"Father, Iwagakure and Sunagakure have sent us a batch of supplies... How can they be so kind? Could it be a conspiracy?" asked Ai, the future Fourth Raikage, suspiciously.
"I don't know, Ai," replied the Third Raikage. "But it doesn't matter. Our village fears no conspiracy."
"This time, Konoha is at war with Ōnoki and the others. It's the perfect time to attack the Fire Country's rear. We can't waste this opportunity!"
Originally, he had planned a surprise attack on the Land of Earth, but after receiving the letter from Ōnoki and the promise of resources from the Land of Fire, he changed his mind and decided to direct his forces towards the Land of Fire.
"Send the troops and attack the Land of Fire! Don't give Konoha a second to breathe!" ordered the Third Raikage.
The Third Raikage personally led three thousand ninjas from Kumogakure into battle, setting off first. Then he left Ai to assist Dodai in leading the next five thousand Kumogakure ninjas.
He wanted to take a piece of territory before Konoha had the chance to react.
Because they traveled light, and the weakest among the three thousand ninjas was a Chūnin, they advanced at an impressive speed.
In just five days, they reached the border between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fire.
They were ready to attack the Land of Fire from the Land of Rice Fields.
After a brief rest, the Third Raikage led the attack into the Land of Fire with his three thousand ninjas.
The Konoha ninjas guarding the border reacted too late. They were annihilated by the cloud ninjas without any survivors, and no information from the ambush was transmitted.
The Third Raikage then led his army deeper into the Land of Fire, looting resources along the way.
The wealth of the Land of Fire made the Third Raikage smile with satisfaction.
By the time Konoha received the news, the Third Raikage had already established a foothold in the Fire Country's territory, taking Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane by surprise.
Homura didn't have time to send a message to Hiruzen on the battlefield, and could only summon the remaining ninjas in the village.
Due to the critical situation, there was no choice but to turn to the Uchiha clan. Homura asked the Uchiha clan commander to take command of the ninja army and lead four thousand Konoha ninjas to face Kumogakure.
Most of those four thousand ninjas belonged to the major clans of Konoha.
At that moment, only a few hundred guardian ninjas remained in Konoha Village. All the others had been sent to battle, marking the village's most vulnerable moment.
Konoha would be in a critical situation if Kirigakure of the Land of Water decided to join the fight against them.
After sending the ninjas to confront Kumogakure, Homura hurried to send an urgent message to Hiruzen.
…
When Hiruzen received the news, the smile instantly vanished from his face. He had been pleased, satisfied that Konoha had managed to suppress the enemy ninjas, but now he felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him.
His good mood evaporated immediately.
Kumogakure had joined the war, and not only that, they had also begun an offensive. Concern took hold of him.
That village is known as the most powerful military village.
How could they win against four thousand ninjas without even having a Kage on their side?
Although it was night, Hiruzen didn't consider the time. He summoned all the high-level combat forces, including the Jōnin from the camp, for an emergency meeting.
"You all already know the details... Let's discuss what to do now!" he said while inhaling deeply from his pipe, trying to hide the sadness on his face.
"Those bastards from Kumogakure! They're just taking advantage of our moment of weakness!" growled Jiraiya angrily.
"We can't divide our troops to support them now," added Orochimaru coldly. "If it weren't for Chen, we'd still be under pressure!"
"Give me a thousand ninjas, and I'll lead them to fight Kumogakure!" said Danzo, standing up.
He knew that if he wanted to become Hokage, he needed an impeccable war record. If he managed to lead Konoha's ninjas and repel Kumogakure's, he would not only gain the village's recognition but also greatly enhance his reputation.
Although Danzo may have had some good intentions...
But no one in the room trusted him. Everyone knew the power of the Third Raikage; even Hiruzen wasn't sure he could defeat him, and Danzo was far from being the right person.
"Unless Chen goes," said Orochimaru, his tone almost disdainful, "no one else can suppress Kumogakure. They not only have the Raikage, but also the Eight Tails."
This seemed to be the only viable option.
Otherwise, even if Hiruzen and Danzo went together, they wouldn't be rivals to the combined power of Kumogakure.
But the big question was: Would Chen be willing to go?
After discussing for more than half the night, they came to an option that everyone agreed upon: send Hyuga Chen to the battlefield against Kumogakure.
And if they wanted Chen to act, there was only one person who could convince him: Tsunade.
…
Early the next morning, Hiruzen shamelessly went to see Tsunade, knowing he had no other choice.
Tsunade agreed to speak with Chen. However, whether Chen decided to go or not was entirely up to him.
Hiruzen nodded in relief. It was better for Tsunade to be the one to talk to him; Chen would never show him any respect directly.
"Did Kumogakure really decide to go to war against Konoha?" asked Chen, looking at Tsunade incredulously.
"That's right," confirmed Tsunade, nodding. "The old man asked me to talk to you, but the decision is entirely yours. If you don't want to go, then simply don't."
Chen stared at her for a few seconds before raising an eyebrow. "And you...?"
"Me?" Tsunade pointed to herself, then sighed and said, "Honestly, I'd prefer you go," she admitted.
"Even though I'm ready to leave Konoha once the war is over, I don't want Konoha to be destroyed before that. I still care enough to want to protect it... at least for now." Her eyes reflected the seriousness of her words.
"Then I'll go dance," said Chen with an indifferent smile. "Anyway, I need to collect the chakra of the Eight Tails from Kumogakure." As he spoke, he slowly got up from the bed.
"Thank you, Chen!" said Tsunade, looking at him, moved.
Chen looked at her and shook his head, approaching her. "Do we still need to thank each other?" He asked as he leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead.
Tsunade's face turned red instantly, and her eyes drifted to Mikoto and Kushina, who were in the background, laughing together. Konan, who was in Kushina's arms, covered her eyes with her hands but peeked through her fingers. Tsunade gritted her teeth, wanting to hit Chen out of embarrassment.
"This time, when I go to Kumogakure's battlefield, I'll take Konan with me. Mikoto and Kushina will stay here together," said Chen softly, looking at them. "That way, I can be at ease."
With Mikoto's Susanoo and her Mangekyō Sharingan abilities, along with Kushina's offensive power and her Magu Magu Fruit, he knew they could take care of themselves.
"Alright! I've wanted to go to the battlefield for a long time!" Kushina exclaimed excitedly.
"Chen, please be careful," said Mikoto quietly.
"If things get bad, just retreat. For me, Konoha's position means nothing compared to you. If you're in danger, leave," said Tsunade with a serious expression, taking Chen's hand.
"Don't worry," replied Chen with a confident smile. "Don't you know my strength by now? Even if the Sage of Six Paths himself were here, he'd have to kneel and beg for mercy."
________
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