A Five-hundred kilometer night march — Shaking the Entire Shinobi World
The scattered Kumogakure survivors who had barely escaped did not dare rest for even a moment.
They fled nonstop, pushing their bodies to the limit, until they finally reached an outpost near Kumogakure's Third Defensive Line.
"Hurry—report to the Raikage at once!"
"Akatsuki has launched a sudden assault! Our forces were completely crushed—they'll reach the Third Line soon!"
"Where are the others?"
"…All dead."
The moment those words left his mouth, the exhausted Kumogakure shinobi collapsed unconscious.
Emergency Response — Kumogakure
Kumogakure's emergency protocols activated instantly.
The report was transmitted via summoning beast directly to the First Raikage, who was still in his office—lifting heavy dumbbells to train his body.
Clang!
The dumbbell hit the floor.
"What did you say?"
"Two defensive lines—over a thousand fully equipped shinobi, wiped out?"
"That's impossible!"
The First Raikage could hardly believe his ears.
Kumogakure had constructed five defensive lines in total.
In the original design:
The First and Second Lines were critical forward defenses
The Third Line was Kumogakure's true lifeline
If the Third Line fell, everything behind it would be open terrain.
Due to budget constraints, the Fourth Line existed only on paper.
The Fifth Line was Kumogakure itself.
No one—including the Raikage—had ever seriously believed an enemy could breach three defensive lines.
That was precisely why the Third Line had been fortified at enormous cost, with a massive garrison stationed there.
Yet even the First and Second Lines had not been neglected.
After all, no one planned to fight their decisive battle directly at the village gates.
Between the two forward lines alone, over a thousand shinobi were stationed—long-term, entrenched forces designed to be unbreakable.
To lose them in a single night?
Unthinkable.
"Raikage-sama, it's true!"
"The report came directly from the Third Line outpost!"
"I even tried contacting my cousin stationed at the First Line—no response at all."
The reporting shinobi's face twisted in agony.
Over a thousand Kumogakure shinobi annihilated overnight.
That single fact was enough to plunge every major ninja clan into mourning.
"Hiss—"
The Raikage sucked in a sharp breath.
His vision swam.
For a moment, the world went dark.
The aide rushed forward to support him.
After several seconds, the Raikage steadied himself—only for humiliation and fury to explode straight into his skull.
"Akatsuki…!"
"If I do not avenge this, I swear I am no man!"
The Propaganda Offensive
That very afternoon, Akatsuki's official declaration of 'Self-Defense' was released across the shinobi world.
Along with it—
Video evidence.
"Kumogakure has gone too far!"
"Two Akatsuki chūnin were killed. Our negotiation delegation was insulted and ambushed."
"After repeated restraint, Akatsuki was forced to retaliate in self-defense."
"War has been declared!"
With footage as proof.
Alongside confessions and written statements of captured Kumogakure attackers.
Witnesses.
Material evidence.
A complete evidentiary chain.
Not only the Fire Country's front pages—but newspapers across neighboring nations and the other Four Great Countries—received generous 'advertising budgets'.
Uchiha Makoto's carefully constructed propaganda machine roared into full operation.
Though physically on the front lines, Makoto continued remotely directing a battlefield no less important than the war itself—
Public opinion.
The goal was simple:
Forge consensus. Seal the verdict. Turn it into an ironclad historical case.
The media had taken the money.
They had the evidence.
What hesitation could remain?
One after another, publications condemned Kumogakure for violating shinobi conduct, launching a surprise attack, and igniting war.
Even if doubts surfaced later—
It was already too late.
The words were printed.
No outlet would ever retract them.
Public self-slaughter was not an option.
This shameless yet brilliant strategy was a dimensionality break against old-school shinobi thinking rooted in the Warring States era.
Akatsuki stood on moral high ground, relentlessly hammering Kumogakure.
On the battlefield, Akatsuki won two decisive victories.
In the war of words, Kumogakure was utterly crushed—caught completely unprepared for this style of warfare.
Shockwaves Across the Shinobi World
Meanwhile, the First Raikage convened an emergency council, preparing to mobilize reinforcements toward the Third Defensive Line.
But the damage was already done.
By nightfall, the news had spread everywhere:
Akatsuki marched a thousand li in one night—
Breaking two Kumogakure defensive lines in succession.
Akatsuki Village — Celebration
The first to receive the news was, naturally, Akatsuki itself.
Reports of Makoto leading the army to consecutive victories spread like wildfire.
Anxious waiting turned instantly into euphoria.
Shinobi poured into the streets, shouting:
"Long live Akatsuki!"
"Long live the Will of Fire!"
"Long live Lord Hikage!!"
Soon, civilians joined in.
Though they could not fight, they could still contribute.
Donations. Supplies. Support.
Villagers organized spontaneously, gathering funds and goods to comfort the frontline troops.
Meanwhile, wealthy merchants already stationed in Akatsuki saw their doubts vanish.
With the war turning decisively in Akatsuki's favor, they boldly raised their stakes.
Akatsuki's military power didn't just promise victory—
It guaranteed their commercial dominance in the Land of Lightning.
Unlike great nobles born into privilege, these merchants knew their reality:
They were expendable tools.
Disposable assets.
Livestock to be slaughtered if fortunes turned.
But Makoto had once painted them a future so intoxicating it haunted their dreams—
And now, that future seemed possible.
Caravans of supplies rolled in.
This was the perfect moment to demonstrate loyalty to the Hikage.
Victory swept through every corner of Akatsuki Village.
A scene of surging vitality, as though spring itself had arrived.
Not long after—
Konoha.
Sunagakure.
Iwagakure.
Kirigakure.
All received the same news.
The shinobi world had been shaken.
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