Chapter 168: The Start of the Second Great Shinobi War
One month later. Land of Earth.
Deep underground, inside a heavily warded stone chamber, three of the world's most powerful leaders sat around a circular table—or rather, what was left of it. A copy of the "Shinobi World Peace Proposal" rested on the cracked surface, its very presence radiating an oppressive weight.
"Ida Mutzuki is indeed worthy of being Uchiha Madara's disciple," a voice sneered from the shadows. "First, Madara attempted to crush the Shinobi world under his heel with brute force. Now, his precious student wants to shackle us all with this hypocritical illusion of peace."
The Third Raikage, a mountain of muscle and lightning-scarred flesh, possessed the shortest fuse in the room. Initially, the gathering had maintained a veneer of diplomacy, dissecting the terms and clauses of the proposal. But as the insidious nature of the document became clear, his temper had violently erupted.
Crash!
His massive palm slammed down. The exquisite, red solid-wood table splintered into a thousand jagged pieces, sending wood chips flying into the dim light.
The other two Kage didn't flinch, though their own chakra flared in agitation.
"The Land of Fire is designated as the absolute center of food security," one muttered, eyes narrowing. "But isn't that entirely within Ida Mutzuki's iron grip? Once she uses this system to monopolize the continent's resources, who eats and who starves will depend entirely on her mood."
"And what about the clause stating that 'those who maintain the system bear a extraordinary mission'?" another scoffed. "Isn't she just writing herself a blank check for absolute authority? In the entire world, who else is qualified to challenge her? Her ambition has bloated beyond reason."
The Kage cursed and vented their frustrations, the heavy air thick with killing intent. Eventually, their collective glare shifted toward the sole outlier in the room.
Chiyo. She sat quietly, attending this top-secret summit despite not holding the title of Kage.
"Why didn't Enkawa Kazue show his face?"
"Does your Kazekage lack even the spine to resist?"
"Or did Konoha throw him a few scraps, and now he's eager to offer up the entire Land of Wind on a silver platter?"
The interrogations grew increasingly hostile, pressing down on the Sunagakure elder. Chiyo kept her expression neutral, though her jaw tightened. She had no idea how this highly classified peace proposal had leaked to the other three nations, but she absolutely could not expose the internal vulnerabilities of her own village to these wolves.
"The One-Tails Jinchuriki became unstable," Chiyo replied, her voice a dry rasp that cut through the hostility. "The Third Kazekage had to personally suppress the beast. I have been granted full authority to represent the Land of Wind in this summit."
"Full authority? Are you certain?"
"I am certain," Chiyo stated coldly, her gaze unyielding.
"In that case," a heavily bandaged figure stood up, his voice muffled but carrying a crushing weight. "I announce the immediate formation of the Four Nations Alliance."
Mu, the Second Tsuchikage, leaned forward. "Just as we did years ago when Uchiha Madara prepared to slaughter us all, we must unite. We must pool every ounce of our strength to oppose Ida Mutzuki. If we do not, she will pick us apart, one by one, until nothing remains."
"Agreed!"
The consensus was instantaneous. The Fourth Hokage's fangs were fully bared, and her shadow was already stretching over the Land of Wind. As for the true reason behind Enkawa Kazue's absence, the leaders kept their suspicions buried. On the surface, they presented a united front, but beneath it, each harbored their own desperate calculations.
If they didn't act now, the Shinobi world would soon become a dictatorship ruled solely by Ida Mutzuki's whims.
The Third Raikage, who hadn't personally witnessed Mutzuki's terrifying power during her initial rise, crossed his massive arms. Even knowing her reputation, he delivered the brutal truth.
"Ida Mutzuki must die. If she draws breath, we have zero chance of victory."
Silence slammed into the room. It was a long, suffocating quiet.
If Mutzuki hadn't already pressed her boot so firmly against their necks, why would the most powerful shinobi on earth feel such paralyzing dread over a mere piece of paper?
They feared her. They feared her monstrous strength, and they feared her boundless ambition.
Yet, deep down, they knew a grim reality: even if the four Kage attacked her simultaneously, survival was a coin toss. If she happened to be in a foul mood, she might just slaughter them all before breakfast. Years ago, the First Generation Kage of their respective villages had been casually dealt with by Mutzuki, simply because they had aggressively demanded war reparations from Konoha.
That was the most agonizing part of their existence. They couldn't win a direct fight. But they couldn't just surrender, either. Handing their sovereign nations over to Mutzuki to be toyed with and ruined was a fate worse than death.
It was absolutely unacceptable.
However, no intelligence regarding Mutzuki's ultimate techniques had ever made it back to their intelligence divisions. Everyone who had witnessed her true power was rotting in the ground. No one knew how to counter her.
After a tense eternity, Mu broke the silence.
"Ida Mutzuki is, ultimately, flesh and blood," the Second Tsuchikage reasoned, his visible eyes cold and calculating. "Human stamina has its limits. What if we drown her in numbers? We wear her down until she breaks."
The other three heads snapped up, staring at the bandaged man.
"You already have a strategy in motion?"
"I do," Mu confirmed. "I haven't just reached out to you. I have already secured the allegiance of several minor nations that harbor deep grudges against Konoha. They are eager to bleed for this alliance.... I hold a trump card. If we play our pieces correctly, Ida Mutzuki will fall."
Mu exhaled a long, heavy breath. "The price will be astronomical. We may very well lose our own lives in the process. But if our deaths buy our nations a chance to breathe and rebuild, then it is a worthy sacrifice."
"What trump card?" Gengetsu Hozuki, the Second Mizukage, asked, his usual laid-back demeanor entirely vanished.
Mu's mind flashed back to a terrifying encounter in the Land of Birds. He remembered the overwhelming, suffocating pressure of a mysterious expert who had left him utterly powerless.
"A man who harbors a deep hatred for Ida Mutzuki," Mu revealed slowly. "Someone who stripped me of any ability to resist. He possesses the legendary eyes. If he is willing to strike, killing her is no longer an impossible dream. He will arrive to meet you shortly."
A top-tier powerhouse joining their ranks? The atmosphere shifted. Hope, dark and desperate, flickered in the eyes of the other leaders.
Chiyo gritted her teeth, her knuckles white. "The only reason Konoha has thrived so obscenely, leaving the rest of us in the dirt, is because of Ida Mutzuki's existence. Once she is a corpse, the balance of power will reset. Our villages can finally rise from the ashes."
Land of Fire, Konohagakure.
Inside the Hokage's office, sunlight streamed across the polished desk. Stelle lounged in her chair, casually flipping through a highly classified Anbu intelligence report.
The Six-Tails and the Five-Tails—beasts that had been roaming the continent unbothered for years—had been tracked down by the Land of Earth. Iwagakure shinobi had successfully subdued and sealed both Tailed Beasts, dragging them back to their hidden village.
According to the Anbu's forensic analysis of the battlegrounds, traces of elite Lightning Release and Water Release jutsu were scattered across the craters. The exact identities of the perpetrators remained unconfirmed.
Stelle didn't even need to finish reading the scroll. She tossed it onto her desk with a dry smirk.
It was obvious. Tailed Beasts weren't stray cats you could just scoop up; capturing them required immense, coordinated firepower. The other nations were definitely colluding.
In the original timeline, Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara had essentially played a game of catch with the Tailed Beasts, capturing them all and handing them out to the Great Nations like party favors to balance military power.
But in this world? Thanks to her shameless butterfly effect, things had derailed. After witnessing Madara casually summon the Nine-Tails, the other nations had woken up to the sheer tactical nuke potential of the beasts and scrambled to catch their own. Aside from Kumogakure—who managed to bag two beasts early on because they hoarded the Treasured Tools of the Sage of Six Paths—the other nations had stopped after securing one.
Now, they were suddenly hunting them again. This wasn't just an arms race. This was the prelude to a world war.
Without missing a beat, Stelle drafted a swift directive, ordering all border garrisons to elevate their alert status and monitor enemy troop movements.
Her prediction was validated almost immediately.
Within days, the Land of Earth, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Water mobilized their military forces. Battalions of shinobi marched to their respective borders, forming a tightening noose around Konoha.
The Kage of the three nations released simultaneous, highly publicized declarations: The Fourth Hokage of Konoha is attempting to ignite a war to enslave the Shinobi World. To protect our sovereign lands and our people from the fires of tyranny, we have no choice but to form a united crusade against Konoha.
Despite the grand, dramatic speeches, the enemy didn't launch a massive, coordinated invasion. Instead, they engaged in petty, small-scale skirmishes along the borders. It was a blatant, almost insulting provocation, practically screaming at Konoha: We're here. Come out and fight us.
Upon receiving the frontline reports, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other elite commanders exchanged looks, genuinely wondering if the enemy Kage had suffered simultaneous brain aneurysms.
The Land of Fire was currently experiencing an unmatched golden age. Their military was overflowing with elite talent, their economy was booming, and they hadn't even actively provoked anyone recently. Yet, the three great nations had linked arms to kick the sleeping dragon.
"Heh." Danzo Shimura stood near the map table, his single exposed eye gleaming with a feverish, bloodthirsty excitement. He rubbed his hands together, looking like a man who had just been handed the keys to an armory. "It seems the Kage of the three great nations have grown bored of their cushy seats. They're practically begging us to send them to the Pure Land."
For once, Hiruzen didn't entirely disagree with his old rival.
Hiruzen, who hadn't been burdened with the crushing paperwork of the Hokage seat, was currently at the absolute peak of his physical and martial prime. And the current Hokage's power? It eclipsed the combined might of the Four Great Nations without breaking a sweat.
How could he not feel a surge of ambition? He was, after all, a student of Senju Tobirama and Uchiha Madara—two titans whose ultimate visions had always involved unifying the Shinobi world. It was impossible for him not to inherit a fraction of that conquering spirit.
However, Kagami Uchiha remained the anchor of reason in the room. He stared at the troop deployment markers on the map, his brow furrowed in deep suspicion.
"This doesn't make tactical sense," Kagami murmured, analyzing the data. "The three great nations have only just managed to stabilize their internal economies. This is their critical window for recovery and development. Why would they rashly throw it all away to declare war on Konoha? There has to be a hidden conspiracy driving this."
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