However, the only thing that unsettled the Konoha front-line ninja was the sudden relief of Inuzuka Rō from his post, which stirred murmurs of discontent. Fortunately, Orochimaru's personal charisma proved sufficient to quell the unrest swiftly.
On his way back to the village, Inuzuka Rō inevitably encountered an ambush by Danzo Shimura's Root division. However, Shiyu Uchiha, who had made thorough preparations in advance, had already sent messages to both the Inuzuka clan head and Inuzuka Rō himself, and dispatched a team to escort them. As a result, Danzo Shimura's scheme naturally failed, further pushing the Inuzuka clan toward the Uchiha faction.
Once the fierce war between Konoha and the Sand-nin officially began, it was as if a surging undercurrent had swept across the entire Ninja World, plunging it into a tense atmosphere just before the outbreak of full-scale conflict.
Amid this escalating chaos, the once seemingly unshakable ruling powers of the five great ninja nations appeared to be gradually eroded by invisible forces of destruction. One after another, countries were struck by waves of disorder—aggressive invasions and internal unrest continuously erupted across the lands.
Not long after the war between Konoha and the Sand-nin began, the distant and mysterious Kirigakure Village of the Land of Water surprisingly issued a formal declaration of war against Konoha. At the same time, the Kiri-nin seized the chaos, swiftly splitting into three divisions before surging toward the Fire Country's borders with the precision of daggers striking through flesh.
In the past, when the Land of Whirlpools stood as Konoha's unshakable bulwark, Konoha had been able to breathe a little easier. But now that the Land of Whirlpools had vanished, Konoha had no choice but to face head-on the torrential onslaught of Kiri's military forces.
Jiraiya and the other elite Konoha-nin also sprang into action, blazing like flames as they rushed to the border regions, preparing to engage in a breathtaking confrontation against Kiri's sharp offensive.
Just as Konoha was fully committed to resisting Kiri's attack, the two powerful nations of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth were secretly making their own subtle moves. Though seemingly hostile toward each other, both countries simultaneously decided to significantly reinforce their troop deployments near Konoha's borders.
Though they appeared on the surface to be guarding against each other while only exerting half of their strength, this still placed immense pressure upon Konoha—like a heavy mountain pressing down on Konoha's people, forcing them to struggle desperately for survival in this harsh situation.
Shiyu Uchiha and Danzo Shimura, each guided by unshakable conviction, successively stepped into the perilous borderlands of Konoha amid those extraordinary times.
Like streaks of lightning cutting through the storm, they sprang into action, unleashing thunderous strikes against the foes who had long been waiting for them.
With their appearance, as if an invisible command had been issued, the Third Great Ninja World War erupted like a volcanic explosion. The blazing flames of war spread rapidly like a plague across every corner of the world, leaving behind deep wounds and lasting scars wherever they passed.
As the Third Great Ninja War erupted, Sarutobi Hiruzen fully understood the severity of the situation due to Iwa-nin's aggressive moves. He immediately ordered Shiyu Uchiha to lead the Shinobi Forces and march without delay to the distant Grass Country, to stand firm against the Iwa-nin's invasion—a tide of war surging forward relentlessly.
Shiyu Uchiha demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and decisive judgment. From within his own clan, he carefully selected 300 of the most elite ninja from the Uchiha Clan. These warriors were among the finest of the Uchiha; their eyes burned with hunger and passion for battle and honor.
At the same time, he recruited another 300 brave ninja from the village guards who were eager to volunteer for this great conflict. These guards had normally been the ones safeguarding Konoha's peace, yet now they threw themselves into the war without hesitation.
Additionally, he transferred 200 skilled ninja from minor allied clans such as Aburame, Inuzuka, Izuno, and Gekko. Though small in scale, these clans had strength and fighting spirit that couldn't be underestimated. Since each excelled in different areas, once organized into teams and developed sufficient synergy, their combined effectiveness improved greatly.
Thus, this force of 800 ninja—made up of elite warriors from various clans—became the core strength of the Shinobi Forces for this campaign. And if excluding the clan ninja, the number of Konoha ninja dispatched for this great war was already close to 5,000.
Though numerically inferior compared to the armies sent by other great nations, these 5,000 ninja carried the honor and hopes of Konoha. With determined steps, they advanced fearlessly toward the Grass Country, ready to etch a new chapter of glory for Konoha on that foreign battlefield.
However, what displeased Shiyu Uchiha was that among these 5,000, approximately over 1,000 were long-time low-ranking genin, almost entirely devoid of any visible potential for progress—essentially just making up the numbers.
As for the other 3,000, they were all fresh graduates from the Ninja Academy within the past five years, since the end of the brutal Second Great Ninja War.
Among these many ninja, those with outstanding talent had already been specially approved by Hiruzen Sarutobi early on to graduate ahead of schedule from the Ninja Academy, stepping straight into the more brutal battlegrounds of war for training.
As for the rest, even during their graduation, they were subjected to a second round of selection by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Thus, one could easily imagine their caliber and capability—for most of them, reaching the rank of chunin was already the peak of their careers—unattainable and final.
Undeniably, Hiruzen Sarutobi and others had acted with cold ruthlessness in attempting to wear down the Uchiha Clan. Shockingly, the final thousand among these forces originally belonged to the Border force. The retention of these thousand ninja had actually resulted from intense behind-the-scenes struggles, only being preserved after countless rounds of negotiation and confrontation between Shiyu Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Shiyu Uchiha well understood the unpredictable situation at the frontlines, where Iwa ninja could launch a sudden attack anytime, potentially causing catastrophic damage. Therefore, after a long and difficult negotiation with Hiruzen Sarutobi that eventually reached a consensus, he decisively led a full company of seventy-strong soldiers from the Paramilitary Police Force, traveling through the night without pause straight to the frontlines.
Meanwhile, the remaining personnel were carefully organized by Shinku Yuhi and Renga Uchiha, joining together to advance toward the dangerous frontlines. Each bore their own mission and duty, driven by a burning desire for victory in this war-torn ninja world—and each was ready to write their own legendary story.
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