When opposing an enemy, once a shinobi army set up a defensive formation, it could no longer move.
If it stayed still, it lived. If it moved, it died.
What Ōnoki needed was for the Sunagakure shinobi to attack first. It didn't matter who they attacked.
If the Sunagakure shinobi attacked the Land of Earth, they would inevitably be smashed apart by the Iwagakure shinobi, who had long been prepared and excelled at defense. After that, Iwagakure could calmly readjust its formation and launch a counterattack.
If the Sunagakure shinobi attacked the Land of Fire, that would be even better. Iwagakure would have even more time to reposition, then decide according to the situation whether to strike one side—or wipe out both.
But before Sunagakure's movements became clear, those eight thousand Iwagakure shinobi simply could not be moved. The moment they moved, they might invite an attack from Sunagakure and collapse during the transition.
Left with no choice, the anxious Ōnoki could only grit his teeth and wait, all while keeping watch on the Kumogakure shinobi at his back, afraid they might use a sudden assault to ignite this war.
Just as Ōnoki found himself trapped between a rock and a hard place, the change he had been waiting for finally arrived.
On October 2, Sunagakure launched a surprise attack on the Land of Fire under the pretext that Konoha had murdered the Third Kazekage, formally kicking off the Third Shinobi World War.
Sunagakure's surprise strike on the Land of Fire completely exceeded the Third Hokage's expectations.
Of course, the fact that they were allies had never been worthy of trust. More than that, the so-called alliance had been a product of the previous war—something White Fang of Konoha had carved out with blood, forged from half of Sunagakure's lifeblood.
As long as Sunagakure still had even a shred of pride, then the moment they got the chance, they would naturally seek revenge against Konoha. No Konoha shinobi had ever harbored fantasies about lasting peace between Wind and Fire.
But the two sides were currently conducting a joint investigation into the mysterious figure. That natural sage's provocation had humiliated both sides, and for the moment it had also made the two villages share a common enemy. Peace certainly couldn't last for long, but at the very least, before they killed that mysterious figure, with such an urgent threat hanging over them, everyone ought to remain restrained, right?
Surely they wouldn't start fighting each other while an enemy lurked nearby, waiting to pounce. Were they really not afraid of both sides being wounded in a clash between tigers?
After all, the shinobi world had Five Great Nations and Five Great Shinobi Villages. It wasn't just Sunagakure and Konoha.
But that was the Hokage's way of thinking—not Sunagakure's.
At present, Sunagakure no longer had anyone capable of coordinating the whole picture. Although Rasa had ascended to the seat of the Fourth Kazekage, he had no personal faction or foundation of his own, and so naturally became a puppet of the elders with real power—the hand that stamped the final decision.
In truth, once Sunagakure entered a republican system, the popular will of its shinobi had been magnified, while the village's capacity to absorb the negative consequences of policy had declined.
None of the other four great shinobi villages, all still ruled under the absolute authority of their Kage, realized that the republican Sunagakure had suffered such severe losses in August and September that they had no choice but to disregard the mysterious figure they couldn't find at all, and set a final deadline: if he could not be found within a month, then war would begin.
Even if the mysterious natural sage was an enormous threat, as long as he didn't openly strike Sunagakure itself, the Sunagakure shinobi would ignore him and urgently begin war against the Land of Fire.
Psychologically, Sunagakure's surprise attack achieved complete suddenness, and in one stroke crushed Konoha's shinobi army stationed on the front line of the "neutral countries," invading the Land of Fire from both north and south.
Konoha was stunned senseless.
But Konoha was Konoha after all—the strongest shinobi village, with a foundation far deeper than anyone else's. The loss of several thousand front-line shinobi was quickly made up for by reserve forces from the second line.
By contrast, the Sunagakure shinobi soon descended into disorder. They formed into little cliques based on all kinds of relationships, and while still nominally maintaining their two strategic groups, they began acting on their own.
Sunagakure's lack of unified command was exposed to the entire shinobi world.
And just how strong was Konoha in the forty-third year of Konoha? The loss of nearly four thousand people hadn't even affected daily life inside the village. People still did what they were supposed to do, and the mission center remained busy as ever.
Uchiha Yoru still steadily led the ninjutsu and tactics study group. It was just that the content he taught the genin now included even more chūnin-level knowledge: how to organize three-man and four-man squads, how to grasp the rhythm and transition points of searching, defending, and retreating.
Part of what he taught came from his own practice in the shinobi world. Part of it came from the teachings of his jōnin squad leader. But most of it came from the warlike bloodline etched into the bones of a battle-loving people.
And yet the point Uchiha Yoru emphasized above all else was this: under what circumstances should one retreat, and under what circumstances should one flee without hesitation.
With the spirits he had painstakingly roused in them, how could the Uchiha possibly accept such a guiding philosophy? One after another, they voiced their dissatisfaction and confusion.
"President, that's not right, is it? We're the strongest Uchiha shinobi. We're shinobi of Konoha, the strongest shinobi village. How can we think about running away at the slightest thing?"
Uchiha Yoru sneered. "The strongest shinobi village in the world… the strongest Uchiha?"
"A strongest shinobi village with war breaking out on its own soil? A strongest shinobi clan that keeps getting tossed around by its own village?"
"What does it matter if you're Uchiha shinobi? What does it matter if you're Konoha shinobi? You have to stay alive before you can protect Konoha. You have to stay alive before you can prove the Uchiha are the strongest clan."
"If you die, the enemy will only stand on top of your corpses and proudly declare that Konoha is nothing special, that the Uchiha clan is nothing special!"
"Is that the result you want?"
That string of questions immediately took the wind out of the study group children. They lowered their heads and muttered weakly, "No…"
Uchiha Yoru's expression eased, and he said patiently, "Only by staying alive can you protect Konoha. Only by staying alive can you defeat the enemy. If you die, then no one will protect Konoha Village or your families."
At that moment, Uchiha Shisui, who had also joined the study group, asked, "Big Brother Yoru, if you don't complete a mission, won't a shinobi be severely punished?"
Uchiha Yoru asked in return, "Who said so?"
"Everyone says that."
"Does the shinobi handbook say anywhere that failing to complete a mission brings punishment?"
The group of little ones all froze.
That was true. Where exactly had that rule come from? The shinobi handbook contained page after page of prohibitions, but there really was no clause forbidding mission failure.
For a profession that licked blood off the edge of a blade, it was one thing to demand that missions be completed. But at most, that only meant successful completion brought rewards. Failure simply meant no reward.
A mission might fail precisely because it was too difficult, or the enemy was too strong—because even attempting it would mean certain death. Could there be any punishment harsher than death?
There could not.
No leader with a functioning brain would do something so stupid. Otherwise, since the shinobi under them didn't want to die, they would naturally refuse all high-difficulty missions. And if a leader insisted on forcing the matter, then whoever was assigned would immediately defect. There wouldn't even be anything to discuss.
In the previous war, because the mortality rate against Sakumo Hatake had been too high, Sunagakure shinobi had begun refusing missions in large numbers. It had gotten so bad that the Third Kazekage personally issued an order: if one encountered White Fang of Konoha, one could abandon the mission on the spot.
Not only was there no punishment, it didn't even count as a failed record.
Only then had Sunagakure's morale stabilized enough for them to continue resisting for a considerable time.
The moment Sakumo Hatake's name came up, someone immediately raised an objection. "President, wasn't White Fang of Konoha driven to suicide precisely because he abandoned a critical mission and caused enormous losses to Konoha?"
"No. Senior Sakumo Hatake didn't commit suicide because of a mission. He killed himself because he was disappointed in Konoha, because he despaired after his ideals collapsed."
Uchiha Yoru let out a cold laugh and asked, "Everyone says Senior Sakumo Hatake abandoned a critical mission and caused huge losses to Konoha. But do you know what mission it actually was?"
"That was a secret mission. How could we possibly know?"
"A secret mission ought to remain secret from beginning to end. Other than those directly involved and the Hokage, nobody should know about it. So why is it that Senior Sakumo Hatake's 'secret mission' is something even ordinary villagers know about?"
The children all stared blankly. A secret mission that everyone knew about was clearly contradictory.
"And this 'enormous loss' that made everyone so furious—what exactly was it?"
"Other than Senior Sakumo Hatake himself, did that secret mission cause any other losses?"
"So, my dear younger brothers and sisters, on the battlefield, your highest-priority mission is to preserve your own lives. Do not challenge enemies you cannot defeat. They are not your enemies. They are enemies for the powerful people in the village to deal with."
Although Sunagakure's offensive had not directly affected life inside Konoha, for high-level figures like Uchiha Fugaku, the amount of work had multiplied.
At this point, even Uchiha Yashiro's regular reports had stopped completely, and the ninjutsu and tactics study group had become a small organization forgotten by the higher-ups.
Because of that, Uchiha Yoru became bolder. He began spreading treasonous thoughts and inconvenient truths, gradually driving a wedge between the entire study group and the clan's upper echelon, and between the study group and Konoha's upper echelon as well.
This was a necessary condition for him to monopolize the study group's resources and eventually become the clan head of the Uchiha.
…
Once the study session and gathering ended, everyone naturally dispersed. But there were a few newly joined little radishes who still needed Uchiha Yoru to personally escort them home.
These were all Uchiha children about to enter the ninja academy. They were direct-line prodigies of the Uchiha clan, core children whom the elders had gathered into Uchiha Yoru's little circle.
Naturally, the one leading them was Uchiha Shisui, followed by Elder Yūichirō's grandson Tomono, and then two other children of three or four years old.
By the way, the son Uchiha Yūichirō worried over and fretted about most was his youngest, fourth son—and also his only living son. Uchiha Tomono was the child of his eldest son, who had died on a mission.
But Tomono's uncle, Uchiha Seto, refused to listen to the old man. He adamantly refused to join the study group. He even looked down on Uchiha Yoru, attempting to awaken the Sharingan through brushes with life and death.
A fourteen-year-old boy happened to be in the perfect stage of rebellion. That age, when everyone found you annoying, paired with the strength of a veteran genin, gave him destructive power off the charts—and even independent earning ability. Uchiha Yūichirō truly had no way to deal with him.
At the time, Uchiha Yoru had simply smiled and comforted him. "It's fine. Once Tomono awakens the Sharingan, Seto will be past puberty. He'll understand what matters."
Uchiha Yūichirō had been full of worry. "But the next thing coming is war. He's my last son. I have no confidence he can survive long enough to mature."
"For shinobi in wartime, life and death depend on luck. Even the stronger ones still have to rely on luck. Whether or not he studies with me isn't the most important thing."
Uchiha Yoru knew perfectly well that what he had said was nonsense. In war, the stronger a shinobi was, the more situations they could handle. Their survival rate was naturally higher than that of weaker shinobi.
Uchiha Yūichirō also knew Yoru was consoling him with nonsense.
But after hearing that nonsense, his mood really had eased considerably.
This was not the time for reason.
As a father nearing fifty, what he needed was comfort.
Once he regained his composure, Uchiha Yūichirō more or less gave up hope for the survival of his last son. He shifted all his attention onto his grandson. Considering the boy's age and talent, he decisively sent him into the study group. Perhaps learning different knowledge alongside peers would help him survive on the battlefield one day.
After escorting those children home one by one, only Uchiha Shisui remained walking beside him.
This was the understanding between the two of them. This last stretch of road was their time to talk.
"Big Brother Yoru, you've been teaching too much lately. I feel like a lot of people can't understand it."
"Can you understand it?"
"I can't either. I have zero shinobi experience. There's a lot I just can't grasp."
"In other words, you've memorized it all."
"Yes."
"That's enough. Remember this: if you study well at the ninja academy, you'll be able to draw inferences from what you learn. At that point, you'll know what it feels like to suddenly see everything clearly."
"Big Brother Yoru, are you going to the battlefield too?"
"Shisui, what made you think that?"
"Because after the news came that Sunagakure attacked us, what you teach suddenly shifted toward practical combat experience. And you're teaching more, and faster. So I guessed… maybe you don't have much time left."
"Sharp little brat. Time really is running short—not just for me, but for the older kids in the study group too."
"Compared to little ones like you, I'm actually more worried about those guys. They've been shinobi for a few years already, but right now they don't hold official posts and don't have formal work. They're the kind most likely to be conscripted. But before this, they were doing errands in the Police Force, or serving as household help in the homes of the clan head and the elders. They've never really had the chance to put blade against blade in real practice."
"I've taught them ninjutsu and tactical skills, but the time was too short. I don't know whether they can turn knowledge into ability."
"Big Brother Yoru, if the older brothers and sisters will all be conscripted, does that mean you don't think the war's outlook is good?"
"Mm. The Land of Fire sits right in the center of the shinobi world. It's also the country with the flattest terrain and no natural geographic barriers. Unless it has an overwhelmingly strong shinobi army capable of striking in all directions, it is bound to end up besieged from all sides."
"Sunagakure is just the first hotheaded fool to pounce. After them, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure will all declare war on us. Konoha is destined to fight on four fronts. No amount of troops will ever be enough."
Uchiha Shisui fell silent, slowly digesting what Uchiha Yoru had said.
Just as they were about to reach Shisui's house, he suddenly asked, "Big Brother Yoru, in your view, what kind of war strategy would be best for Konoha?"
Uchiha Yoru replied without a moment's hesitation, "Shisui, remember this: there is never a best strategy. There is only the most suitable strategy."
He raised the index, middle, and ring fingers of his right hand. For some reason, as if he had remembered something, he suddenly couldn't help laughing.
"If we ignore the constraints of reality, then I think Konoha has superior, middle, and inferior plans for dealing with this war."
"The superior plan is, of course, for another figure like the First Hokage to appear—someone who, by himself, can deter the entire shinobi world, so that no one dares raise their voice against Konoha."
"Just as I said before: to subdue the enemy without fighting—that is the highest excellence."
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