It was clear the enemy scouts had withdrawn once their presence was exposed.
---
Celestial Village — Outer Grounds
Thousands of Celestial Village civilians and ninja stood in silence.
Before them lay several bodies, covered in white cloth.
Chen Xing stood at the front, flanked by the Third Celestial Shadow and Summer Star.
"I know many of you were confused when you were summoned so suddenly," Chen Xing said calmly, his voice steady.
No one spoke. All eyes were fixed on the covered corpses.
"Yesterday," Chen Xing continued, "our Dark Division encountered an elite scouting unit from Sunagakure deep within our forest. We eliminated them, suffering only minor losses."
A ripple ran through the crowd.
"But that was not the only team," he said flatly. "Later that night, Sunagakure dispatched additional scouts. They discovered the bodies—and annihilated our Fourth Dark Division squad."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
This was the first time Celestial Village had lost an entire intelligence unit.
Anger erupted.
"They wiped out a whole team?!"
"This is an outright provocation!"
"Sunagakure has gone too far!"
"Celestial Shadow-sama, we can't let this stand!"
Chen Xing raised a hand.
The noise gradually died down.
"For over a month now, Sunagakure has been watching us," he said. "They fear our growth. They fear losing their position among the Five Great Villages."
His gaze swept across the crowd.
"Celestial Village has never sought conflict—but we will never accept humiliation."
He paused, then spoke clearly:
"I hereby declare war on Sunagakure."
For a heartbeat, there was silence.
Then—
"WAR!"
"Crush Sunagakure!"
"Let them know Celestial Village is not weak!"
The crowd erupted with resolve.
Chen Xing nodded slightly. This was the unity he needed.
---
Celestial Shadow Office
A large strategic map lay spread across the table.
Present were Chen Xing, Summer Star, the Third Celestial Shadow, and Xinye, head of the Celestial Dark Division.
Xinye pointed to a city near the Wind Country border.
"Wild Spirit City," he said. "It lies within Wind Country, close to our territory. If we secure it, we can force the battlefield into Wind Country itself."
Chen Xing studied the map.
"An oasis city," he said. "The Wind Daimyō will never ignore its loss. Once we take it, pressure will fall directly on Sunagakure."
Xinye nodded. "Sunagakure won't be able to drag this into a prolonged war. Their resources won't hold."
"Our supplies are ready," Summer Star added. "Mobilization can begin immediately."
Chen Xing turned to the Third Celestial Shadow.
"I'll lead the assault personally," he said. "Only a quarter of our forces will remain behind. It's risky—but necessary."
Celestial Village had no choice but to fight decisively.
---
Wild Spirit City — Night
The city was quiet under dim lantern light.
A black figure vaulted over the wall, silently eliminating the patrol before they could react.
Chen Xing landed smoothly inside the city.
Through chakra perception, he sensed two elite jōnin guarding the city lord.
"Wait here," he told his subordinates. "I'll handle this."
Before they could react, he vanished.
---
Inside the guard quarters—
A jōnin stiffened.
"What—"
Scarlet eyes spun before him.
The world collapsed into illusion.
Chen Xing placed a hand on the man's head as a purple-black sealing curse flared to life, engraving itself directly into the chakra network.
Moments later, the second elite fell the same way.
Neither made a sound.
Within minutes, control of Wild Spirit City had quietly changed hands.
--