The meeting room inside the Hokage Tower was silent when Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke. His expression was unusually heavy. Several jōnin, squad leaders, and select operatives stood in front of him, among them Sakumo, Shanks, and two masked ANBU.
Hiruzen closed his eyes for a moment before opening the announcement:
"From today onward, Konoha officially enters a state of war."
No one reacted immediately. The room had been expecting it, hearing the tension growing at the borders day after day, but hearing it spoken aloud made something in the chest tighten. Even Shanks, who always approached everything with an air of indifference, narrowed his eyes.
Hiruzen continued:
"Iwa has begun large-scale operations against our trade routes and border posts. Reports confirm that Sunagakure is taking advantage of the chaos. Diplomatic solutions have failed. Every division is being mobilized."
He placed his pipe aside and looked around the room.
"Konoha will prepare at once. Supply chains, troops, medical stations, forward camps—it all starts now."
He turned his gaze toward Sakumo:
"Hatake Sakumo, you will be leading one of the first deployment battalions to the northern front."
Sakumo nodded without hesitation.
Then Hiruzen looked at Shanks.
"Akagami Shanks. Due to… your unique abilities, your deployment will be flexible. Expect rapid reassignment depending on battlefield changes."
Shanks shrugged lightly.
'War or not, I still prefer drinking at the bar,' he thought, but didn't say it aloud.
Finally, Hiruzen turned to Minato, who stood straight, no emotion visible.
"Namikaze Minato. You are assigned to frontline ANBU operations. Full approval—Sakumo has already signed off."
Minato bowed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly, looking older than he had moments before.
"Dismissed."
War spread through the village faster than any rumor.
Crates of rations stacked along the streets. Blacksmiths worked endlessly; sparks lit up open windows at night. Medical teams prepared fresh supplies. Entire teams vanished from the village gates during the night, sent to establish forward camps.
Even civilians felt it. Markets got quieter. Families hurried to finish their shopping before nightfall. Children were ushered inside and windows closed earlier than usual. Konoha was now a military machine, every cog turning at full speed.
Shanks walked through the main road, hands in his pockets, observing everything calmly.
'So this is war preparation… Looks more like a funeral that hasn't happened yet.'
Minato walked beside him. He wasn't speaking, but Shanks could sense his thoughts—tension, pressure, expectations he placed on himself.
"You nervous?" Shanks asked casually.
Minato shook his head.
"No. Just… focused."
Shanks smirked.
"Focused is just nervous with better acting."
Minato cracked a faint smile, but didn't argue.
That afternoon, both of them were summoned again—this time by the ANBU logistics division.
A masked captain unfurled a scroll on the desk.
"We are sending a supply caravan to Forward Base Three near the border. You two will escort them to ensure they arrive safely."
Minato blinked.
"A supply escort?"
The captain nodded.
"Konoha has already suffered two failed transports in the last ten days. Iwa is targeting our logistics. If supplies stop arriving, the northern division collapses."
Minato fell silent. Shanks leaned back lazily.
"So what exactly are we escorting? Food? Medical packs?"
"And intelligence reports," the captain added. "Confidential ones. If they fall into enemy hands, we lose more than supplies."
That changed the tone immediately.
The captain finished:
"You depart at dawn."
The next morning, five wagons and fourteen shinobi assembled at the northern gate. The weather was gray, the wind sharp. Shanks arrived last, as usual, yawning.
The squad leader frowned.
"You're late."
Shanks pointed lazily at the rising sun.
"Not too late."
Minato sighed discreetly—by now he was used to it.
The formation set off. Three hours of travel passed without incident. Conversation was minimal, the atmosphere tense. Everyone knew Iwa had ambush units scattered through these forests.
Shanks walked with his hands behind his head.
'They're out there. My Observation Haki can feel five, maybe six… hiding about a kilometer ahead.'
But he said nothing yet. If they struck too early, the enemy would scatter and regroup. Better to let them think their ambush was undetected.
Minato, on the other hand, was analyzing the terrain silently, muscles tense. He could feel something was wrong, even without Shanks' abilities.
Finally, Shanks sighed.
"Minato," he said without lowering his voice, "your hand is already hovering near your kunai pouch. Relax, they're close but not attacking yet."
Minato blinked.
"You sensed them?"
Shanks pointed lazily at the treeline.
"They're waiting for all of us to enter the kill zone."
The squad leader overheard them and froze.
"What—!? Enemy forces!?"
The moment the words left his mouth—
A rain of kunai erupted from the forest.
The convoy scattered instantly.
"Defend the wagons!"
"Medical crates in the back—protect them!"
Eight Iwa shinobi burst from the trees and attacked in coordinated formation. Their hit squad was skilled—fast, silent, striking at weak points.
The first clash began with Minato.
An Iwa jōnin lunged at him with a kunai. Minato barely dodged, his body moving on instinct honed under Sakumo's training. Sparks flashed as steel met steel.
The jōnin grinned.
"You're fast, boy. But too green."
Minato breathed slowly, analyzing the opponent's footing.
Then he stepped forward—and vanished.
A flash.
Before the jōnin even realized what happened, Minato reappeared behind him, striking the side of his neck with a kunai handle to knock him unconscious.
He hit the ground instantly.
The surrounding Konoha shinobi froze for half a second.
"What speed—!?"
Minato didn't bask in the reaction. He immediately turned to intercept another attacker heading toward the supply wagon.
Shanks, meanwhile, stood in the middle of the battlefield, watching with mild annoyance.
"Eight enemies. And they sent them for crates of bandages and dried fish. Hard times indeed."
Two Iwa chunin rushed toward him. Shanks didn't even draw a weapon. His eyes flashed—his Observation Haki reading their attacks before they even moved.
The first struck.
Shanks leaned slightly and the blade passed five centimeters from his cheek.
The second lunged.
A lazy kick to the stomach sent him crashing into a tree.
The fight lasted five seconds.
Around them, Konoha forces stabilized and coordinated. With Minato's speed piercing their formation and Shanks eliminating attackers one by one, the Iwa squad rapidly lost control of the ambush.
Minutes later, the last enemy fled into the woods, injured and terrified.
"Re-establish formation!" the squad leader shouted. "Prepare for pursuit!"
But Shanks tapped him on the shoulder.
"No need. The rest of the Iwa team already withdrew."
Minato approached, slightly out of breath.
"That was fast."
Shanks smirked.
"For me or for the ambush?"
Minato didn't answer.
The convoy resumed travel and reached Forward Base Three without further incident. The supplies were delivered, documents handed over, and the wounded transferred to medical tents.
Before departure, the base commander approached them.
"You two… good work. You prevented a collapse in this sector."
Minato bowed respectfully. Shanks waved casually and walked on, uninterested in formalities.
On the way back, Minato looked at the horizon—dark clouds gathering.
"This is only the beginning."
Shanks nodded once.
'War has finally started.'
They continued walking, the sound of distant thunder echoing across the land.
The Second Shinobi War had begun.