Chapter 128: Changes in the Ninja World
Hiruzen Sarutobi began speaking once all the Jonin had arrived.
The Third Hokage, along with Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, sat in the only four chairs available, while the rest of the Jonin stood before them.
"Just moments ago, Iwagakure of the Land of Earth declared war on us," Hiruzen announced, revealing the reason for the emergency meeting.
"Iwagakure, huh? Another village on our level."
"Are they after the Land of Fire's resources?"
His words stirred the room. Though Iwagakure wasn't as strong as Konoha, it was still one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages—far from an opponent to take lightly.
"Hmph. Iwagakure dares declare war on Konoha? They seem to have forgotten that not all Five Great Villages are equal in strength," Danzo scoffed.
He continued, "We should gather our forces immediately, declare war in return, and launch a swift counterattack to remind them the First Shinobi Village is not to be provoked!"
Of course, Danzo kept certain thoughts to himself—war meant spies would be in high demand, and restrictions on Root could be eased. But such matters weren't for public discussion; those talks would happen privately with the Hokage.
"Declaring war on Iwagakure is inevitable," Hiruzen agreed with a nod.
They'd already been challenged. If Konoha failed to respond, its standing in the shinobi world would collapse.
Konoha's income came from two main sources: funding from the Daimyo, and commissions from nobles and wealthy merchants. Clients weren't fools—they would post their missions to whichever village proved stronger. If Konoha backed down, requests would drop sharply, while Iwagakure's would rise.
"However, gathering forces for an immediate assault is unwise. The situation in the ninja world is unstable. Kumogakure clashed with us recently, and under the cover of Iwagakure's declaration, they might harbor their own designs," Hiruzen said.
The Land of Earth lay to the northwest, the Land of Lightning to the northeast. If Iwagakure and Kumogakure attacked together, Konoha would face a two-front war. Mobilizing forces against Iwagakure now would leave them open to a surprise strike from Kumogakure—or worse, a direct march into the Land of Fire.
Listening, Mugetsu quickly understood: Iwagakure had to be fought, but with care—no rash moves that could spark disaster.
"Third Hokage-sama," Nara Shikaku spoke up after some thought, "the first step should be to alert Grass Ninja Village. They must monitor the Grass Country closely and report immediately if any Iwagakure ninja pass through."
The two fastest invasion routes into the Land of Fire were through the Land of Rain or through Grass Country. Other detours existed, but they were impractical in wartime—routes passing through Bird Country, into the Land of Wind, then into the Land of Rivers before finally reaching the Land of Fire.
Such a path was long and risked conflict with Sunagakure. If they saw a large group of Iwagakure shinobi entering, they'd assume an enemy force was approaching.
In truth, Amegakure in the Land of Rain was far stronger than Grass Ninja Village. Shikaku reasoned that Iwagakure would likely choose the weaker Grass Country as their entry point.
There was also the matter of control—Grass Country was under the Land of Fire's influence, while the Land of Rain was not. Konoha could order Grass Ninja Village, but not Amegakure.
"Next, we should strengthen the border defenses to prevent surprise breakthroughs. The goal is to keep the fighting outside our territory," Shikaku added.
War's toll was heavy, and preventing it from reaching the Land of Fire was critical.
Hiruzen nodded in approval. Shikaku's plan fit perfectly with his intentions.
The meeting continued for some time, but no better proposals came forward. Eventually, Hiruzen ended it, assigning several Jonin to lead teams and reinforce the borders before dismissing everyone.
"Minato, who's this?" A plump-faced shinobi with a warm smile approached Minato before glancing at Mugetsu.
"This is my friend, Hayate Mugetsu. He's a newly promoted Jonin," Minato introduced with a smile.
"Mugetsu, this is Akimichi Dōton-senpai—someone very reliable," Minato added.
"Haha, maybe a few years older, but Minato, you're the more reliable one," Dōton chuckled.
They'd been on missions together before. Minato's ability was far beyond that of most Jonin.
"Dōton-senpai," Mugetsu greeted politely.
Dōton studied Mugetsu's gentle smile, then glanced back at Minato. Both had the same warm expression, blond hair, and blue eyes.
"Minato, he looks a bit like you. A relative, maybe?" Dōton asked.
"See? I told you they looked alike!" Kushina jumped in quickly. She'd always felt they were similar—not so much in looks, but in spirit.
"No, just a friend," Minato replied with a helpless smile.
With Minato's introductions, Mugetsu met several Jonin, especially from the secret technique clans—Akimichi, Inuzuka, Nara, Aburame.
These clans might not match the raw power of the Uchiha, but together, they were one of Konoha's strongest pillars.
Once the meeting was over, Mugetsu hurried to the South Border Forest to check on his students.
[Appraisal]
Obito had advanced from fifteen to sixteen. Shisui remained at fifteen, and Might Guy was still at nineteen.
Still, Mugetsu couldn't confirm if Obito's progress was due to the food—Guy's progress in the previous stage had also stopped at nineteen.
The solution was simple: tomorrow, Shisui would eat the same hot dish, and they'd compare results.
"Hehe, Shisui, it's just a little spicy, but it's really tasty," Obito said with a grin he couldn't hide.
<><><><><><>
Read Advanced Chapters on:
~ [email protected]/FanficLord03
~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the story in the rankings using your
[Power Stones]
~ https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9