Konohagakure
Security Department Headquarters
After an ANBU operative delivered the confidential order to the Security Force Captain, he vanished instantly.
Konohagakure entered high alert. All village security protocols were upgraded to wartime standards.
Civilian traffic through the village thinned, and it became clear that most shinobi had already been dispatched on missions beyond the village walls.
---
After receiving the Third Hokage's decree, Uchiha Naraku quickly understood the situation.
The Land of Wind had launched an undeclared offensive, invading the Land of Rivers and continuing eastward—destroying a fortified border post belonging to the Land of Fire.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, had formally reprimanded the shinobi of Sunagakure, but received no response. Instead, Sunagakure remained silent—building strength quietly in the background.
Hiruzen was wary of the Third Kazekage, a leader known for his aggressive armament expansions and ambitions beyond the harsh desert.
Now, thousands of shinobi stood poised along the Wind–Fire border, with skirmishes breaking out daily. Though no formal declaration had been made, a war was clearly underway.
After the ANBU left, Naraku issued his next command.
"Hyaku."
"Yes, Lord."
"Assemble the guards. We're heading to Yuhuo City."
"Yes, Lord."
Word from Yuhuo City reported that the Chakra Armor project was now complete. Naraku intended to inspect its performance firsthand.
As for internal matters in Konohagakure, Naraku had already encouraged Fugaku to challenge the Hokage's current decisions. Still, he doubted the Third Hokage would allow such dissent to go far.
By the 45th year of the Shinobi Calendar, battle formations along the Wind–Fire border were solidifying. Whether this would escalate into total war depended entirely on Sunagakure's next move.
So long as no other great villages interfered, Sunagakure alone could not defeat Konoha.
Yet the steadily intensifying conflict had begun to ignite tensions across the entire shinobi world.
---
Land of Tea – Yuhuo City
"Lord Naraku is currently patrolling Tieling Mountain. Please proceed quickly."
Uchiha Akagi, now in charge of Yuhuo City, had grown into the role of a commanding high-ranking shinobi.
"Alright. I'll summon Ruofeng."
Chihuo eyed the Konoha Special Police officers in their dark uniforms, noting their standard appearance and behavior. He suspected nothing unusual.
As war approached, the Root Organization had shifted into full operational mode—dispatching agents across the continent to collect intelligence.
One Root squad, having returned from Sunagakure via sea routes, passed through the Land of Tea—where they stumbled upon a startling discovery.
While the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind prepared for open war, the Land of Tea, just to the south, had quietly formed a shinobi force of its own.
This information was quickly relayed back to Shimura Danzō, who was already busy managing covert operations and suppressing public knowledge of the brewing conflict. Any delay in news reaching other nations bought Konohagakure time.
Unable to investigate the Tea Country personally, Danzō assigned Aburame Ryoma to look into the matter.
Ryoma initially knew little about the situation, but once he began his investigation, he was shocked to discover that the rising ninja presence in Yuhuo City was seemingly led by the Uchiha clan.
Disguising Root agents as wealthy merchants, Ryoma posted test missions within the city, and the results confirmed his worst suspicions.
As Danzō's trusted enforcer, Ryoma shared his leader's belief: the Uchiha could not be allowed to grow unchecked.
He dispatched Transformation Technique specialists into the city to lure out the Uchiha leader and confirm his identity.
What he didn't expect—was that they would end up summoning the real Uchiha Naraku.
---
Uchiha Akagi and Uchiha Ruofeng followed a Special Police officer, racing toward their destination.
Lately, Ruofeng had experienced a burning sensation in his eyes. His chakra kept focusing into his pupils involuntarily, triggering the Sharingan without him meaning to.
Unable to deactivate the dojutsu for long, Ruofeng kept it active for comfort, despite the chakra drain.
He used his Sharingan to scan the silent police officer ahead. The flow of chakra within the man's body appeared consistent—but his complete silence felt off.
Elsewhere, Aburame Ryoma, disguised as Uchiha Naraku, stood waiting with a composed smile.
Facing away from the two approaching Uchiha, Ryoma allowed them to draw near.
Akagi lowered his guard—but Ruofeng never took his eyes off them, his Sharingan watching for the slightest abnormality.
When they were finally close, Ruofeng saw it.
"Transformation Technique! It's a trap—move!"
The five figures before him—"Naraku" and four masked guards—had visible chakra coating their bodies. From this distance, Sharingan revealed what the naked eye couldn't: they were disguised using chakra-based illusions.
"What?!"
Chihuo responded quickly, focusing chakra into his eyes. As his own Three Tomoe Sharingan activated, the illusion shattered—revealing the deception.
Both Uchiha launched themselves backward using Body Flicker and Substitution Techniques, attempting to escape.
"Too late," Ryoma sneered, releasing his disguise.
With a flick of his hand, he signaled four Root operatives to attack. Three more squads appeared from nearby—surrounding the two Uchiha from all sides.
Seventeen Root agents total—each poised to capture or eliminate Chihuo and Ruofeng.
---
"Lord Naraku, there's something strange ahead at Tieling Mountain. Should we investigate?"
"Strange?"
Naraku raised a brow at Team Hyaku's report. After a pause, he shook his head.
"No. We'll head to Yuhuo City first."
"Yes, Lord."
Naraku and his team split into two formations and moved out at high speed, but the anomaly on the mountain loomed in the back of his mind.
Moments later—
"Wait… what's that?"
From the forest edge near the Tea–Fire border, Tieling Mountain came into view.
And towering above the trees stood a glowing blue humanoid giant, radiating intense chakra. Wielding dual energy blades, it swung them in wide arcs, each strike shattering the terrain.
"Is that... Susanoo?"
Naraku's eyes narrowed.
" Call the forward guards. We're heading there—now."
"Yes, Lord."
Thirteen-year-old Daohuo didn't hesitate. Splitting off a Shadow Clone, he launched it forward at full chakra speed.
Naraku and his elite four-man Uchiha Guard began to close in from below the mountain.
As they approached, the full scale of the battlefield became clear.
"Lord Naraku," said Uzumaki Taki, a gifted 17-year-old sensor-nin and medic, "I'm detecting sixteen chakra signatures. One of them is... enormous. And cold. Very cold."
"Understood. Follow me."
When they reached the treeline, the scene unfolded in full.
Fifteen shinobi dressed in ANBU uniforms were circling a single figure—an enormous blue chakra avatar, nearly thirty meters tall.
There was no mistaking it: this was the Mangekyō Sharingan's ultimate power—Susanoo.
At the center, Uchiha Ruofeng stood bloodied and ferocious. Chakra bled from his eyes as he maintained the massive construct, swinging it violently to repel his attackers.
Each strike from the chakra blade tore through the landscape—splitting earth and flattening entire trees.
He had only just awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan. This Susanoo was born through desperation, still unstable.
The Root operatives dared not engage directly. Instead, they pelted him with shuriken, fireballs, and sealing jutsu from a distance, like insects harassing a giant.
But time was against Ruofeng. His chakra reserves were nearly spent, and pain wracked his entire body.
Watching from behind, Aburame Ryoma smiled.
"Mangekyō Sharingan... what a prize. If we extract his eyes and present them to Lord Danzō... his forbidden jutsu will become even stronger."
---
The sudden roar echoed through the trees as a group of shinobi clad in Sand ninja armor burst onto the battlefield. Their leader, a tall figure with a stern expression, shouted fiercely:
"How dare you impersonate Sunagakure ANBU! Seize them!"
Naraku immediately recognized the voice—it was the Third Kazekage himself, known for his ruthless military buildup and unyielding resolve.
The situation escalated quickly. The fifteen Root operatives scattered, prepared to fight against the Sand shinobi as well as protect their mission.
Naraku motioned to his guards, readying for a brutal confrontation. The blue Susanoo figure, still struggling to hold its form, raised its giant swords in defense.
Ruofeng's body trembled with exhaustion, but he refused to give up.
Naraku's thoughts raced. The undeclared war between Sunagakure and Konohagakure was spiraling dangerously close to open conflict. If the Sand forces were here now, it meant the fragile peace was shattered.
"Stay alert," Naraku ordered. "This is no longer a simple border skirmish."
The battle at Tieling Mountain was about to ignite into a full-scale ninja war.
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