As Indra indulged in his prelude to the Ten-Tails' revival, urgent messages from Amegakure had already reached all five great shinobi villages!
In Konohagakure, the newly appointed Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, sat at his desk, brows furrowed in deep concern.
"Naruto, oh, Naruto… You really know how to throw me into the fire."
He had no doubt about the letter's contents. What troubled him was how to act on them.
"Leaving aside whether the village's ninja will believe what's written here…"
"Even if we take the cautious approach, a large-scale ninja mobilization requires the daimyo's approval. Otherwise, it's tantamount to treason!"
"And even if we navigate that, what about the civilians? Do we just leave them behind to fall into Infinite Tsukuyomi? Morally, that's just not right."
"Civilians can't keep up with ninja on the road. If we try to evacuate everyone, our pace will crawl. We might not even make it to Amegakure before disaster strikes…"
Shikaku Nara spoke up. "Kakashi, now isn't the time to dwell on these details."
"Hesitating over these obstacles will only cost us the initiative."
Kakashi asked, "So you're suggesting I use Hokage authority to force everyone's hand?"
Click.
Shikaku lit a cigarette, gazing at the shifting clouds outside the window, his eyes sharp as ever. "Maybe things aren't as complicated as they seem. Sometimes, if you don't treat a problem as a problem, it stops being one."
"We keep the letter under wraps. Mobilize the ninja under the guise of a large-scale training exercise."
Kakashi pressed, "But our destination is Amegakure. Everyone knows that's Naruto's stronghold now. How do we explain that?"
Shikaku smiled. "Amegakure borders the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Lightning. We'll say it's a joint drill with Kumogakure and Iwagakure. If we need to pass through Amegakure to reach them, it's only natural, right?"
"Once we're there, the rest will be easier to handle."
Realization dawned on Kakashi. "I see…"
Shikaku took a long drag. "But don't move in one big group. Break into squads—move in waves, covertly. That way, we avoid alerting the daimyo, and we don't leave the village defenseless for bandits to exploit."
Kakashi hesitated. "So in the end, we're still keeping the truth from the villagers?"
Shikaku replied, "Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If this war engulfs the entire shinobi world, protecting just one village's people won't be enough. We have to think bigger, Kakashi…"
Kakashi sighed. "If we mismanage this, it could tear Konoha apart."
Shikaku exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "But if we do it right, we might dissolve a lot of hidden friction—make things smoother for both us and Naruto down the line."
After some thought, Kakashi made up his mind. "Alright, we'll do it your way. And, Shikaku, should I have ANBU quietly escort your family out?"
Shikaku smiled and shook his head, snuffing out his cigarette in his portable ashtray.
"I'm already asking so much of everyone. If I start playing favorites, I wouldn't even be able to respect myself."
…
In Kumogakure, the Raikage had suffered grave injuries at the hands of Sasuke'sHeavenly Hand Power while defending the daimyo's residence.
By all rights, he should have died. But thanks to the sheer bulk of his transformed body, the dramatic wound missed his heart. He survived—barely—and was rescued by Kumogakure reinforcements.
Afterward, the Land of Lightning's daimyo residence fell, the daimyo and his entire court perishing in the chaos.
Civil war erupted. Nobles vied for the empty throne, each trying to win Kumogakure's favor.
During the Raikage's recovery, Dodai served as acting leader, watching the power struggle unfold—not out of interest in the nobles, but in the true instigators: Sasuke, and Naruto of Amegakure.
From every subtle sign, Dodai sensed a storm was brewing—a storm that would sweep not just the Land of Lightning, but the entire shinobi world.
He could smell war on the wind.
It was, without a doubt, the prelude to the Fourth Great Ninja War.
And sure enough, the letter from Amegakure arrived.
Ten-Tails. Indra. Infinite Tsukuyomi. Each word sent chills down Dodai's spine.
He wasted no time and reported to the Raikage.
"Get out! You actually believe Uzumaki Naruto's nonsense?!"
As expected, the Raikage exploded, throwing Dodai and the other ninja out.
But once alone, lying flat on his back, the Raikage's fury faded.
"Damn it… Uzumaki Naruto has beaten me more than once. I might not like the guy, but I respect his strength. There's no way he'd sully himself with some low-level bluff. The letter must be true…"
"But… I can't just answer his call like a lapdog. Where's my pride?"
"Damn it, Uzumaki Naruto, why do you always have to make things so hard for me…?"
"I need an excuse. A way out. Dodai, you're clever—don't let me down this time…"
Creak.
Soon enough, the door swung open. Dodai entered with a squad of burly ninja.
"Why didn't you knock? Get out!"
"Boss, forgive us for this!"
The ninja rushed forward, binding the Raikage in iron chains and hauling him out to a waiting cart.
The Raikage struggled—half-heartedly. "You little punks, trying to rebel?! Let me go!"
Dodai announced, "All ninja, attention! We've received intel that Iwagakure is preparing to invade our village. They're experts in Earth Release and terrain warfare, so staying put is a disadvantage. We'll take the initiative—everyone will mobilize, pass through the Land of Rain, and strike at Iwagakure!"
Kumogakure's shinobi erupted in excitement.
"Damn Iwagakure, I've had enough of them!"
"Let's go—show them the Will of Lightning!"
On the cart, the Raikage froze, then fumed. "What?! That old fossil Ōnoki is taking advantage of the chaos at a time like this…"
Konoha and Kumogakure—two villages with deep-seated internal tensions—had each found their own way to redirect those conflicts, and both began to move toward Amegakure.
Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure each settled their internal disputes and began mass mobilizations of their own.
Suddenly, the entire shinobi world was gripped by a tense, electric atmosphere—every shadow a threat, every whisper a warning.
…
Meanwhile, at the Valley of the End.
Naruto and Sasuke—two souls bound by fate—stood once more on opposite sides of the battlefield.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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