Spring Year 33
April 2nd
"Kumo invaded Yu! Sensei!"
"Onoki! There's no time to waste! Mobilize our forces and invade Kusa! Spread Konoha's forces thin. Don't give them time to consolidate and take down Kumo. This is our moment."
"Yes Sensei."
Tsuchikage, Mu, narrowed his eyes.
"As expected, though the Nidaime Raikage plays quite calm and collected, he's impatient. Rushing into war without securing his flank."
"Sensei, how many troops should we mobilize?"
"….10,000. After we hit Kusa, we move on Takigakure!"
"10,000?! Takigakure too? Sensei, we are mobilizing nearly half of our forces, isn't that risky?"
"No. 10,000 is just enough. Suna is the second weakest among the Five Great Nations. But they're the strongest in their own terrain, so they'll turtle up. Moreover, their interest, too, lies with the fertile lands to the east, towards Konoha. We only need to watch out for Kumo's surprise moves."
He paused.
"As for Takigakure… don't they also hold the Seven Tails?"
"Seven Tails… Sensei, then this war–!"
"Onoki, why do you think Kumo invaded Yugakure instead of Shimogakure, which is closer? Because Yugakure holds the Two Tails Jinchuriki. This war isn't about conquest. None of the Major Nations need more territory – except perhaps the Land of Wind. And they all know that this won't be the last war."
Mu sneered coldly behind the bandages.
"And these small nations – do they deserve to keep such power? If they can't protect it, then so be it."
"I see… then what about Kirigakure?"
"Kirigakure has it the hardest. Not to mention the facts that they were the last to form and are the weakest of the Five, The Three Tails – can they take it from Uzushiogakure and Konoha?"
Mu shook his head with hint of disdain and mockery. "Not with Senju Tobirama as the Hokage. Konoha will never give up the Uzumaki clan. And Mizukage is most likely aware of this too. But he certainly won't miss this opportunity to weaken Konoha."
Mu's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Konoha sent over 8,000 troops to Kusa front, so, we must deploy more and overwhelm them. They won't have the numbers to send reinforcements."
"!!!"
"Just watch, it won't be long before Kiri makes their move. Tobirama will be forced to send his elites to Uzu. Then that'll be our chance to snatch two more Tailed Beasts for Iwa."
Onoki's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"3 Tailed Beasts! Iwa will usher in a new era by then!"
***
Uchiha clan compound
"Clan head, our clansmen didn't receive any deployment orders!"
"Even those not in the Police Force were ignored!"
"The Hokage clearly doesn't trust us!"
"Non-sense! Hokage-sama is trusting us to guard Konoha while rest are sent to the front!"
The courtyard erupted in uproar. Voices clashed – some bitter, some defensive. Accusations flew. Loyalty was questioned. The divide between pride and duty widened.
Sosuke stood at the head of the gathering, arms folded, eyes narrowed. Behind him, the First Elder raised a brow and barked
"Silence! You are all Jonins of the Uchiha clan! Stop acting like you are some fresh academy graduates!"
The crowd fell quiet. Heads lowered in shame.
Sosuke let the silence linger before speaking.
"There is no need for frustration. Hokage is simply honoring his words and the autonomy he granted us. We have the authority to mobilize our own forces and Uchiha Kagami is the seventh Division commander of the Konoha Military Police Force. "
He paused and let the emotion settle in. Once the crowd calmed down he steadily commanded.
"Deploy the Seventh Division to support Commander Kagami. Send a few additional Jonin as reinforcements."
"""!!!!"""
The tension shifted as pride filled their eyes.
"Let the rest of our clansmen continue guarding Konoha and maintain combat readiness. Tobirama will definitely deploy us to the front soon enough."
"Yes, clan head!"
The Uchiha stood taller as they told themselves they weren't being sidelined. Just waiting.
***
"Uchiha mobilized the Seventh Division to support Kagami and the Suna front…"
"Hokage-sama, should we act?"
A leather-armored ANBU wearing a deer mask knelt before Senju Tobirama asked urgently in low voice.
Most of the ANBU were already deployed across the three active fronts, supporting Tobirama's disciples with intelligence and tactical coordination. The remainder stayed within the Land of Fire, guarding the intelligence network and monitoring for enemy infiltration.
Tobirama didn't look up from his desk.
"There's no need to sow discord. I granted the Uchiha autonomy over Police Force. As long as they don't step beyond their boundaries, there's no reason to antagonize them."
The war had begun – quietly. Iwa and Kumo had launched their invasions, but no major battles had erupted yet. Skirmishes flared between scouts and small units, but no side had committed more than hundred troops for confrontation. About two weeks had passed since Konoha sent its formal ultimatums. No replies came.
Now, Suna was bolstering its forces on Tanigakure front. Tobirama noted the Uchiha's move to reinforce Kagami – not unwelcomed. It would help suppress Suna's momentum.
"Kenji."
"Yes Uncle."
Kenji removed his mask. The one of few Senju in ANBU. They were taught and screened personally by Tobirama to silently contribute their strength for Konoha while taking no credit for their work. Konoha still needed Senju's strength, but could not afford them to have its reputation and influence increased.
"If we capture any prisoners, send them back to my research lab."
Kenji hesitated.
"...Uncle, this…"
"You know exactly what I mean, Kenji."
Kenji's eyes darted, his face tight with reluctance.
"Kenji, I explained it before. There's something wrong about your father's body. About his cells. I need to understand it – prevent this from happening again if another Mokuton user appears in our clan."
"…. I understand Uncle."
Kenji hesitated before putting the mask on and replied curtly.
"Hokage-sama, the prisoners will be brought to Konoha when available."
"Good. You may leave."
Kenji shunshined out of the office.
Tobirama sat in silence.
He had begun researching Hashirama's cells not long after his brother's death. He noticed that the cells preserved and cultured itself and defied decay. Mokuton was not a simple Kekkei Genkai. It was a fusion of water, earth, and yang chakra – but even with the perfect ratio it couldn't bed replicated.
Hashirama's yang chakra was different.
The more Tobirama studied, the more his curiosity grew. What began as a noble pursuit – to understand and to protect – had evolved. His thirst for knowledge began to eclipse his moral restraint.
He wanted to know:
Could Mokuton be recreated?
Could Hashirama's gift be passed on?
Can he break that chain? The very chain that Shinichi founded and told him of?
Before beginning, he had informed Kenichi, Kneji, and Mito. They were reluctant. But after hearing the history – how Mokuton and Senjutsu users often died young, how Hashirama's fate mirrored others – they gave their approval.
Now, Tobirama's research continued in secrecy.
***
Meanwhile in Kusagakure.
"Kusakage-sama, our frontline collapsed and our forces are scattered in defeat. What should we do?!"
"Whe-where is Konoha! They're supposed to protect us!"
"Sir, they've crossed the border and set up their camps… but have not made their moves yet. Only few squads and teams were sent to scout and harass Iwa-gakure. There's no signs of major actions to actively repel the Iwa."
"Kusakage-sama! Iwa-nin have taken over the Kanabi Bridge!"
"What! Are they trying to seize over our territory?"
"No… they're camp is no longer advancing. But they've flooded the area with scouts and patrols. They're combing through our lands."
The room fell silent.
The Kusakage's hands trembled as he questioned with doubt.
"…. Are they looking for something?"
No one answered. But it was clear that conquest wasn't their goal.
"Other than land, what's there to taker here. We don't have special goods or secret techniques for Iwa to value, even so that could be negotiated... what could they.... !!!"
Kusakage widened his eyes and abruptly stood up as he shouted.
"Escort the Jinchuriki! Take her to the Konoha's camp – now!"
"But sir… her seals isn't stable."
"I don't care! We're leaving! Do you want to surrender everything to Iwa?!"
"Ha-HAI!"
The command echoed through the compound.
And just like that, Kusagakure began to move – not to fight back, but to flee.