The qualifying matches on Pokémon Island continued with intense excitement.
Meanwhile, the situation in the ninja world was growing increasingly chaotic and complicated.
In Konoha, at the Hokage Office, a jōnin meeting was taking place.
Nara Shikaku, as the head of the Konoha jōnin team and the future commander-in-chief of the Iwagakure battlefield, was explaining the current state of the ninja world.
"Currently, Iwagakure and Kumogakure have formed an alliance and have dispatched over a thousand ninja to march towards the Land of Fire."
"There have also been reports of Iwagakure ninja appearing in the Land of Wind. It seems that Sunagakure and Iwagakure are exchanging some sort of information in secret. Based on my analysis, the reason Iwagakure and Kumogakure have put aside their differences must be because they feel a deadly threat, and the only threat Konoha poses right now is…"
"Pokémon."
"The situation in Kirigakure remains closed off to outsiders, but it's highly likely that Iwagakure has already shared this information with Sunagakure, using the excuse that Konoha intends to use the power of Pokémon to unify the entire ninja world."
No, that wasn't just an excuse.
Hiruzen and Danzo, sitting quietly nearby, shared a knowing glance but kept silent.
It was something they couldn't say aloud.
Konoha had always been a village advocating peace and harmony—how could they ever admit to such dangerous ambitions?
"They may not actually see Pokémon as a real threat. After all, aside from a few in Konoha and the exchange team, no one knows whether Pokémon will truly grow to become that powerful."
"They're just using it as a pretext, planning to join forces and eliminate Konoha, dividing its lands and resources."
Shikaku analyzed the information from various ninja teams.
Over the past few days, many Konoha ninja had lost their lives while on missions due to clashes with ninja from other villages.
There were even Pokémon that had fallen on the battlefield.
Of course, most ninja didn't bring their young Pokémon on missions.
At this stage, most Pokémon weren't strong enough to be of much use. The ones that died were either passed on to the ninja's family or companions, or they were retrieved by the Pokémon Alliance's security team and taken back to Pokémon Island.
"For at least the next month, we'll have to focus on the two northern battlefronts."
"One is led by Kitsuchi and the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails, commanding over a thousand Iwagakure ninja who have already entered the Land of Grass."
"The other is led by the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, Yugito Nii, and the Storm Release ninja Darui, commanding over a thousand Kumogakure ninja who are now in the Land of Hot Water."
"Although both villages deployed their Jinchūriki immediately, it's clear they're still holding back. The two villages still don't fully trust each other, and in times of war, sneak attacks are not unheard of."
Shikaku spread out the ninja world map, explaining to the gathered jōnin.
While the scale of the current conflict was far smaller than the Third Shinobi World War, this was just the beginning.
Furthermore, during the Third War, the major ninja villages had countless powerful warriors, while now, most of the villages were in a much weaker state historically.
Especially Konoha.
The Three Sannin and Sakumo from the Second War…
One died, one defected, one was crippled, and one went abroad.
In the Third War, Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Kushina, Might Duy, and the entire Uchiha clan…
All wiped out.
As for the next generation of Konoha's Twelve, Naruto and Sasuke had both run off. Even if the others grew up, how much difference could they really make?
Onoki and the Fourth Raikage were still around, and even if the new generation grew stronger, they would still struggle to deal with such powerhouses—not to mention the other villages' Jinchūriki.
Perhaps Lee could inherit Guy's legacy and become someone who could take down Kage-level opponents with a single kick.
But as for the rest…
In this bloodline-centric ninja world, without the blood of the Ōtsutsuki or powerful eyes, reaching the level of a Kage was nearly impossible.
Hyuga Neji might be able to reach "Kage" level strength, but he was a member of the branch family.
The Hyuga main family would never remove his Caged Bird seal.
"With that in mind, Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Kurama, and Guy, you will head to the Land of Hot Water to stop the advance of the Kumogakure ninja."
Hiruzen paused as he said this, then turned to his old companion, "Danzo, you and the Shimura clan will go as well."
The Shimura clan, skilled in Wind Release, was particularly effective against Kumogakure's Lightning Release users.
Historically, Danzo and his Shimura clan had always been active on battlefields against Kumogakure, so this decision was logical.
"Yes." (xN)
"Asuma, you will lead the Sarutobi clan's ninja, along with Kakashi, the Inuzuka, and the Aburame clans, to intercept the Iwagakure ninja in the Land of Grass."
"Yes." (xN)
Ninja from clans like the Hyuga wouldn't all be assigned to one battlefield. The Byakugan's support abilities ensured that Hyuga ninja would be deployed across all battlefronts.
The allocation of forces between the two fronts clearly showed that Hiruzen prioritized the battle against Kumogakure. The combination of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio would unleash tremendous combat power, and even Guy had been sent to this battlefield.
It wasn't surprising.
Iwagakure only had two top-tier combatants: Onoki and the Jinchūriki of the Five-Tails. While there were other strong ninja, they were limited, and the village was facing a shortage of top-tier talent.
Kumogakure, on the other hand, had consistently been the second-strongest village after Konoha.
The Third and Fourth Raikages were monstrous in strength.
And there were the Jinchūriki: Killer Bee of the Eight-Tails and Yugito Nii of the Two-Tails, both competent in using their Tailed Beasts' powers. Killer Bee was even a perfect Jinchūriki.
With such a strong fighting force, Kumogakure couldn't be taken lightly.
This was precisely why Hiruzen assigned his own clan to the Iwagakure battlefield—the losses would be smaller than if they were sent to the other front.
"Elder Mitokado and Elder Koharu will remain in the village to monitor Sunagakure's movements on the western front."
Hiruzen quickly completed all the arrangements.
It was clear that Konoha was once the strongest ninja village. Despite having gone through the Second and Third Wars, they still had so many capable fighters.
With the forces they had allocated to the battlefields against Iwagakure and Kumogakure, Konoha could withstand the enemy's current strength and possibly even more.
But that was the limit.
If Onoki, the Fourth Raikage, and the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki all joined the fight, Konoha would inevitably start to falter.
Even if Mitokado and Koharu entered the battlefield, they could only hold their own for a time, leaving the village defenseless in the rear.
If Sunagakure chose to attack at that point, Konoha would face an unprecedented disaster.
"Send someone to find Tsunade and Jiraiya, and bring them back to the village."
"And send emissaries to Sunagakure to feel out their intentions, stalling them as much as possible."
Hiruzen furrowed his brow deeply.
It was clear he was beginning to realize just how lacking Konoha's high-end combat power had become.
If the other Kage knew about this, they'd want to strike him down right then and there.
Two villages against one, and Konoha was still short on strength?
Hiruzen was simply comparing Konoha now to the Konoha of the past.
If Sakumo Hatake were still around, if the Uchiha clan still existed, especially with leaders like Fugaku and Shisui…
He wouldn't be worried about these two villages. Even if Sunagakure joined the fray, they could hold out long enough for the Pokémon to grow stronger in a month or two.
At that point, Konoha would have the power to unify the entire ninja world.
But now, all of those people were gone…
'It's all Danzo's fault.'
Hiruzen glanced at his old friend with a hint of resentment, seemingly forgetting his own role in turning a blind eye back then.
The jōnin meeting concluded.
Hiruzen pulled his son, Asuma, aside.
"How's your training with Pancham going?"
Hiruzen smiled warmly as he asked.
"Pretty well."
Asuma replied honestly.
"Pancham!"
Pancham popped its head out of Asuma's arms, cheerfully greeting Hiruzen, completely unaware of the old man's cunning nature.
"Asuma, I'm giving you another six months. Can you get Pancham to the level of an elite jōnin by then?"
Hiruzen's expression became serious as his tone sharpened.
"No problem."
Asuma noticed something off in his father's demeanor.
In the past, Hiruzen had never set such a specific goal for him, but now, things seemed different.
However, after exchanging a glance with Pancham and sensing the little one's confidence, Asuma nodded.
"Good."
Hiruzen nodded in return, somewhat relieved. "If Tsunade and Jiraiya agree to return and take the position of Fifth Hokage, that would be ideal. But if they don't... you will."
"Me?! Why—"
Asuma's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't understand why Hiruzen was suddenly suggesting this.
Hiruzen had never even hinted at the idea of Asuma becoming Hokage before. But now, it was brought up out of the blue.
Thinking about it, Asuma realized it had to do with the upcoming Fourth Shinobi World War.
"No matter if Onoki or the Fourth Raikage steps into the fray, I will immediately head to the front lines. I've already prepared myself for death."
Hiruzen took off his Hokage hat and set it on the desk. "This time, there is no room for surrender or negotiation. I don't have much time left, and before I die, I want to do something for Konoha—like the First Hokage and Lord Tobirama did. This battle… it's victory or death."
"Old man…"
The cigarette in Asuma's mouth fell, almost lighting Pancham's head tuft on fire.
He had rarely seen his father like this, the Hiruzen he once idolized as Konoha's "Ninja Hero."
"There are only two possible outcomes to the Fourth Shinobi World War."
"Either Konoha disappears from the ninja world."
"Or Konoha unifies the entire ninja world."
(End of Chapter)
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