The forest was too quiet. I could hear the rhythm of my heartbeat as I crouched beside the broken branch. A footprint, only half-formed, masked with precision. Whoever left it knew what they were doing. But not well enough.
"They passed through here,"
Minato knelt beside me. "Recently. Within the hour."
Sakumo didn't say a word. He was already twenty meters ahead, a silent ghost gliding through the underbrush. His chakra was barely detectable.
I stood and followed,with katana in hand, chakra suppressed.
The mission was simple in theory: investigate who was behind the recent border incursions. But the deeper we pushed into the neutral zone, the more complicated things became. We had already encountered two traps, one bearing the signature of Iwagakure shinobi. Explosives laced with earth chakra are efficient, subtle, and undeniably hostile.
The Third War hadn't officially begun. Not yet. But it was close.
Minato glanced at me as we moved. "You think it's Iwa?"
"I think it's more than just Iwa. They're too organized. Like they're preparing for something big."
Sakumo raised his hand. Stop.
We froze instantly. I activated my Sharingan, eyes scanning the terrain ahead. In the distance, just beyond the treeline, I saw movement. A group of shinobi, four of them, moving in coordinated formation.
"Iwa flak jackets, and a Kumo insignia on one of them."
Minato's eyes narrowed. "An alliance."
"Or a joint scouting party," Sakumo said quietly. "Either way, we follow."
We tailed them in silence for over an hour. They moved fast, cautiously. Not amateurs. They were headed toward a camp, where dense fog rose from the valley floor, perfect cover. That's when we saw it.
A forward operating camp.
Hidden in the fog, carved into the cliffs and reinforced with sealing barriers. A small command post. I counted at least fifteen shinobi, all bearing insignias from Iwa and Kumo. Some were healing. Others are preparing equipment.
This wasn't random aggression. This was preparation for war.
"They're mobilizing," Minato whispered, eyes dark with realization.
Sakumo's face remained stoic. "We've seen enough."
But just as we turned to leave—
Whistle.
A sensor barrier flared. One of them sensed us.
"Move!"
Explosions ripped through the trees as kunai and paper bombs detonated around us. I summoned a barrier with a quick seal
"Fuin: Chakra Veil"
And deflected the initial wave. Minato flickered ahead with blinding speed, taking out two enemy shinobi with precision shuriken throws mid-body flicker.
Sakumo moved like lightning, blade flashing with white chakra. One of the Iwa shinobi fell before he even knew he was in combat.
I engaged the nearest attacker, ducking beneath a swinging kama and driving my kunai into their ribs. They fell back, clutching their side.
Another one closed in from behind. My Sharingan flared three tomoe spinning and I dropped low, launching a lightning-infused senbon upward into their shoulder.
"Raiden Sen!"
They screamed and dropped.
Minato regrouped with us moments later, his arm bleeding but eyes focused. "We need to move. They'll call reinforcements."
Sakumo nodded. "We're not here to win. We're here to report."
We vanished into the trees.
—
We reached the outskirts of Konoha by dusk the next day, moving at full speed with minimal rest. The forest around us felt different, like it knew something was coming. Tension, thick and heavy in the air, like a storm about to break.
At the gate, we were entered without question. We didn't even go home.
Straight to the Hokage Office.
—
Hiruzen stood waiting, arms folded behind his back, staring out over the village from his office window. He didn't look surprised to see us.
"What did you find?"
Sakumo stepped forward. "A camp near the border. Iwagakure and Kumogakure shinobi. Fully supplied. Operational. Close to the border."
Hiruzen's brows furrowed. "Confirmed cooperation between Iwa and Kumo?"
"Yes,And traps laid for Konoha patrols. They're not just probing. They're positioning."
Minato added quietly, "It's not a question of if, Lord Hokage. Only when."
The room fell into silence. Hiruzen turned back toward the window, the setting sun casting long shadows across his face. I could see the weight on his shoulders, the burden of leadership, of decisions that would cost lives.
"War…" he whispered. "It's already begun. Only the declarations are missing. We need to prepare."
He pulled open a drawer, withdrawing a scroll marked with the ANBU seal.
"Two teams will be dispatched to eliminate the remnants you encountered. Quietly. No trail back to us. You three are to recover. When the time comes, I'll need you again."
Sakumo bowed slightly. "Understood."
We left without another word.
—
That night, I stood alone atop the Hokage mountain, watching the wind move through the trees. Below, I could see torches being lit. Jonin patrols moved in greater numbers now. ANBU squads flickered across rooftops. Everyone was preparing, even if no one said it aloud.
"Are you scared?"
I turned to see Minato beside me, leaning against the rock with that same calm gaze.
"Not scared, just… I want to protect others."
He smiled softly. "You'll protect them. We both will."
I looked down at the village at the lights, the children laughing in distant courtyards, the peaceful moments that could vanish in a heartbeat.
"I hope that's enough."
But even as I said it, I knew.
The war was coming. And we were the ones who would face it first.
But something crossed my mind, I still didn't perfect the seal, I guess. When the war ends, I will need to find another solution until I get Rinnegan. But how will I get to Hashirama's cells? I guess I will need to check Orochimaru's lab..
And we were the ones who would face it first