Iwagakure had it even worse. They had no intention of joining the war, but Sunagakure and Konoha dragged them into the muddy battlefield of the Land of Rain.
Moreover, with the ongoing friction between Iwagakure and Kumogakure, and the ever-present threat posed by the Third Raikage, Iwagakure couldn't just openly declare war and fire the first shot.
They could fight, but they couldn't afford to officially declare war.
After all, the first one to make a move would always be targeted. If they won, things might be fine, but if they lost, they'd face severe war reparations and total humiliation.
Therefore, even though the three great ninja villages fought viciously in the Land of Rain, none of them officially declared war.
And as for Amegakure? It was nothing more than a sacrificial pawn in the games of the three major ninja villages. Who would care about them?
In hindsight, Konoha had the Third Raikage and Kumogakure to thank for the current situation in the Land of Rain.
The Land of Fire was a juicy piece of meat. Sunagakure wanted a bite, wanted to sink their teeth in deep enough to have the juices running down their chin. Iwagakure wanted the same, considering they weren't much richer than Sunagakure.
While Sunagakure dared to make a move, Iwagakure couldn't, all because of the looming threat of the Third Raikage.
Over the years, the Third Raikage and Onoki had butted heads more than a few times, leading to escalating skirmishes between their villages. One day it was Iwagakure attacking, the next day it was Kumogakure.
This was why, in the original story, Iwagakure only entered the Second Shinobi War passively and retreated from the Land of Rain after a while. It was because the Third Raikage was stabbing Onoki in the back.
Compared to Konoha and Sunagakure, Kumogakure was the true threat to Iwagakure.
Konoha wasn't inclined to start wars casually, and while Sunagakure and Iwagakure didn't see eye to eye, neither would initiate a large-scale war. The simple reason was that they were both poor.
Only the Land of Fire was a delicious prize, dripping with promise.
Therefore, during the Third Shinobi War, Onoki seized the opportunity without hesitation and attacked the Land of Fire.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure only launched probing attacks, and with the death of the Third Raikage and the rapid rise of Minato, the two villages had to end their probing offensives hastily.
This illustrated the extent of Minato's accomplishments during the Third Shinobi War.
Unfortunately, such a hero ran into the old guard—the Third Hokage and his cronies—and couldn't even grasp the basic powers of a Hokage. Worse still, there was Obito, who betrayed him, his own teacher.
Ever since Minato became Hokage, his luck had been nothing but miserable.
He was backstabbed by the Third Hokage, betrayed by the elders, and even betrayed by his own student.
And to top it all off, Kakashi managed to give a "divine assist."
If he had kept his mouth shut, Obito wouldn't have been able to determine Kushina's delivery time. Without that knowledge, Obito wouldn't have dared to stir up trouble in Konoha.
He couldn't be sure whether he'd have to face Minato alone or both Minato and Kushina.
If nothing happened to Minato and Kushina, the Uchiha Massacre likely wouldn't have occurred either, as neither of them had any prejudice against the Uchiha.
With their combined strength, even the elders council would think twice before attempting anything.
In summary, the root cause of the drastic changes in Konoha's situation was simply that Hatake Kakashi couldn't keep his mouth shut!
---
"Lord Takashi, we have a rather special injured person from the frontlines who needs your attention."
"Oh? What kind of special patient?"
"On the battlefield, no one cares who you are"—that's nonsense. Some people, no matter what, had special status.
Walking out of the rest area and into the surgery room, Takashi glanced at the man lying on the operating table.
Well, speak of the devil, and here comes the devil's father.
"Cough, cough!!"
Hatake Sakumo, lying on the operating table, was deathly pale and coughing continuously, clearly in bad shape.
"Did you encounter a particularly difficult enemy, senior?"
Takashi approached to examine Sakumo's condition. The older ninja coughed and spoke haltingly:
"Cough, cough… yes, I… I ran into Hanzo of the Salamander… cough, cough… he's as strong as they say."
Hatake Sakumo, a senior slightly older than Tsunade—his strength was indisputable. He was considered a leading figure of Konoha's new generation.
Not to mention, he was the head of the Hatake Clan. No wonder the young medic said they had a particularly special patient.
The clan leader of the Hatake Clan—that was indeed someone noteworthy.
Takashi cut open Sakumo's clothes to examine the wounds, and Sakumo's pale face began to flush, since a group of young female medics stood in the room, all staring wide-eyed at him.
Worse still, Takashi hadn't left him with any clothing for the examination, not even his undergarments.
"Cough, cough!! Can you cover me up a little?"
Hatake Sakumo was extremely embarrassed. If he had been standing, he would probably be curling his toes in mortification.
"Sorry, no can do."
Takashi turned and shouted at the group of onlooking medics who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle a little too much.
"What's with you all? If you're going to watch, fine, but why are you chatting about it too?! Haven't you ever seen a man before? Or is it just that the Hatake Clan Leader's size is that interesting?"
What's wrong with you guys? When Jiraiya pitched a tent, you all called him a pervert, but when Hatake Sakumo is lying there naked, you watch with glee.
Can't you people be a little less shallow?
Hatake Sakumo: "..."
I'm done. Just end me.
If he had known something so humiliating would happen after coming back to camp, Hatake Sakumo would rather have died on the battlefield. This was just too embarrassing.
After sending the crowd away, Takashi resumed the examination.
"You've got multiple lacerations, and the wounds are deep. You've also been poisoned. Senior, you're lucky—not many people manage to escape from that demigod."
Don't underestimate scythes as weapons. The wounds they leave are far worse than those from ordinary ninja tools.
And with Hanzo's salamander poison… it's not a joke. Takashi wasn't exaggerating.
The fact that Sakumo managed to escape from Hanzo and make it back to the camp for treatment was a testament to his strength.
At this point in time, both he and the future Sannin were still in the midst of their growth phases, far from reaching their peaks.
"You were fast, senior. You didn't inhale much of the poison, but please bear with me a little longer."
The treatment process was the usual—removing the poison, cleaning the wounds, stitching them up. When the wounds were too large, even medical ninjutsu couldn't fully heal them right away.
After the treatment ended, Hatake Sakumo drifted into a deep sleep. Takashi handed him over to the medics and returned to the rest area.
As for whether the young, wealthy, fairly handsome clan leader would be taken advantage of by the nurses, that was beyond Takashi's control.