In the 37th year of Konoha, the flames of war were reignited.
Iwagakure and Sunagakure launched a simultaneous attack, marking the full outbreak of the war. Fortunately, Konoha had both Sakumo Hatake and Jiraiya holding the frontlines, effectively repelling the fierce assaults of the enemy ninja villages, creating a stalemate on both fronts.
The reports from the frontlines continued to flow back to Konoha, and the atmosphere in the village grew increasingly tense. Prices for food and ninja tools skyrocketed as the impact of the war rippled through daily life.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, exhaling smoke rings as he looked at his old teammates. Danzo Shimura sat with his eyes closed, seemingly resting, while Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane frowned as they analyzed the war reports. They were the few who would decide the course of the war.
"Iwagakure and Sunagakure must have formed an alliance," Homura said.
"There's no other explanation for their coordinated attack," Koharu added.
"At least there's no movement from Kumogakure or Kirigakure yet, which is the only good news," Homura continued. "But what about the situation in Amegakure? We can't afford a third front."
Both turned to Hiruzen, awaiting his response.
Konoha had already deployed a significant number of ninja to two battlefronts, particularly against Iwagakure. That front was critical due to a path running through the borders of the Land of Rain, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waterfall. Not only did they have to face Iwa-nin, but they also had to watch for any shifts in the loyalties of the minor villages, which often changed sides when sensing weakness.
In contrast, the battle against Sunagakure was relatively simpler. The Land of Rivers wasn't a major threat, allowing Konoha to focus solely on the Sand-nin. However, Sunagakure was no easy opponent.
With the majority of Konoha's forces already deployed, they had little to spare. Another force needed to remain in the village for defense, leaving only a fraction of their total strength available. And yet, Amegakure remained a pressing issue, as it lay at the crossroads of three major countries.
Hiruzen hadn't yet devised a clear strategy for this.
"Danzo, what do you think?" Hiruzen asked, passing the decision to his old friend.
Danzo finally opened his eyes. "Send the Uchiha to the Sunagakure front. It's the best option."
Hiruzen hesitated but soon made up his mind. "Let's discuss that later."
The Uchiha clan was currently focused on guarding against Kirigakure, even though Kiri hadn't yet made a move. But Hiruzen wanted to be cautious—if the Uchiha gained too much credit on the battlefield, their reputation and influence might rise uncontrollably. Already, one Uchiha, Jin, was proving to be a problem.
"This Uchiha Jin's accomplishments are piling up," Homura noted as he scanned a report highlighting Jin's achievements.
At the mention of Jin, Hiruzen rubbed his temples. "He recently submitted one A-rank jutsu and six B-rank taijutsu techniques."
The group fell into silence.
After a long pause, Koharu asked with some disbelief, "He developed all of that on the frontlines?"
"These were techniques he created earlier and only submitted now," Hiruzen replied, clearly irritated. While Jin seemed to be exploiting a loophole, his contributions were undeniably valuable. The techniques could significantly boost Konoha's strength.
Danzo grunted. "We should focus on the situation in Amegakure."
Hiruzen nodded. "Send Orochimaru to lead the forces in Amegakure."
"His abilities aren't sufficient yet," Danzo interrupted. "I'll take command of that front."
"No, Danzo. You'll stay to guard against Kumogakure," Hiruzen said firmly.
Danzo scowled. The injuries Kumogakure had suffered in the First Great Ninja War made it unlikely they would attack anytime soon, which ruined Danzo's plan to scout for new talents on the battlefield.
"Letting an inexperienced Orochimaru lead this mission, you'll regret it, Hiruzen," Danzo said darkly.
"I am the Hokage," Hiruzen replied, finalizing the decision.
News of Orochimaru's deployment to Amegakure quickly spread, encouraging many Konoha shinobi to step forward and contribute.
One of them was Might Duy, who learned of the upcoming mission while helping a wealthy merchant move goods.
"The frontlines..." Duy muttered to himself, deep in thought.
After a long day of work, Duy collected his wages—2,000 ryo—and began calculating the family's needs. "Diapers, milk, clothes, ninja tools for the future, school fees..."
With a sigh, he carefully tucked the money into his clothes, then headed toward his humble home.
Inside, his wife tenderly cared for their infant son, Might Guy, who reached out with tiny hands, giggling. Duy smiled as he stepped inside.
"I'm home."
His wife smiled back. "Dinner's on the table."
She returned to tending to their son, who was trying to grasp something with his tiny hands, laughing joyfully. Duy scratched his head, embarrassed. "Sorry, I only made 2,000 ryo today."
His wife chuckled. "It's enough for now."
Duy sat at the table, eating his wife's home-cooked meal. Despite their simple life, he was content. With a loving wife and a growing son, what more could he want?
But as he ate, a thought gnawed at him. Was this peaceful life truly enough?
Duy suddenly stopped eating, clenching his chopsticks. Then he quickly shoveled the remaining food into his mouth.
"It's delicious! So, so delicious!"
His unusual behavior didn't go unnoticed. His wife, sensing something was wrong, put their now-sleeping son to bed and sat across from Duy at the table.
"Tell me, what happened?" she asked.
Husband and wife faced each other. Dai put down his chopsticks, his beard speckled with rice grains. Taking a deep breath, he declared loudly,
"I want to protect the village. I want a better life for you, I want to…"
"Go to the front lines!"
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