"He brought me many of these melons, but Tsunade isn't very fond of them, so take more back with you and put them in your storage ring." Torifu, at this moment, couldn't help but inwardly grumble again about that little girl Tsunade's "princess syndrome." She didn't even like such delicious fruit! What else did she want to eat?! But it was just an internal grumble. After all, this was his teacher's and teacher's wife's precious darling; if they didn't care, why should he interfere?
After Mito put down the two melons in her hands, she immediately returned to the warehouse to get more. Back and forth she went, bringing out a total of fifteen melons. "Alright, we'll keep the rest for ourselves to eat. You take these back with you."
Torifu said with a smile, "Thank you, Mito-sama. I'll be going now." Putting the melons into his storage ring, Torifu left the Senju clan compound. These fifteen would be enough for Torifu to eat for quite some time. However, he didn't plan to eat them all himself. He'd give some to Auntie Kato and Oyashirō Tsuki; they probably hadn't tasted such foreign treats either, so it would be a good chance for them to try.
After delivering the melons, Torifu returned home. By this time, the sky was already dark. He checked the time in his room; it was seven o'clock. After a quick, simple dinner, Torifu washed up and went to bed. His schedule was incredibly regular.
A week later, while Torifu was still deep in his dreams, the system's notification sound suddenly rang out.
[Ding – Kumogakure, believing Senju Hashirama has fallen, has mobilized all village forces to attack the Land of Fire! The First Great Ninja War has commenced!]
Torifu, who had been sleeping soundly, instantly became wide awake upon hearing the system's words! Kumogakure had mobilized! The First Great Ninja War had begun!
Torifu quickly got out of bed, rushed to the bathroom to wash up, and changed into a white robe. "Aokumo, Ryūfū, something big is happening today! Come with me in a bit!" The two immortal cranes, who had just finished breakfast and were about to go play, immediately became interested when they heard Torifu. "Oh, oh! What are we doing?" Torifu smiled. "We're going to participate in a war!"
At this time, Amado was still sleeping. Torifu didn't wake him up. This was a war kept secret from the entire Konoha Village. Very few people knew the inside story. However, this was good too; the villagers lived happily, and dangerous matters were naturally handled by others. And Torifu was one of them.
"Snowflake, I'll leave a clone at home. Just act as you normally would."
Snowflake nodded. "Don't worry." However, hearing that Torifu was going to participate in a war, Snowflake was still very worried. "Will it be dangerous?" Torifu showed a gentle smile. "Don't worry, no one can harm me."
After leaving a clone, Torifu used his Concealing Presence Technique and left the clan compound. By now, Hashirama and Tobirama should have already moved, which was why Torifu could appear in the village without restraint. He strolled around the village and didn't find any suspicious individuals. He figured Kumogakure probably hadn't sent any additional spies. If that was the case, Torifu would set off.
He transformed into a giant cloud crane and soared into the high sky, then transformed back into his main body: "Summoning Jutsu!" Just as Torifu was plummeting, two loud crane calls rang out, then steadily caught him. "Aokumo! Full speed ahead towards the Land of Fire's border!"
Although Konoha Village was still calm, the entire shinobi world was in chaos! Kumogakure's forces had already left the Land of Moon and entered the Land of Fields. Intelligence reports from various countries were flying everywhere! Spies and secret agents were incredibly busy, all heading to the Land of Lightning to investigate for news. The other three great nations were wondering how Kumogakure dared to do this. With Senju Hashirama still alive, they dared to attack Konoha. Did they perhaps possess some intelligence that the others didn't know? The more they thought, the more ideas surfaced. Some were restless, preparing to see if they could get a share in this great turmoil. But more wanted to protect themselves. After all, this was a clash between two great ninja villages; smaller factions joining would simply be suicide.
Kumogakure's forces moved very quickly. As a great nation, the Land of Moon and the Land of Fields along their route dared not obstruct them, allowing for smooth passage. They had departed last night and were already close to the Land of Fire's border this morning. Hashirama and Tobirama naturally wouldn't fight on their own land. The Land of Fields had few villages and no hidden villages; its population was concentrated in the royal capital. Therefore, large areas of the country were mountains and plains, perfectly suited for combat, and wouldn't harm innocent civilians. Hashirama and Tobirama's intention was to block Kumogakure's forces outside the Land of Fire and completely deal with them on the Land of Fields' territory.
Aokumo and Ryūfū's flight speed was very fast. He should reach the Land of Fire's border in another two hours. If a normal ninja were to travel on foot, it would take at least a day. However, if Tobirama and Hashirama ran at full speed, their speed would be no different from Aokumo and Ryūfū. Three years ago, when rescuing the Oyashirō clan from Hell Valley, Torifu had competed with Hashirama. According to Torifu's estimation, Hashirama and Tobirama should have already reached the border and set up an ambush. They were just waiting for Kumogakure's shinobi to show their faces at the border to receive Tobirama's explosive gift package.
This time, Kumogakure would surely have many powerful shinobi. Torifu wondered how many he could kill. When the battle began, Torifu would send out all his puppets except the Dust Release one, letting them attack automatically. Although this wouldn't be very precise, it would be enough to give Kumogakure's shinobi a tough time. Each one possessed a top-tier Bloodline Limit of the shinobi world, directly making them question their lives.
"Torifu, when does the war start? I can't wait!" Aokumo was a notoriously battle-hungry fellow. Whenever there was a fight, Aokumo would undoubtedly rush to the forefront. Torifu honestly asked himself if he had ever trained Aokumo and Ryūfū how to fight. Why had it turned out this way now? Ryūfū was still alright, not on the same path as Aokumo, otherwise Torifu would be worried sick.
"Don't rush, don't rush. We'll see the enemy when we reach the border. They're here to invade us. Today, we'll kill them all, leaving no one behind!" Aokumo let out a piercing cry: "Let them know my might! The Land of Fire is my territory! How dare they without my permission?!" Torifu was quite helpless about Aokumo's chuunibyou remarks. He suggested that such treacherous words were best left unspoken.
Soon, the one person and two cranes reached the border. Torifu didn't know where Hashirama and Tobirama were exactly, so he dared not let Aokumo descend, fearing discovery. They waited for several hours. At noon, Kumogakure's forces finally appeared in Torifu's sight. However, there was still no movement at the border.
The mighty force soon reached the Land of Fire's border line. Roughly estimated, there must have been ten to twenty thousand individuals. The leader was an unknown ninja. The Nidaime Raikage was in the center of the formation, heavily protected. Just as Kumogakure's forces stepped onto the Land of Fire's soil!
A sudden roar echoed through the forest! "Edo Tensei!"