Chapter 27: The Land of Rōran
After only a moment of contemplation, Ao made his decision without hesitation.
Although the Hidden Mist had prepared several contingency plans to ensure the success of this operation—up to and including the possibility of the Third Mizukage taking the field himself—no one truly wished to engage the Sand Village in an all-out war unless absolutely necessary. Especially not with the unpredictable presence of the Leaf now potentially involved. Mist ninja had a reputation for being brutal and bloodthirsty, sure—but aside from the Kaguya clan, they weren't brainless.
The rest, particularly the Third Mizukage and Master Genji, were coldly rational.
For a shinobi village to launch a war, there must be clear objectives. There must be calculated risks, and in return, guaranteed benefits.
Let the Iwa shinobi deal with the 'glory' of clashing head-on with the Sand.
All the Mist wanted was to seize the piece of meat best suited to their palate.
"Understood, Lord Ao!"
With a sharp bow, the purple-haired Mist ninja turned and disappeared swiftly into the dunes.
Sand… and now Konoha too? Hmph. Doesn't matter who it is. This time, no one is going to stop Kirigakure.
Ao swept his eyes across the camp, where his subordinates were diligently reinforcing the perimeter—setting up traps and securing the area. A thin line of tension danced behind his calm expression, but he held it back and muttered softly to himself.
It was only an ANBU recon squad.
It didn't prove anything substantial. Not yet.
It wasn't like a full Konoha battalion had appeared.
Ao resolved to proceed with the plan as scheduled.
The Sand's forward outposts had already been eliminated. Next was the Land of Rōran. Taking control of that country would give the Hidden Mist dominance over the southeastern trade and transportation routes.
Once they deployed reinforcements to hold the area, the Sand—locked in a bitter northern struggle with the Stone Village—would be in no position to take anything back.
Everything is proceeding smoothly.
The shinobi world was already teetering in chaos.
In just under three months, two seismic events had rocked the balance: Sakumo Hatake's suicide, and the disappearance of the Third Kazekage.
And with that, the entire shinobi world began to unravel.
Only a handful of nations remained untouched—remote places like the Land of Demons, the Land of Marshes, or the distant Snow Country across the sea. The rest were either actively participating or being forcibly drawn into the vortex of war.
Even mid-tier nations like the Land of Grass, Land of Waterfalls, Land of Hot Springs, and Rain Country weren't spared.
And ironically, it was precisely because these countries had some measure of shinobi power that they were dragged in first. None of the Five Great Nations wanted them aiding their enemies—or sitting comfortably on the sidelines while the big players bled.
Once war began, everyone had to pick a side.
Rōran was no exception.
Sandwiched between three nations—especially the Fire and Wind Countries—it also sat atop the fastest southern route to the Land of Rivers.
Strategically, it was a critical transportation hub. It couldn't afford to be neutral.
As soon as war broke out, an official request for assistance had come from Sunagakure.
But Rōran today was no longer the Rōran of old.
The queen had changed.
And with her, so had the nation's stance.
So this is Rōran, huh? I've got to admit… it's pretty damn impressive.
Standing at the edge of a vast desert, Kakashi squinted at the towering black spires rising in the distance, each scraping against the sky like a monument to a forgotten era. A faint flicker of awe passed through his eyes.
If everything was following the original timeline…
Then this was the point when he might encounter that future visitor—Uzumaki Naruto.
Of course, if that really did happen…
Then Kakashi was certain that that Naruto would come from an entirely different future. Not his.
Because Kakashi had already begun altering things.
Little changes. But ones that rippled outward.
Enough to disturb the entire narrative.
Whether he would survive to the end or die in some lonely corner of history—one thing was certain:
The original plot would never unfold the same way again.
Otherwise… what was the point of his return?
And the very existence of Rōran at this point in time—still intact—meant either everything had yet to begin… or something had already shifted the course of history.
"Any signs of movement nearby?"
As they approached the outer edge of Rōran, the entire Black Hawk squad grew visibly more cautious.
The Land of Wind was largely barren desert—but it did have occasional rock formations and wind-carved terrain that could serve as cover.
Earlier, when they encountered the Mist ninja, the area had at least contained a rare oasis.
But here…
Rōran's outskirts were flat and utterly exposed.
No cover. No shadows.
If they were discovered, the enemy wouldn't even need a sensor-type to spot them.
They had to stay alert.
"Nothing so far. But based on our current path, it's likely the Mist ninja are still operating in this region."
Foxhound pointed to a narrow location on the upper left corner of the unfolded map.
Among the four, Foxhound was the most familiar with the Land of Wind.
He had been here several times on missions and had a solid grasp of the geography.
By all accounts, if the Mist's target really was Rōran…
The shortest route would have been to land in the Land of Rivers and head west toward Rōran.
But that region had several Konoha monitoring posts along the coast and inland, along with active ninja patrols.
The Land of Rivers was a close ally of Konoha. From nobles down to villagers, any missions they issued usually went straight to the Hidden Leaf.
It was a mid-sized nation with strategic maritime access—a vital buffer zone.
And no matter how soft-hearted or idealistic Hiruzen Sarutobi was, he'd never abandon it completely.
A direct amphibious assault from the Mist would be a declaration of war on Konoha.
Too risky.
"Hmm? Isn't there a Sand outpost in this area?"
Black Hawk tilted his head, eyeing the location Foxhound had pointed to.
"There is, Captain," Foxhound replied with a firm nod. "Regardless of whether the Mist's objective is Rōran or something else, this spot can't be ignored. It's the largest outpost the Sand has along the southeastern front. Normally, it's manned by at least several dozen shinobi in rotation."
—And that made it the perfect target.
If the Mist had already moved on it…
They were closer than expected.