Alliance Year 2, February 27th—just three days before the end of the group stages. Meanwhile, the tension in the ninja world had reached a boiling point.
The cause of the Fourth Great Ninja War wasn't all that different from the Third. At least on the surface, the reasoning was similar:
"Konoha has disrupted the balance."
The sudden appearance of numerous young "summoned beasts" within Konoha had alarmed both Kumogakure and Iwagakure. They speculated that Konoha must have struck some sort of deal with a powerful summoning realm. Fearing that Konoha's future strength would far surpass theirs, they decided to strike first.
Of course, some believed the true reason was simple jealousy of Konoha's prime location and resources.
In terms of scale, this war could never match the Third Great Ninja War. Back then, the four villages of Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure had formed an alliance to attack Konoha.
However, Kirigakure and Sunagakure were already crippled when the war began—Kirigakure was trapped in civil unrest, and Sunagakure had lost their Third Kazekage. Iwagakure and Kumogakure did most of the fighting, though Kirigakure and Sunagakure still contributed somewhat on the battlefield.
This time, however, Kirigakure had cut off all external communication, and Sunagakure had no intention of getting involved—especially since Danzo had already been sent to stir up conflict between them and Amegakure.
Even if Kirigakure wasn't embroiled in internal issues, they might not join this war. The Third Great Ninja War had been a massive loss for both Kirigakure and Iwagakure.
Kirigakure lost the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, which was minor compared to their real loss—the Three-Tails. Though the Three-Tails had since returned to the body of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, the circumstances surrounding this were known only to him.
Iwagakure, on the other hand, lost over 10,000 ninja during the Third War, devastating their forces. Even the gains made by killing the Third Raikage came at a tremendous cost.
In this current conflict, only Kumogakure and Iwagakure were actively mobilizing against Konoha. Even so, that alone was enough to strain Konoha's forces, as their military strength had been greatly diminished since the last war.
The Nine-Tails attack had killed the Fourth Hokage and left Konoha vulnerable to a Kumogakure strike, leading to three years of constant battle. Konoha had been reduced to a shadow of its former self.
Much of the chaos surrounding the last war could be traced back to Uchiha Obito's manipulation of events, a factor that still lingered in the shadows.
...
In Iwagakure...
"Is it true that neither A nor B from Kumogakure have gone to the front lines?" Onoki asked, his face stern as he questioned the intelligence ninja beside him.
This was something he couldn't afford to overlook.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Onoki had agreed with the Third Raikage to jointly attack Konoha. But the Raikage had later made peace with Konoha, leaving Onoki's forces vulnerable. This betrayal led to the deaths of over 10,000 Iwagakure ninja.
The grudge between Kumogakure and Iwagakure had remained ever since.
As long as the Fourth Raikage, A, or Killer Bee remained out of the front lines, Onoki had no intention of leaving Iwagakure himself. He feared a repeat of the past—a sudden attack from Kumogakure.
Iwagakure's forces were now far weaker than Kumogakure's, which still boasted two jinchūriki and many surviving ninjas from the last war. Iwagakure, on the other hand, had only Onoki, their Third Tsuchikage, and Han, their jinchūriki of the Five-Tails. They had lost their jinchūriki of the Four-Tails, Roshi, who had left the village.
While large-scale battles involving tens of thousands of soldiers might be common in the maritime world, in the ninja world, such numbers were rare. Even in the Fourth Great Ninja War, the five major villages could only muster around 80,000 ninjas combined—averaging just 16,000 per village.
This highlighted just how devastating the loss of 10,000 ninja had been for Iwagakure in the Third War.
"Yes, that's correct," confirmed the intelligence ninja.
"Keep monitoring them closely," Onoki ordered, his eyes narrowing.
If Kumogakure's A really did betray them and launch an attack on Iwagakure, Onoki had a plan—he would stop fighting Konoha and even propose an alliance to crush Kumogakure.
...
In Kumogakure...
"Is Onoki still refusing to go to the front lines?" the Fourth Raikage, A, asked as he scanned the intelligence report.
A wasn't fond of Iwagakure, but he had a reason for staying off the battlefield.
The truth was, A still held a grudge from the Third War, where Iwagakure's forces had ambushed and killed his father, the Third Raikage. The idea of joining forces with Iwagakure was unthinkable.
A saw the current war as an opportunity to exact his revenge. Though Kumogakure's main goal was to take down Konoha, it would take years to weaken such a powerful village. In the meantime, why not strike Iwagakure as well, repaying the debt they owed?
He saw the ideal outcome for Kumogakure as one where Konoha and the other villages weakened each other, leaving Kumogakure free to step in and claim victory.
Still, he knew that leaders like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Onoki wouldn't allow such a thing to happen easily. They were cunning and experienced.
"Prepare a document proposing a temporary alliance with Konoha, just in case," A ordered.
He wasn't ready to strike yet, but if the situation became uncertain, he would join forces with Konoha to destroy Iwagakure.
On the front lines of the battle between Konoha and Kumogakure, things were progressing slowly. Both sides had stationed their forces in strategic locations, with neither making the first move.
The Fourth Great Ninja War had already been underway for ten days, with only minor skirmishes so far. Full-scale battles had yet to break out.
Both Iwagakure and Kumogakure were wary of each other, while Konoha was content to stall for time.
A spark, an unexpected event, was all that was needed to ignite the full conflict.
...
In the forest on the Konoha vs. Kumogakure front...
A small blonde head poked out from behind a bush.
"Naruto! What are you doing here?" groaned Arcanine, a massive, orange-furred dog standing beside the boy. By his side was a small, red-furred fox with an inquisitive expression.
"I told you! Konoha is in danger, and this is the perfect time for me, Uzumaki Naruto, to step up! After all, I'm the Fourth Hokage's son!" Naruto argued stubbornly, his confidence unshaken.
Though he had only trained under Z for a short time, Naruto believed in his strength. He had already managed to hold his own against wild animals like wolves and bears on Garp Mountain, relying on sheer physical prowess.
Arcanine shook its head, unconvinced. From his perspective, Naruto was weaker than a worm from the Calm Belt—there was no way he could be useful in this war.
Still, Arcanine wasn't too worried. As long as he kept an eye out with his Observation Haki, he could protect Naruto and the small fox from any immediate threats.
"It seems pretty quiet here," Naruto said, looking around. The battlefield didn't look nearly as chaotic as he had expected.
But just as he was about to step out from the bushes, Arcanine shoved him back into the underbrush with a massive paw, nudging the small fox in as well.
The giant dog turned toward the direction of an approaching group. His Observation Haki had detected seven or eight figures moving through the forest. While they didn't seem like an immediate threat to him, they were definitely not ordinary people.
He decided to confront them.
As a Kumogakure recon squad advanced through the forest, they were suddenly confronted by a massive red-furred dog standing over three meters tall. Heat radiated from its body like a living furnace.
"What the hell is that?" one of the Kumogakure ninjas exclaimed.
"Looks like one of those summoned beasts Konoha's been using," another suggested.
"I heard from intel that these summons aren't that strong."
"Let's kill it and take it back for research."
"Woof?" Arcanine tilted its head, easily sensing the malice from the group.
If they wanted to fight, there was no need to hold back.
Flamethrower.
Like a tidal wave, searing flames spewed from Arcanine's mouth, instantly turning the surrounding forest into a sea of fire. The attack was comparable to Uchiha Madara's Great Fire Destruction technique.
The Kumogakure ninjas were utterly stunned by the sheer scale of the attack.
"What kind of monster is this?!"
(End of Chapter)