History's greatest irony is that strength breeds its owru, the Third Hokage had once written in his personal records.

  Perhaps there truly was merit to the saying: "Things often take a turhey reach their extreme."

  Sis founding, Konoha had stood as the stro power in the ninja world. With the alliance of Hashirama and Madara during its iion, the vilge overwhelmed all opposition.

  However, not long after, the two legendary figures turned against each other, and Madara nearly destroyed the vilge he helped create.

  After Hashirama's death, the First Great Ninja War erupted like a tidal wave across the ninja s.

  This flict wiped out most of the sed-geion leaders of various vilges and inflicted severe losses on the s. As the eye of the storm, Konoha experienced firsthand the sequences of being at the ter of attention.

  The glory of their past victories was matched only by the pain of this war.

  The Sed Great Ninja War saw the rise of civilian-born ninja, but the scale and iy of the battles dwarfed those of the Warring States Period due to the massive increase in ninja poputions across nations.

  During the Third Great Ninja War, Konoha fought on three fronts simultaneously at its darkest hour.

  Just when it seemed peace might finally settle in, disaster struck again.

  Only a year ter, the ails went on a rampage and almost destroyed the vilge. If not for the extraordinary power of an Uchiha, the vilge might have been leveled.

  However, the subsequent sdal involving Danzo revealed the murky depths of Konoha's internal politics.

  Then, the three Sannin parted ways.

  Peace remained elusive.

  The disappearance of the Sannin only reighe ambitions of Konoha's northern neighbor.

  When news of Kumo's southern invasion broke, it spread throughout Konoha within a single day. The high mobility of Konoha's popution and its location in the ti's most prosperion made secreearly impossible.

  By the time Minato received the report, the entire vilge already knew.

  He didn't eveo finish reading the report.

  "The barbarians are ing!" a mert hollered loudly ireets—a voice so pierg it reached the Hokage's office.

  "Keep your voice down!" another snapped back. "You'll start a panic."

  "Too te for that," one civilian called out. "Look at the markets. Prices are already climbing."

  The niame "barbarians" for Kumo ninjas had somehow spread like wildfire over the past six months, as if it were an iious disease. Many in Konoha now referred to Kumo ninjas by this term.

  The name was armingly catchy.

  "Is war truly unavoidable?" Minato mused as he stood by the window, gazing down at the streets below.

  Vilgers filled the streets, discussing the impending flict.

  The Land of Fire, with its fertile nds and unmatched national and military strength, always found itself in a unique predit—it had orial ambitions against others.

  As a result, it was always on the receiving end of invasions. Each atta the Land of Fire meant ata Konoha.

  "Their timing isn't tal," an intelligence officer reported in the aer. "They've been watg, waiting for the Sannin to separate. Our intelligence suggests they've been preparing for months."

  To deter wars, Konoha needed overwhelming strength to maintain its image of invincibility.

  One of Danzo's most critical roles during his lifetime was overseeing intelligence operations across the shinobi world. He used every method at his disposal to eliminate anything that threatened Konoha's deterrent power.

  Even with his efforts, Konoha couldn't avoid the Sed and Third Great Ninja Wars.

  The desire to ihe Land of Fire was a universal ambition for other nations.

  The only question was when, not if.

  The Land of Lightning's hunger for the Land of Fire's territory e. If not for their stant rivalry with the Land of Earth, their military frontations with the Land of Fire would likely have doubled.

  Siaking office, the current Raikage had aggressively expahe military capacity of Kumo.

  After the Third Great Ninja War, where Kumo sustained retively light losses, their military power now nearly rivaled Konoha's.

  Although they lost a Raikage during that war, that Raikage had single-handedly decimated an invading army of ten thousand Iwa ninjas. The battlefield was littered with Iwa corpses, and the survivors developed a sting fear of lightning.

  Now, emboldened by news of the Sannin's disba, the Raikage could no longer suppress his ambitions and unched an invasion against the Land of Fire.

  The Yu ninjas were no match for Kumo forces. In fact, as soon as Kumo's army crossed into the Land of Hot Water, they could crush the defenders within a day.

  The fact that Konoha only learned of this move after Kumo's army had already begun marg south exposed an issue: without Danzo, the vilge's intelligence capabilities had severely deteriorated.

  Over the years, the intelligence division's fions, once trolled exclusively by Root, had faltered, leaving the regur ANBU unprepared and iive in this role.

  For years, the ANBU had grown pt, aced to domestic pead lighter responsibilities.

  This was one of the major sequences of Danzo's death: the sharp dee in Konoha's fn intelligence capabilities.

  Minato now uood the meaning behind one of Danzo's st remarks to him.

  It wasn't about who would do the dirty work; it was about this gap in expertise.

  Despite the same intelligework remaining is effectiveness had plummeted.

  But he didn't dwell on this.

  "Priority level three," Minato said as his fingers brushed against the seal array on his desk—a work of chakra-responsive formations he'd developed after the ails made him realize how vulnerable the vilge's unication system was during a crisis.

  In moments, the sky lit up with precise bursts of chakra—three red, one blue.

  A silent and that every ninja in the vilge knew: immediate mobilization, no active bat.

  The seals verted small amounts of chakra into visible signals that could be seen from any point in the vilge, ensuring orders could be transmitted even if normal unications were promised.

  Through his window, he watched as ANBU teams dispersed across rooftops.

  Below, uniformed in moved through the crowds.

  "The Hokage has anticipated this situation," a young in announced in the market square. "Our defensive preparations are already in pce."

  "What about our children?" a woman called out.

  "The Academy's shelter system has been activated," another in replied from a different er. "All students will begin emergency preparedness courses starting tomorrow m. The training is open to everyone—we have facilities adapted for non-shinobi partits."

  Across the street, the PR division had mobilized its civilian tacts.

  Shopkeepers began posting pre-prepared notices: "BUSINESS AS USUAL—TRUST IN KONOHA'S STRENGTH."

  Markets that had started to empty suddenly found themselves restocked as mert s 'tally' scheduled major deliveries.

  A masked ANBU appeared at Minato's side. "The messengers are ready, Hokage-sama."

  "Inform the heads that their presence is required at the war cil," Minato said. "The future of Konoha requires their wisdom."

  The ANBU vanished.

  The eight major s responded swiftly. Not a single deyed. They moved so quickly that they arrived faster than the Hokage's messengers could return.

  A group of elite jonin and one in raced to the Hokage's office. Their speed made it clear who was most prepared for war.

  Within thirty minutes of the summons, Konoha's stro and most ruthless fighters had gathered in the rge feren ohird floor of the Hokage's office for the war cil.

  Even Hiruzen, semi-retired, attended. "The speed of response is impressive," he noted quietly.

  Among the Uchiha representatives was Masashi, standing with the quiet fidence of someone who had already proven himself in battle.

  The low murmur of voices died as Minato stepped to the head of the table. "Thank you all for responding so quickly," he addressed the gathered representatives. "As you know, Kumo's forces are mobilizing. Our border patrols report signifit troop movements he Land of Lightning's western froheir iions are clear—they mean to start a war."

  He spread the intelligence reports across the table. "Their forces outnumber Yu's defenders five to o their current pace, they'll reach the Land of Hot Water's borders within days."

  Moving to the rge map on the wall, his firaced the border lines. "Based on our analysis of past flicts with Kumo, the primary battlefield will likely be in the Land of Hot Water. Its vast territory and shared border with the Land of Fire makes it the most strategic front."

  "The Land of Frost," he tinued, shifting his attention to the smaller territory, "will serve as their supply route. The daimyō there won't resist the Raikage's demands—their retionship with the Land of Lightning leaves them no choi the matter."

  Hiruzen nodded silently, smoke curling from his pipe as he listeo his successor's assessment.

  "Kumo's strategy will be familiar to those who fought in previous wars. They'll strip the Land of Hot Water of everything valuable—resources, supplies, even civilians."

  "However, their aggressive advance will give us time to position our forces effectively."

  "Now," Minathtened, his gaze sweeping across the room, "let's discuss how we'll deploy our forces in response."

  This "deployment of forces" was essentially a petition among Konoha's major s.

  Having ehree Great Ninja Wars, Konoha's eight major s had grot at navigating the new wartime structure, striking a baween earning military achievements and ensuring their 's survival.

  Far from opposing war, they often relished it. After all, no accodes carried more weight than those earned in a national flict.

  "Regarding the primary offensive assigs, please share your thoughts," Minato announced, signaling the start of the "bidding."

  "The Sarutobi volunteers for the primary offensive!" a jonin from the Sarutobi decred fidently. "Our specializes in Fire Release. When it es t offensives, we have no fear of the Kumo ninja."

  "We've proven ourselves in three wars already."

  The Sarutobi , along with the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi s, traditionally acted as a united bloc.

  "The Nara stands with the Sarutobi," their representative stated, stepping forward.

  "As do the Yamanaka," came another voice.

  "The Akimichi joins this alliaheir head decred, moving to stand beside the others.

  The Aburame 's representative remained silent but adjusted his gsses and stepped forward. The message was clear—if others were piling in, the Aburame wouldn't hold back either.

  Hiruzen, puffing tentedly on his pipe, watched with satisfa. Though Danzo's death had saddened him, the newfound vigor of his lifted his spirits. Once relut to take front-line roles, his ow dispyed an eagerness for bat.

  In his youth, Hiruzen had aggressively pursued key assigs, often g with Danzo over such matters. Now, seeing his 's geion carry oraditiht him fort.

  Still, he had some s. Were these youngsters uimating the Kumo ninja, renowned for their fierd fearless nature?

  heless, with the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi s as allies, things probably wouldn't go too poorly. After all, growth often required fag setbacks.

  "Fire Release? You dare cim that domain from the Uchiha?" Yaku sneered. "Leave that to the Uchiha."

  "Hokage-sama, the main offensive should be handled by the Uchiha and Hyūga s."

  "The Byakugan and Sharingan bination proved effective in the Kiri campaign," the Hyūga representative noted, nodding slightly.

  The Uchiha and Hyūga s, known for their exceptional visual jutsu, were rivals in many respects. Yet on the Kiri battlefield, the two s had demonstrated seamless cooperation.

  "Past victories don't guaraure success," a Sarutobi representative tered.

  The only yet to speak was the Inuzuka. Their representative seemed troubled, knowing that pared to other s, their advantages in this specific mission were limited. Still, they couldn't afford to back down pletely.

  "We'll follow Hokage-sama's instrus," the Inuzuka representative said. "We're ready to go wherever you assign us."

  Standing behind Yaku was Masashi, fnked by Shisui, another key figure in the . As an important member of the Uchiha's bat force, Masashi also had a voi the proceedings.

  Driven by his own ambitions, he stepped forward. "Hokage-sama, I propose f a special operatioo infiltrate the front lines and eliminate isoted Kumo ninjas. My jutsu is perfect for eliminating isoted units."

  "Masashi, I know you're strong," Minato cautioned. "But don't uimate the Kumo ninjas. Their reputation for fearlessness is well-earned—I've faced them myself and vouch for their tenacity."

  "Rest assured, Hokage-sama. I'm cautious and won't endanger myself or my rades," Masashi replied fidently, expressing his gratitude. With respect, Minato, rumors of their fearlessness are just that—rumors.

  The same thing had been said about the Kiri ninjas he faced before. In the beginning, they had indeed been ferocious, but in the end, they had fled faster than anyone else.

  It just went to show that rumors were often unreliable. The more stereotypical the depi, the farther it strayed from reality.

  As soon as Masashi finished, other s eagerly chimed in, highlighting their specialties to justify their suitability for the mission.

  The atmosphere was charged with enthusiasm. At this moment, Konoha feared nothing from Kumo.

  Did Kumo think Konoha's forces had grown weak simply because the Sannin were absent? A swift corre was in order.

  Both Minato and Hiruzen observed the eager volunteers with satisfa.

  In truth, the "bidding" was little more than a ritualistic war cil to boost morale. The battle pns had long been decided.