The alliance between Amegakure and the Sand Federation was progressing rapidly. Other major shinobi villages, especially Iwagakure and Konoha, had long since received intelligence about this and were highly alert to the collaboration between these two forces.
The Sand Federation had already annexed many small countries and noble territories, but those were mostly voluntary under the leadership of the Kaekō Trading Company. Even the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth had little justification to intervene.
If both sides are willing, what grounds does anyone have to interfere?
Furthermore, Iwagakure had suffered heavy losses in the Third Great Ninja War. Even though Konoha, as the victor, didn't demand reparations, Iwa still needed time to recover. They had already lost the Third Raikage to a ninja ambush, were stalled by Hyūga Mirai's medical corps, and then took heavy damage from Namikaze Minato's assassination strike.
So when the Bird Country and Demon Country were incorporated into the Sand Federation, Iwagakure simply lacked the strength to resist.
But this cooperation between Amegakure and the Sand Federation was a different story. Five or six years had passed since the war, and the major villages had already regained their strength. Even Konoha, which had suffered greatly, had restored its ninja forces.
Had Sarutobi Hiruzen chosen war during Kumo's provocation a few years ago, Konoha would have been unprepared. But he endured and focused on rebuilding, resulting in Konoha's current readiness.
Now that each village had restored its pre-war military power—and given that shinobi exist to fight—without conflict, regular missions couldn't sustain the growing number of ninja.
This is also why, after the daimyo of the Land of Wind shifted their national missions to Konoha, Sunagakure rushed to start a war.
Without missions, ninja lose their purpose—and eventually, their future.
Under the influence of the Kaekō Trading Company, many merchants and partners began entrusting missions to the Sand Federation. This included not only high-ranking Konoha shinobi, but also merchants and nobles from the Land of Earth. Due to the ties with both the Kaekō and Uzumaki trading companies, they preferred the Sand Federation over Iwagakure.
If that already strained Iwagakure's patience, the alliance with Amegakure was the last straw.
The Sand Federation, being a unified political-military state, was already disliked by other nations' daimyos. A formal alliance—or worse, an absorption of Amegakure—would pose a serious threat to Iwagakure.
Ōnoki was extremely wary of the Sand Federation. If it were only Sunagakure, he wouldn't care—after all, Suna had always been the weakest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, even weaker than the island nation of Kirigakure.
But the Sand Federation was different. The fact that all financial authority rested within the village itself was already a huge advantage.
"I've decided," said Ōnoki, gathering the upper ranks of Iwagakure, "to cooperate with Konoha in probing the alliance between Amegakure and the Sand Federation."
"Isn't that a bit reckless, Lord Tsuchikage?" one council member hesitated.
Another quickly countered, "The Sand Federation's ambition is immense. If they ally with Amegakure, most of our routes for sending shinobi out will be blocked. We'll lose too many external missions. Lord Tsuchikage, I support your decision."
"But if we attack two villages at once, Iwagakure might plunge back into the chaos of war. We've only just recovered. Please consider this carefully."
Ōnoki waved him off. "That's not a concern. I am not acting recklessly. Konoha won't sit this one out either. The alliance between the Sand Federation and Kumogakure is more threatening to them than to us. And don't forget—some of the noble clans in the Land of Rivers who sided with the Federation were wiped out. The Federation surely still holds a grudge."
"Heh... Was that the work of the 'Darkness of the Shinobi World'? Still as ruthless as ever."
Someone sneered, clearly referring to Danzō, showing disdain for his methods but also obvious caution.
Danzō was feared because of his cruelty and lack of restraint. During wartime, it's common for ninja to target civilians, but even then, most avoided it unless absolutely necessary. Only Danzō would massacre indiscriminately—civilian or shinobi—if he believed they posed even a potential threat to Konoha.
Ōnoki continued, "Konoha also feels threatened by the Rain-Sand Federation alliance and has agreed to secretly join forces with us."
"To recreate the Second Great Ninja War in Amegakure?" said Kurotsuchi, arms crossed, speaking slowly.
That was the same tactic Konoha and Sunagakure used to deal with Hanzō. Now, Iwa and Konoha planned to do the same.
The Land of Earth and the Land of Fire didn't share a border. Between them were the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of the Waterfall. If Iwa and Konoha went to war, one of those nations would become the battlefield.
During the Third Great Ninja War, they chose the Land of Grass. Now, with both Iwa and Konoha targeting Amegakure and the Sand Federation, the Land of Rain would naturally become the next war zone.
Ōnoki nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Konoha even promised to send troops first."
"That should keep them honest and also restrain Amegakure and the Sand Federation. I agree, Lord Tsuchikage."
"I support it as well, Lord Tsuchikage."
The Iwagakure council quickly reached a unanimous decision. The threat from the Sand Federation was growing too large to ignore. Even those who initially objected only did so out of concern that Iwa alone couldn't handle two enemies. With Konoha joining in, that fear vanished.
---
Konoha
Targeting the Sand Federation wasn't just a decision from Konoha's leadership—it was also backed by the daimyo of the Land of Fire.
Though many nobles within the Land of Fire supported the Kaekō family, the daimyo himself wasn't foolish. He understood clearly the danger that a centralized, military-run shinobi organization posed to his own authority. Any sign of such power consolidation had to be eliminated—this was one of the factors in Uzushiogakure's downfall.
Regarding the deployment to the Land of Rain, Sarutobi Hiruzen planned to first convene the major shinobi clans to decide the core forces, and then fill in the ranks with civilian-born ninja.
The Hyūga clan had also received an invitation to the council. In any war, the Byakugan was a vital strategic asset for Konoha.
Before attending any shinobi council, however, the Hyūga always held an internal clan meeting to reach a unified stance.
This time, however, their internal meeting was not going smoothly.
"Where's the branch family representative?"
Before the meeting began, Hyūga Kiyo suddenly asked, "There's always at least one jōnin from the branch family attending. Why isn't anyone here this time? Or are you saying the branch family no longer counts as part of the Hyūga?"
The second elder of the Hyūga clan replied coldly, "Hyūga Kiyo, this is a pre-war council. The main family alone is sufficient."
"You should call me Fourth Elder, Hyūga Sōun," Kiyo replied with quiet authority. "I see no trace of the Hyūga clan's thousand-year traditions in you."
Her calm voice held undeniable strength. Though her Byakugan was not activated, her gaze made Hyūga Sōun visibly uneasy, as if she could see right through him.
(End of Chapter)
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