude."
Just as she finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door. Shizune pushed the door open and entered, followed by Kakashi.
Kakashi's expression was somewhat subtle, as if he had just heard something that was expected but still surprising.
" Lord Hokage, two groups of people have arrived at the Konoha Gate simultaneously. One group is from the Land of Earth, and the other is from the Land of Lightning. They both claim to be envoys and request an audience with the Hokage."
Shinsei and Shikaku exchanged a glance.
"Did the two teams run into each other?" Shikaku asked.
"We met at the door. They glared at each other for a while, but neither of them made a move."
Who is coming?
"The envoy from the Land of Earth is Kurotsuchi, the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage. The envoy from the Land of Lightning is Samui, the secretary of the Fourth Raikage."
As soon as those two names were mentioned, Shikaku's brows relaxed.
Kurotsuchi is a leading figure among the younger generation of Iwagakure. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, values her highly and entrusts her with many important, unspoken matters.
Samui is the Raikage's chief secretary, and she is involved in almost all of the actual decision-making in Kumogakure.
These two were not just any envoys sent; they were key figures in their respective villages who could make decisions. Sending such people as envoys was itself a statement of intent.
They're not here to issue a challenge; they're here to discuss business.
"Please invite them to the reception room." Shinsei stood up and straightened the collar of his divine robe. " Shikaku- sensei, Kakashi, you two come together."
When the door to the reception room opened, Kurotsuchi and Samui were sitting silently facing each other across the coffee table.
The air between the two was so cold it felt like it could freeze. Their respective guards stood behind them, their eyes exchanging glances faster than a normal blink.
The relationship between Iwagakure and Kumogakure has never been good. It was a regular occurrence for the Third Tsuchikage and the Fourth Raikage to slam their fists on the table at the Five Kage Summit. Following their example, people from both sides naturally didn't have a pleasant look when they met.
When Shinsei pushed the door open and came in, the two of them stood up at the same time.
" Lord Hokage."
Kurotsuchi spoke first. She was wearing a red ninja uniform from Iwagakure, had short, neat hair, and spoke directly.
Thank you for agreeing to meet with both of us.
Samui bowed slightly, his short blond hair neatly tucked behind his ears. He was tall and slender, his expression as calm as an ice sculpture.
She didn't interrupt, but simply placed a document on the coffee table.
"This is a letter written in the handwriting of the Fourth Raikage."