After a moment, Shinichi stepped down, and only then did the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, come back to his senses. He took a deep breath, breaking free from the brief dislocation of time.
His gaze became sharp as an eagle once more. With steady steps, he moved forward and returned to the microphone. Raising his hand, he pressed it downward.
As if by magic, the deafening waves of cheers quickly subsided like a receding tide. Everyone held their breath, looking at him, waiting for the final command.
The third Hokage's gaze swept across the entire crowd, across every face, excited, resolute, or tense, as he spoke solemnly: "I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, in the name of the third Hokage of Hidden Leaf Village, and in the name of the supreme military commander of the Land of Fire, hereby formally declare!"
"From this moment onward, the Land of Fire and Hidden Leaf Village!"
"Will enter a state of war!"
...
Konoha Year 46, Mid-December.
In the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire, the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, officially announced at noon that they were entering a state of war.
The news spread like a hurricane, sweeping across the entire Shinobi World within a single day, even causing a greater shock and upheaval than the change of the Kazekage in the Village Hidden in the Sand and the incursion of a Village Hidden in the Cloud squad into the heartland of the Land of Wind.
Almost all factions and intelligence analysts reacted with disbelief at first, even questioning the authenticity of the information.
Proactively declaring entry into a state of war?
This completely did not align with Konoha's consistent behavior pattern in the previous Shinobi World War!
Looking back at history, in the previous two Shinobi World Wars, Konoha had always been the last to transition into a wartime system, only after being forced into full-scale combat.
In everyone's established perception, Konoha, which possessed the richest land and the largest number of ninja, had a strategic style more like a heavy, steady shield, preferring to strike later, enduring attacks before unleashing astonishing resilience in counterattacks.
It had rarely ever, before the outbreak of war, so high-profile and so resolute, bared all its fangs and assumed a posture of full engagement.
Moreover, up to this point, no two nations in the Shinobi World had formally declared war!
The encounter between the Village Hidden in the Sand and the Village Hidden in the Cloud in the Land of Wind was publicly described by both sides as self-defense and a display of military strength.
Afterward, neither side formally declared war on the other, and the incident was blurred into a severe border conflict and a special military operation.
Even the forceful third Raikage had never issued a formal declaration of war against the Village Hidden in the Sand or any other nation in his capacity as Raikage.
Yet Konoha, without any party declaring war on it, and without any large-scale border conflict breaking out, had its third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, personally and firmly announce to the entire Shinobi World its entry into a state of war.
Leaving aside the reactions of the great nations and major hidden villages, the smaller villages, such as Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure, were shocked and felt an even deeper chill!
Konoha's proactive display of force undoubtedly greatly intensified the tension of an imminent great war and also meant that for these forces caught in the crossfire, the time to choose sides or suffer collateral damage had been significantly brought forward.
Konoha ignored external reactions.
Shortly after announcing the wartime state, a force of five thousand Konoha ninja, led by one of the three Sannins, Jiraiya, set out under the pretext of a military exercise.
Under countless overt and covert gazes, they marched out of the village without concealment, advancing mightily toward the southwest, toward the border with the Land of Rivers.
"Konoha has gone mad!?"
The Village Hidden in the Sand, Kazekage's office.
Having just secured his position and secretly accelerating final war preparations, the fourth Kazekage, Rasa, sprang to his feet upon receiving this urgent intelligence that nearly overturned all his plans.
"What does Hiruzen Sarutobi mean by this?!"
He suddenly raised his head, staring fixedly at the nervous ninja and the arriving Ebizo and Chiyo, his face ashen as he said, "Is he planning to initiate war against us, the Village Hidden in the Sand?!"
This completely disrupted his rhythm and even threw off the entire Village Hidden in the Sand high command's assessment of the situation!
According to the Village Hidden in the Sand, and indeed the entire Shinobi World's common understanding of Konoha, it should have been like in the previous two wars: Only after suffering clear attacks and border emergencies would it gradually deploy troops and transition into full defense and counterattack.
The Village Hidden in the Sand's plan was precisely based on this understanding: To launch a carefully planned, rapid assault, tearing open Konoha's southwestern defense line before it could complete mobilization and fortifications, seizing the initiative, plundering resources, and firmly grasping control of the early stages of the war.
They had already been secretly mobilizing troops, stockpiling supplies, planning routes, and even dispatching small elite units into the Land of Rivers for preliminary reconnaissance and sabotage.
Everything had been progressing according to the script of "As long as we launch the attack, everything will fall into place."
But now?
Konoha had not only taken the initiative, declaring a state of war without any pretext and fully activating the entire nation's war machine, but it had even, before the Village Hidden in the Sand's blade was fully drawn, dispatched a force of five thousand troops, led by Jiraiya, a disciple of the third Hokage, directly toward the border!
What kind of situation was this?
Although we were indeed preparing to go to war against you, how could you act like this? We are allies who signed a peace and mutual assistance treaty!
Ebizo's expression was grave as he slowly said, "Rasa, this move by Konoha is extremely abnormal. It does not resemble Hiruzen's usual steady, even somewhat indecisive style. It feels more like someone else is making the decisions, someone is helping Konoha make up its mind."
Rasa closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then turned around, his gaze sharp as he said in a low voice: "Transmit my orders. All advanced reconnaissance units that have already entered the Land of Rivers are to go completely silent and remain hidden. Without orders, they are absolutely forbidden from making any contact with Konoha forces! All frontline troops are to stop advancing toward the border and remain concealed in place on standby!
"At the same time, in my name, send a formal diplomatic note to Konoha! Question their sudden large-scale troop deployment at the border. What are their intentions? Demand immediate clarification and restraint!"
"There's no need, Rasa."
Chiyo crossed her arms and shook her head. "Konoha is not foolish, and neither is Hiruzen Sarutobi. If they dared to have Jiraiya bring five thousand troops directly to the border, it means they are not guessing, they are already certain that we intend to act!"
"That note will do nothing except make Konoha laugh at our hypocrisy and give them more time to adjust their deployment."
She walked to the large border map and pointed at the line between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Fire.