In Konoha Year 60, after more than ten years of peace in the ninja world, war erupted once again. This time, the ones who instigated the war were still the two usual culprits: Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
However, the objective this time was different from previous Great Ninja Wars. It wasn't one of the great nations like the Land of Fire, but rather the Land of Cherry Blossoms, located in the hinterland behind the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth.
This nation, which had never been involved in wars during previous Great Ninja Wars, now found itself engulfed in conflict, and it was a war initiated by two great nations against them.
Nearly ten thousand ninja troops from Kumogakure and Iwagakure set out from the border, beginning their advance towards the Land of Rain.
If they wanted to attack the Land of Cherry Blossoms, they had to pass through the Land of Rain, and then make a round trip, passing through several small nations before reaching the border of the Land of Cherry Blossoms.
With nearly ten thousand ninjas mobilized, how could other nations not notice such a large movement? However, facing these two fierce tigers, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth,
other small nations avoided them at all costs, seeing the armies of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth and quickly making way.
Five thousand ninjas were clearly not the full strength of these two ninja villages. As two of the Five Great Ninja Villages, their villages had at least fifteen to twenty thousand ninjas, or even more.
However, to deal with a country like the Land of Cherry Blossoms, which only had a land area comparable to a great nation but whose strength was far below that of a great nation, they believed it wasn't necessary to deploy too many forces.
The most advantageous way to take down the Land of Cherry Blossoms was with the smallest cost possible. After all, fighting also cost money. Military supplies and food alone were huge expenses. This time, they were openly plundering, so the lower the cost, the better.
The Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, on the other hand, made no moves. For them, the Land of Rain was an extremely sensitive area.
In the past, the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind would absolutely not have agreed to let the ninja forces of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth pass through the Land of Rain.
But this time, the ninja forces of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth passed through the Land of Rain, and the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind seemed to have collectively turned a blind eye, making no movements whatsoever, merely strengthening their own country's defenses.
However, other nations understood that it wasn't that Sunagakure and Konoha were willing to let them pass, but rather that they truly lacked the strength to stop them. Konoha had suffered heavy losses in the Chunin Exams, with the Hokage dying in battle and the entire village almost completely destroyed. Their vitality was greatly damaged.
And the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure also died at the hands of Orochimaru. Moreover, Konoha also lost many ninjas.
Coupled with the Land of Wind itself being resource-poor and lacking in materials, when the Fourth Kazekage died and a new Kazekage had not yet been chosen, they naturally wouldn't easily make a move.
Because of the actions of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, the atmosphere throughout the ninja world was also boiling. Many nations sent numerous intelligence agents to the Land of Cherry Blossoms, wanting to record this unequal war and wanting to thoroughly understand the details of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, especially Kumogakure.
In recent years, their strength had been steadily increasing in an arms race, surpassing Konoha to become the ninja world's largest military power after Konoha's vitality was greatly damaged.
And Sunagakure also showed no weakness. Although the entire village's ninjas barely totaled about five thousand, due to several years of development, their ninjas' quality was also quite good.
To cope with this invasion from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, besides leaving a small number of ninjas to guard, almost all other ninjas, including genin, were mobilized and deployed in the border areas of the Land of Cherry Blossoms.
It wasn't just one layer, but several layers. The strongest Jonin were on the front lines, responsible for resisting the strongest ninjas of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, while other relatively weaker Chunin and Genin provided support from the rear.
This was also unavoidable. After all, their numbers were far fewer than their opponents. Despite knowing there would be huge sacrifices, they had no choice but to do so.
Not only that, but the ninjas of Sunagakure also actively set up many traps, hoping to inflict as much damage as possible on the ninjas of Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
As for the interior of the Land of Cherry Blossoms, it was also filled with lamentations. To be honest, no one believed that the Land of Cherry Blossoms could defeat the combined forces of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth.
Not only the ministers, but also the citizens were filled with incomparable panic and fear, even causing a huge stir domestically. Many merchants, trade associations, and people from other countries evacuated the Land of Cherry Blossoms at the fastest possible speed.
However, as the daimyo, Terumi Mei had been continuously encouraging everyone, those who encouraged her secretly wanted to suppress her in various ways.
War was imminent, this was something all citizens of the Land of Cherry Blossoms knew. While knowing was one thing, how to face it was another. They had never experienced war, so their hearts and faces were filled with bewilderment.
They didn't know what would become of them once the Land of Cherry Blossoms was defeated, after all, this was the place they were born and raised.
The troops of Sunagakure had quickly deployed along the border to intercept the attacks from Kumogakure and the Land of Earth. Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, the Land of Water, after fierce deliberation, also made a decision, and the ninjas of Kirigakure also began to move.
Because as the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei had already made the final decision: to dispatch ninja troops to support the Land of Cherry Blossoms. As the new generation Mizukage who had overthrown the terrifying rule of the Fourth Mizukage, her words held immense weight in Kirigakure.
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