Torifu didn't expect to be kicked out so soon, but there was nothing he could do. His younger brother was all grown up. He couldn't exactly hit him. He shook his head and left the laboratory.
The Land of Rain's movements were swift, faster than Torifu had anticipated. It only took them about ten days to reach the border of the Land of Fire.
At that moment, Torifu was in his office when his secretary rushed in, flustered. "It's not good, Hokage-sama! Amegakure's ninja are already approaching the border of the Land of Fire! They've arrived five days earlier than we estimated!"
Hearing this news, Torifu was quite surprised. He had expected Amegakure, after fighting a battle in the Land of Iron, would need to reorganize and redeploy its troops, which would take some time. He didn't expect them to attack so quickly.
Torifu waved his hand. "Don't panic. Arriving five days early only means their end will come five days sooner."
"Go, assemble all the ninja in front of the Hokage's office, and clear out all the unnecessary civilians."
The secretary nodded and then replied with conviction, "Yes! Hokage-sama!"
In less than half an hour, all of Konoha's ninja had gathered in front of the Hokage's office. Their numbers were so great that the area in front of the building was not big enough, and they had to stand in the surrounding streets.
"Hey, what do you think the Hokage-sama is going to do?"
"Are we about to start the war?"
A young ninja waved his hand. "No way. Didn't the Hokage-sama say the war wouldn't start for another five days?"
"The situation in war can change in a flash. The Hokage-sama was only making an estimate. It's normal for Amegakure to seek a surprise advantage to win."
Suddenly, a flurry of discussion broke out in front of the Hokage's office, with ninja talking about all things related to the war. Many of the younger ninja had never experienced war and had only learned how terrifying it was from their school textbooks. But now, they too were about to go to the battlefield.
A short time later, Torifu walked onto the rooftop of the Hokage building. A strong wind billowed his sleeves, and the cloak symbolizing the Hokage's position flapped fiercely.
"To all the elites of Konoha, I'm sure you've already guessed why I have suddenly summoned you here today."
A ninja below shouted, "Hokage-sama! Is it because the war is about to begin?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
Torifu heard his voice and nodded. "You're right, but it's not 'about to begin'; it has already started. I must apologize to everyone here; my estimation was wrong. Amegakure has reached the border of the Land of Fire five days early."
This statement caused a stir. The ninja were all surprised; they couldn't believe the enemy was already on their doorstep! What was there to say? It was time to fight!
"It's not your fault, Hokage-sama! War changes in an instant. You couldn't have predicted what the enemy would do."
"That's right, Hokage-sama, it's not your fault. It's all Amegakure's fault! We will kill them all!"
Among the ninja present were many seasoned veterans, some of whom had even fought alongside Hashirama. This war had re-ignited their fighting spirit!
"Excellent. Seeing that you are all in such high spirits, I am at ease. We are certain to win this war!"
Torifu then continued, "As we previously discussed, all ninja below the rank of Chunin will remain in the village. Every clan must also leave at least one Jonin to oversee things."
"Since Hashirama-sama and Tobirama-sama will also be joining the war, all affairs within the village will be entrusted to Mito-sama. While I am away, all of her orders must be followed!"
Torifu calmly gave out one order after another to the ninja, and they listened in silence, not making a sound.
Konoha's villagers were all in their homes, listening to the Hokage's speech. Some of them had experienced war before, but most were younger people who had just grown up. They were unfamiliar with war, but having learned of its cruelty from books, they felt a sense of fear.
They were especially worried since their family members were about to leave the village for the battlefield. The suddenness of the event meant they hadn't even had a chance to cook a warm meal for their loved ones.
"Please let my child return safely."
"Please let my husband return safely."
...
Everyone was praying. Every villager in Konoha was praying for the safe return of the ninja who were about to go to war.
"All ninja will be divided into five squads, led by myself, Hashirama-sama, Tobirama-sama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Shimura Danzo. During the operation, you must obey all of your squad leader's orders!"
"Yes!"
Konoha was mobilizing a force of ten thousand ninja, divided into five squads. It was more than enough to deal with Amegakure. However, Torifu didn't know if Amegakure had any tricks up its sleeve. Ever since Takigakure suffered a heavy blow, it was now the strongest among the smaller nations. It was not unlikely that Hanzō would threaten other villages into sending him troops.
"Everyone, although you are battle-hardened ninja who have been on countless missions, I must still warn you not to underestimate Amegakure's ninja. They may possess some ability that we are not familiar with, so do not be careless."
This warning was for both the ninja and the squad leaders. The lackeys of Otsutsuki Isshiki behind Amegakure could temporarily increase a person's strength. Even if it was just for an hour, a Kage-level fighter would be enough to kill many low-level ninja. Therefore, they could not be careless in dealing with them.
"Hokage-sama, when do we depart for battle?"
"We will depart this afternoon. Go home and have a good lunch with your families. At 1 PM, we will set off to face Amegakure and eventually meet up with the squads from the other two villages."
Torifu scanned the ninja below. "This war is for the protection of our village. I hope everyone will fight with 100% of their strength and all of you will come back alive."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
After he finished, Torifu dismissed the ninja and returned to his office.
After Torifu's speech ended, Hashirama and Tobirama exchanged glances. "I can't believe we have to lead squads, too."
Tobirama added, "Yeah, that kid sure knows how to give us orders. Honestly, we could just go and kill Hanzō, and all this effort wouldn't be necessary."
Hashirama shook his head. "Did you forget what Torifu said? Don't be careless, and don't underestimate the enemy. He must have received some information that he couldn't openly say, so he had to be so vague."
Tobirama sighed. "Fine, fine. I was just talking to blow off some steam. I've been fighting wars my whole life, so of course, I know not to underestimate the enemy."
Hashirama laughed loudly and patted Tobirama on the shoulder. "Hahaha, that's enough. Go back and have your wife make a good meal for us. We'll have a drink."
Tobirama smiled back. "Okay. It'll be a chance to feel young again."