With a loud bang, Hyūga Kiyonari made his dazzling entrance.
"You're back?" Tsunade's eyes lit up. She immediately tossed her pen aside and came out from behind the desk.
Finally—she could breathe for a second.
Kiyonari pulled a letter from inside his clothes and handed it to her. "From what I observed, Iwagakure's attitude matches ours. They don't want the Fourth Shinobi World War to happen either."
What?
You're asking why, after all these years since the Third Shinobi World War ended, Iwagakure still hasn't recovered?
Go ask the Third Raikage and the Fourth Hokage.
Tsunade nodded, tore the envelope open, and started reading. "Mm… Ōnoki's response is basically what I expected. It's less a 'let's join forces against Kumo' alliance, and more a non-aggression pledge between Konoha and Iwa. No matter who Kumo chooses to fight, we both promise not to stab each other in the back."
"That's enough," Kiyonari said, not surprised. "We're not family, and we don't have shared interests. You can't really expect Iwa to commit manpower and resources for us."
Tsunade finally let out a long breath. "But in the public statement, we'll still write that the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth have formed an alliance." She thought for a moment, then added, "And with Suna already our ally… the Fourth Shinobi World War probably won't happen."
She returned to her desk and picked up her pen to draft the statement. Kiyonari stood there watching her, but his thoughts had already drifted far away.
In truth—statement or no statement—in his script, the Fourth Shinobi World War was never going to happen.
Sure, a script's "returns" depended heavily on scale, cast quality, spectacle, and the audience—
but compared to a massive, bloody war with too many variables, a "Holy Grail War"—high-profile, but only open to a select few—fit Kiyonari's interests and vision far better.
Konoha. The Evil God. The moon. Akatsuki. Iwa. Kumo—
After years of setup, every actor was in position. And the "correction points" he'd saved for six whole years… were exactly for this moment.
All-in.
This was the big show he planned to put on for the entire shinobi world.
"Take a look," Tsunade said, pulling him back. "Anything you think needs changing?"
Kiyonari stepped forward and scanned it.
[In view of Kumogakure's recent abnormal military movements along the border, which have already posed a threat to peace in the shinobi world, Konohagakure and Iwagakure, after communication, and based on a shared desire to maintain peace, have decided to establish a special alliance relationship—]
Kiyonari considered for a moment. "I suggest adding a final line: 'We hope Kumogakure will recognize the situation and cease any actions that may lead to war.' Kumo might not listen, but we should still state it for the other nations. Let them know that if war comes, it's because Kumo insisted on forcing it."
Tsunade thought it over and agreed. She picked up her pen and added the line at the end.
Then the statement was announced publicly.
Kumogakure.
The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed his palm down on the desk.
"Damn it! How can Konoha and Iwa react that fast?!"
Mabui yanked the documents off the desk just before it was smashed into dust. "Even if Konoha scouted our movements immediately and contacted Iwa, information transfer shouldn't be this fast."
Someone else in the office spoke up. "Could it be… there's a spy in the village? The moment our orders went out, they found a way to get them to Konoha."
Mabui hesitated, then nodded. "The more I think about it, the more that seems like the only explanation."
"Then what about the border?" Darui couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. "With a spy, every order we issue… Konoha might learn it before our own frontline units."
A declared at once, "No matter the reason, the arrow is already on the string—we have no choice but to fire!"
"As for the spy—"
A lifted his hand, about to slam the desk again—only to remember halfway that the desk was already pulverized. After a brief pause, he clasped his hands behind his back, cleared his throat, and made his final decision.
"Since there's a spy in the village, we'll hand full control of all border operations to Yugito. I have one requirement: a swift, decisive victory."
"Even if that statement is out, it still takes time for them to act. I don't believe Konoha and Iwa's alliance is unbreakable. As long as we win before they can combine forces, this war is still ours to dictate!"
"The Land of Lightning. Kumogakure. This time, we will take what we want!"
"And at the same time—immediately, immediately—start an internal sweep. Drag that damned spy out!"
War arrived before people had even fully processed what was happening.
Given the order "swift and decisive," Yugito made a snap decision. She abandoned all preliminary deployments and completely discarded the traditional shinobi-style war model. Instead, she led her forces straight across the border, rolling forward in a vast tide toward the Land of Fire's frontier.
Capture the leader first. As long as they could take down Uchiha Shisui, Konoha would collapse!
On the battlefield—
A dark blue fireball burst from Yugito's mouth.
"Mouse Hairball!"
The huge fireball traced a graceful arc, then split in midair, transforming into a dense net of flames that sealed off every possible escape route around Shisui.
But at the instant the flames were about to devour their target, Shisui dissolved into a wisp of smoke. The real Shisui had already appeared silently behind Yugito—silver light flashed, and the short blade in his hand drove for a vital point.
Yugito spun around. Her right arm ignited in a blue, flame-like cloak to block—yet in the next second, her arm passed straight through Shisui's blade without any resistance!
"Another illusion!"
Yugito growled through clenched teeth. She'd lost count of how many times this had happened. Every time she thought she'd landed the hit, she only shattered a shadow.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A blazing, massive fireball roared down from above, heat waves distorting the air itself.
Almost simultaneously, an even larger blue fireball erupted from Yugito's mouth and smashed into it head-on. Dazzling light and deafening thunder exploded across the field.
The smoke hadn't even cleared when a figure burst through it, wrapped in surging chakra. With the flame-shaped tailed-beast cloak draped over her, Yugito's nails had become razor claws—she looked like a small tailed beast in human form.
"Let's see you dodge this!"
She howled, her body becoming a streak of blue lightning that tore through the air. Her speed multiplied, ghostly flames coiling around her claws and carving scorching trails behind her.
Shisui's Sharingan spun rapidly, tracking the blue afterimage without letting go. The claws tore through his body—only to rip him into dozens of identical mirages.
Clang!
A short blade struck Yugito's neck from behind, but her flame cloak only flickered.
"It's useless!" Yugito sneered. "That kind of attack can't hurt me!"
She twisted, hands shooting up to grab at Shisui still in the air—yet Shisui was faster. His form turned into an afterimage and vanished again.
After landing, Yugito didn't immediately pursue. Scalding white vapor spewed from her mouth and nose.
Half-tailed-beast transformation drastically boosted her power, but the sustained high-intensity exchange was wearing her down—and what infuriated her even more was that every all-out kill attempt only struck Shisui's afterimages.
"I've never hated the Body Flicker Technique this much!"
It was always the cat toying with the mouse!
"If I can't catch you, then I'll flatten everything here!"
Before the words even finished, the blue chakra cloak swallowed her whole. Dark blue flames surged into the sky, swelling rapidly and outlining a colossal shape.
In only a few breaths, a massive beast wreathed in ghostly blue flames appeared. Two long tails whipped like burning giant lashes, and each swing kicked up a gale that tore at the air.
Two-Tails—Matatabi—fully manifested!
"ROAR!!!"
The terrifying soundwave seemed to become a physical hit. The earth cracked inch by inch, rocks blasting outward. The enormous body stood at the center of the battlefield—its shadow alone made people struggle to breathe.
It was a living mass of flame. Scorching heat distorted the air and seared the ground. Even the sky seemed shaken by that dreadful thermal force. Rain clouds as black as ink gathered at speed, turning the battlefield into an apocalypse.
Matatabi slowly lifted its massive head. Its fanged maw opened, and a heart-stopping chakra began to condense inside!
"It's a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
"The outcome's decided!"
"Konoha's finished!"
The Kumogakure commander's pupils shrank. His roar echoed across the field. "All units, retreat immediately! Pull back beyond the danger zone—don't get caught in the Tailed Beast Bomb blast!"
In that instant, shinobi from both Kumo and Konoha abandoned what they were doing and withdrew at top speed.
At the edge of the battlefield, Uchiha Obito watched coldly.
"The chance is here."
"The moment the Tailed Beast Bomb detonates, the blinding light and thick smoke will swallow all vision. That's my best moment to take over the battlefield."
At the same time, despair spread over Konoha's side like a shadow.
Watching the Tailed Beast Bomb swell in Matatabi's mouth, many shinobi went ashen.
"It's looking at us!"
"Damn it!" A Konoha shinobi's eyes went bloodshot, fists cracking. "We might not make it out!"
"There's no time! It's condensing too fast!"
Just then, Might Guy stepped forward.
"Looks like it's time for that."
"Guy!" Kakashi Hatake grabbed his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Kakashi, let go." Guy's voice was calm. "We have to open at least the Seventh Gate. Otherwise everyone here dies."
"No."
"But—"
"Trust Shisui." Kakashi cut him off. His Sharingan was open, locked on Guy. "He promised me—whether it's a tailed beast or the Raikage, he'll drive them back."
Before Kakashi's words even finished, a terrifying chakra burst erupted—no weaker than the Two-Tails. The sheer pressure seized everyone's attention.
And the center of that attention was Uchiha Shisui.
"This chakra—" Kakashi's eyes widened. "It's insanely strong!"
In the blink of an eye, several green ribs manifested around Shisui's body, then extended and condensed into a massive right arm.
"What is that?!" Kumo shinobi cried out in alarm.
Before their horrified eyes, the giant arm shot upward in a flash, and with lightning speed, it slammed a brutal punch into the Two-Tails' lower jaw!
BOOM!
A deafening impact rang across the battlefield. The Two-Tails' colossal head snapped back from the force, and the Tailed Beast Bomb it was forming was forcibly interrupted.
In the shadows, Obito went rigid like he'd seen a ghost. He'd taken a step forward to activate Kamui—then froze and pulled back hard.
"Susanoo?!" Obito's voice was full of disbelief.
"How does Uchiha Shisui have the Mangekyō Sharingan? Since when?! Where's Zetsu's intel?!"
His plan was completely derailed. His mind raced, but the only conclusion he reached was: wait and watch.
Compared to Susanoo itself, Obito feared Shisui's unknown Mangekyō ability even more.
On the battlefield, the excitement on Kumo's faces instantly solidified into bottomless shock, while Konoha erupted into thunderous cheers of survival.
"We're saved!"
"Shisui-sama is incredible!"
Guy's jaw hung open. "Kakashi, that's what you meant by—"
Kakashi looked awkward. "I—I didn't think it'd be this level either…"
At the center of the battlefield, Shisui's Susanoo kept growing.
The emerald skeleton expanded rapidly. Muscular fibers like braided cords wrapped over it, followed by heavy armor plating. In only a few breaths, a half-bodied giant tens of meters tall stood fully formed above the battlefield!
Susanoo's left hand shot out and grabbed Matatabi's tail.
"ROAR!"
"Hold still!"
Shisui's voice boomed from inside Susanoo. Then the right hand clenched into a fist, aimed at Matatabi's head, and drove forward.
BOOM!
A heavy, dull blast. The massive fist smashed square into the Two-Tails' face, snapping its head sideways and spraying blue fire-rain across the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Susanoo's punches fell like a storm—one after another—each strike precise, hammering the Two-Tails' head. Under the relentless blows, Matatabi's mountain-sized body had no chance to fight back, only able to unleash shrill, agonized screams.
An eerie silence swallowed the entire battlefield. Kumo and Konoha alike were struck dumb by this reality-defying scene.
"That's impossible!" The Kumo commander screamed in disbelief.
But the truth was right there: Yugito's fully transformed Matatabi looked like a kitten being bullied in front of Shisui's Susanoo—completely powerless.
The Two-Tails crashed to the ground, yet Shisui showed no mercy. His heavy punches rained down left and right like war drums, shaking the earth violently with every impact.
"Crk—"
A tiny cracking sound rang out—so faint only Shisui caught it. His movements stalled for the briefest moment, and then sharp, needle-like pain stabbed into his eyes.
Already at the limit?
With that thought, he decided to hurry and finish the Two-Tails with a big move.
But at that critical moment, the ground beneath the two titans suddenly collapsed. A massive pit opened, revealing an ancient stone coffin and a spring whose surface shimmered with eerie light.
Shisui immediately dismissed Susanoo and leapt back. The Two-Tails, wailing, fell into the pit and slammed down beside the coffin.
No one knew if it had triggered some mechanism, but the spring suddenly erupted with a dazzling pillar of light that shot straight into the sky and pierced the thick black clouds.
In an instant, everyone on the battlefield felt it—an inexplicable tremor seized their hearts.
No matter what they had been doing, they all stopped and, as if in unspoken agreement, lifted their heads to stare at that beam, at the sky.
Golden light tore through the black clouds. Flecks of light drifted down like shattered gold, as if a rain of gold were falling from heaven.
Before long, the clouds that blotted out the sky melted away like snow, revealing a clear, endless blue.
Only then did people finally see what hung at the horizon, blazing with radiance—
a golden chalice, shining with boundless light.
The moment they saw it, a sentence surfaced in everyone's mind:
[This is a Holy Grail that can instantly grant any wish, no matter what it is.]
[One week from now, seven chosen individuals will begin a war. The victor will earn the right to make a wish upon the Holy Grail.]
~~~
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