"However, I must clearly point out."
Shinichi paused at the right moment, giving them a brief time to digest. A moment later, his tone shifted, and his voice clearly reached everyone's ears: "Once the Village Hidden in the Sand makes a move, this will by no means be an isolated border conflict between two nations."
"It will inevitably ignite a full-scale war across the entire Shinobi World."
"The fuse of the Third Shinobi World War will be completely lit by the Village Hidden in the Sand's seemingly desperate strike."
Below the stage, the air seemed to freeze. Even the sound of breathing became faint.
Shinichi turned around, extending his arm, his finger firmly pointing toward the northeast direction on the map.
"Village Hidden in the Cloud."
"The third Raikage has a fierce and domineering personality, believes in striking first, and the supremacy of strength. The Land of Lightning as a whole reveres martial power, with a tough and aggressive culture, and has long coveted the rich lands and resources of our Land of Fire."
"Once the Village Hidden in the Sand goes to war with Konoha, the third Raikage will never miss this opportunity to take advantage of the chaos. He will inevitably follow immediately, leading Village Hidden in the Cloud's elite forces to launch a full-scale assault from the northeastern border, intending to tear open a breach, advance straight in, and divide and plunder the territory of the Land of Fire."
"And the timing…"
At this point, Shinichi paused briefly, then stated decisively: "Within one month! I can clearly tell all of you, colleagues and seniors, that the time window for Village Hidden in the Cloud to launch war against Konoha will definitely be within one month after the Village Hidden in the Sand declares war, possibly even sooner!"
Within one month.
Hearing this, many of the ninjas below gasped. They had originally thought the Village Hidden in the Sand was the primary problem, and that the Village Hidden in the Cloud might observe for longer.
But Shinichi's prediction, precise down to a one-month timeframe, suddenly forced the urgency and brutality of war directly before their eyes.
"The Village Hidden in the Stones."
Shinichi gave them no time to react. His finger continued to move, landing on the northwest of the map.
"The third Tsuchikage, Onoki, has experienced two Shinobi World Wars. He is deeply calculating and most adept at judging the situation and reaping benefits."
"He will not rashly enter the battlefield in the early stages of the war. Instead, he will remain in the Land of Earth, observing the development of the situation and waiting for the optimal moment to intervene."
"His course of action depends entirely on how the war unfolds."
"If Konoha shows weakness in the early stage, being attacked from both sides by the Village Hidden in the Sand and Village Hidden in the Cloud, with defensive lines repeatedly in crisis, Onoki will certainly choose to attack Konoha first, forming a three-nation encirclement with the Village Hidden in the Sand and Village Hidden in the Cloud, joining forces to weaken the strongest nation in the Shinobi World and divide the fertile lands of the Land of Fire."
"If Konoha demonstrates strong resilience, stabilizing its position in a two-front war and even beginning to organize counterattacks, Onoki will instead turn his attention toward the Village Hidden in the Cloud, forming a tacit cooperation with Konoha to weaken this long-standing rival that has been competing with the Village Hidden in the Stones for northern dominance."
"There is even a third possibility. If Onoki judges that the war will fall into prolonged attrition, he may attempt to first eliminate the relatively weaker the Village Hidden in the Sand, seize the strategic locations of the Land of Wind, and then sit back and watch the fight between Konoha and Village Hidden in the Cloud, only making his move to harvest the outcome once both sides are exhausted."
"All three possibilities exist simultaneously, but their core logic is only one."
"Achieve the greatest benefit at the smallest cost."
"The Village Hidden in the Stones' entry into the war is only a matter of time."
Below the stage, there was complete silence. The Nara Clan's ninjas, in particular, had complex emotions flickering in their eyes.
Shinichi's finger continued to move, landing on the southeast, on that vast expanse of ocean.
"Village Hidden in the Mist."
"Surrounded by the sea on all sides, facing the Land of Fire across the ocean."
"Internal power shifts have long been surging beneath the surface. They are currently in the most sensitive and chaotic transitional period. They are unlikely to organize large-scale landing operations in the early stage of the war, but they will definitely not miss this opportunity to fish in troubled waters."
"At that time, they will inevitably harass our coastal ports from the sea, cut off supply lines, and tie down our defensive forces in the southeast. They may even, depending on how the war develops, launch large-scale landings and secretly cooperate with the Village Hidden in the Stones, Village Hidden in the Cloud, and the Village Hidden in the Sand to form a four-sided encirclement against us from the southeast."
"Therefore, my final conclusion is!"
Shinichi's gaze swept across the entire hall as he spoke word by word: "The Village Hidden in the Sand's full-scale war against Konoha is an inevitable outcome that will occur within one month. In fact, calculating the time now, it is already less than one month!"
"And once the war breaks out, the Village Hidden in the Cloud will follow closely, launching a surprise attack from the northeast. The Village Hidden in the Stones will wait for an opportunity to intervene from the central front. The Village Hidden in the Mist will harass and restrain us from the sea."
"In the early stage of the war, the Land of Fire and Konoha will inevitably fall into a situation of being attacked by two major nations, and depending on the situation, it may escalate into a four-front war."
"The curtain of a full-scale Shinobi World War is about to rise."
"Konoha has no way out."
The entire hall was silent.
Three thousand people sat there quietly, staring at the young boy standing on the stage.
The light shone down from above, enveloping his figure in brightness.
The third Hokage, seated in the front row, showed no change in expression, but his heart sank slightly. An extremely risky thought, even carrying a trace of wishful thinking, uncontrollably flashed through his mind.
What if… they gathered an absolutely superior force and, with overwhelming momentum, completely crushed the Village Hidden in the Sand within one month, then swiftly returned to deal with the inevitably invading Village Hidden in the Cloud?
But the moment this thought appeared, he rejected it himself.
Impossible!
The vast deserts of the Land of Wind formed a natural barrier. The Village Hidden in the Sand's ninjas excelled at fighting in such an environment. If Konoha's army advanced deep in, their supply lines would be stretched, and adapting to the environment would be the first major challenge.
The Village Hidden in the Sand might rank at the bottom among the Five Great Shinobi Countries, but as a long-established ninja village, its war potential and resilience could not be underestimated.
To achieve a decisive victory within one month and force the Village Hidden in the Sand out of the war?
That would require an astronomical deployment of Konoha's forces, led by multiple top-tier powerhouses, launching an all-out offensive regardless of cost.