Konohagakure.
Hokage's Office.
Shimura Danzō pushed open the door and entered, frowning. "Hiruzen, what did you call me here for?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a long drag from his pipe and smiled slyly. "Take a guess."
"..." Danzō's mouth twitched. He couldn't figure out what had gotten into his old teammate today.
Ever since the Uchiha clan left the village, Hiruzen had been walking around with a face full of worry, constantly haunted by nightmares of a sudden attack from the Hidden Cloud.
So why did he look so cheerful now?
"Hiruzen, don't look at me like that. You're creeping me out."
Hiruzen snorted and tossed a scroll onto the desk.
"Danzō, our spy in the Hidden Sand sent this over. After the Third Kazekage went missing, the Third Raikage took advantage of the chaos and attacked Sunagakure."
As Danzō unrolled the scroll, he asked, "And then?"
Hiruzen tapped the desk. "The Cloud's raid will definitely anger the Sand. With the Kazekage missing, their village must be in disarray."
"If we extend an olive branch now, they'll be grateful. Once we form an alliance, we won't have to keep worrying about those thugs in the Cloud."
Danzō frowned. "And by olive branch, you mean…?"
"Money or resources," Hiruzen replied casually. "The Sand is poor. They'll accept any offer we make."
Danzō's chest tightened with frustration.
His obsession with the Hokage seat had many reasons—but one of the biggest was Hiruzen himself.
He was convinced he'd make a better Hokage than this fool who threw money around like candy.
Lord Tobirama… what were you thinking?!
Scowling, Danzō said, "Hiruzen, can't you show a little backbone for once?"
Hiruzen chuckled inwardly.
This idiot just doesn't get it.
Why fight when you can solve things with a handful of coins?
As long as there's no war, no one can gauge his true power.
After all, the First and Second Hokage were far stronger than him—but in people's minds, the greatest Hokage was Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Some things didn't need to be said aloud.
Just then, an Anbu appeared silently in the office. "Lord Hokage, urgent intelligence report."
Hiruzen took the document from him, glancing through it lazily—then his pupils suddenly shrank.
Danzō's brow furrowed. "What is it?"
"Those… those bastards—how dare they!!"
Hiruzen spat a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.
"Lord Hokage!"
The Anbu rushed forward, but Danzō stopped him. "Leave. I'll handle this."
The Anbu hesitated but obeyed, vanishing instantly.
When they were alone, Danzō calmly reached for the scroll on the desk.
The message was simple:
[Sunagakure has declared war on Konohagakure. The frontlines are in crisis. Requesting reinforcements!]
Danzō stared at the words, finally understanding why Hiruzen had passed out.
The fool had been planning an alliance—only for the Sand to stab him in the back!
This wasn't just a loss of face… this was being humiliated in the worst way possible!
After a moment of silent disbelief, Danzō pressed two fingers under Hiruzen's nose.
Still breathing.
His face darkened as he slapped Hiruzen across the cheek. "Damn it, why won't you just die already?!"
——
——
War erupted between Sunagakure and Konohagakure.
Both sides, however, tacitly agreed to make the Land of Rain their battlefield.
On the Sand's side, Chiyo, Rasa, and Pakura led the offensive, launching relentless assaults on Konoha's defenses.
Konoha's lines were held by Orochimaru and Hyūga Hizashi, alongside the Ino–Shika–Chō trio, fighting defensively.
Overall, the advantage still leaned toward Konoha.
But the Sand, unburdened by pride or stability, would simply retreat into the desert after every loss, recover for a while, and then attack again.
And so, a deadlock was formed—neither side willing to back down.
——
——
Kumogakure.
Raikage Tower.
Raikage's Office.
The Third Raikage looked at Yuzuru Uchiha, A, Tōdai, and Sakumo Hatake with a grave expression.
"The war between the Sand and the Leaf has dragged on long enough. I believe now is the perfect moment for us to act."
"If we move in, the stalemate will break instantly!"
A slammed his fist into his palm. "I agree with Father. With the Sand holding them off, the Leaf won't stand a chance against us."
Tōdai and Sakumo nodded—no objections.
Seeing everyone in agreement, the Third Raikage turned to Yuzuru, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "What do you think, Yuzuru? If we defeat Konoha now, we can demand an enormous reparations sum."
With everyone staring at him, Yuzuru smirked. "You're all being too impatient. It's still too early."
"As long as we stay out of it, the Sand won't be able to beat the Leaf. That'll force Iwagakure and Kirigakure to join in."
He placed a kunai and an explosive tag on the table.
"The longer the war lasts, the more money we make."
"We're sitting on endless mineral wealth here in the Land of Lightning—this is pure profit. The longer the war lasts, the more money we make."
He leaned back, smiling. "And while the other villages weaken each other, we'll wait until they're all exhausted—then swoop in to seize the true fruits of victory."
The room fell silent.
Even Tōdai and Mabuma, the council's sharpest minds, were dumbstruck.
During the First and Second Great Ninja Wars, everyone had rushed headlong into battle!
Today you attack me, tomorrow I attack you, the next day we all gang up on the Leaf.
Everyone wanted to loot and plunder, but no one had ever thought about selling weapons to the other villages.
Is he truly a genius?!
After a long pause, Tōdai finally found his voice.
"Lord Yuzuru, if things unfold as you predict, your strategy is excellent. But what if Iwagakure and Kirigakure refuse to join the war? Even if they do, they might not buy from us."
He frowned. "Let's not forget—Ōnoki of the Stone isn't exactly the trusting type. And since we're already the strongest village, why would the others line up to hand us their money?"