The Kumo envoy had not come to Konoha for peace, but to seize the Scorch Release bloodline and the Byakugan.
The two Kumo messengers who died had deliberately provoked a conflict, choosing to die to force Konoha into a corner with only two options:
Hand over Shimura Yami and Hyūga Hiashi, or go to war with Kumo.
With the strong push of the Hyūga clan and Root, the details of the incident quickly spread throughout Konoha, causing an uproar.
"Kumo is despicable! What a dirty scheme to provoke a war."
"Aren't they supposed to be brutes? When did they learn to use their brains?"
"Last time I went to the Land of Lightning on business, I got scammed and almost lost my pants."
"They're actually after our kekkei genkai? Then let's fight!"
"Fight? War means death, and it'll ruin trade. These good days won't last."
"Exactly. If handing over two people could stop a war… it would be their sacrifice for the village."
"Sacrifice? Then why don't you sacrifice your wife and daughter? I'll thank you."
"Why are you being so vulgar? I'm just making a rational analysis."
"Rational, my ass! You coward!"
In general, public opinion in the village leaned toward disgust and condemnation of Kumo, but there were also many cowards who hoped to sacrifice others in exchange for their own peace.
But the real focus wasn't the civilians. It was the shinobi.
Yami had spread this news on purpose to gauge their reaction.
It hadn't been long since the end of the last great war. Most shinobi still had fire in their blood and weren't afraid of sacrifice.
Angered by Kumo's plot, many shinobi petitioned to be sent to the front lines to resist the attack.
Most importantly... the shinobi clans' attitude toward Sarutobi Hiruzen began to shift.
This was the head of the Hyūga clan.
And just because Kumo threatened war, he was willing to sacrifice him? The Hyūga weren't the Uchiha. Practically the entire village supported Hiruzen's leadership.
Even so, he couldn't be considered a trusted ally?
Or is this what he does to his so-called allies?
Even the clans most loyal to Hiruzen—the Ino-Shika-Chō trio—were beginning to feel discontent.
Hokage's Office.
Looking at the pile of petitions and letters on his desk, Hiruzen sighed deeply.
He realized he had made a mistake.
He was the only one who had grown old and weak. Konoha had not.
Even as Hokage, he could not represent the true will of the village.
If the matter had remained under wraps, there might have been room to maneuver. But now, there was only one choice left...
Hiruzen's cloudy eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Come!"
In an instant, three Anbu appeared in his office and knelt on one knee.
"Kill all the remaining Kumo envoys. Leave one alive to return and report."
"If Kumo wants war, then Konoha will fight!"
At this point, showing weakness would only destroy his reputation. Better to take the initiative and win the hearts of the people.
With his mind made up, the "Ninja Hero" seemed to regain his ambition and quickly began preparations for war.
First, most of the Kumo envoys were executed, using the excuse of retaliation to ease public outrage. Then, troop mobilization began.
An Anbu team was sent to find Jiraiya, who was busy stalking Orochimaru across the ninja world, and bring him back. Nara Shikaku was appointed as the frontline commander.
Finally, a delegation was dispatched to the Ten Kingdoms to negotiate alliances.
What Konoha currently lacked most was high-end combat power. Kumo was the best at deploying Jinchūriki. If the Eight-Tails and Fourth Raikage came to the front lines, the only person in Konoha who could contend with them was Hiruzen himself.
So Jiraiya had to return.
Over the next few days, the entire village began moving in high gear.
Orders for weapons, explosive tags, soldier pills, and other supplies were issued to merchants. Ninja were constantly seen leaping over rooftops delivering messages.
The first group of troops had already rushed to the front lines under Nara Shikaku's command, with nearly half of them being Hyūga branch members.
Hiashi himself led from the front despite opposition from the clan elders.
"Since I'm the one who caused this mess, I'll be the one to defend the honor of the Hyūga clan!"
"I'll prove that the Hyūga are not just bargaining chips for peace!"
It was said that Hiruzen didn't eat or sleep well for two days after hearing that.
But the one group completely out of step with the rest of Konoha was the Uchiha.
Only Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi from the entire clan participated in the war. The rest showed no reaction.
Their reason? They were in charge of village security.
If they all went to the front, who would protect Konoha?
Uchiha Fugaku knew this attitude was wrong. It would only widen the distance between Uchiha and the rest of the shinobi.
But he lacked the ability—and the courage—to force them to act.
In the end, he had no choice but to send his eight-year-old son Itachi to the battlefield as a kind of sacrifice... a token of loyalty.
On the other side, Fourth Raikage A was furious when only one member of his envoy returned—one-eyed and one-armed.
He immediately summoned a thousand Kumogakure shinobi and led a team to attack the Land of Fire.
The Land of Hot Water, located on the border, became a battleground. Fortunately, Jiraiya couldn't stand being bombarded every day and arrived at the front from the Land of Grass to hold off the Fourth Raikage.
A month later, Yami's team received the order to go to the front.
This time, the messenger was Hatake Kakashi, accompanied by two teammates.
"Yami, from now on, your team will follow my command for a joint mission."
Yami frowned. "Why should I listen to you, not the other way around?"
Kakashi responded flatly, "Because I'm a jōnin, and you're a chūnin. I have full authority over this mission."
Yami's face showed frustration. "Damn workplace oppression. Just wait, Kakashi. When I become a jōnin, I'll order you around."
Yugao and Kurenai couldn't help but laugh.
Kakashi still wore his usual dead-fish-eyed expression. "There's no hierarchy among jōnin. Even if you become one—"
"Then I'll become the Anbu captain!"
Kakashi: "...."
"Let's talk about that when you actually become a jōnin."
Kakashi turned to leave. "Meet at the village gate in half an hour."
Half an hour later, the six-person team officially departed.
This mission wasn't specific. They were forming a six-man elite squad to sweep the battlefield edges, locate isolated Kumo squads, and eliminate them.
The battlefront had extended across dozens of kilometers. Large-scale battles were rare. Most encounters were small skirmishes.
The team moved quickly and entered the Land of Hot Water three days later.
Still dozens of kilometers from the front lines, Kakashi stopped and began conserving strength while assigning tasks.
"Our mission is simple."
"If we encounter a small Kumo squad of six or fewer, engage. If more than six, record their position and avoid contact."
Yami raised a brow. "Can't we raise the threshold a bit?"
"If your combat ability exceeds expectations, sure," Kakashi replied, "but for now, follow this standard."
The team slowed down as they entered the edge of the battlefield.
Originally, Kakashi's two Anbu teammates included a sensory-type ninja. But when he saw that Yami had mastered the "Spirit Wave Illusion Touch Super Sensory Tracking Ultimate Detection Shadow Style" developed by his own teacher Minato, he decisively handed reconnaissance over to Yami.
As Minato's student, Kakashi knew exactly how overpowered that technique was.
In this kind of mountainous terrain, it was even more effective than the Byakugan.
The Land of Hot Water was mountainous, with endless peaks.
It was named for its abundant hot springs.
"When this war's over, I'll take you to the hot springs."
After scanning a 10-mile radius for chakra, Yami smiled at Yugao and Kurenai.
"Ahem! Kid, we're on a mission. Don't talk nonsense."
Before the two girls could answer, one of Kakashi's Anbu coughed and interrupted.
Recognizing the voice, Yugao turned back in surprise. "Hayate Gekko?"
Huh?
Yami blinked and looked toward the masked Anbu.
There had been no communication on the road, so he hadn't realized one of the Anbu following Kakashi was Hayate Gekko.
"Yugao, don't let that brat lead you astray." Hayate spoke harshly.
He and Yugao had been classmates for years, but the whole trip, she had eyes only for this kid and completely ignored him.
"Hayate." Yugao frowned. "Show some respect to my captain. So what if he's young? He doesn't need a second swing to kill you."
"I… cough, cough!" Hayate was so angry he started coughing again. Even Kakashi and the other teammate subtly moved away from him.
Yugao quickly pulled Yami aside. "Be careful, Yami. Hayate has had a lung condition since childhood. It's said to be a side effect of the Gekko clan's bloodline."
Yami nodded and looked at Kakashi with disdain. "You brought a tuberculosis patient on a mission? Planning to infect us all?"
Kakashi looked a bit awkward. "His strength is still decent. He is also suited for sneak attacks."
Yami curled his lip. "The mission's done. Let's separate quickly. If I get sick, you're paying ten times the medical bill."
He then took Yugao and Kurenai to the next hill.
Just as they reached the base, they noticed something off.
There were burn marks and the scent of gunpowder from explosive tags.
The lingering smell meant the enemy had only just left.
Moving forward a bit, Yami spotted traces of six enemies—likely a Kumo patrol unit.
Kakashi started to assign a plan but paused. This could be a good chance to assess Yami and his teammates' strength.
So he just said, "Attack. Let's see who gets the most kills."
When the six Kumo ninja saw enemies emerge from behind the slope, they weren't surprised.
This was the battlefield. Anything could happen. They were always alert.
Three of them immediately began weaving signs. The other three threw ninja tools to disrupt the charge.
Lightning Release: Lightning Wave!
Several laser-like beams shot toward Yami's group.
Kakashi had already activated his Sharingan, preparing to counter using the same jutsu as a signature "Copy Ninja" move, but Yami was faster.
One hand holding his sword, the other forming hand signs.
Wind Release: Suppression!
With his advanced wind nature transformation skills, even this wide-range suppression technique showed terrifying power. The lightning beams were scattered, and the explosive tags and kunai were blown away.
"This kid's Wind Release is too strong. Go in for close combat!"
The Kumo team leader quickly analyzed that Yami was a ninjutsu type and likely weak in close quarters.
He charged in with two teammates for melee combat.
He didn't even glance at the Kusanagi in Yami's hand.
Close combat? Even better.
Yami activated Body Flicker. A Kumo ninja saw a blur—and then eternal darkness.
His teammate attacked in retaliation but saw Yami suddenly appear as the fallen comrade.
Realizing it was a genjutsu, he still hesitated momentarily.
That was all it took. Yami's Kusanagi cut his head clean off, and his other hand completed a seal.
Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!
A stone-sized air bullet pierced through another Kumo ninja's skull.
Kakashi, still locked in a fight, twitched.
He hadn't even finished with his first opponent, and Yami had already taken out three.
"You're fighting me, and you dare get distracted?!"
"Die!"
The Kumo ninja lunged at Kakashi's chest with a kunai. But there was no scream—only numbness.
Zzt!
The Kakashi in front of him turned into lightning and wrapped around his body.
Puff!
The real Kakashi stabbed him through the back.
The final two Kumo ninja didn't last either. One was torn apart by Yami's Wind Release, the other was pierced by Kakashi's Raikiri.
After the battle, Kakashi was gasping for breath.
"Your body's too weak, Kakashi," Yami said. "Take out that eye and hand it to me."
"No thanks," Kakashi panted. "Collect their forehead protectors. You'll need them to tally your contributions. We should get out of this area quickly."
Yugao and the others buried the bodies, grabbed the protectors, and found a cave to hide in and recover their chakra.
Yami shook his head with a sigh. "It's a shame White Fang is gone. There's no one left in Konoha who can spar with me in swordsmanship."
Kakashi, resting nearby, gave him a long stare.
(To be continued.)