Dawn broke, the first light of day cresting over the horizon.
News of a massive explosion at Konoha's forward outpost had already rippled across the entire shinobi world. Messenger hawks, dispatched overnight, carried urgent intelligence back to every shinobi village.
The war between Konoha and Sunagakure had already been the focus of intense scrutiny, with countless scouts from various factions stationed around the battlefield's perimeter.
Both Konoha and Sunagakure were well aware of these observers. Yet, because the scouts remained at a distance and made no direct moves against either side, both villages chose to turn a blind eye, allowing them to freely gather information.
But this explosion had been too massive to ignore. Even those far from the epicenter could taste the smoke and fire lingering in the air.
So this time, they didn't wait for concrete details like casualty numbers or a clear victor. Instead, they sent out a single urgent message:
Massive explosion at Konoha's frontline base. Outcome unknown. Casualties unknown.
It was a sparse report, passed from hand to hand through the night.
But it was enough.
...
Kumogakure, Land of Lightning.
Upon receiving the report, the Third Raikage slammed his fist on the table.
"Send word, gather the high command. I'm convening an emergency meeting."
His secretary immediately bowed and left.
"Yes, Raikage-sama."
Soon, every senior figure in the village had assembled.
"This morning, I received a report of a cataclysmic explosion at Konoha's frontlines," the Raikage began. "We have no further intel as of now."
"I've called you here to decide whether we should take this opportunity to declare war on Konoha."
Though each Raikage bore a rugged, warrior-like exterior, none lacked shrewdness. As leaders of the village, they all understood the weight of their responsibility.
Furuyama Renjou rose immediately, fury flashing in his eyes as he shouted across the room.
"Raikage-sama, what are we waiting for?!"
"We should seize this chance and launch an offensive against Konoha! With our strength, we can crush them!"
"It's time we took our rightful place as the top Hidden Village!"
As expected, Renjou was the first to voice his support for war.
"Elder Renjou, calm yourself," one of the elders interjected.
"Your motivations are known to everyone here, even to the Raikage himself."
"But have you considered this?"
"On what grounds do we declare war?"
"If we act without just cause, our village's name will be tarnished."
"And war is no child's game. It pulls every thread of our world into motion."
The elder's words left Renjou momentarily speechless. But he quickly recovered and argued back.
"So we're just going to let this chance slip by?"
"If Konoha's frontline was devastated by that explosion, their losses must be severe!"
"This is the perfect moment to strike!"
But Renjou's eagerness was transparent. Everyone present could see through him, he wasn't thinking of Kumogakure's future. He only wanted revenge for his fallen grandson.
"Elder Renjou, have you considered the alternative?"
"What if the explosion didn't significantly weaken Konoha?"
"Then we'd be riding a tiger we can't dismount."
The Third Raikage was a man who led by example and with reason. Renjou had no counter to his logic.
"This…"
"This!!"
After a full morning of deliberation, the Third Raikage made his decision.
First Order:
Instruct the troops at the frontlines to provoke Konoha, create a major incident if necessary.
Second Order:
Direct the intelligence division to investigate the explosion's cause and accurately assess Konoha's casualties.
...
In contrast to the Third Raikage's measured approach, the Third Tsuchikage in the Land of Earth acted without hesitation. He swept his brush across a scroll and sent it off with a messenger hawk:
"Alert the village: we are entering pre-war alert status. Prepare to declare war on Konoha."
With the Tsuchikage's orders in hand, his secretary swiftly relayed the command to all units.
...
Meanwhile, far across the sea, the information reached Kirigakure last. The Fourth Mizukage remained unmoved. He simply continued executing his original plan.
Though other villages had already responded to the intel, none were faster or more decisive than the Hidden Stone.
In Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Third Hokage, had also received word. Following a council meeting, he issued an official announcement:
Let the world know what happened at the front.
Spies embedded in Konoha went pale with shock when the news broke.
The implications were staggering, unbelievable, even.
They fled the village one after another, racing to report the intel back to their respective masters.
...
Land of Wind, Deep in the Desert.
To avoid the searing sun and remain undetected, a hidden group of several hundred shinobi lay buried beneath the sand.
Caw—!
A sharp cry from a messenger hawk snapped Akagi's attention upward.
"It's here," he muttered, eyes gleaming.
His second-in-command, Heiji, received a nod of permission and emerged from the sand to retrieve the hawk's message.
It was from the Third Tsuchikage.
Begin operation.
Only two words. But they filled Heiji with elation.
"The order to strike Sunagakure has finally come, Akagi-sama!"
Akagi took the scroll and crushed it in his fist.
"At last," he growled.
"Prepare for combat."
"Target: Sunagakure!"
The Hidden Stone troops shouted in unison:
"Yes, sir!"
Shff! Shff! Shff!
Hundreds of Iwagakure shinobi erupted from the desert, sprinting behind Akagi toward the Hidden Sand Village.
They had endured countless hardships, lying in wait beneath the desert sands of the Wind Country.
Now it was time to act.
They would strike while Sunagakure's defenses were stretched thin, plunder what they could, and take what they came for.
The Sealing Scrolls stored deep within the village were their primary objective.
What would happen after? The Third Tsuchikage already anticipated war with Sunagakure.
But whether Sunagakure could even mount a defense… that remained to be seen.
And even if they could—
Would any of this still matter?
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]