Standing on the rooftop of the Kazekage Building, feeling the yellow sand brushing against his face, Rasa frowned deeply.
Things had been going extremely smoothly. The death of Pakura had bought them peace with Kirigakure.
A large amount of supplies had already been transported to the front lines, and Sunagakure's most elite shinobi were now gathered around the Kikyo Pass region.
Konoha had just finished its war with the three great hidden villages. Right now, they were at their most vulnerable, their most relaxed.
But—
"The Three Sannin, the Yellow Flash, the White Reaper... Konoha never stops producing talent."
It was always like this. Every time Konoha's enemies thought they had lost their fangs and claws, a new star would rise from the ashes.
At this point, there was no use in overthinking.
Swallowing down the fine sand blown into his mouth by the wind, Rasa showed a determined expression.
"Let's begin the war!"
...
Sunagakure's little maneuvers hadn't escaped Konoha's notice. Sakumo had received early intel about Sunagakure gathering forces around Kikyo Pass.
Realizing that the enemy might be preparing for a major move, Sakumo quickly made a decision.
He ordered reinforcements to bolster Kikyo Pass's defenses and sent a highly respected commander to lead.
Soon after, a letter arrived from Sunagakure.
Sunagakure claimed that the Third Kazekage had been assassinated by Konoha and demanded a satisfactory explanation.
Satisfactory my ass!
The blatantly false accusation nearly made the normally mild-tempered Sakumo curse out loud.
But the second diplomatic letter, from Kumogakure, did more than just make him almost curse.
"Those bastards!" he exploded.
Kumogakure declared that they supported Sunagakure's claim, demanding that Konoha hand over the culprit and compensate Sunagakure. They also supported Sunagakure using force to protect their "legitimate rights."
He thought the Third Great Ninja War was over—did this turn into a DLC expansion pack?
Fortunately, a plan was already in place for Kikyo Pass. Now the only remaining concern was Kumogakure.
Sakumo calculated silently.
His biggest worry now was whether Kumogakure would ally with Sunagakure and launch a joint attack on Kikyo Pass.
That person alone might not be enough.
Jiraiya and Tsunade had already left the village, and Takeshi had begun his training. But even if Takeshi were here, it wouldn't matter—he was still too young, lacking the experience to command a large-scale battle.
Sakumo had only one option left.
"Do you need something, Fourth Hokage?"
Orochimaru, the head of Konoha's Research and Development Bureau, looked at Sakumo with an annoyed expression.
He had just finished setting up the R&D Bureau and was eager to dive into a sea of research, only to be summoned to the office by one of Sakumo's orders.
"Sorry, Orochimaru, but there's truly no time left for research right now."
Sakumo looked apologetically at Orochimaru.
"Hmph. So it's Sunagakure who made the first move, huh?"
Seeing Sakumo sincerely apologizing, the fire in Orochimaru's heart was forcibly doused. With a cold snort, he immediately guessed the source of the unrest.
This time it was Sakumo's turn to be surprised.
"It's simple. At this point in time, only Sunagakure has the motive and capability to pull this off." Orochimaru stuck out his tongue, like a serpent sizing up its prey.
As sharp as ever.
"I'm worried Kumogakure might join Sunagakure at Kikyo Pass, so..."
"I understand. You want me to support Kikyo Pass."
Orochimaru nodded and left the office without another word.
Now that the target was confirmed, he had to move quickly—crush the enemy and return to his research life as soon as possible.
...
The war came faster than expected.
That very afternoon, Sakumo received another letter from Sunagakure.
Rasa, perfectly timing his actions, appeared on the Kikyo Pass battlefield about ten minutes after the diplomatic letter arrived, personally leading Sunagakure's forces in an assault against Konoha.
He had hoped to catch Konoha off guard—but never expected to see a shocking figure standing atop the Konoha front lines.
Dressed in full battle gear, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood at the vanguard, watching the tide of Sunagakure shinobi surge forward. The former Hokage formed a one-handed seal, summoning a massive shuriken.
Hurling it toward the enemy, Sarutobi Hiruzen charged from the defensive line. As he ran, his hands formed seals continuously.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Countless giant shuriken, like a storm of destruction, shattered Sunagakure's charging formation. Whether it was flesh or puppet, everything was torn apart under the force of those spinning blades.
As the massive shuriken lost momentum and fell to the ground, just as the Suna shinobi began to regroup—
The once-solid earth beneath their feet suddenly turned soft.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
The unexpected swamp swallowed many of the Sunagakure shinobi before they could react. The puppets fared better, escaping thanks to the skillful control of their operators. But the shinobi fighting with their physical bodies could only watch themselves sink deeper.
"You won't get away with this!"
A white puppet suddenly appeared beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, slashing with a blade—only for the Hokage to nimbly dodge.
"Long time no see, Chiyo."
Recognizing the puppet's design, Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately identified his opponent.
Chiyo, exposed, didn't respond. Instead, she continued controlling the puppet, pressing the attack.
A shinobi like Sarutobi Hiruzen, who could cast wide-area destructive ninjutsu, was far too valuable in a war. She had to keep him occupied.
As Sarutobi Hiruzen focused on dodging and countering the puppet, two more puppets armed with ninja blades launched a surprise attack from the shadows—piercing through his body.
"Did we get him?"
Chiyo frowned, whispering uncertainly.
"You tell me."
His voice came from behind.
Before Chiyo could turn, she frantically moved her pinky finger.
The ground beneath turned to a flowing river of mud, dragging Chiyo away.
The pierced Sarutobi crumbled into a pile of dirt—it had been an Earth Clone all along.
Enduring the momentum of the mud, Chiyo was just about to counterattack—
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A puppet burst out of the ground, deploying a shield to block the searing flames.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Seeing the fire attack blocked, Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to his earlier tactic, hurling another barrage of massive shadow clone shuriken to smash the defenses.
"Three Treasure Suction Crush!"
Three puppets formed a triangular formation, trying to absorb and destroy the incoming jutsu—but Sarutobi had thrown giant shuriken again.
With added kinetic force from their absorption technique, the shuriken crashed through all three puppets.
"Impossible!"
Chiyo's eyes widened in panic as her puppets were destroyed.
To avenge her son and daughter-in-law, she had deployed the Ten Puppet Collection of Chikamatsu, works of art passed down from the puppet master founder Monzaemon. And yet, Sarutobi Hiruzen had effortlessly destroyed three of them.
Scrambling out of the Mud River, Chiyo rolled on the ground, trying to lure Sarutobi into a trap.
But he didn't fall for it.
Instead, he kept his distance, launching a long-range jutsu.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!"