At the outermost border of the Earth Country, the atmosphere was grim. Obito and Black Zetsu stood silently on a high ridge, watching from the shadows. Below them, the battlefield was scattered with fallen Iwagakure (Rock Shinobi) bodies. The Cloud Shinobi had just launched a successful surprise attack, wiping out the stationed border patrols in mere minutes.
Black Zetsu grinned with twisted satisfaction. "So it begins," he murmured. The seeds of discord they had planted had taken root. The war between Cloud Shinobi and Rock Shinobi had officially ignited, just as they hoped.
Not only had they triggered open conflict between two of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, but they had also taken the Four-Tails from Iwagakure. With these two events, the chaos would ripple throughout the entire ninja world.
"Even if the other villages don't join the fight," Black Zetsu said, watching the smoke rise from the ruined outpost, "this conflict will stretch their resources. It will ease the pressure on Rain Shinobi Village and let Akatsuki act more freely. With more war, more death, more despair... more recruits will come to us."
Obito remained silent for a moment, his orange mask facing the battlefield. After a long pause, he said, "Nagato is no longer a problem. But what about the Uchiha threats in Konoha?"
Black Zetsu nodded. "Yes, it's time to consider that. Uchiha Itachi has Amaterasu, a powerful flame that burns anything. If you're caught off guard, even your Kamui won't save you. And don't forget Uchiha Kamasu—his genjutsu is almost impossible to detect. But the worst is Uchiha Andrew. His Mangekyō Sharingan can activate across dimensions, no need for eye contact or location. Only one eye won't protect you."
Obito clenched his fists slightly. Black Zetsu was right. Their last mission to steal Kakashi's Sharingan had failed because of Andrew's interference. Obito had hesitated too—he still couldn't bring himself to hurt Kakashi, his old friend.
Black Zetsu, of course, couldn't understand such sentiment. As far as he was concerned, Obito was a pawn that needed to be stronger—nothing more.
"I know," Obito replied coldly. "But now isn't the time. Let the war begin first. Then... we'll move on Konoha."
---
Meanwhile, in Konoha, inside the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked grimly at the scroll in front of him. It was a proposal from Uchiha Andrew, approved by the village council, to support large-scale rural revitalization.
"All the projects he approved benefit the village," Utatane Koharu said, fuming. "But he's diverted all the funding from our supporters! What about the clans backing us?"
"Don't ask me," Hiruzen snapped. "The Sarutobi clan is in chaos. Without funding, we can't survive!"
In hindsight, focusing solely on military strength while ignoring economic development had been a mistake. Now, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, who had been building industries and growing crops, were thriving. The Sarutobi? Sinking.
He could already picture the near future—task boards getting cleared instantly, hundreds of shinobi lining up outside the mission hall, desperate for income. Without clan stipends, they would have no choice but to rely on dangerous missions just to survive.
Konoha's problems were being solved… but Hiruzen's problems were just beginning.
---
Far away, in Cloud Shinobi Village's war room, Fourth Raikage sat on a high seat, his arms crossed. Samui entered quickly and knelt.
"Sir Raikage, all border patrols have been eliminated. Iwagakure hasn't responded yet."
The Raikage grunted. His forces had circled around, entering from the sea to avoid detection. Ohnoki, the Stone Village's Tsuchikage, was a crafty old man, always on guard. But this time, they'd caught him off guard.
"Good," the Raikage said. "Now we wait for Lady Yugito (Two-Tails) and Tutai's squad to signal. When they're in position, we strike."
He wasn't as reckless as people thought. He had a plan—strike Iwagakure hard and fast, cripple their forces, and grab all the resources they could. Then, they could slowly bleed them dry.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A massive explosion shattered the silence. The protective barrier at Iwagakure's southwestern wall was ripped apart in flames, and the force of the explosion destroyed nearby buildings. One-quarter of Iwagakure was instantly reduced to rubble.
A massive shadow loomed in the smoke—Eight-Tails Gyūki had arrived.
"That's Cloud Shinobi's tailed beast!"
"They've gone mad! They used the Eight-Tails as a weapon?!"
"Bastards! Sneak attacking us in the middle of the night!"
Iwagakure was in chaos. Shinobi scrambled to evacuate civilians while others rushed toward the beast, trying to push it back. The sheer size of the Eight-Tails crushed buildings with every step.
In the Tsuchikage residence, Ohnoki jumped out of bed, staring at the red glow outside his window.
"Damn Cloud Shinobi! You dare attack with a tailed beast?! You think I'm that easy to push around?!" he roared, throwing on his robes.
He immediately began organizing resistance and evacuation. But he didn't rush out to fight just yet. It was strange—the Cloud Shinobi army hadn't appeared yet. Only one beast had arrived.
Could it be a trap?
Ohnoki gritted his teeth. "I shouldn't have let our Jinchūriki leave the village. One would have been enough to counter this."
"Tsuchikage-sama! Another tailed beast! It's the Two-Tails! They've sent both Jinchūriki!"
"What?! Has the Fourth Raikage lost his mind?!" Ohnoki slammed his fist against the desk. "No one uses two tailed beasts for an opening move! What happened to strategic deterrence?!"
Back outside, the two giant beasts rampaged through the streets, knocking down towers and flattening training grounds. Cloud Shinobi had declared full war.
From a nearby cliff, Fourth Raikage watched the destruction with cold satisfaction. Ohnoki had still not shown himself.
"Old man's still hiding, huh?" he muttered. "Fine. Then I'll drag him out myself."
He activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his entire body covered in a crackling aura of blue electricity. In an instant, he became a blur of motion—blasting straight toward the Tsuchikage Building.
No one could stop him. The elite guards were smashed aside, unable to keep up with his sheer speed and power.
---
Cloud Shinobi's strategy was clear.
They had sent their main force to attack and destroy Iwagakure's infrastructure—food stores, weapon depots, research labs, scroll archives. A second unit, led by elite ninja like Tutai, searched for rare resources and strategic data.
It wasn't about just defeating Rock Shinobi in battle.
It was about breaking their will, their economy, their survival.
"You can't fight a war if you don't have food."
"You can't make weapons if you have no metal."
"You can't replace your troops if you can't train them."
This was Fourth Raikage's full plan—total war. Not just a battlefield fight. A war to break Rock Shinobi's back for good.
If he got the chance to kill Ohnoki and avenge his father, even better.
---
As dawn broke over the ruined village, Iwagakure's defenses finally began to stabilize. Reinforcements arrived. Jōnin rallied the Genin and Chūnin. Medics worked furiously.
But the damage had been done.
Two tailed beasts had razed a quarter of the village. Their food storage had been looted. Their weapon depots were on fire.
Ohnoki finally emerged onto the rooftop of the Tsuchikage Building—just in time to meet the charging Raikage in a head-on clash.
The sky itself seemed to crack as two Kage collided, the force shaking the mountain under their feet.
The Third Great Ninja War was history. This was the beginning of something far worse.
--------------------------------------------------
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------