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At Konoha's main gates;
Naruto looked around at the assembled Shinobi, the majority of whom were genin with a few Chunin and much fewer Jonin. This was part of the main force that was being sent towards Kumo. A part has already departed, with another part to follow later. After that, the Shinobi who will reinforce the other borders will also move out of Konoha.
All the Shinobi were briefed on the situation, why they were being sent to the border in larger numbers, and as expected, the whole village, along with its Shinobi, was outraged by Kumo's audacity. Making the mobilization go smoothly since the reasons were known.
His senses picked up the feeling of anger and hate coming from them. He could also feel some of them being afraid, panicked, despair, and anxious.
Naruto's eyes went to the gate where Hiruzen and Tsunade were talking. Shikaku and Inoichi had already left with the first wave of Shinobi to leave the village.
The private conversation between Hiruzen and Tsunade continued for a minute or two more before she turned around and walked towards the gathered Shinobi. Hiruzen's eyes fell on Naruto before giving him a nod, which Naruto returned.
"Move Out," Tsunade called out as she reached Naruto before both of them jumped off the road onto the trees, followed by the rest of the Shinobi.
"What got you feeling so pleased?" Naruto asked as he and his mother jumped from tree to tree. He could feel that his mother was delighted about something.
"We have the fire Daimyo's full support. He was very displeased with the situation, as I thought. Especially when he got to know that Kumo demanded a part of the land of fire in the negotiations." Tsunade said with a smirk appearing on her face.
That wasn't all of it, though. The fire Daimyo had sent a letter demanding an explanation from his counterpart in the land of lightning.
About a day later, Kumogakure;
In the Raikage's office, A has been sitting behind his desk, surprisingly not lifting weights, but engaging in discussions with some members of the village's council about how to proceed with the situation involving Konoha. Konoha hasn't replied to Kumo's demands even after two days, which has put Kumo's council on edge. A, along with some of the council members, was sure that a reply should be on the way.
Reason?
They are sure that, due to Hiruzen's old age and his increased sense of pacifism that came with it, along with the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack, Konoha would try to avoid conflict. If they didn't like Kumo's demands, they would be willing to compromise, which would give Kumo the confidence to push their demands further.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
"Come in," A said as he looked at the door, pausing his conversation with the council members.
"Sorry to interrupt A-sama, but this message just came from the land of fire." A chunin said as he gave A the message scroll before leaving the room.
A opened the scroll and started to read its contents. With each line, his eyes narrowed with anger. His hands grip the scroll tightly, creasing it.
"What got you so angry, A-sama?" One of the councilmen asked
"Konoha refused our demands. Demanding to know how we can demand such a thing when we started the whole fiasco." A said with an angry tone.
"How dare they ask such a thing from us?" One councilman said angrily
"Threaten them more with war if they don't comply with our demands. They should already know we are mobilizing our Shinobi," Another said
"We already denied any attempts to take a Hyuga. Can they push their narrative now?" another said with a confident smirk
"Where do they get their courage from? We have been building our army steadily since the end of the third shinobi war, while they lost many of their Shinobi along with their fourth Hokage and their Jinchurriki." Another one said, making the other nod in agreement.
Knock, Knock, Knock
"What?" A snapped
The door opened, revealing one of Kumo's Anbu operatives.
"Sorry for the interruption, but you need to hear this, Raikage-sama." The Anbu operative said with a blank tone
"Then out with it." A said impatiently
"Reports have come in from our spies in the land of fire, saying that Konoha has mobilized its troops and has sent them out in waves, reinforcing their borders. Other than that, a force of at least 9000 Shinobi is about to reach the border between the land of fire and the land of hot springs." The Anbu operative said, making a wave of shocked silence fall on the room.
"Impossible," one council member muttered, making a wave of heated and panicked mutters and discussions.
"ENOUGH," A roared as he stood up violently from his chair, making the room quiet again.
"Send out our Shinobi. And tell Bee and Yugito to be in the first wave that clashes with Konoha. Since they dare to choose the hard way, let them face our Jinchuuriki without them having their own." A said, making the councilmen nod and shout in approval.
That is one of the main reasons for Kumo's confidence. The main information about Konoha's jinchūriki states that they should be between three and four years old, at the maximum. There was a rumor that the Kyuubi was sealed to an eight-year-old child at the time of the attack. That rumor was dismissed due to the lack of evidence and the known norm that a Jinchuuriki is only safely made if the jailer is an infant.
Little did Kumo and the rest of the world know that none of Konoha's Jinchuuriki became one as an infant.
Around the same time in Iwagakure;
"Father, shouldn't we take this chance?" Kitsuchi said after he read the same report that his father had read.
Onoki sat silent behind his desk, his eyes closed, deep in thought about what he had read. And after a minute, he opened his eyes and looked at his son.
"No," Onoki said while shaking his head, shocking his son.
"What? Why?" Kitsuchi said with disbelief. Of course, he would be shocked. He thought that his father would jump at any chance for revenge after how the last shinobi war ended.
"We don't know why Konoha had mobilized against Kumo. They should have been discussing a peace treaty. Also, we haven't recovered from the last shinobi war yet." Onoki said with a sigh.
"So is that it. We are going to sit back and watch?" Kitsuchi asked, disbelief still in his voice.
"Yes, for now. We will wait for opportunities. If Konoha and Kumo went to war, let them exhaust each other first. For now, strengthen our borders and keep an eye out for the situation between Konoha and Kumo." Onoki said
....
Suna had a similar reaction as Iwa, but Kiri did not react to what was happening, as their domestic situation was looking dire.
And deep in Amegakure, a certain one-eyed masked man had a thoughtful look behind his mask. Thinking about how he can get something useful from this situation. But for now, he will do nothing but observe.
To be continued.
Guys and Gals, show me those powerstones.
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1353 words
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