Konoha and Sunagakure stood facing one another in heavy silence.
Rasa did not remove his straw hat, nor did he shed the white robes that marked him as Kazekage. He remained perfectly still, the elite shinobi of Sunagakure arrayed behind him with disciplined calm.
He made no move.
Roshi's eyes swept over their orderly formation. If Baki alone had come, Roshi could have easily joined him in the Land of Rivers under the pretext of "assisting an ally."
But this situation was different.
"Since the Chūnin Exam teams have yet to arrive," Roshi said at last, his voice steady as he broke the stalemate, "Konoha will wait at the rear outpost."
"Let's go."
There was no probing exchange, no forced courtesy. At his command, the Konoha ninja withdrew in unison—swift and alert—melting into the forest along the border.
Once they had established sufficient distance, Roshi immediately picked up the pace.
'How did the Sky Ninja make contact with Danzo?'
—or more precisely
'How did they make contact with Sunagakure?'
Roshi remembered Shinnō, the Sky Ninja's leader—a madman who once dreamed of conquering the Five Great Nations with nothing but a flying fortress and the Zero-Tails, only for his forces to be wiped out by Naruto.
Had Shinnō finally learned caution?
Or rather… had he learned the value of allies?
But even with Sky Ninja remnants at his disposal, did Rasa truly believe he could stand against Konoha?
If he did, why hadn't he acted just now?
Roshi had dared to meet Sunagakure with only a few squads because he was confident in his ability to retreat safely. Rasa, however, didn't know that.
The only reason for his restraint was clear.
He wasn't ready to sever ties completely.
Sunagakure's entry into the Land of Rivers was, on the surface, justified by a commission from the Daimyō. Reasonable. Proper.
Which made it all the more troubling.
The ninja world—just beginning to stabilize—was once again showing signs of fracture.
—
News of the "aerial assault on border outposts" reached Konoha swiftly.
Close behind it came another report:
The Kazekage has personally entered the Land of Rivers.
"With Roshi's strength and judgment, he's more than capable of handling Rasa," Hiruzen said first. He had seen Roshi's Wood Release and Wind Release firsthand during the Satori incident. "Our immediate priority should be dispatching reinforcements and strengthening border defenses."
Koharu turned her gaze toward Tsunade. "Danzo's warning has proven accurate. Sunagakure, as expected, harbors ulterior motives."
Tsunade replied coldly, "The contact methods he provided are completely useless. We still have no way to reach Yakushi Nono or Yakushi Kabuto."
"Tsunade," Homura said, adjusting his glasses, "prior intelligence indicates frequent communication between Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Now that Sunagakure has acted, we must determine whether similar movements are occurring on Iwagakure's front."
"As for the spies losing contact…" He paused. "Given that the opposing side has already begun operations, this is not unusual. In fact, it underscores the severity of the situation."
He looked toward Tsunade steadily.
"At this point, I believe we should ask Danzo whether he possesses any further intelligence."
The silence that followed was heavy.
They had been comrades for decades. Since Danzo's earlier intelligence had proven accurate, it was only natural that the two elders leaned toward bringing their old friend back in to clarify the situation.
As for how Tsunade would deal with Danzo afterward—that could be decided later.
And besides, Danzo's ambitions… no one in that room had learned about them yesterday.
The real issue was simple: who could best resolve the crisis at hand and provide the most viable options.
Tsunade closed her eyes.
Judging by how events had unfolded, Danzo's chain of logic—setting aside his personal motives—had no obvious flaws. In fact, Sunagakure's actions seemed to validate his earlier investments and assessments.
And yet…
"I don't trust the role he played in this," she said, almost reflexively.
"Tsunade!" Koharu's eyes widened, her voice sharp. "You're the Hokage—how can you act so emotionally?"
"Even if Danzo harbors ulterior motives," Homura added at once, brows drawn tight, "his actions are ultimately for Konoha's benefit."
"He didn't even fully hand over the intelligence network," Tsunade shot back, her fists clenched.
"That was to protect the line!" Koharu snapped. "Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures—"
"Enough."
Hiruzen tapped his pipe against the desk, cutting through the rising argument.
"Tsunade is the Hokage," he said calmly. "I will personally take responsibility for investigating the situation on the Iwagakure front."
His gaze moved from one old friend to the other before he concluded, "As for Danzo—he is retired. All intelligence matters will be transferred to Kakashi."
Koharu and Homura exchanged glances. Neither argued further. One by one, they left the office.
Soon, only the Third and Fifth Hokage remained.
Hiruzen sighed, his voice softening. "Tsunade… now is the time to recall Jiraiya and the others."
Tsunade took a long breath and nodded.
Sunagakure might accept a commission from the Land of Rivers—but the Kazekage personally leading a disciplined force across the border was another matter entirely.
Even with the thinnest veneer of legitimacy, this was effectively tearing up the alliance.
If even long-standing allies behaved like this, what of Kumogakure, whose closeness was far more recent?
Konoha could no longer afford to leave its strength scattered.
—
Within the Land of Rivers, Sunagakure shinobi were erecting a temporary camp.
Inside the command tent, Rasa removed his straw hat.
Entering the Land of Rivers had been a dangerous move—and an aggressive one—but it was worth the risk.
He recalled his earlier conversation with that rogue organization.
"Why go to such lengths?" he had asked.
The strange man with the eerie black-and-white face had chuckled softly.
"We are merely a mercenary group, Lord Kazekage—wanderers and missing-nin."
"A stagnant ninja world offers no place for people like us."
Hyenas of war.
They thrived on conflict between villages, feeding on the scraps left behind.
The Sky Ninjas were no different. The stronger Konoha grew, the further their hopes of revenge slipped away.
By launching the aerial attacks, they had handed Sunagakure the perfect excuse—an opportunity to advance its plans without openly shattering the alliance or provoking Konoha's full retaliation.
As for Iwagakure…
That old fox Ōnoki had been waiting for such a chance for a long time.
Even if he refrained from open warfare, he would surely apply pressure along the borders.
And this time—
Time might finally be on their side.
The Dragon Veins.
An inexhaustible source of chakra. Even extracting a fraction of that power to fuel puppets would give Sunagakure an army that never tired, required no resupply, and obeyed without question.
With such a force, they could firmly occupy the Land of Rivers.
And once that happened, Sunagakure would finally gain a stable, fertile land.
No longer would they have to scrape by in the endless sands—fighting for every drop of water, every grain of food.
At last, they would have the strength to watch the world shift… and claim its rewards.
—
The Nara residence hadn't been lit so late at night in a long time.
Shikamaru leaned against the doorframe, hands buried in his pockets, watching his father methodically check his ninja tool pouch beneath the lamplight.
"What's with the gloomy look?" Shikaku asked, never pausing his movements.
"Dad," Shikamaru drawled, his voice unusually subdued, "you weren't really punished with a border assignment because of that failed mission last time… were you?"
"Huh?" Shikaku finally glanced up, then laughed. "That hardly counts as a failure. I've just been assigned a new mission."
He closed the pouch, walked to the door, and looked back at his son.
"I'm leaving the house—and your mother—in your care, Shikamaru."
"…Got it."
That night, Shikaku was far from the only one summoned. Across the village, shinobi received urgent orders and quietly assembled.
Before the morning mist had fully lifted, Nara Shikaku had already led the reinforcement unit out of Konoha.
By dusk, the team reached a Konoha-controlled zone near the Land of Rivers border, still within the Land of Fire.
The sight awaiting them was far from ordinary.
The forward outposts had been abandoned. The main force had withdrawn deep into the forest, concealing themselves beneath massive tree canopies that swallowed both sound and shadow.
Along the forest's edge stood rows of hastily erected Earth Release: Earth Flow Walls—many shattered by explosions, reduced to broken slabs and rubble. Scattered across the ground were twisted, scorched fragments of metal. Their odd shapes made it clear they weren't part of Konoha's standard equipment.
Just as the reinforcements linked up with the forward scouts and prepared to advance—
A strange buzzing drifted down from the sky.
Several blurred black shapes streaked across the high altitude. Moments later, small objects began to fall.
'An airstrike.'
Shikaku narrowed his eyes.
Bombing from this height… wary of ground counterattacks? His gaze flicked toward the sea of trees.
Round explosives, each trailing a sizzling explosive tag, dropped erratically toward the forest.
Before Shikaku could issue a single order, several figures burst from cover. Kunai and shuriken tore upward, flashing through the air.
Explosions bloomed midair. Shockwaves rippled through the treetops.
The black silhouettes above didn't linger. They veered away and vanished into the clouds.
'Sky Ninja…'
Shikaku immediately recognized them—the same kind wiped out during the Second Great Ninja War.
He watched as the Konoha shinobi retreated smoothly back into cover, movements crisp and perfectly coordinated.
"So," he murmured, "even though the frontline hasn't faced enemies like this in years, they've already adapted."
"They've learned the attack patterns—and how to counter them."
The reinforcement unit moved deeper into the forest.
The command post was housed in a fortified bunker expanded from a natural cave. Its entrance was narrow and concealed, forcing anyone entering to stoop low.
Shikaku ducked inside. Lamps illuminated the cavern, and his eyes immediately found the figure bent over a map at the center.
"My apologies," Roshi said, straightening. "I couldn't come out to receive you, Shikaku-san."
"We were already welcomed," Shikaku replied dryly. "And quite enthusiastically, I might add." He studied Roshi for a moment. "You've adapted to the role of commander rather quickly."
Roshi shook his head. "The frontline troops are all veterans. Once they understand the situation, they know exactly what to do."
"There's not much for me to command."
He looked up. "What's the village's stance on the situation?"
Shikaku reached into his vest and handed over a sealed document.
"The answer," he said, "is in there."
------------------
AN: Check out my P@treon For +100 extra chapters.
Thank You For your Support!!
[email protected]/noviceauthor777
-----------------------
To keep the chapters coming - Support with POWER STONES.
For Every 100 power stones - 1 BONUS chapter.