One week later, a piece of news swept across the entire shinobi world like a hurricane, shocking every nation and major hidden village and drawing intense attention.
The Third Raikage—long renowned for his fierce and direct style—had personally led an elite Kumogakure squad. With astonishing speed and audacity, they crossed more than a dozen countries, forcefully penetrating deep into the Land of Wind, which had fallen into unprecedented chaos due to the Kazekage's disappearance, and charged straight toward Sunagakure!
Faced with this sudden spearhead assault—personally led by the strongest "spear" of the current era—the leaderless Sunagakure showed hasty and disorganized defense and response in the initial stage.
However, at this critical moment of life and death, a jōnin named Rasa stepped forward.
Not only did he display outstanding command and coordination, rapidly reorganizing Sunagakure's scattered defensive forces—
More crucially, before everyone, he demonstrated Sunagakure's signature Kekkei Genkai—Magnet Release!
Golden sand iron surged under his control like a living tide. This scene greatly boosted the morale of Sunagakure's shinobi.
At a time of panic and leaderlessness, the emergence of a powerful figure who possessed Magnet Release and demonstrated leadership ability undoubtedly became the core that united people's hearts.
With the public endorsement of the veteran elders Chiyo and Ebizō, Rasa was quickly pushed to the forefront, temporarily taking command of the overall situation and organizing resistance.
What followed turned into a mess of conflicting accounts.
Kumogakure's side claimed: The Third Raikage struck without warning, cutting straight through the Land of Wind's interior as if nothing could stop him, crushing Sunagakure's defenses and beating them into submission, showcasing Kumogakure's overwhelming military strength. In the end, strategic objectives were achieved, national prestige was demonstrated, and they withdrew in victory—a brilliant triumph!
Sunagakure, on the other hand, declared: Rasa-sama, appointed in a moment of crisis, led the brave shinobi of Sunagakure to strike head-on within their own territory, repelling the arrogant invading Kumogakure squad, successfully defending the village's dignity and territorial integrity, and driving back the Third Raikage and his forces—a great victory in defense of their homeland!
Both sides spoke with convincing detail, each claiming overwhelming victory. The actual battle process, casualty figures, and even whether a large-scale frontal clash truly occurred—all became a muddled account that outsiders could not make sense of.
But one thing was clear: relying on the prestige gained from displaying Magnet Release and repelling a powerful enemy during this crisis, Rasa—fully backed by Chiyo and Ebizō—was formally elevated at astonishing speed as the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure.
A hidden village that had fallen into a massive crisis due to the mysterious disappearance of the Third Kazekage had, in such a dramatic and iron-blooded manner, completed its transfer of power and raised the banner of leadership once again.
However, everyone understood that Sunagakure's crisis was far from over—and the turbulence of the shinobi world had only just begun.
Shinichi stood by the window, clearly sensing the oppressive tension in the air—the calm before the storm.
From the perspective of his previous life, the Third Raikage crossing more than a dozen countries—almost traversing the entire continent—was an extremely absurd act.
Even modern strategy games couldn't produce something this absurd.
But in this extraordinary world, it had a certain degree of plausibility. The Land of Wind might be barren, but Sunagakure's poison techniques, puppet arts, secret techniques, and certain special metals all held extremely high strategic value.
The Third Raikage had probably figured that, with Sunagakure leaderless and in panic, he might as well take a shot. If he managed to grab something, it would be pure profit.
And even if he got nothing, beating Sunagakure badly to boost Kumogakure's reputation and prestige would still be worthwhile. After all, a village's reputation often determines the volume of mission commissions it receives.
Thinking of this, Shinichi shook his head and looked up at the sky. Beneath the vast heavens, Konoha's tranquility seemed like a thin layer of glass—beautiful, yet fragile.
"It's about to begin…" Shinichi murmured, his face showing little expression.
He then walked to his desk and wrote on a blank sheet—
[On the Inevitability and Timing Window of Sunagakure Initiating War Against Konoha.]
[To the Hokage—Personal.]
…
Inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage's gaze fell upon the freshly delivered report on his desk, signed by Higashino Shinichi.
Two months ago, it was precisely a report from him that bluntly stated the Third Kazekage had already met with misfortune—revealing, in a single sentence, the greatest undercurrent in the shinobi world while everyone else was still in the dark.
The Third Hokage slowly opened the document, his eyes settling on the title.
[On the Inevitability and Timing Window of Sunagakure Initiating War Against Konoha]
[To the Hokage—Personal:
The situation in Sunagakure has now reached a critical threshold. Although the incident of the Third Kazekage's misfortune has been concealed, its truth has already been confirmed by intelligence agencies of various nations. Kumogakure's military gamble has further exposed Sunagakure's internal and external predicament to the world…]
[At this juncture, Sunagakure initiating war against Konoha is no longer a question of possibility, but an inevitability of timing.]
[There are four reasons:
First, the need to consolidate power. Although the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, rose to power amid crisis, his foundation is not yet stable. Although the two elders, Chiyo and Ebizō, support him, that support is based on a temporary consensus during a crisis requiring someone to take charge—not absolute personal trust. The remnants of the Third Kazekage's faction…]
[Thus, Rasa urgently needs an external victory to unify hearts, establish authority, and complete the transition from a 'temporarily appointed figure' to a 'legitimate Fourth Kazekage.' This is the political instinct of any new regime and has nothing to do with personal character—it is a necessity dictated by power structures…]
[Second, accountability for the predecessor. The Third Kazekage's mysterious disappearance, with his life or death unknown, is something Sunagakure's leadership cannot explain to the villagers or the shinobi. If responsibility can be cleverly shifted outward—to a hostile force—then the issue can be resolved.]
[However, I must clearly point out that this so-called external enemy will not be Kumogakure, which has just invaded the Land of Wind, but will inevitably be Konoha…]
[Third, economic pressure. Over the past year, Sunagakure has invested massive resources in preparation for war. Military expenditures have surged, and material reserves have been heavily consumed…]
[Now, Sunagakure stands with the arrow already on the string—it must be fired. To stop now would mean economic collapse and the total outbreak of internal contradictions…]
[Fourth, the inevitability of geopolitical choice. If Sunagakure were to wage war against Kumogakure, it would have to cross nearly the entire continent. Supply lines would be long, logistics pressure immense, and the mountainous terrain of the Land of Lightning is easy to defend and hard to attack…]
[In contrast, to wage war against Konoha, they need only cross the Land of Rivers. The Land of Rivers is narrow and sparsely populated, incapable of stopping an army in transit…"
"The Land of Fire is fertile and resource-rich—a land of abundance far beyond the barren Land of Wind…]
[In summary, Sunagakure initiating war against Konoha is beyond doubt!]
[The only question is—when will they act?]
[My judgment: within one month.]
[The reasons are as follows:
First, internal consolidation and final war mobilization…]
[Second, the window of climate and geographical suitability…]
[Third, the strategic opportunity for a preemptive strike…]
[This concludes the analysis of the timing window for Sunagakure's war against Konoha.]
Seeing this, the Third Hokage took a deep breath, holding it for a long moment before slowly exhaling, then continued reading.
[However, I must further point out that once Sunagakure takes action, this will not be an isolated war between two nations—it will inevitably escalate into a conflict affecting the entire shinobi world!]
[That is—the Third Great Ninja War!]
[This war will be the most dangerous one for our Land of Fire and Konoha, because in this war, we will inevitably face…]
The Third Hokage's pupils suddenly contracted. In the previous two great ninja wars, although Konoha had also been engaged on multiple fronts, there had always been clear primary enemies.
For example, in the First Great Ninja War, Kumogakure was the core adversary, while other fronts saw only sporadic conflicts.
In the Second, the main opponents were Sunagakure, Amegakure, and Iwagakure—but those three also fought among themselves.
For instance, while Sunagakure fought Konoha, it was also fighting Amegakure and Iwagakure. The pressure on Konoha remained within controllable limits.
But this report directly stated that Konoha would, from the very beginning, face coordinated pressure from both Sunagakure and Kumogakure—entering a two-front war immediately.
And later, it might even expand into four simultaneous battlefronts—the level of danger far exceeding any previous war.
The Third Hokage took a deep breath, calming the turmoil in his heart, and continued reading.
Kumogakure!
The Third Raikage—fierce in character, advocating preemptive strikes…
Iwagakure!
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki—scheming and calculating, adept at reading the situation and adapting to changing winds…
Kirigakure!
Surrounded by seas on all sides, facing the Land of Fire across the ocean…
[Therefore, my conclusion is:
Sunagakure's full-scale war against Konoha will inevitably occur within one month. And once war breaks out, Kumogakure will certainly follow with a surprise attack from the northeast of the Land of Fire. At that time, our Land of Fire—our Konoha—will immediately be forced into a two-front war…]
[…and may ultimately evolve into a perilous situation of four-front warfare.]
[This analysis is respectfully submitted for the Hokage's consideration.]
[—Higashino Shinichi
December 2nd, Year 46 of Konoha]
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