"The tide of the new era is ultimately unstoppable."
"The collapse of Konoha may be the birth pain necessary to break the old deadlock and drive change."
"The Third Hokage-sama... although over the years he has made many decisions that seem senile, compromised, even wrong to me, he was, after all, Konoha's Hokage, devoting his life to this village. To end in such a way..."
Minato didn't continue, just let out a long, heavy sigh.
In that sigh, there was regret, there was sorrow, and perhaps a trace of desolation.
Kushina lifted her head from behind him, pressing the side of her face against Minato's back.
"Hmph." She let out a soft snort, her tone carrying indignation: "If that night of the Nine-Tails Attack, it had been him who used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to seal the Nine-Tails, then maybe... all these upsetting things that followed wouldn't have happened! Naruto and Menma wouldn't have either..."
"Kushina." Minato raised his voice slightly, interrupting his wife's somewhat agitated words.
He turned around, gently cradled Kushina's face in his hands, looked into her somewhat excited gray eyes, his own gaze gentle and firm.
"Assuming and dwelling on the past is meaningless now."
"The Third Hokage-sama had his considerations, his own difficulties."
Minato's tone was very calm. The bloody night thirteen years ago, the tragedy that changed everything, the delayed reinforcements of Hiruzen, had left Minato no time to make other choices.
But as time passed, after learning more truths upon his 'revival', as Menma revealed to him the vast panorama of the Ninja World's future and the threat of the Otsutsuki, the sting of this thorn seemed to be covered and dissolved by a heavier sense of mission.
"As Menma said, the old era is about to end, and a new era must be born."
"And the Fourth Great Ninja War will be the birth pain and baptism of the transition between the old and new orders. The Konoha Crush Plan is the fuse for this great war."
Minato's gaze returned to the window, looking out at the bustling streetscape of the Star City, and beyond to the vast territory of the Land of Stars.
"It's just... Konoha, after all, is the hometown that raised me, the place where Naruto, Menma, and I were born and grew up. Watching it sink into the flames of war... my heart cannot be without ripples."
Just then, the heavy door to the office was gently knocked upon, then silently slid inward.
Two figures, one after the other, walked in with steady steps.
Leading the way was Hikari. She wore a dark blue high-collared clan outfit, with the Uchiha Clan's flame and fan emblem embroidered on the back. Her long black hair fell like a waterfall, and she wore a simple, elegant golden hairband on her forehead.
Following closely behind was a gentle-tempered, slightly older Kanon.
She wore a red everyday outfit suitable for movement, her red long hair tied in an elegant bun at the back of her head, a warm and capable smile on her face.
The two stopped a few steps in front of Minato and Kushina and bowed slightly with respect.
"Minato-sama, Kushina-sama." They said in unison.
Minato released his hands cradling Kushina's face, turned to face them, and revealed a warm smile that made people feel like a spring breeze, though deep within that smile, a trace of fatigue and heaviness remained.
Kushina also composed her emotions, standing beside Minato, nodding to Hikari and Kanon.
"Hikari, Kanon, you're here." Minato's voice regained its calmness as a leader.
"How are things?"
Hikari stepped forward and reported first: "Minato-sama, the Supreme Command entered first-level combat readiness twelve hours ago, as per the predetermined plan. All personnel on leave have been recalled, standing units have entered designated combat readiness areas, and supply distribution channels are unobstructed."
She paused slightly, as if consulting data in her memory, then continued: "As of now, the Land of Stars' active-duty military force totals 34,500 personnel."
"Among them, the First, Second, and Fifth main force units have completed pre-war mobilization and supply distribution. They are deployed on the western front at the border of the Land of Rivers, the northern front at the border of the Land of Earth, and the eastern coastal strategic locations, respectively."
"The Third and Fourth units are serving as reserves, stationed in key domestic areas."
"The Land of Stars' Police Force has 12,000 active-duty armed police officers. They have fully taken over public security and defense duties for all major cities, transportation hubs, strategic facilities, and border checkpoints within the country, and have entered a wartime coordination state, ready to support the front lines or respond to internal emergencies at any time."
"Furthermore, based on the third echelon established under the 'Land of Stars National Defense Mobilization Law' and compulsory military service system, the National Reserve Force currently has a mobilizable registered strength of 33,500 personnel."
"They have completed basic military training and are equipped with necessary individual gear. They can assemble within 72 hours of receiving orders and be deployed to reinforce front-line units or perform second-line defense and logistics tasks."
Hikari finished her report, nodded slightly, and stepped back half a pace.
Her report was concise, precise, with detailed data, fully demonstrating her intimate knowledge of the military's situation.
Minato listened quietly, quickly assessing in his mind.
The structure of the Land of Stars' armed forces was a 'trinity' system meticulously designed by Menma.
The first echelon, the regular military force, was the absolute core and sharp blade. Composed of professionally trained Ninja who had undergone rigorous selection and systematic training, as well as some elites absorbed and reorganized from the former Sunagakure, they had the best equipment, the strictest training, and undertook the main frontal battlefield, assault, mobile operations, and strategic tasks.
The second echelon, the Police Force, was the shield for maintaining domestic stability, handling daily public security, border control, and responding to low-intensity conflicts.
Its main backbone were also Ninja. Although most members needed to possess Ninja qualifications, they focused more on law enforcement, patrol, reconnaissance, and rapid response, with equipment primarily consisting of standard scientific ninja tools and light equipment.
In wartime, they could quickly be transformed into an important auxiliary military force, replenishing combat losses of the front-line regular forces.
The third echelon, the National Reserve Force, was the true manifestation of the Land of Stars' war potential and the product of Menma's philosophy of 'total national defense, integrating military with the people'.
Through a compulsory military service system and periodic military training, all able-bodied young adults within the country with the talent for Chakra Refinement were incorporated into the national defense system.
In peacetime, they were farmers, workers, merchants, students. Once war required it, after a brief training and arming, they could quickly form a reserve force of considerable scale with some combat effectiveness.
Although their individual skills and equipment couldn't compare to the regular army, their vast numbers, familiarity with the local terrain, and will to defend their homeland were enough to make them a reliable force for wearing down the enemy and performing garrison and logistics tasks.
In just a few short years, from establishing a comprehensive education, research, and industrial system, to obtaining development dividends from annexing the Land of Wind and Sunagakure, to implementing compulsory military service, the Land of Stars had quietly incorporated approximately 80,000 qualified personnel, initially screened from its 50 million population, into its war machine.
This didn't even count the broader population that had also received basic militia training.
The Land of Stars' war potential was already enough to take on alone the entire Ninja World!
"80,000 mobilizable troops..." Minato murmured, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.
"According to Menma's previous simulations and assessments by the intelligence department, the maximum number of Ninja the other four great nations and other smaller Ninja Villages could mobilize when facing a threat to their existence is also around 80,000 to 100,000."
"Moreover, their internal contradictions are numerous, their command chaotic, their supply difficult. In terms of quality, our army possesses more advanced scientific ninja tools, a more unified command system, more efficient supply capabilities, and..."
He glanced at Hikari beside him, not finishing the sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.
The Land of Stars also possessed beyond conventional Kage-level combat power like Hikari and Shisui, as well as a group of emerging Ninja like Toneri, Kimimaro, Haku, and Yusuke.
Hikari stepped forward half a pace and added: "Minato-sama, 80,000 is the current total number of registered, trained qualified personnel. If the war scale expands further and we are under enormous pressure, necessitating extreme mobilization, theoretically, within three months, we could expand the conscription range to all citizens aged 15-40 with basic Chakra, rapidly expanding total troop strength to 100,000, even 150,000. However..."
She paused.
"Large-scale expansion would not only affect domestic livelihoods and cause a decline in industrial output, but also lead to a sharp decline in the quality of new recruits, severely insufficient training time, and a huge gap in equipment supply, significantly diminishing combat effectiveness."
"Unless absolutely necessary, this option is not recommended."
"Hikari-sama's concerns are very pertinent." Kanon also stepped forward at this time, taking over the conversation.
"On the Government Affairs Department's side, we have also made comprehensive preparations according to the emergency response plans of the [National Emergency Law] and the [Wartime Control Regulations]. Once Menma-sama formally declares the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the Land of Stars' state apparatus will complete a full transition from peacetime to wartime within 12 hours."
Her voice was full of confidence and anticipation: "All industrial production will prioritize military needs... strategic materials will be placed under a rationing system... the transportation network will be uniformly scheduled by the military... financial markets and prices will be subject to temporary controls... public opinion and propaganda will fully shift towards serving the war..."
"In short, every bit of manpower, material resources, and financial resources of the Land of Stars will operate efficiently for the supreme goal of 'unifying the Ninja World and ending the era of chaos'."
"We have the confidence and the ability to support a large-scale, prolonged war."
"Ten years of accumulation by the Land of Stars is not for seeking refuge in a corner, but for this very moment!"
Minato looked at these two outstanding female Ninja, who could be called his right and left hands, and complex feelings welled up in his heart.
With them assisting, he could relatively easily handle the vast state affairs of the Land of Stars.
'That kid Menma, although he often acted like a hands-off boss, had a truly sharp eye for people. I really have no idea where he found these excellent Ninja under his command.'
"Very good." Minato nodded, a smile of approval and relief appearing on his face: "With you here, I am very reassured."
"Menma entrusted the Land of Stars to me. I absolutely cannot let him down, nor can I let down the people who follow us and believe we can end this thousand years of chaos."
He turned again to face the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside the window, the bustling, thriving Star City was bathed in the warm sunlight, completely different from any other country Minato had seen in the first twenty years of his life!
This is a new era!
"Now—" Minato's voice was very soft, his gaze heavy with anticipation as he looked towards the southeast.
"We just wait for news from Konoha."