At the same time, at the entrance of Konohagakure.
After going through countless hardships, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tenzō had finally returned to the village.
But the moment they arrived, they were stunned.
One convoy after another—each loaded with various supplies—was constantly leaving the village.
"Lord Hokage… something seems to have happened in the village."
Tenzō looked at the supply caravans and the gate guards—who were several times more numerous than usual—and spoke in a low voice.
Hiruzen frowned deeply.
Of course he had noticed something was wrong.
Based on the situation before his eyes, Konoha had clearly entered a wartime state.
This realization filled him with both shock and anger.
The shock came from the fact that when he had left the village, both Konoha's internal situation and the overall stability of the shinobi world had seemed settled.
Yet he had been gone only a few days, and everything had suddenly changed.
Why had war broken out?
Who was the enemy?
Kumogakure? Iwagakure? Or perhaps the distant Kirigakure across the sea?
Hiruzen couldn't make sense of it.
But the anger…
Even without thinking, he could guess that ninety percent of the reason for this situation was Shimura Danzō.
Danzō must have done something behind his back while he was away.
At this moment, Hiruzen felt deep regret.
He had been far too tolerant of Danzō.
That tolerance had only emboldened him further and further—until he dared not only to attempt the assassination of the Hokage, but even to provoke a war.
"Who are you?"
"If you're here to post a mission at Konoha, I'm afraid that's not possible. The village has entered wartime status and is temporarily suspending all missions."
"And if you're here for business, please register and enter the village quickly. Don't stand blocking the gate."
While Hiruzen was deep in thought, a Konoha gate guard noticed their suspicious behavior and approached cautiously.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, both Hiruzen and Tenzō had disguised their appearances.
That was why the guard hadn't recognized them.
Hiruzen formed a one-handed seal and dispelled the disguise.
He looked at the guard thoughtfully before saying,
"You are Kagura Yūichi, correct? It is I… I have returned."
The Kagura clan was a small family within Konoha. Though not particularly powerful, Yūichi was the clan head, and Hiruzen recognized him.
"T–Third Hokage-sama!"
Kagura Yūichi's eyes widened in shock before turning into joy.
"You've finally returned! The village is in a critical situation right now—we urgently need you to take charge!"
Hiruzen waved his hand.
"Save the formalities."
"Tell me exactly what has happened in the village."
"Understood…"
Kagura Yūichi quickly explained everything in detail.
"Such audacity!"
"Who gave Shimura Danzō the authority to do something like this?!"
"To provoke a war on his own initiative and push things to this point!"
Hiruzen was furious. Even his breathing became heavy.
Meanwhile, Tenzō stood nearby, completely dumbfounded.
As the secret weapon Danzō had prepared against Hiruzen, Tenzō had been involved in nearly the entire plan.
What he could not understand was this—
How had Danzō's cooperation with Kumogakure suddenly become a trap set by Danzō to lure Kumogakure into war?
Could it be…
That this had been Danzō's true objective all along?
But Hiruzen merely flicked his sleeve and said nothing more.
After briefly acknowledging Kagura Yūichi, he headed straight toward the Hokage Tower.
Tenzō quickly followed behind him.
On the way, after hesitating several times, Tenzō finally voiced the question that had been troubling him.
"Lord Hokage… why has the situation developed like this?"
Hiruzen snorted coldly.
"There's nothing surprising about it."
"Attempting to assassinate the Hokage is a grave crime."
"For Danzō, the only way to divert attention from that crime was to create an even larger conflict."
"In that sense, his move was quite clever."
"Not only did he shift the blame for the assassination attempt entirely onto Kumogakure, but he might even seize the opportunity to become a hero of the village."
Hiruzen's mood was terrible.
It was rare for him to speak so openly, but now he seemed to be venting his frustration.
Tenzō frowned.
"But that's not the truth! In reality, he—"
"No one cares about the truth."
Hiruzen interrupted him.
His voice was extremely low.
"What people want is the result."
"If the result benefits everyone, then the truth loses its meaning."
"Only the losers and those whose interests are harmed will care about the truth."
Hiruzen's tone was heavy with bitterness.
In this entire affair, he himself was clearly the greatest loser.
After a moment, however, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
"However… Danzō has been clever his whole life, but this time he may have miscalculated."
"Kumogakure's response has clearly moved beyond the scope of his plan."
"As a result, Danzō may very well transform from the village's 'hero'… into its criminal."
"And when the tide of events crashes down like a flood, everything he has done will be settled one by one."
As they spoke, Hiruzen and Tenzō had already entered the Hokage Tower.
They passed through the corridors without obstruction until they arrived outside the war council chamber.
Without hesitation, Hiruzen pushed open the door.
"Third Hokage-sama?!!"
Everyone inside the room immediately stood up upon seeing him.
Hiruzen slowly scanned the faces of everyone present.
Some showed joy.
Some were excited.
Some looked relieved.
But there were also those whose expressions were surprised, complicated, or dark and unreadable.
Finally, Hiruzen's gaze stopped on the expressionless face of Shimura Danzō.
The two stared at each other for several seconds.
Then Hiruzen spoke calmly.
"Everyone… I have returned."
Meanwhile—
On the walls of Kikyō Mountain Fortress.
Uchiha Ren leaned against a crate of shuriken, resting with his eyes closed as he conserved his strength for the battle to come.
"They're here!"
"Ten kilometers straight ahead!"
"The enemy is advancing rapidly—estimated arrival in five minutes!"
Hyūga Hizashi suddenly shouted a warning.
Instantly, the atmosphere atop the fortress walls froze.
A killing intent spread through the air.
Uchiha Ren 's eyes snapped open.
In a single leap, he landed atop the fortress wall and began issuing orders loudly.
"All units prepare for battle!"
"Follow the prearranged battle plan!"
"Hyūga archers will attack while retreating. Avoid close combat unless absolutely necessary!"
"Everyone else—hold the enemy back and create opportunities for the Hyūga archers to deal maximum damage!"
Several minutes later—
A figure crackling with lightning chakra appeared first on the horizon.
Behind him surged a massive black tide—
The Kumogakure army.
The war was about to begin.
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