Konoha was in a precarious state. It wasn't a lack of quality or quantity among its shinobi, nor was it a failure of logistics. The problem lay in a severe decline in top-tier combat power.
The veterans who had served alongside the Second Hokage were now in their sixties. They were "masters" in name only; if the Hokage actually sent those old fossils to the front lines, his primary concern would be how many of them would survive the walk there.
As for the Third Hokage's own generation, they had become mired in power struggles. Years of severe internal friction had stifled their talent, leaving very few who had actually reached the level of a Kage-class powerhouse.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was the strongest of the lot, but since ascending to the seat of Hokage, he rarely moved. He served as a deterrent—a nuclear option that stayed in the silo.
Danzo Shimura was technically a candidate, but he was dim-witted and narrow-minded. Not only was his personal strength lacking, but his command ability was atrocious. Aside from infighting, he was practically useless. To be blunt, while Danzo might have been useful to the Hokage personally, he was a massive negative asset to the village as a whole.
Then there were Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu. They weren't even Kage-level anymore; frankly, most elite Jonin could probably take them in a fight. Not worth mentioning.
Akimichi Torifu's strength remained an unknown. Because of his distant relationship with Hiruzen, he was heavily suppressed politically. Unless the Konoha Council—the "F4"—all dropped dead at once, he wasn't likely to show his face.
Incredibly, the Uchiha clan also lacked a Kage-level powerhouse. If they had one, the clan wouldn't have gone without a confirmed Clan Head since the departure of Madara Uchiha.
The Hyuga were in the same boat. If they had a true Kage-level master, they would have long since suppressed the Uchiha and claimed the title of Konoha's "number one noble clan."
It made sense. A clan consisting of only a dozen or so core members and a thousand slaves could hardly be expected to consistently produce a world-class powerhouse. Smaller clans—or even families of just a few people—had better statistical odds.
The slaves of the Hyuga branch family carried a burden too heavy to bear; every step toward growth was met with unbelievable pressure and lethal suppression. Meanwhile, the members of the main house were too few and lived too well. Superiority is the enemy of growth. Combined with the suffocating traditionalism that shackled them, only an absolute, once-in-a-century genius could ever hope to break through.
Among the younger generation, there were only four true Kage-level shinobi who had risen during the Second Great Ninja War: Sakumo Hatake and the Sannin.
Across the border in the Land of Earth, Onoki the Tuchikage was practically drooling with envy. "Only" four? I'd kill for four.
But while Sakumo Hatake fought diligently and tirelessly, the other three—bolstered by the Hokage's protection—were all acting out in their own way.
Jiraiya had abandoned his duties to tutor disciples in the Land of Rain. Tsunade had developed hemophobia after seeing the two people closest to her die before her eyes; she had spiraled into a cycle of alcoholism, waking up only to gamble away her money before drinking herself back into a stupor. Orochimaru was obsessed with ninjutsu research and the pursuit of immortality; he was MIA more than half the time, though he at least completed his assigned missions.
So, one couldn't entirely blame the Hokage for always letting Danzo out of his cage. He simply didn't have many other options. He couldn't exactly expect Sakumo and Orochimaru to carry the entire war on their backs from start to finish.
If he did that, the village would be demanding a new Hokage the moment the war ended, whether Orochimaru wanted the job or not.
But Danzo was truly incompetent. He had once again created a massive mess, tossing away all of Konoha's strategic advantages.
In Hiruzen's eyes, everything had been fine "yesterday." Konoha was holding Suna hostage to fight Iwa, and Kumo was too intimidated to move. Then, in the blink of an eye, Suna had successfully extricated themselves, and Konoha was suddenly fighting Iwa and Kumo simultaneously. The strategic situation had been flipped on its head.
But the war was on, and they had to face it.
The first order of business was to strip Danzo of his command and send him home to "reflect."
The shinobi of Konoha: "...??"
Judging by that phrasing, they were going to have to endure this man's nonsense again in the future.
Orochimaru was sent to fill the gap, returning to the Land of Rain where he had spent over two years. He was also placed in charge of the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Grass, tasked with fighting the Stone on three fronts.
Orochimaru's first order upon taking command was a total strategic contraction. He implemented a "Key Fortress Defense" paired with "Active Defense" tactics, designed specifically to nullify Iwa's expertise in defensive warfare and sieges.
This immediately made Onoki uncomfortable. Konoha had chosen to play the turtle. It was impossible for Iwa not to attack; if neither side moved, they'd just be sitting there staring at each other.
The problem was that if they entered a stalemate, Konoha could pivot its forces east to crush Kumo first, then turn back to deal with Iwa with full strength. Furthermore, a stalemate was still a war; it consumed massive resources. The Land of Earth's economy couldn't sustain a long-term standoff against the Land of Fire.
So, Iwa attacked. And Konoha's fortresses loomed before them.
Whenever the Stone ninjas initiated a siege, the Konoha forces would sweep in to surround them, turning the siege into a field battle beneath the fortress walls. If the Stone tried to force a field battle, the Leaf would retreat, letting the fortress take the brunt of the assault.
When the Stone ninjas inevitably grew frustrated and retreated, the Leaf followed suit, never straying far from their fortifications.
This "reactive" style of defensive maneuvering was exactly what Orochimaru called Active Defense.
Iwagakure excelled at defense and sieges, but they were lackluster in field combat—especially field combat conducted under the shadow of an enemy fortress. They were taking massive losses.
With a few graceful tactical adjustments, Orochimaru had successfully shifted the strategic initiative of two nations.
Meanwhile, the Kumo army in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Rice Fields was having a much better time. They were facing a Konoha force led by the "Tortoise Master," Mitokado Homura.
The Raikage laughed. "Isn't this just an invitation to hit them however we want?"
And so, they hit them however they wanted. For six months, they pounded the Leaf lines... and failed to advance a single step.
Homura had performed poorly in the Land of Wind because he was timid and afraid of taking responsibility; using him to lead an offensive that required adaptability was a recipe for disaster. But that "turtle" personality was remarkably reliable when applied to defense, especially when paired with a team of highly capable strategists.
If making a decision was too difficult, he simply didn't make one. He just made sure every single defensive position was as perfect as humanly possible. What was the problem?
Giving up the initiative didn't matter. The enemy was the one attacking, so they didn't have the initiative to begin with. Mitokado Homura was quite experienced in the art of being a punching bag.
The Raikage had never expected the "Tortoise" title to be so literal. The Kumo forces hammered away in the Land of Rice Fields and Hot Water, but they couldn't budge the line an inch.
Konoha was fighting two Great Villages at once, and somehow, the situation had stabilized.
Now it was Iwa and Kumo's turn to be stuck. Their combined shinobi numbers weren't significantly higher than Konoha's, but their logistics and supplies were likely only a third of the Leaf's, and their mobilization capacity was at best a fifth.
It was like a small nation fighting a superpower; if they couldn't win a quick victory, they were destined for defeat.
Facing their looming fate, the Tsuchikage and Raikage did the only thing they could. If the armies couldn't break the deadlock, they would use their top-tier powerhouses to shatter it.
Onoki the Tsuchikage and the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Roshi, took turns on the offensive. On the Kumo front, the Raikage and B fought side-by-side.
In response to the assault of these top-tier powerhouses, Konoha's "White Fang," Sakumo Hatake, stepped forward.
True to the promise he made to Orochimaru before the latter left for Rain: "I'm not good at commanding; I'll leave the army to you, Orochimaru-kun. But as long as I am here, even if the Tsuchikage himself shows up, he won't move an inch."
Onoki's proud Dust Release was invincible in terms of destructive power, but he couldn't hit Sakumo. Against the White Fang's god-like speed, the "prep-time" for the jutsu was simply too slow.
Meanwhile, the White Fang's blade was peerless. He systematically cut down the Tsuchikage's elite guard one by one. Eventually, Onoki realized that if he slipped up for even a second, his head would be leaving his shoulders. The terrified Tsuchikage was forced to spend the rest of the battle flying high in the air just to stay alive.
The Tsuchikage, a man with the highest offensive power in the world, had been bullied right out of the battle.
When Onoki returned in disgrace, Roshi mocked him. Two days later, Roshi led his own confident assault and nearly lost his life. The problem with Lava Release was similar: it wasn't fast enough. Its destructive power wasn't something Sakumo feared, which allowed the White Fang to fight with even more reckless abandon.
Roshi took three deep slashes. Fortunately, he was in his Bijuu-form; the thick mantle of lava absorbed most of the damage. Had he been in human form, he never would have made it back to the Iwa lines.
To rescue Roshi, the Stone paid a heavy price. Eleven elite Jonin—veterans of countless battles—were cut down by the White Fang. Onoki was so heartbroken he practically cried.
Because of the sacrifice of those eleven Jonin, the relationship between Onoki and Roshi soured from mutual dislike into open hostility.
On the other front, the Raikage and B launched their offensive. With the Raikage—a mountain of a man with indestructible defense—acting as the Main Tank, B was free to go all-out with Lightning Style. The Konoha ninjas couldn't block them; they were forced to throw away lives just to exhaust the Raikage's stamina.
Under the onslaught of the "A-B Combo," Konoha's defense was on the verge of collapse.
The Hokage took the opportunity to release the "Darkness of the Shinobi."
It was a mistake. Danzo Shimura walked out of confinement with his head held high, full of arrogance. Five days later, he was carried back to the Konoha Hospital on a stretcher, with an estimated recovery time of at least three months.
The "master" sent by the Hokage had been folded in a single encounter. His failure cost the lives of a large number of Konoha ninjas on the front lines, and they were forced to cede two hundred kilometers of territory before a new defense could be established.
The blow to morale was severe. The Konoha shinobi began to lose faith. They fought with hesitation, always looking for a chance to retreat, allowing the Cloud ninjas to begin a triumphant advance.
Soon, the fires of war reached the Land of Fire itself. A constant stream of pleas for reinforcement reached the Hokage's office. Everyone hoped the Hokage would step out personally to defeat the Raikage and turn the tide.
But the Hokage didn't move. Nor did he redeploy Sakumo Hatake, who had successfully suppressed the Tsuchikage and the Four-Tails.
Instead, the orders for reinforcement were sent to the various elite ninjas of Konoha. A large number of Uchiha Jonin were called up, as were a group of Hyuga Jonin. And, finally, the order reached Aburame Tetsumaru in the distant Land of Tea.
Tetsumaru read the mission scroll and sighed. He set aside his half-finished work on the Wind Giant Insect and prepared to head to the northeastern theater.
Leaving the Land of Tea for a bit wasn't the worst thing. He had barely spoken to anyone in over six months; if he stayed any longer, he might actually lose the ability to speak. He'd treat this as a chance to clear his head.
Before leaving, Tetsumaru fed the Dune Scorpion until it was stuffed, then forced it into a deep hibernation. He sealed his laboratory and the various test sites and dispelled all of his Shadow Clones.
Even the clones back in Konoha were placed in "deep storage." Aside from a single clone left to monitor the village, the rest automatically dispelled.
This time, he was heading to the northeastern front. Kumo's main force was the Raikage and his partner, B.
Tetsumaru had seen the Raikage's fighting style. The man was a freak of nature in the shinobi world: zero long-range capability, relying entirely on extreme speed, absolute defense, and overwhelming physical power.
When those three advantages were combined, they formed a perfect counter to almost every other ninja.
Few ninjas could match the Raikage's speed. A few could trade blows with him. But no one could actually hurt him. To be honest, Tetsumaru didn't know how to injure that "Iron Bean" either.
But he did know how to deal with the Raikage. He could just copy what the Iwa ninjas would do years later in the original timeline.
The Raikage had a single "weakness" that wasn't really a weakness: his stamina wasn't infinite. If one was cold-hearted enough to pay the price in shinobi lives, and used enough powerful ninjas to pin him down, he could be exhausted to death.
When it came to numbers, Tetsumaru didn't fear anyone. And he wouldn't even feel that bad about the losses; after all, he wasn't losing ninjas that took ten years to train. He was losing bugs that a Broodmother could mass-produce by the hundreds every day.
However, ordinary bugs couldn't touch the Raikage. He could ignore tiny things that posed no threat, so they couldn't "trap" him.
Unless he used tens of thousands of Mantises. Only a swarm of that caliber would be qualified to surround the Raikage, forcing him to fight at full power to break through, eventually grinding his stamina to zero.
Tetsumaru currently had only one Broodmother capable of mass-producing Mantises. Its output was a mere nine per day. As of today, he only had three hundred and forty-two.
He didn't have tens of thousands of Mantises to throw away. And even if he did, he wouldn't dare reveal them. He wouldn't actually kill the Raikage unless he had already decided to defect from Konoha and go independent.
Even knowing the solution, the Raikage remained the most dangerous ninja on the planet. Period.
Facing the Raikage required absolute concentration. A single minor slip-up or a moment of distraction would be lethal. He couldn't afford to leave any Shadow Clones active that might cause a sudden mental interference.
Tetsumaru shook his head. For the sake of his own skin, he decided he was going to be a "slacker" for this campaign. He'd treat it as a vacation on the public dime.
With his mindset shifted, Tetsumaru relaxed. He returned to Konoha at a leisurely pace, exchanged his mission scroll, and picked up his new identification papers.
He wasn't in a hurry to reach the front. He went home first but found his parents hadn't returned yet. He didn't bother cooking and just went out for a bowl of dango.
After filling his stomach, he wandered the village looking for his classmates and friends, but found that not a single one was currently in the village. Left with no choice, he treated himself to a massive barbecue dinner alone.
Two days later, he caught Aburame Eiji returning from the Land of Whirlpools with his squad. After a quick chat, they realized they were being deployed to the same front. Since Eiji didn't need to take his Genin squad with him, they agreed to travel together.
The next day, Eiji dismissed his squad for a mandatory vacation, and the two Aburame ninjas set off.
In the past, Tetsumaru hadn't liked Eiji. The guy acted normal in public, but in front of his clansmen, he was a "Chunibyo" chatterbox who excelled at complaining. He could bitch about a single topic until the heat death of the universe.
But today was different. Tetsumaru hadn't spoken more than forty words to anyone in six months. Listening to Eiji's non-stop grumbling wasn't annoying at all; it was actually entertaining.
Seeing that Tetsumaru was actually listening, Eiji grew even more spirited. His lips moved at high speed as he hopped from one topic of complaint to the next.
"Danzo Shimura is such a bastard," Eiji grumbled. "Blah blah blah..."
Tetsumaru nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If I get the chance, I'm definitely going to kill him secretly."
Eiji: ( °ー°〃)
After taking a moment to process that, Eiji moved to the next topic. "The Hokage is getting more and more annoying, too. Blah blah blah..."
Tetsumaru: "You hit the nail on the head. The Third has become a joke. It'd be much better if Lord Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage."
Eiji: (＠_＠;)
"Eiji, why did you stop talking? That's not like you."
"Eiji, you were on a roll. Why'd you stop?"
"Eiji..."
Aburame Eiji: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Aburame Tetsumaru: Huh. Who would've thought? After holding it in for a few months, it turns out I'm a bit of a chatterbox too.