Chapter 47: The Second Great Ninja War Begins
Inside the conference room—
After the clan heads departed, only the Konoha leadership remained: the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the two elder advisors.
Tap, tap... The Third lightly tapped the table with two fingers to draw Danzo's attention before casually asking, "You were unusually quiet today."
Danzo let out an awkward laugh, looking slightly uncomfortable.
Normally, he wouldn't even need the Hokage's signal—he'd already be verbally tearing into the Uchiha Clan Head, asserting his usual hardline stance.
But this time, Danzo felt he had gained such an advantage with Li Yao that he didn't want to steal the spotlight. So he ignored the Third's hints and remained quiet.
Of course, he couldn't tell Hiruzen that.
So he simply replied, "Maybe I'm just tired lately."
The Third shook his head. He didn't believe that for a second—Danzo was definitely hiding something. But now wasn't the time to pry. The situation with Sunagakure was far more pressing.
"Danzo, I'm assigning you to handle secret negotiations with Hanzō the Salamander," the Third said sternly. "We absolutely cannot allow Amegakure to support Sunagakure's plan. That's the bottom line. If you can persuade them to side with us, even better."
Danzo replied, "Understood."
The Third turned to Koharu and Homura. "I'll leave the Daimyō to the two of you."
Given the current crisis, Konoha needed to inform the Fire Daimyō and reaffirm their commitment to stopping Sunagakure's insanity. It was also a perfect chance to request an increase in funding.
A golden opportunity to ask for money—one the Third had no intention of missing.
Koharu and Homura nodded. "We know what to do, Hiruzen."
Konoha began taking calculated steps to respond to Sunagakure's mad scheme.
But before any of them could be implemented—
Another explosive development—one that shook the entire shinobi world.
That very night—
The Land of Whirlpools, founded by the Uzumaki Clan, was annihilated in a single night.
No one knew who was responsible. No faction stepped forward to claim it.
But everyone knew: only a power on the scale of a great hidden village could destroy an entire nation in such silence.
Despite denials from the other four nations—Kumo, Kiri, Suna, and Iwa—nobody believed them.
The fall of Uzushiogakure marked the first complete destruction of a nation since the Warring States era. Its impact rippled across the world.
Especially among the smaller nations caught between the great powers—they now all felt an intense sense of impending doom.
Armament!
They had to militarize—aggressively.
In that moment, every small country awakened to reality. No more wishful thinking. If they didn't want to end up like the Land of Whirlpools, they needed to grow stronger, and fast. They had to make their presence felt, instill fear in their enemies.
The shinobi world officially entered a phase of frenzied militarization, a prelude to all-out war. The only question left was—
Who would strike first?
Most believed it would be Konoha.
After all, Sunagakure's plan threatened the Land of Fire's lifeblood. And now their closest ally, the Land of Whirlpools, had just been wiped off the map. Konoha had every reason to start the war.
But to everyone's surprise, the first to ignite the flames of the Second Great Ninja War—
Wasn't the Land of Fire.
Nor was it any of the other great nations.
It was the Land of Rain, sitting between the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind, that lit the match.
In a move that stunned the entire world, Hanzō the Salamander—Demigod of the Shinobi World—formally declared war on Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure on behalf of Amegakure.
How dare he?
How could Amegakure be this bold?
Countless shinobi were dumbfounded, unable to comprehend Hanzō's decision.
The three great nations didn't understand either.
Nor did their hidden villages.
Was Amegakure seriously picking a fight?
Did Hanzō really believe that being a "demigod" made him equal to the actual God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju?
That was delusional.
Hashirama had ended centuries of war with his own strength. He defeated Uchiha Madara—the Shinobi of Legend.
How could Hanzō compare?
What was he trying to prove—by declaring war on three great villages simultaneously?
Whatever the reason, Hanzō's actions officially started the war.
And it turned out to be far messier than anyone expected.
What everyone thought would be a three-village assault on Amegakure—
Quickly devolved into chaotic four-way warfare.
Sunagakure went to war with Konoha, Iwa, and Ame.
Konoha fought Suna, Iwa, and Ame.
Iwagakure did the same—engaged on three fronts.
The Land of Rain became the main battlefield for this four-village conflict.
And elsewhere, Sunagakure and Konoha opened a second front in the Land of Rivers.
…
Soon—
It was Summer, Year 38 in Konoha.
After a year of battle among the Lands of Fire, Earth, Wind, and Rain—
The smaller nations caught in between also began waging war.
They saw an opportunity—while the great nations were distracted, they could seize territory and elevate themselves.
The shinobi world descended further into chaos. Most of its nations fell into conflict.
Of the five great nations, only the Land of Lightning and Land of Water remained uninvolved.
But they weren't idle.
They watched hungrily, waiting for the chance to bite off the juiciest piece of the shinobi world.
No one underestimated them. The three great nations made preparations in case they struck.
Especially Konoha, which had long been eyed by the Land of Lightning.
A special force led by Elder Homura was deployed to the Lightning Country border to monitor Kumogakure.
On the coast facing the Land of Water, Elder Koharu led another team to guard against Kirigakure.
In the Land of Rivers, the Nara Clan Head led elite forces—among them Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake—in battle against Suna's elder Chiyo and her puppet corps.
And in the fiercest front—the Land of Rain—Danzo led Konoha's main army, including the future Sannin, the Hyūga Clan, and other top-tier shinobi.
Multi-front warfare, plus defense against Kumo and Kiri.
Konoha's forces were stretched thin.
But—
The Uchiha Clan remained fully intact, still not deployed.
The Sarutobi Clan's elite guard, meant to protect the Hokage, also retained much of its strength.
And then there were the true monsters still inside the village:
The Third HokageMito Uzumaki, host of the Nine-TailsThe Uchiha Clan Head
Three Kage-level powers.
Not to mention Root and ANBU had left sufficient forces to protect the village.
Other clans had also left behind elite members.
All told, Konoha still had more strength left than any small nation could ever dream of.
This was the terrifying might of the Hidden Yuzu —the strongest village in the shinobi world.
Anyone foolish enough to think Konoha was "undefended" now…
Would be crushed.
And yet, the question remained—
Were there fools out there?
Yes.
Two groups, in fact.
(END CHAPTER)
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