Three days passed in a flash.
During these three days, Konoha Village entered a state of full combat readiness.
The villagers were ordered not to leave their homes. The Uchiha clan was responsible for the overall security of the village.
The Hyūga clan handled patrols, while the Ino–Shika–Chō clans were tasked with rooting out spies hidden among the villagers.
Anbu and Root mobilized all their operatives to investigate the movements of the other great villages.
As for Namikaze Kirito, he had spent these days inside Konoha's conference room, discussing every detail of the war with the higher–ups.
War wasn't child's play. Even if Namikaze Kirito possessed top–tier strength, it was impossible for him to single-handedly destroy an entire great village.
After all, the ninja world needed to be unified. If he just killed everyone, there'd be nothing left to rule over.
Konoha also sent instructions to Sand Shinobi Village. They only needed to obey orders and act at critical moments—there was no need for them to directly declare war.
Mist Shinobi Village also clearly stated that they would not participate in the war.
Terumi Mei planned to come to Konoha sometime later to discuss the future.
At the same time, Cloud Shinobi Village and Rock Shinobi Village had also entered a state of alert, and news quickly spread throughout the ninja world.
Cloud Shinobi Village and Rock Shinobi Village wanted to use this opportunity to pressure Konoha for their own gain.
The envoys from Cloud Shinobi Village launched a surprise attack on Namikaze Kirito, but in the end, several of them were killed by Konoha's ninja. As a result, the two sides completely fell out, and Konoha decided to declare war on both villages.
The Fourth Great Ninja War was about to begin.
In the office of Cloud Shinobi Village—
Boom!!
A loud crash echoed through the room. The hot–tempered Raikage had already gone through countless desks; whenever something major happened, the first casualty was always the table.
"Damn Konoha… that bastard Namikaze Kirito… they're going too far!!"
On the opposite side, a very short old man calmly sipped his tea. Watching the Raikage explode in anger, he spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Raikage, don't work yourself up too much. Since Konoha has declared war, we simply advance our plans."
Raikage A shot a fierce glare at the old man in front of him.
"Onoki, it's my ninja who died. Of course you're calm! Easy for you to spout nonsense from over there!"
The old man was none other than the Third Tsuchikage of Rock Shinobi Village, Onoki. After receiving the news of Konoha's declaration of war and shutting the village's gates, he had personally come to Cloud Shinobi Village to discuss their joint response.
Seeing the Raikage's murderous expression, Onoki secretly smirked in his heart, but he couldn't show it on his face. After all, they were allies for now.
And he was currently standing in someone else's village—if he caused a conflict here by accident, things would become troublesome.
"Raikage, I understand you're upset about the deaths of your village's ninja," Onoki said, tone steady. "But the war has already begun. We need to focus on countermeasures."
"Lord Raikage!"
Just as A was mulling over Onoki's words, Samui, who had been standing to the side, stepped forward. She lowered her head respectfully as she spoke.
"The deaths of my subordinates are due to my incompetence. Please allow me the chance to personally lead a unit to crush Konoha and wash away this disgrace!"
As secretary, Mabui should have pulled Samui back at this point—this was a conversation between two Kage, after all. But when she thought of Samui's current mental state, she could only sigh silently and hold her tongue.
"Samui…"
A looked at her with a pained expression and tried to comfort her.
"What happened with Konoha isn't your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I didn't expect that Namikaze Kirito would be such a lunatic."
"Don't shoulder all the responsibility yourself."
"And don't worry. With your level of combat power, once the war starts, I'll definitely have you on the front lines."
Hearing Raikage's words, Samui nodded and stepped back. Over the past few days, everyone who saw her could tell how much the incident with Konoha had affected her.
She had always been cool and composed, but now her entire demeanor was ice–cold.
She hadn't even left her room these last few days. The only reason she'd come to the Raikage's office now was because she'd heard there would be a war meeting.
"Onoki, our village is fully prepared for war," A said, his eyes filled with fighting spirit. "But just waiting like this isn't an option. I'm planning to take the initiative and attack first!"
He was a battle maniac by nature. Sitting in the Raikage's seat forced him to suppress his temper most of the time.
Now that Konoha had declared war, it was exactly what he wanted.
"You're right," Onoki replied. "We can't sit and wait to be hit. My thoughts are the same. Your village should attack from the direction of the Land of Hot Water, and we'll advance through the Rain Shinobi Village route. The two of us will surround Konoha from both sides."
"Yes, that's what I was thinking as well!" A nodded. "Konoha is currently in the midst of preparations, they shouldn't have enough manpower to fight on both fronts. If we drag things out and keep grinding them down, they'll collapse sooner or later!"
Onoki and A's thoughts aligned perfectly. This way, they could reduce unnecessary complications while still striking the same target at the same time, each acting independently.
"But there's still one problem."
Onoki frowned.
"Regarding the Land of Wind… I had the daimyo of the Land of Earth send someone to negotiate with them, but no news has come back. For some reason, the daimyo's mansion in the Land of Wind is completely sealed off."
"Hmph. Namikaze Kirito is that kind of man," A snorted coldly. "It wouldn't be strange if he's already taken control of the daimyo of the Land of Wind."
From the way Namikaze Kirito handled the Cloud Shinobi Village envoys, you could see just how unrestrained he was.
He clearly had ambitions to unify the ninja world.
If he really had moved directly against the daimyo of the Land of Wind, it wouldn't be surprising at all.
"Then we should treat Sand Shinobi Village as a variable that might enter the war at any time," Onoki said, tone turning serious.
"Rasa's already got his tail between his legs thanks to Namikaze Kirito. And now his village is clinging to Konoha as an ally."
"If Sand Shinobi Village suddenly turns their blades on us in the middle of everything, Raikage, you'll have to join that side of the fight as well."
The Land of Wind bordered the Land of Earth, while the Land of Thunder was farther away. If Sand Shinobi Village joined the battle, Rock Shinobi Village would be the first to suffer.
"Sand Shinobi Village is nothing to worry about," A said, his voice dripping with disdain.
"They're just a useless village with a Kazekage who lost his nerve after being beaten. Their Jinchūriki is being held hostage in Konoha, they don't have the strength to fight right now."
As a Kage himself, A looked down on the Fourth Kazekage Rasa.
Captured twice by Namikaze Kirito, lacking the resolve to fight to the death, and choosing to join the enemy after failing to defeat him—someone like that didn't deserve the title of Kage in A's eyes.
Unlike the brawny Raikage, the crafty Onoki would never belittle an enemy so easily.
War was not a game. One wrong move could drag everything down with it. Every potential variable had to be considered.
Seeing Onoki remain silent, A understood what was on his mind and spoke impatiently.
"If Sand Shinobi Village joins the battle, I'll have my little brother lead an army to support you."
Sure enough, Onoki's expression brightened at those words.
"Then it's settled. I will return for now. Just don't forget our agreement."
With that, he turned and left the Raikage's office with his escorts.
A watched Onoki's retreating back, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.
"What a timid old geezer…"
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 300 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.