"The meeting begins." Hiruzen announced from his seat, seeing that everyone had arrived.
"Just recently, Sunagakure from the Land of Wind declared war on us." Hiruzen stated, looking at the Jonin present.
"Furthermore, our border outposts have also been attacked."
Shinji: ???
Sunagakure?
Iwagakure, whom they had been preparing for, hadn't invaded, but Sunagakure came first instead?
The Jonin present exchanged glances, and a commotion broke out for a moment.
"Didn't we just discuss trade a while ago?"
"As allies, they actually betrayed us."
Shinji glanced at the Jonin who spoke, wondering how such a naive person could exist.
Upon seeing that it was Anko, who had just been promoted to Special Jonin, it suddenly made sense.
Thump—
Hiruzen tapped the table, signaling for everyone to quiet down.
"The reason Sunagakure gave for this declaration of war is that a spy dispatched by Konoha attacked their Fourth Kazekage."
"And one of their elders, according to the person they captured, confessed this."
Hiruzen slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, then continued, "They claimed that Konoha had been nurturing him all along, and that he was to assassinate the Kazekage at an opportune moment."
This development… it's almost identical to the last Third Great Ninja War.
However, more than ten years ago, the Third Kazekage disappeared, and Sunagakure believed Konoha had killed him, directly initiating war. Now, it's the Fourth Kazekage.
Just based on this reason, they directly declared war? Is Rasa crazy?
If Konoha truly had a spy capable of attacking Rasa, he would have been recalled to the village long ago. There's no way he would still be left outside. Or perhaps, Rasa can no longer command Sunagakure.
"Hokage-sama, is there any news regarding the Fourth Kazekage's attack?" Shikaku, who was standing nearby reviewing intelligence, asked.
Konoha might not care about such matters, but it didn't mean they would tolerate being slandered arbitrarily.
"Currently, we have no information." Hiruzen shook his head.
As soon as the news arrived, he had already dispatched Anbu and activated spies. However, as of now, no news has come back.
"Our immediate course of action is that we also need to declare war on Sunagakure." Hiruzen said, putting down his pipe and standing up.
Almost all the Jonin did not object to this decision, as they could not back down from this matter. Otherwise, Konoha, which was already the focal point of the Ninja World, would be seen as weak and vulnerable. At that time, even Kumogakure would likely not be able to sit still.
"Shikaku, tell us what you think." After Hiruzen finished speaking, he looked at Shikaku, who was deep in thought.
"Hokage-sama, I am currently suspicious as to whether Iwagakure has a hand in this." Shikaku said, looking up at Hiruzen.
After all, it was too coincidental. They had just been preparing for Iwagakure, and then Sunagakure exploded first.
"That is precisely my concern." Hiruzen nodded.
"Two-front warfare is extremely disadvantageous for us. Currently, we need to make some preparations for this."
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
Upon hearing this, Shikaku knew what to do. He stood up and went to the Ninja World map on the side, drawing several red circles.
"According to the current situation, my suggestion is that we need to immediately deploy troops in the Land of Rivers, and take it down as quickly as possible."
"This is to prevent the war with Sunagakure from taking place on the home soil of the Land of Fire."
"Once Sunagakure shows any signs of crossing the border, we will be able to react immediately and defend."
"At the same time, for the border countries like the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls that border Konoha, we need someone with sufficient deterrence to go and intimidate them."
"Also, pay close attention to the two forces in the Land of Rain and the Land of Waterfalls, which should not be underestimated."
"This is to prevent Sunagakure and Iwagakure from trying to borrow passage through these smaller countries."
The Land of Rain, where the so-called Demigod Hanzo once appeared and the Land of Waterfalls, which possesses the Seven-Tails, are both existences that cannot be ignored.
"As long as we pay close attention to the border situations of these small countries, we can prevent ourselves from being ambushed by Iwagakure while we are at war with the Land of Wind."
"As for Kirigakure, although there might be internal strife currently, we still need to use spies or any available forces to stir up their waters even more."
"After all, the Second Mizukage of the Land of Water died because of the Land of Earth back then."
At this point, Shikaku paused and said to Hiruzen, "Hokage-sama, actually, what I'm more worried about is Kumogakure."
Kumogakure has always harbored ambitions to covet Konoha. Although Kumogakure is currently preparing to form an alliance with Konoha, and even the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is in Konoha, this is not a reason to be at ease.
On the contrary, if the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki makes any unusual move, it would definitely be a fatal blow to Konoha.
Hiruzen waved his hand, saying, "Before the meeting started, I already contacted the Fourth Raikage."
"As long as Kumogakure helps to interfere on Iwagakure's border, it will prevent Iwagakure's attention from being entirely focused on Konoha."
"However, some of the troops previously stationed in Moon Ring Gorge have not returned yet, so for now, they will also remain on guard there."
As for the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, with the Mangekyo in place, if he dares to make any unusual move, he can be directly apprehended. If that doesn't work, there's still Shisui's Kotoamatsukami.
Thinking of this, Hiruzen couldn't help but sigh.
Regarding the alliance between Konoha and Kumogakure later, Konoha was no longer in a dominant position, as the Fuinjutsu was the reward Hiruzen offered Kumogakure for their help this time. Although it wasn't the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, it wasn't far off.
Shikaku nodded. With this layer of protection, at least Konoha wouldn't be caught between two fires.
Listening to Shikaku's narration, and the occasional additions and corrections from various Jonin, Shinji stroked his chin. No matter how perfect the plan, once war began, they would need to deter Sunagakure with the greatest and fastest speed to buy time to deal with Iwagakure.
And on Iwagakure's side, the person who would deter them on the border would, without a doubt, be Jiraiya.
Just as Shinji was thinking, he heard Hiruzen begin to issue orders from his seat.
"Jiraiya, you need to lead a team to Iwagakure's border and try your best to delay time."
"Yes."
Even the usually laid-back Jiraiya responded with a serious expression at this moment.
"As for Sunagakure, since they want to fight, we will make them pay a heavy price."
"Shikaku, you will be the overall commander for the two-front warfare from within the village."
"Yes, Hokage-sama." Shikaku bowed to Hiruzen in response.
"Kakashi, Shinji."
"Here!" * 2
Shinji and Kakashi, who were sitting together, immediately stood up and responded.
"I need both of you to lead a team to the Sunagakure front, relying on fortifications and traps for defense, maximizing casualties among Sunagakure's forces, and depleting their supplies. However, you must avoid large-scale decisive battles with the Suna ninjas."
"Kakashi will be the first commander on the front line, and Shinji will be the deputy commander."
Hiruzen, with his pipe in his mouth, issued the orders.