Mist Village's declaration of war gave the Third Kazekage an opening. If war broke out, the reparations agreement would be null and void. Sand Village wouldn't need to pay Konoha another cent. And if they could seize some fertile land from the Land of Fire, it would be an enormous gain for them. Though tempted, the Third Kazekage restrained himself-he knew Sand Village couldn't face Konoha alone. He needed to wait for the right moment.
The Third Kazekage waited, and so did Onoki and the Third Raikage. If Konoha crushed Mist Village quickly and emerged largely unscathed, they would remain on the sidelines. But if Konoha found itself stuck in a quagmire, that would be their moment to strike.
The sudden onset of war caught many by surprise. Though Konoha had made some preparations, the abruptness of the conflict left its villagers confused and uneasy.
Most people's first thought was, "Are we really going to war again?"
After all, it had only been three years since the end of the Second Shinobi World War. The shadows of that conflict still loomed over them, and now a new war was knocking at their doors. For countless villagers, this was far from good news.
"Why do we have to go to war again? The last one just ended a couple of years ago, and now this," someone lamented.
"Tell me about it. Many merchants have already packed up and left," another chimed in.
"I went to buy groceries this morning, and prices have gone up a lot," someone else complained.
For the shinobi, war wasn't unexpected. The life of a shinobi was dangerous, but it came with high rewards. For the average villager, however, a looming war was nothing but trouble. It would disrupt their daily lives, and the thought of war spreading fear among them was unavoidable.
Even businesses like the hotpot restaurant were seeing fewer customers. War was on the horizon, and things were changing in Konoha. More and more shinobi were being sent to the front lines to guard against a large-scale Mist Village invasion.
Konoha, however, faced a critical issue- the Fire Country's warships were insufficient in number and inferior to those of Mist Village. This left Tsunade with a major headache. The Land of Fire was inland and rarely needed warships, but during times of war, the lack of proper ships posed a significant problem.
To make matters worse, both the Third Hokage and the daimyo of the Land of Fire wanted to keep the conflict away from the Land of Fire's borders. They insisted that even if there was war, it must not reach their land. This left Tsunade and the Third Hokage at odds again over how to handle the battlefield.
"The daimyo insists that the battlefield must not be on the Land of Fire's territory. During the Second Shinobi War, the Sand Village's invasion caused enormous damage. The daimyo is afraid of history repeating itself," Third Hokage explained, frustration evident as he spoke.
The Mist Village had only just declared war, and even before Konoha's main forces reached the front lines, the daimyo had already sent his orders-he wanted the battle fought outside the Land of Fire, preventing it from reaching his domain. It was unreasonable, and yet...
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