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In Konan's heart, Hayato was unbeatable. But the Land of Rain wasn't. She didn't want to see Hayato, or everything he had built with her, destroyed.
But Hayato had already made his stance clear, so Konan stopped pressing the issue. Instead, she shook her head, then smiled. He was right—just like he said, the Land of Rain was already strong enough. Strong enough not to fear any war.
If anyone wanted to fight, then let them come.
With a loud crack, Onoki (Tsuchikage) slammed his hand down and shattered the table in front of him. His whole face twisted with fury, his already large nose flushed red as rage consumed him.
"Bastards! Bastards! Damn bastards! How dare they?! How dare the Rain dare?! How dare they lay hands on Akatsuchi?! Damn them! Do they think they're not afraid of war?!" Onoki roared again and again, smashing nearly everything in the room in his blind rage.
"Lord Tsuchikage, please calm down!" The Iwa-nin who had rushed in with the news trembled as he looked at the Third Tsuchikage's wrath.
"Calm down? Calm down my ass! Akatsuchi—damn it! They killed Akatsuchi! The Rain ninja! Hayato! This isn't going to end!" Onoki's voice was a low growl, each word forced out through gritted teeth.
"Now get out!" he shouted, glaring at the terrified messenger.
"My Lord Tsuchikage…" the shinobi hesitated instead of leaving, swallowing nervously.
"What about the Rain? Speak!" Onoki snapped, his eyes blazing.
"Yes, sir! The Rain ninja… they said—either every Iwa-nin leaves the Land of Rain immediately, or they'll go to war with us. A war to the death." The shinobi lowered his head, unable to keep talking.
BOOM!
The entire room erupted in an explosion, debris flying everywhere. Instantly, a squad of Iwa-nin appeared, weapons at the ready.
"Lord Tsuchikage! Are you alright?!"
"Stand down!" Onoki's voice cut through the dust. As it settled, his floating figure appeared in the air, radiating fury.
"Yes, sir!" In a flash, the elite guards vanished back into the shadows.
"Someone! Summon all the elite jōnin!" Onoki ordered. His voice sounded steady, but his eyes burned with rage and bloodlust.
Before long, a crowd of shinobi assembled before him. Heated discussions erupted about how to deal with the Rain ninja.
In the end, the conclusion was clear: war.Onoki had decided. The Land of Earth would go to war with the Land of Rain.
Of course, war wasn't something that could start overnight. Before moving, Onoki needed to send envoys to the Sand in the Land of Wind, and to Konoha in the Land of Fire, to justify Iwa's cause and prevent them from interfering once the fighting began.
After all, the Second Great Ninja War had ended not that many years ago. If another broke out too soon, Iwa might not be able to endure the strain if other villages joined in.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, once they received the news that Iwa intended to launch a war against the Rain, a council was called immediately.
Truth be told, the moment Sarutobi Hiruzen read that message, his heart was full of glee. He couldn't wait to sit back and watch the chaos unfold.
In fact, he was already calculating. If the Rain and Iwa went to war, the moment the Rain started faltering, on the verge of collapse, Konoha could swoop in, launch a surprise strike on the Land of Rain, and claim it for themselves. And if Iwa came out battered and bleeding, Konoha could even invade them directly.
Hiruzen's plan was simple: let the mantis and the cicada fight—then swoop in as the oriole that takes them both.
Just like Konoha, the Sand shinobi were thinking the same thing.
So when they learned that Iwagakure was planning to attack the Land of Rain, they didn't move an inch—other than tightening their guard along the border.
Ōnoki saw this and couldn't help but sneer. He knew exactly what Konoha and Suna were calculating, but his thoughts were different. Unlike them, he hadn't faced Hayato head-on. He didn't know how terrifying Tsuruta truly was.
In Ōnoki's eyes, the Land of Rain was nothing more than a tiny country he could wipe off the map whenever he felt like it. If he led the Stone shinobi in a swift assault, he could crush Rain in one strike, swallow up most of its resources, and if Konoha and Suna were a step too slow to respond—victory would be his.
The problem was simple: Ōnoki was arrogant. He didn't take Hayato or the Rain ninja village seriously at all. But Konoha and Suna knew better. They'd seen Tsuruta's strength firsthand—they knew he was practically a one-man tailed beast, a walking weapon of mass destruction. Ōnoki's ignorance was going to cost him dearly.
"Brother Hayato," Konan said, her voice trembling, "the Stone army is gathering fast along the border. And it's not just them—Konoha and Suna have troops there too… Brother Hayato, is the Third Great War… is it really about to start?"
Her eyes betrayed the fear in her heart. She had lived through the horrors of the Second Ninja War with her own two eyes. She knew exactly what kind of nightmare a world war meant. And now, the tension felt all too familiar.
"Relax, Konan." Hayato placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling as though none of this chaos worried him in the slightest. "The Third Ninja War won't break out just yet. Not until the situation becomes clearer. Konoha and Suna won't act rashly. As for Iwa? Leave that to me."
"Y-You can handle it, Brother Hayato?" Konan asked, hope flickering in her gaze.
"Of course." Hayato nodded without hesitation.
The very next day, Hayato left on his own, heading toward the border of the Land of Earth.
When Konan heard the news, she bit her lip, but determination quickly replaced her fear. Her eyes hardened.
"Send the word. Gather every shinobi. Split into three divisions—one toward the Fire border, one toward the Wind border. As for the Earth border, we'll stay back, keep our distance, and trail behind the leader's advance. Step by step, we'll push toward the Land of Earth along with him.
Iwa shinobi… hmph. This time, I'll make sure you understand—the Land of Rain isn't yours to bully. You'll pay for what you've done."
"....."