The next morning, the area in front of Konoha's gates was packed with activity. Nearly a hundred ninjas had assembled for deployment. Some stood checking their gear one final time, examining weapons and supply pouches. Others talked quietly with squadmates, going over formations or just making conversation to settle pre-mission nerves. And scattered throughout the crowd were families, parents and spouses and children holding onto their ninjas for as long as possible before they had to leave.
Kenji stood near the front of the formation.
"Kenji."
He turned to find Honoka approaching with Daiki's hand clasped firmly in hers.
"Be safe out there," she said quietly, her eyes searching his face. "Daiki and I will be waiting for you to come home."
The words were simple, but the concern behind them was clear. This wasn't a standard mission. Deploying an entire force to the border meant the possibility of combat, real danger rather than routine patrol work.
Kenji stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close for a moment. He kissed her forehead.
"Don't worry. We're just reinforcing the border defenses. Odds are nothing will happen. I'll probably be back in a few days looking for something to do."
He meant it. Despite the aggressive posturing from Kumo, he doubted it would escalate to warfare. The Raikage wasn't stupid enough to start a fight he couldn't win.
"Daddy! Me too!"
Daiki tugged at Kenji's pants, arms raised and demanding attention. His face was scrunched up.
"Alright, alright. Can't forget you, can I?"
Kenji bent down and scooped his son up, settling the boy against his chest. Daiki immediately wrapped his arms around Kenji's neck, then pulled back. Kenji smiled and kissed his soft cheek, which made the kid giggle and squirm happily.
"Be good for your mother while I'm gone," he said, lowering Daiki back into Honoka's arms. "No causing trouble."
"I'm always good!" Daiki protested with the conviction only a kid could muster.
"Sure you are." Kenji ruffled his son's hair affectionately.
"Kenji!"
He looked up to see Mizuki approaching with Karin in tow.
"Stay safe out there," Mizuki said with a warm smile.
"Thanks. It should be fine. Just a show of force to make Kumo back down."
"Kenji!" Karin called out, finally breaking free from her mother's hand to run over. "You have to come back safely! And don't forget to bring me a present when you do!"
"Presents, huh? That's what you're really worried about?"
He reached out and gave her cheek a gentle squeeze, which made her scrunch up her face and duck away from his hand.
"I'm worried about you too!" she protested. "But you're super strong, so obviously you'll be fine! That's why I can focus on the important stuff!"
"The important stuff being gifts."
"Obviously!"
"Daddy, I want a present too!" Daiki chimed in, not wanting to be left out.
"What present? I want one too!" Another voice joined in.
Kenji turned to see Minato and Kushina approaching with Naruto cradled in Kushina's arms. The blonde boy had clearly heard the word "present" and was now waving his fists with great enthusiasm.
"When have I ever forgotten you?" Kenji said, addressing all three kids at once. "Every time I leave the village on a mission, don't I always bring back something for you?"
It had become an unofficial tradition. Ever since Kushina, Honoka, and Mizuki had started spending time together regularly, their kids had become inseparable. Naruto, Daiki, and Karin were constantly together, getting into minor trouble and generally being chaotic in the way young children excelled at. And whenever he went somewhere outside the village, he made a point of bringing back local specialties or interesting toys for the three of them.
"If you do run into the Raikage," Kushina said with fierce enthusiasm, "knock that brute flat! Anyone who tries to threaten Konoha deserves to get punched in the face!"
"Yeah! Punch him!" Naruto echoed, throwing wild punches at the air from his mother's arms.
Kenji looked at the boy and couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face. In the original timeline, this kid had grown up alone, ostracized by the village, called a demon by people who should have known better. But here, in this timeline, he was just a normal toddler with a loving family. This was the life the original Naruto had wanted more than anything. And seeing it happen, seeing this version of the kid growing up surrounded by people who cared about him, made all the changes Kenji had helped implement feel worth it.
"Kenji."
Minato's voice pulled him from his thoughts. The Fourth Hokage was looking at the sky, gauging the time.
"We should get moving. You've got a long march ahead."
"Right."
Kenji said his goodbyes to everyone, receiving hugs from Honoka and the kids, fist bumps from Kushina and Minato. Then he turned and walked to the front of the assembled force.
The ninjas stood in formation, organized by specialty and squad. Jonin commanders at the front, chunin filling out the middle ranks, with support specialists and medical-nin positioned for quick deployment. Everyone had their game faces on now.
Kenji didn't waste time with speeches or motivational nonsense. These were experienced fighters. They knew what they were doing.
"Move out!"
His voice carried across the assembly. Without further delay, he launched forward. Behind him, the entire force followed.
---
The deployment was impossible to hide.
A hundred ninjas leaving Konoha simultaneously, all heading in the same direction, carrying full combat loads. It would have been visible to anyone with eyes. And every major village had spies planted in the other major villages, specifically to watch for exactly this kind of activity.
Within hours, intelligence reports were being compiled and sent through encrypted channels. Coded messages passed between handler and asset, field agents to headquarters, analysis sections to leadership offices. The information flowed through the shadowy networks that connected the shinobi world.
By the time Kenji and his force reached the border region and established their camp, every major hidden village had at least a basic understanding of what was happening. Konoha was mobilizing forces. And they were positioning them directly on the border with the Land of Lightning.
The question everyone wanted answered was: why?
What had prompted peaceful, diplomatic Konoha to suddenly flex its military muscle? What was the Fourth Hokage thinking? And most importantly, did this represent a threat to their own villages?
The Third Great Ninja War had only ended recently. Every village was still recovering from losses. Their active rosters were depleted, and the next generation of fighters was still in training. This was supposed to be a period of rebuilding, not new conflicts.
Nobody wanted another war, not yet.
But if Konoha was moving troops to the border, something serious was happening. And that meant everyone needed to understand the situation before it exploded into something larger.
---
In the Land of Lightning, inside the Raikage Building, the Fourth Raikage sat at his desk working through administrative documents.
The job of a Kage involved far more paperwork than A had ever anticipated. Mission approvals, resource allocation, diplomatic correspondence, personnel reviews. Mountains of bureaucracy that never seemed to get smaller no matter how many hours he spent clearing it.
He looked up when his office door opened. Dodai entered.
"What is it?" A asked, setting down the report he'd been reviewing.
"Raikage-sama, we've received Konoha's response to our demands."
A leaned back in his chair. "And?"
"They rejected everything," Dodai said quietly.
"Not surprising. Even I wouldn't accept terms like ours."
A hadn't expected Konoha to fold completely. The demands had been deliberately excessive, designed to create room for negotiation. You started high, they countered low, and eventually you met somewhere in the middle. Basic diplomacy, right?
"According to our intelligence assets in Konoha," Dodai continued, "the conservative faction led by the Third Hokage was arguing for opening diplomatic talks. We anticipated they'd eventually convince the Fourth Hokage to send a delegation here. Once that happened, we'd apply pressure and extract favorable compensation terms."
A nodded. That had been the plan. Let the old guard in Konoha sell the young Hokage on appeasement, then squeeze them for everything possible at the negotiating table. It was cynical but effective.
Before he could respond, the office door burst open.
An ANBU operative appeared, already dropping to one knee. The suddenness of the entrance made A's instincts trigger.
"Raikage-sama! Urgent report from the field!"
A's good mood evaporated instantly. ANBU didn't interrupt like this unless something had gone seriously wrong. He held out his hand and the operative placed a sealed scroll in it before vanishing in a blur of movement.
A broke the seal and unrolled the report. His eyes scanned the text rapidly. Then he slammed his fist into his desk. The solid wood exploded into splinters, fragments scattering across the floor. The impact was loud enough to make Dodai flinch slightly, though the veteran had seen enough of A's destroyed furniture to not be particularly surprised.
"What happened?" He grabbed the report, reading quickly. His hands started shaking. "They... Konoha's deployed a full military force to the border? And they're taking aggressive positions? As if preparing to invade?"
Fear shot through him. Kumo had barely survived the Third War. Their ninja roster was dangerously depleted. If war broke out now, they'd be throwing away what little they had left. The entire strategy had been predicated on Konoha being peaceful and conflict-averse. Nobody had anticipated the Fourth Hokage would be the one to escalate to military deployment.
"Raikage-sama, we cannot go to war," Dodai said urgently. "Kumo doesn't have the numbers. And the opposition faction is watching for any excuse to move against you. If we stumble into a conflict we can't win, they'll use it to challenge your authority."
Kumo had its own internal politics. One faction supported A's leadership. The other consisted of remnants loyal to the memory of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who'd caused chaos in previous generations. That faction had never fully accepted A as Raikage and was always looking for opportunities to undermine him. Starting a disastrous war would give them exactly the ammunition they needed.
Before they could discuss further, another ANBU operative materialized in the office.
"Report! Another urgent message from intelligence division!"
A and Dodai exchanged a look.
The operative placed the scroll on what remained of A's desk and vanished. A snatched it up and read through the contents. Then he stood and drove his fist into the wall behind him.
The stone cracked and a section of the wall collapsed inward.
Dodai rushed over and read the second report. All the color drained from his face.
The scroll detailed how Konoha had already informed both Iwa and Suna about Kumo's actions. They'd shared everything... And worse, far worse, both Iwa and Suna had responded. They were citing their alliance obligations with Konoha and redeploying their own forces toward the Land of Lightning's borders.
If Kumo pushed this any further, they'd be facing a coordinated three-village coalition.
A stood frozen.
He'd overplayed his hand.
If he mishandled the next move, Kumo might very well cease to exist as one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.