News of Konoha's mobilization spread quickly.
Although it was much slower than expected—downright dilly-dallying, really—Konoha finally deployed.
No faction in the shinobi world found it strange.
After all, Akatsuki Village was Konoha's ally.
And Akatsuki held an absolute advantage in public opinion: everyone knew Akatsuki had sent a delegation to negotiate on behalf of their own and Konoha's chūnin, had been ambushed, and had been forced into self-defense—leading to the current war.
Compared to Kumogakure's hair-on-fire panic,
their ally Akatsuki Village—and the Uzumaki—saw morale soar. Some shinobi were even daydreaming about life after victory.
"When the war's over, I'm gonna be with her…"
Such blatant death-flag talk even started popping up.
For Akatsuki's safety,
Uchiha Makoto harshly criticized that mindset!
"Better than having a father or mother is having yourself; better than relying on heaven or earth is relying on yourself."
"The strength of an ally is not Akatsuki's strength. No umbrella stays overhead forever… Never let your guard down, no matter what!"
"…Makoto, Konoha really did deploy!"
"Slow, yes—but they did. Maybe the delay really was logistics holding them up…"
A grin spilled across Uzumaki Shinji's face; his voice brimmed with relief.
After Makoto's last psychological beatdown, he'd been gloomy, praying Konoha would move and break the curse over their heads. Now he'd gotten his wish.
Hometown Leaf still could be relied on!
"Mm… seems that way."
Uchiha Makoto nodded. He didn't want to rain on Shinji's joy—Konoha's deployment was a fact. But…
if the Uzumaki's future hangs entirely on Konoha, they're asking to be screwed. Being Konoha's enemy is dangerous; being Konoha's ally is fatal.
After a few pleasantries,
Makoto stepped into the operations room. He cared less about Leaf's support
than about the latest Kumogakure intel. If they knew Konoha had moved, the Cloud surely knew too—and they wouldn't sit still.
Kumo's response was fierce.
Over the next two days,
the war's intensity spiked again.
As if sensing their fate, the Cloud went into a final frenzy. Trading lives for wounds, they drove attacks ever harder. Engagements came faster and hit harder; Cloud casualties skyrocketed. Akatsuki's loss ratios looked much better than before, but Kumo had the numbers.
"Cloud's suicidals look set on betting the village's destiny!"
"Madmen…"
"Are they trying to force me into a decisive battle?"
Makoto clicked his tongue.
At this pace, even if it bled Akatsuki,
it still wouldn't quickly crush them.
If Akatsuki stalled for Konoha's army to arrive—or turtled—then what should have been mere broken bones for Kumo would turn into grievous trauma after the war… they really were at their limit.
On the third day after Konoha deployed,
"Lord Makoto, the Raikage is leading an elite force in a daylight raid on our main body—our units have engaged. Should we…?"
Makoto was processing reports in the ops room when the fresh dispatch arrived.
His expression changed at once.
Rarely does a Kage personally lead an elite strike on an enemy main force.
A village's Kage charging first can be inspiring and boost morale,
but a Kage's job is more than spearheading attacks—controlling the overall war matters more.
Not everyone is Uchiha Madara, dancing through tens of thousands alone before dropping a Planetary Devastation to end it.
Once a Kage gets tied down by a main force, it's no small matter.
The Third Raikage, for example—well beyond ordinary Kage, practically super-Kage tier—was surrounded by a main body and fought until he fell from exhaustion. The First Raikage surely wasn't weak either; you couldn't treat him as a mere standard Kage.
But if he's pinned by a main force, the result won't be pretty.
If he misplays it and dies like Senju Tobirama did, the blow to his village would be catastrophic.
So is the First Raikage panicking himself stupid… or doing this on purpose?
Makoto sensed danger. It could be a trap. The Cloud's main host was likely in support behind the First Raikage… using himself as bait to draw Makoto in.
It was a high-risk move.
Easy to get himself killed.
But—
Risk walks with reward.
Prey and hunter can swap places in a blink.
"Smells fishy… but it's tempting."
"Maybe this is the chance to end the war in one stroke—without Leaf meddling at all…"
Makoto muttered.
He couldn't deny it:
this golden opportunity to finish things in one blow thrilled him.
The prey was succulent.
There was danger,
but the payoff justified the risk.
Cloud's recent frenzy was wearing him down, too. Miss this chance, and who knew when the next would come.
That naturally evil old ghost Senju Tobirama had mobilized, and he was still dawdling on the road—hadn't even sent anyone to coordinate joint operations against the Cloud.
Sure enough, he had no good intentions.
End the war now.
Akatsuki's losses were still within acceptable bounds, but if this drag continued, Akatsuki would have to keep enduring and bleeding. Yes, the result would still be victory—but if you can help it, who wants a war of attrition?
As for relying on Konoha for a quick finish,
relying on Senju Tobirama…
that worried him more.
All these factors stacked up,
and even Makoto was itching to end it. Smothering one's fighting spirit every day is exhausting; since his strength had climbed, that edge only grew. Wield a keen blade, and the killing urge rises—that's no joke.
Uchiha are born warriors!
"Attend me!"
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