Mid-December, Year 46 of Konoha.
At noon, in Konohagakure of the Land of Fire, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, officially announced to the outside world that the village had entered a state of war.
The news was like a hurricane. In just a single day, it swept across the entire shinobi world, stirring waves far greater than the change of the Kazekage in Sunagakure or the incursion of a Kumogakure squad deep into the Land of Wind.
Almost every faction and every intelligence analyst's first reaction was disbelief—some even questioned the authenticity of the report.
Declaring entry into a wartime state on their own initiative?
That completely went against Konoha's established behavior pattern in previous great ninja wars!
Looking back through history, in the first two great ninja wars, Konoha had only transitioned into a wartime system after being forced into full-scale combat—and always as the last to do so.
In everyone's ingrained perception, Konoha—the strongest hidden village, possessing the most fertile land and the largest number of shinobi—had always favored a strategy akin to a heavy, steady shield: responding after the enemy moved first, then unleashing astonishing resilience in counterattack after absorbing the blow.
Rarely—almost never—would it, before the outbreak of hostilities, so openly and so decisively bare its fangs and adopt a posture of full-scale engagement.
More importantly, up to this point, no two nations in the shinobi world had formally declared war!
The clash between Sunagakure and Kumogakure within the Land of Wind had been described by both sides as acts of self-defense and demonstrations of military strength.
Afterward, neither side formally declared war on the other. The incident had been deliberately blurred into a severe border conflict and a "special military operation."
Even someone as forceful as the Third Raikage had never issued a formal declaration of war in his own name against Sunagakure or any other nation.
And yet Konoha, without any party declaring war on it, and without even a large-scale border conflict erupting, had its Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, personally declare to the entire shinobi world in no uncertain terms:
They were entering a state of war.
How the great nations and major villages would react aside, the smaller hidden villages—such as Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure—felt, beneath their shock, a deeper chill… even fear.
Konoha's proactive show of force had undoubtedly intensified the sense that a great war was on the verge of breaking out. It also meant that these smaller powers, caught between larger forces, would be forced to choose sides—or suffer collateral damage—much sooner than expected.
Konoha paid no mind to the outside world's reaction. Shortly after announcing the wartime state, a force of five thousand Konoha shinobi, led by one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, set out under the pretext of a military exercise.
Under countless watchful eyes—both overt and hidden—they left the village without the slightest attempt at concealment, advancing in force toward the southwest, toward the border with the Land of Rivers.
"Konoha has gone mad!?"
Sunagakure, Kazekage's office.
Having only just secured his position and secretly accelerating the final preparations for war, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, shot to his feet the moment he received this urgent report—one that nearly overturned all his plans.
"What is Sarutobi Hiruzen trying to do?!"
He raised his head sharply, staring fixedly at the tense intelligence shinobi before him, as well as Ebizō and Chiyo, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. His expression was ashen as he demanded: "Is he planning to declare war on Sunagakure proactively?!"
This completely disrupted his rhythm—and even threw off the entire Sunagakure leadership's assessment of the situation!
According to Sunagakure's understanding—indeed, the entire shinobi world's understanding—Konoha should have followed the same pattern as in the previous two wars: only after suffering a clear attack and facing urgent border threats would it gradually mobilize troops and transition into full defensive and counteroffensive operations.
Sunagakure's plan had been built precisely on that assumption.
They intended to launch a carefully planned, rapid strike—before Konoha could complete full mobilization and defensive deployment—tear open its southwestern defenses, seize the initiative, plunder resources, and firmly grasp control of the war's early stage.
They had already begun secretly mobilizing troops, stockpiling supplies, mapping routes, and even dispatching elite reconnaissance units into the Land of Rivers for preliminary scouting and sabotage.
Everything had been proceeding according to the script of: once we strike, everything will fall into place.
But now?
Konoha had not only preempted them—declaring a wartime state with no justification and fully activating its war machine—
It had also, before Sunagakure had even fully drawn its blade, dispatched an army of five thousand, led by Jiraiya, the disciple of the Third Hokage, preparing to press straight up to the border!
What kind of move was this?
Yes, we are preparing to go to war against you—but how can you act like this?!
We're supposed to be allies under a peace and mutual cooperation treaty!
Ebizō's expression grew grave as he said slowly, "Rasa, this move by Konoha is extremely abnormal. It doesn't match Sarutobi Hiruzen's usual steady—even somewhat indecisive—style. It feels more like there's a different decision-maker behind this. Someone is helping Konoha make up its mind."
Rasa closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then turned around. His gaze sharpened as he spoke in a low, decisive voice: "Send orders. All advance reconnaissance units already inside the Land of Rivers are to enter complete stealth and remain in hiding. Without explicit orders, they are not to make any contact with Konoha forces! All frontline units are to halt their advance toward the border and remain concealed on standby!"
"At the same time, in my name, issue a formal diplomatic inquiry to Konoha! Demand clarification on their sudden large-scale troop deployment at the border—what are their intentions? Require them to explain themselves immediately and exercise restraint!"
"There's no need, Rasa."
Chiyo crossed her arms and shook her head.
"Konoha isn't stupid, and neither is Sarutobi Hiruzen. If they dared to have Jiraiya lead five thousand troops straight to the border, then this isn't suspicion—they've already confirmed that we're about to make a move."
"If you send that inquiry, all it will do is let Konoha mock our hypocrisy—and buy them more time to adjust their deployment. It won't achieve anything."
She walked up to the massive border map and pointed at the line where the Land of Rivers met the Land of Fire.
"Right now, Konoha's army is already on the move. Their defenses are shifting from loose to tight. Every day we delay, Jiraiya will be able to fortify that line a little more, and Konoha's follow-up reinforcements and supplies will be delivered to the front more smoothly."
She raised her head and looked straight at Rasa. "Strike now, while they haven't fully secured their footing! This is our only chance left to seize the initiative—and the plan with the least possible losses! Hesitation will only mean that, in the future, our people of Sunagakure will bleed even more against an even stronger defensive line!"
The office fell into silence, broken only by the wind and sand wailing past the building outside.
Ebizō looked at his sister, then at Rasa, whose expression kept shifting. In the end, he slowly nodded, tacitly accepting Chiyo's judgment.
Conventional diplomatic pressure and strategic deception had already lost their meaning in the face of Konoha's abnormal and direct military action.
Rasa stared at the map. After a moment of silence, he suddenly lifted his head.
"Transmit my orders!"
"All combat units are to assemble at full speed at their designated strike positions according to Operation Plan One!"
"Logistics and support divisions are to activate wartime emergency protocols. All supplies are to be prioritized at the highest level for delivery to the front lines!"
"Intelligence division, monitor the movements of the Konoha army at full capacity—especially the position and defensive deployment details of Jiraiya's main force. Report every two hours!"
"Order!"
"In three days' time, at dawn!"
"Sunagakure will launch a full-scale assault—against the southwestern border defenses of the Land of Fire!"
…
Three days later, an even more explosive piece of news swept across the entire shinobi world like a tsunami, completely tearing apart the last fragile illusion of peace.
Sunagakure, under the leadership of the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, brazenly tore up the Wind–Fire Non-Aggression Pact, launched a surprise attack on the borders of the Land of Fire, and formally declared war on Konohagakure!
The justification for the declaration was sharp—openly hostile.
The newly instated Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, in the name of Sunagakure, placed the full blame for the disappearance and death of the Third Kazekage squarely on Konoha.
He asserted it with absolute certainty: that Konohagakure had used despicable and underhanded means to ambush and assassinate the Third Kazekage in secret.
And the mastermind behind this shocking conspiracy was pointed directly at Konoha's highest leader—the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen—allegedly planned and executed personally by the infamous "Darkness of the Shinobi," Shimura Danzō.
The statement went even further, claiming that Konoha's earlier high-profile declaration of entering a wartime state, along with Jiraiya's troop deployment at the border, had all been nothing more than a smokescreen to deceive the world. Their true purpose, it said, was to complete the final stages of force concentration and pre-war preparation for this long-planned invasion.
These accusations instantly pushed Konoha into the eye of the storm, sending shockwaves across the entire shinobi world.
Konoha's response, however, was just as uncompromising.
They directly countered that the Third Kazekage had been killed by treachery from within his own ranks—the culprit being none other than Sasori of the Red Sand, the grandson of Sunagakure elder Chiyo.
This prodigious puppet master, acting under the direction of Chiyo and Ebizō, had secretly ambushed and killed the Third Kazekage, and then went on to turn his corpse into a forbidden human puppet.
This human puppet—made from the body of the Third Kazekage—was described as a grotesque trophy, allegedly kept in secrecy within Chiyo's residence, where she observed and handled it day and night to satisfy her own twisted psyche.
This horrifying—almost vicious—accusation sent Sunagakure into a frenzy of rage. Their officials released multiple statements in rapid succession, condemning Konoha for "shameless slander," "desecrating the deceased," and "harboring unforgivable intent." On the front lines, their attacks became even more frenzied and reckless.
Yet in the end, war is decided by strength.
Although the Konoha Southwestern Army led by Jiraiya had its deployment time severely compressed and had not fully constructed an ideal depth defense—many fortifications still being rushed, with some follow-up troops and supplies still en route—
Sunagakure, too, had been forced into a hurried offensive after having its plans disrupted. Many of its intended tactical coordinations and logistical nodes were not at optimal readiness.
The result, contrary to many expectations, was that the battle quickly fell into a tug-of-war and stalemate.
Sunagakure failed to tear through Konoha's defenses in one decisive blow as intended. While Konoha could not easily repel the invading forces, it managed to stabilize its lines.
As a result, Sunagakure had no choice but to continuously dispatch additional forces from the rear, while Konoha sent back wave after wave of red-marked supply requests and personnel reinforcement lists to the village.
At the same time as the southwestern front erupted in flames of war, within Konohagakure, another, even larger force was completing its final assembly.
Eight thousand elite shinobi stood in silent formation on a dedicated departure plaza, fully equipped, their gazes calm and fixed upon the figure on the raised platform.
Orochimaru.
He slowly swept his gaze across the assembled ranks. Without delivering any kind of pre-battle speech, he simply announced the marching order and discipline.
Then, under the command of the most inscrutable of the Sannin, this massive army of eight thousand began its slow departure from Konoha—its spearhead aimed directly toward the northeast of the Land of Fire.
Konoha had already, in accordance with the worst-case scenario predicted in Higashino Shinichi's report, shifted its focus of vigilance and defense toward the northeast—even while confronting Sunagakure's fierce assault in the southwest.
The shadow of a two-front war had gone from analysis and prediction to concrete troop movements and heavily fortified borders.
...
Konohagakure.
On the streets, shinobi figures moved swiftly back and forth, their expressions grave. The logistics and equipment divisions worked around the clock.
In the hospital, medical staff busied themselves organizing instruments and medicines. Even the ordinary villagers wore expressions of worry and unease, hurrying home, shutting their doors.
Shinichi stood by the window of his home, watching the rapidly changing scene outside. Listening to the faint assembly signals and hurried footsteps in the distance, his gaze grew deep.
He knew—
From this moment onward, the Third Great Ninja War had officially begun.
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