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"Bastards! This is a blatant conspiracy by Kumogakure. They refuse to sit by and watch us annex the wealth and resources of the Land of Waterfall, so they've intentionally orchestrated this farce!"
Onoki roared in fury, his small frame trembling as he repeatedly slammed his fists onto the sturdy stone desk, sending cracks spider-webbing through the wood.
According to his original strategic projections, Iwagakure should have been able to wrap up operations and withdraw from the Land of Waterfall within a relatively short timeframe. He had envisioned a swift, decisive campaign followed by a profitable extraction. Instead, Kumogakure had lost its patience mid-way and intervened. What frustrated Onoki the most was that neither he nor the village high command had anticipated such a brazen collusion between Takigakure and Kumogakure. Consequently, the Iwagakure vanguard had been caught in a vicious ambush.
He thought he was picking up a bargain, a low-cost victory. Instead, the bargain had evaporated, and his village had suffered significant losses in manpower and morale.
While he had long suspected that Kumogakure might try to cause trouble, the situation had now crystallized. The Cloud wasn't just "causing trouble"—they were actively sabotaging the Stone's entire expansionist policy.
Although A hadn't issued a formal declaration of war or launched a direct invasion across the Land of Earth's borders, sending elite units to the Takigakure battlefield under the thin veil of a mission commission was functionally no different from a declaration of war. It was a strategic masterstroke of plausible deniability.
What made the situation particularly agonizing for Iwagakure was the political optics. As long as Kumogakure refrained from a formal declaration and operated under the guise of mercenaries, Iwagakure found it difficult to formally condemn them on the international stage. In fact, if Onoki complained too loudly, he risked being the target of public scorn.
After all, Iwagakure was the one who had initiated the conflict, transferring its internal economic pressures and resource shortages onto the Land of Waterfall through an unprovoked invasion. It was an inherently dishonorable move. Even with Kumogakure meddling through the excuse of a mission, no other nation was going to step up to speak in favor of Iwagakure.
The only sliver of good news—if it could be called that—was that Konoha had not yet joined the fray. For now, it was only Kumo sending troops. Onoki shuddered to think of how chaotic and uncontrollable the situation would become if Konoha also decided to dump its forces into the Land of Waterfall.
With Kumogakure's escalation, Iwagakure was now backed into a corner. Onoki was forced to commit even more troops to the Takigakure front. To be precise, he had to invest more. Without the resources and capital promised by the conquest of the Land of Waterfall, Iwagakure wouldn't be able to sustain its economy or its military readiness for much longer.
The immediate crisis of internal pressure had been deferred by the war, but that didn't mean the ticking time bomb had disappeared. It was merely being fueled by the blood of his shinobi.
Gritting his teeth, Onoki signed the orders to deploy additional battalions into the Land of Waterfall.
Predictably, Kumogakure matched him move for move.
You increase your numbers? Fine, I'll increase mine. A's stance was clear: under no circumstances would Iwagakure be allowed to comfortably plunder the resources of the Land of Waterfall. If the Stone wasn't happy about it, they could try to do something about it. Since Kumogakure hadn't officially declared war, they played the game of hired help to its fullest extent, leaving Onoki to fume in his office.
As the conflict in the Land of Waterfall escalated, it began to draw the attention of the entire world. In comparison, the ongoing war between Kirigakure and Sunagakure started to look like a minor skirmish.
The situation between the Mist and the Sand remained largely stagnant, primarily because Kirigakure had yet to find an effective antidote for Sunagakure's latest generation of toxins. This failure had led to significant losses on the battlefield for the Mist shinobi.
Furthermore, Sunagakure had no intention of facing the Mist in a head-on, conventional battle. They utilized hit-and-run tactics, leading the Kirigakure forces in circles through the harsh, shifting dunes. They used the brutal environment and unpredictable desert weather to their absolute advantage, dancing around their frustrated opponents.
The Kirigakure shinobi were becoming increasingly agitated and demoralized, yet they were powerless against the Sand's guerrilla warfare. If you encounter a hedgehog covered in sharp needles, you might still try to take a bite, even if it leaves your mouth full of quills. But if you encounter a slippery, venomous snake that slides through the cracks, bites you when you least expect it, and then vanishes before you can strike back—that is true misery.
Sunagakure was playing to its strengths perfectly, while Kirigakure was suffering at every turn. The environment restricted the Mist's signature Water Release jutsu, and the searing heat and sandstorms were more lethal than any kunai. One moment of carelessness could lead a squad to lose its way or become trapped by a sudden desert storm.
The Sand was in its element, while the Mist was drowning in a sea of sand.
---
Back in Konoha, Kazuki looked over the intelligence reports gathered from the Land of Wind and couldn't help but feel a moment of silent pity for Kirigakure.
'Poor souls,' he thought. Enjoy the "love" of the Great Desert.
At this moment, Kazuki truly understood why, after several Shinobi World Wars, Konohagakure never chose to invade the Land of Wind, even after defeating Sunagakure. To do so would be to invite the enemy to annoy you on their home turf. The strategic damage might be manageable, but the psychological and logistical headache was immense.
Of course, "manageable damage" was a relative term for Konohagakure, given their exceptional medical capabilities. For Kirigakure, it was a different story. Since the start of their campaign, more Mist shinobi had died from poisoning than from direct combat. It was a staggering testament to their lack of preparation.
Looking at the casualty and resource depletion reports from Kirigakure, Kazuki sighed and shook his head. "What a bizarre village. They didn't even complete basic war preparations before launching a full-scale invasion into enemy territory. They're losing a fortune on this venture."
"Kirigakure has never been particularly adept at medical science or logistics," Tsunade remarked. She stood nearby, arms crossed over her chest, her head tilted back slightly with a look of supreme confidence. "To expect them to suddenly crack Sunagakure's new poisons is asking for the impossible."
She leaned in, a smirk playing on her lips. "After all, not every village has the resources of Konohagakure, and certainly not every village has a medical ninja of my caliber."
The subtext was clear: Go ahead, praise me.
At this moment, Tsunade looked like a proud peacock. Her pride was well-earned; during previous wars, Konoha's ability to crush Sunagakure was largely due to her genius. Any poison the Sand developed was quickly neutralized by her, followed by the mass production of an antidote. During those years, Sunagakure hated Tsunade more than perhaps any other person in existence.
"Yes, yes, you are the greatest. You are the absolute best," Kazuki said, nodding repeatedly with a dry, slightly teasing tone.
Give you an inch of praise and you start acting like you're the Hokage of the world, don't you?
"????"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Although the words were complimentary, the tone felt suspiciously dismissive. "I can't tell if you're actually praising me or if you're just making fun of me. Do you want me to punch you?"
Realizing he was mocking her ego, Tsunade tightened her fist until her knuckles turned white. However, remembering that Kazuki wasn't the type to just sit there and take a hit, she let out a frustrated huff and relaxed her hand.
"Anyway," she said, switching back to a more serious tone. "Now that Kumogakure and Iwagakure are clashing directly, and the Land of Waterfall has turned into a total meat grinder, it won't be long before the Hidden Cloud officially declares war, right?"
"Probably..." Kazuki calculated the timeline in his head. "Likely after the New Year."
The New Year was approaching. Kumogakure's strategy was to exhaust Iwagakure first. They wanted to keep the Stone bogged down until they were utterly fatigued before delivering the final, official blow.
This was exactly the window Konoha was waiting for. Since they had chosen the path of the "Old Six"—the master backstabber—they had to be patient. A lack of patience in small matters can ruin great plans. Konohagakure had to endure and wait in the shadows.
Only when Iwagakure was truly exhausted and their attention was entirely consumed by the Cloud would Konoha strike the lethal blow from behind. They wanted the Stone to taste the bitterness of being stabbed in the back while they were at their weakest. They wanted them to feel the "refreshing" sting of being plundered of everything they had worked for.
"For now, we just need to enjoy a quiet New Year," Kazuki concluded. "With Kumogakure's interference, Iwagakure has lost the chance to easily exploit the Land of Waterfall. From here on out, it's a war of attrition. They will bleed each other's manpower and resources dry. When the Stone can no longer catch its breath, the Cloud will declare war and launch a full offensive."
He looked at Tsunade, a sharp glint in his eyes. "That will be our moment. Don't tell me you aren't looking forward to settling the score for the Third Shinobi World War."
"Of course I am," Tsunade answered without a moment's hesitation. Her expression darkened, a fierce, predatory look crossing her face.
Even though she hadn't been on the front lines for the entirety of the Third War, she knew exactly how much Konohagakure had suffered at the hands of Iwagakure's opportunism. The debt was long overdue, and she was more than ready to collect it with interest.