Time flew by, and another three years passed.
Land of Lightning, Secret Location.
A giant beast, covered entirely in red chakra, roared at the sky, the force of its cry scattering the clouds above.
It vaguely had the tails of an octopus, but its head resembled that of an ox.
Red chakra gathered at its mouth, forming a scorching energy cannon that shot out and crashed into the distant sea, kicking up a monstrous wave.
The next second, the red chakra receded like a tide, revealing a young man with two-toned hair.
The Cloud-nin waiting nearby immediately rushed to his side, steadying him. "Killer B, how do you feel?"
"It's nothing, I'm fine." Killer B pushed them away and stood on his own, the fear on his face gradually fading.
The Third Raikage, standing off to the side, took in the scene and nodded. "Very good. It seems the Iron Armor Seal was a success. We can finally wield the power of a Tailed Beast. What is the situation with the Two-Tails?"
Dodai, his attendant, replied, "We are still searching for a suitable jinchuriki. With the precedent set by the Eight-Tails, the Two-Tails will soon become another asset for us."
"Complete this as soon as possible," the Third Raikage said gravely. "With the jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, the next generation's 'A' has found his perfect partner, 'B'. The Land of Lightning is at its strongest. It is time to reclaim what we lost from Konoha."
"From this day forward, intensify war preparations. Prepare to launch an attack on Konoha!"
"Yes, sir!"
Konoha.
The Land of Lightning's major movements did not escape the notice of Konoha, who was watching them closely. Soon, the Third Hokage convened a war council with the jōnin.
Facing the crowd of young faces below, the Third Hokage spoke loudly, "In recent years, the Land of Lightning has been relentlessly aggressive. Now, their dagger is drawn. They will soon assemble their shinobi forces for a full-scale invasion of Konoha. I have always emphasized that Konoha has never feared war. Since the enemy refuses to repent, we will force them to face reality."
"We, Konoha, are the strongest village in the shinobi world!"
"OOH!"
The crowd's morale was quickly ignited.
"Now, for the battle plan."
The Third Hokage looked at Orochimaru and Tsunade, seated in the front row. "This time, you two will once again lead the vanguard units, setting up defenses in the Land of Rice Paddies and the Land of Hot Water."
"Yes, sir!" Orochimaru and Tsunade stood and responded in unison.
The Third's gaze moved back, landing on a handsome young man with blond hair. "Minato, you have a Flying Thunder God formula placed on Jiraiya, correct? You will be responsible for bringing Jiraiya back from his travels. Konoha needs his strength now. After he returns, rendezvous directly with Tsunade's unit."
Minato Namikaze, who had already become a jōnin, stood up and replied, "Yes, sir!"
The Third's gaze shifted again, this time to the white-haired young man seated before him. "Sakumo," he said gravely, "the Land of Water is also making suspicious moves. I fear they will take advantage of the Land of Lightning's invasion to come ashore and launch a sneak attack. Therefore, you will lead a unit to set up defenses there."
"Yes, sir!" Sakumo Hatake nodded.
"That is the current plan. Are there any questions?"
"Lord Hokage!" someone raised their hand. "Do we not need to be wary of the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth?"
"No need," the Third Hokage shook his head. "They have their own hands full and have no energy to spare for us."
Land of Rain, Village Hidden in the Rain.
It was a rare sunny day, the brilliant sunlight making the village's name seem somewhat unfitting.
In the large conference hall, which was similarly packed with Amegakure shinobi, a mobilization meeting was being held.
After three years of development, the Village Hidden in the Rain had returned to its strength from before the Second Great Ninja War.
In terms of high-end combat power, with the addition of the Ice-Fire Clone, they had even surpassed their former peak.
On the high platform, the Ice-Fire Clone spoke into a microphone, his voice booming, "...Five years ago, the Third Tsuchikage started a war with us to seize our land. Three years ago, driven by his greed, the Third Tsuchikage once again led his forces to cause trouble in our village, resulting in massive losses. Although Iwagakure has paid a heavy price for this, that price is not enough to erase the blood feud between us!"
"Moreover, it is obvious they have not given up their designs on us. Therefore, this time, we will be the ones to start the war! We will take back what we have lost from their hands!"
"Take it back! Take it back!"
Many of the shinobi present had lost family in the war with Iwagakure, and the Ice-Fire Clone successfully stirred their hatred.
"We are now strong and well-equipped! We will be invincible!"
"Invincible!"
"All Rain-nin who have received their assignments, on my command, march with me to Iwagakure!"
"Yes, sir!"
A massive force of nearly a thousand shinobi, dense and organized, set out at once, moving like a great dragon speeding towards the Land of Earth.
Land of Grass, Village Hidden in the Grass.
Three years of development had completely transformed the Village Hidden in the Grass into a settlement for the most vicious and ruthless of shinobi.
The Chakra Clone, who had subdued everyone with his overwhelming strength, looked up at the sky, then smiled at the crowd. "Let's go. Someone has paid a high price for us to take the heads of Land of Earth shinobi. For every name on this list, a head will fetch a handsome bounty."
"Heh heh, simple and direct. I like it," his second-in-command, Kakuzu, said with a delighted smile. "Time to earn another fortune."
Looking at his diligent subordinate, the Chakra Clone didn't have the heart to tell him that this was just money moving from the left pocket to the right—a purely internal transaction.
"Alright, let's move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
Land of Rivers, Village Hidden in the Silver River.
Kaito walked into Ruri's office and said with a smile, "The time has come to change the name of the Land of Wind."
"Are you sure you can do it alone?" Ruri asked, worried.
"I'm not going alone," Kaito said with a mysterious smile. "In three days, you can lead the village's forces into the Land of Wind to clean up the mess."
"Three days? Isn't that a bit too rushed?"
"It should be fine." Kaito counted on his fingers. "One day to travel, one day to have a heart-to-heart with the Third Kazekage, and one day to rest. Just right."
"..." Ruri rolled her eyes, not bothering to argue with him.
"No matter what, you have to ensure your own safety."
"Alright, roger that!"
With that, Kaito wrapped an arm around Ruri's slender waist, planted a firm kiss on her cheek, and vanished.
He left behind a blushing Ruri. "That bastard, he's getting more and more out of control!"
A Hidden Location.
Jigen, who had not been seen for a long time, looked at the two boys before him and nodded in satisfaction. "With your current strength, there are very few in the shinobi world who can defeat you. Starting today, we will begin the Tailed Beast Retrieval Plan."
"Yes, sir!" A much taller Nagato looked up, revealing a pair of intimidating Rinnegan.
Yahiko, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.