At this moment—right in front of the Hokage Tower in Konoha!
An army of eight thousand Konoha ninjas had fully assembled, awaiting the Third Hokage's mobilization and speech!
"People of Konoha!" Hiruzen Sarutobi, clad in the Hokage robe and wearing the Hokage hat, stood atop the Hokage Tower and shouted loudly.
"Sunagakure! Iwagakure! Have launched an utterly shameless war against us!"
His voice roared across the square.
"They envy the resources we possess! They want to brutally seize the resources we depend on for survival! They want to take the land we have lived on for generations! They want to take the lives of our comrades!"
Below, the Konoha ninjas' eyes turned bloodshot as they listened.
"Will we allow it?!"
Hiruzen's final roar echoed like thunder.
"No!!!"
The entire Konoha force responded with a furious shout.
"Good!" Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction, looking at the high morale of the army. "In this war, our Konoha forces will surely achieve final victory!"
"Konoha will win!"
"Konoha will win!"
"Konoha will win!"
The deafening chants shook the entire village.
The passion spread to everyone—even civilians clenched their fists, their eyes red, shouting alongside the army.
After finishing his speech, Hiruzen smiled slightly and turned to walk back, leaving the gathered ninjas puzzled.
At that moment—
A powerful voice rang out again from the tower.
"Now! The top combat forces of Konoha's army!"
"Commander of the Iwagakure Front—Senju Senra!"
Senju Senra stepped forward, standing at the edge of the platform.
"It's Lord Senju Senra!"
"With Lord Senra there, Iwagakure will definitely be crushed!"
The ninjas heading to the Iwagakure front erupted in cheers.
As the former overall commander during the Land of Rain war, Senju Senra had already made a name for himself across the shinobi world. His terrifying Lightning Release had slain the Rain commander Harada Eiji, and as a pillar of the Senju clan, his reputation in Konoha was immense.
"Commander of the Sunagakure Front—Lord Orochimaru!"
The pale-faced Orochimaru stepped forward to stand beside Senju Senra.
"Lord Orochimaru!"
"One of the Legendary Sannin!"
As one of Hiruzen's disciples and a Sannin who earned his title after facing Hanzo, Orochimaru held immense prestige among Konoha's ninjas.
"Deputy Commander of the Iwagakure Front—Hyūga Jitsushi!"
Hyūga Jitsushi stepped forward.
"It's Lord Hyūga Jitsushi!"
"With the Hyūga clan here, victory is certain!"
A top-tier member of the Hyūga clan, combined with the Byakugan and his formidable Gentle Fist, his strength had already surpassed the level of ordinary jonin.
"Deputy Commander of the Sunagakure Front—Lady Tsunade!"
Tsunade stepped forward in armor, her golden hair tied into twin tails. She looked both heroic and breathtakingly beautiful.
"Lady Tsunade!"
"One of the Legendary Sannin!"
As both a Sannin and the princess of the Senju clan, Tsunade's reputation in Konoha even surpassed Orochimaru's.
"Special Operations Unit Captain of the Sunagakure Front—Yoru!"
This time, Yoru would act as a mobile force across the Sunagakure battlefield, reinforcing any position as needed. Konoha intended to use his overwhelming battlefield-clearing ability and individual combat strength to tear open the enemy's defenses.
As for the Special Operations Unit—
Yoru was the captain.
Hatake Sakumo was the vice-captain, though due to his ANBU background, he would not appear openly.
"Yoru-sama!"
"With Yoru-sama on our front, we've already won!"
"Damn it! Why isn't Yoru-sama assigned to our Iwagakure front?!"
The moment Yoru stepped forward—
The entire Konoha army erupted into its loudest and most passionate cheers!
If Senju Senra had risen to fame as a commander—
If Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru became renowned as the Sannin after facing Hanzo—
Then Yoru—
Had carved his reputation through slaughter!
The title of Konoha's Crimson Demon—
Was built upon the blood and corpses of Rain ninjas!
He had annihilated countless elite Rain squads!
He had ventured alone into the Land of Rain's depths—
And slaughtered five hundred enemies single-handedly!
A terrifying reaper of the battlefield!
Even now—
His name alone could silence crying children in the Land of Rain.
Many Rain ninjas woke up screaming from nightmares.
To them—
Yoru was an inescapable nightmare!
Standing at the edge of the platform, Yoru smiled and waved at the cheering crowd below.
The reaction only grew more frenzied.
To his enemies—
He was a terrifying demon.
But to Konoha—
He was their guardian.
With Yoru present—
No matter the situation, Konoha's ninjas felt no fear.
This confidence—
Was built upon his countless kills.
Senju Senra watched Yoru, who was being worshipped by thousands, and smiled faintly.
The Senju clan had made the right choice.
Tsunade looked at Yoru with a sweet expression.
In her eyes—
He shone brighter than anything else.
"These are the top combat forces of Konoha! People of Konoha—cheer!"
The voice rang out one final time.
"ROAR!!!"
The Konoha army erupted in pride.
This—
Was their village!
With such overwhelming strength—
How dare Sunagakure and Iwagakure provoke them?!
Victory was inevitable!
"Now—advance!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped forward once more, raising his hand slightly.
Under the excited gazes of the army—
He gave the final order.
The great war—
Had begun.
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