When he first left Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi boldly declared, "We'll crush the Hidden Sand Village in ten days." However, three days were spent on the road, and another three on a game of "hide-and-seek" with Sand shinobi, wasting six days without any real progress.
The worst part was that, despite the time spent, they hadn't even seen a trace of the Sand forces, effectively wasting their efforts. Continuing like this might waste even more time, putting Konoha in a dangerous position.
"We can't delay any longer. If the Uchiha and Hyuga clans can't hold out, Konoha will be in grave danger!" Hiruzen thought.
Turning to Shikaku Nara, Hiruzen asked, "Shikaku, what do you think we should do about these Sand shinobi hiding from us?"
"Forget about them and attack the Hidden Sand Village directly!" Shikaku replied in a serious tone.
Hiruzen's eyes widened as he realized what Shikaku was suggesting. "You mean to put on a show of attacking their village to draw them out for a decisive battle?"
"No!" Shikaku shook his head. "I mean a real attack—taking Hidden Sand Village as quickly as possible and forcing them to surrender!"
Hiruzen's brow furrowed. "But it's a long distance from here. Even at full speed, it will take three days. If we can't take the village in time, we'll be left vulnerable."
"Don't worry, Lord Hokage. We can do it!" Shikaku said confidently. "According to our intel, the Third Kazekage of Sand has disappeared, leaving them leaderless, which is why they're rushing into this war. Additionally, their main forces have left the village, leaving it barely defended. With our numbers and Kushina as our Jinchuriki, it's a sure victory!"
Hiruzen was tempted but hesitated out of caution. At that moment, an Anbu delivered a message scroll from the rear. After reading it, Hiruzen's face turned serious.
"Things are worse than we thought. Look at this," he said, handing the scroll to Shikaku.
After reading it, Shikaku's expression also grew grave. "The Stone Village breached the Uchiha defenses and launched a surprise attack on our village. The Aburame clan paid a heavy price to repel them. The Mist Village attack has also intensified, and the head of the Hyuga clan's main branch lost a Byakugan to Mist shinobi. We can't delay any longer, Lord Hokage!"
"I understand," Hiruzen nodded. "We must defeat the Hidden Sand, but Konoha's safety is also paramount. I'll take the Sarutobi clan back to defend the village. I'm counting on you to handle Hidden Sand!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Shikaku knelt on one knee. "I won't let you down!"
"I trust you," Hiruzen replied, nodding with a smile, and then returned to Konoha with the Sarutobi clan.
Following orders, Shikaku led the remaining Konoha forces toward Hidden Sand. As Konoha troops crossed the Wind Country border, Elder Chiyo, who had been hiding with Sand's forces near Mt. Kikyo, received word of the Konoha advance.
Having survived two ninja wars, Chiyo laughed. "Konoha is so arrogant, thinking they can take our village and force us to surrender. Do they not know about our natural fortress at the Valley of Narrow Heaven? What do you think, Hattori?" she asked, turning to a masked, Anbu-like shinobi named Stone.
Hattori lifted his mask slightly. "We were caught off guard last time, but if they try any space-time ninjutsu stunts again, we'll be ready."
"I've told you—don't call me Hattori!" Hattori insisted. "I'm here as your bodyguard. Call me by my codename—Stone."
"Alright, Stone," Chiyo sighed, trying to hide her annoyance. "What's your plan?"
"Attack Konoha!" Hattori replied flatly.
Chiyo was stunned. "Konoha is attacking Hidden Sand, and without reinforcements, we might not be able to hold them off."
"Then don't hold them off," Hattori said as if stating a fact. "They've got Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, the Flying Thunder God-user Minato Namikaze, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and Kushina Uzumaki with her Tailed Beast Bomb. Reinforcing would just mean sending our troops to die."
Chiyo was speechless but finally managed, "So what, we just let them attack Hidden Sand?"
"Why not?" Hattori replied, rolling his eyes. "Didn't I just say we should attack Konoha? If we take Konoha, we can force them to surrender—simple as that."
"What if they come back to defend it?" Chiyo asked.
"Then we'll hide again and keep playing this game of hide-and-seek until we wear them out!" Hattori said resolutely.
Chiyo: "..."
Such a dirty tactic... but I love it!
With their decision made, Chiyo gathered her forces and crossed back into Fire Country, heading toward Konoha. Learning from their previous experience, the Hidden Sand forces moved quickly, led by Hattori large-winged dragonfly summoning beast for aerial reconnaissance.
In just four days, nearly ten thousand Sand shinobi reached Konoha's gates. Alerted to their movements, Konoha was already in a state of high alert, with gates closed and every available shinobi stationed on the high walls.
Hiruzen stood among them, in his red-and-white Hokage attire, with his summoning beast Enma by his side, looking out at the densely packed Sand forces.
"Looks like we're in trouble, Sarutobi," Enma muttered grimly.
"I know," Hiruzen sighed, glancing up at the massive dragonfly hovering above the Sand forces.
"It's big trouble."