"Fine, fine. A rebellion, is it? I was just thinking all these other missions were too childish and boring. I'll make an example out of you!"
Subsequently, more and more shinobi walked towards the counter, their faces etched with pure anger. They wished they could instantly rush to the Amegakure region, kill all those despicable rogue shinobi, and drag their mastermind out for a slow, painful death.
The sight of these veteran shinobi in a rage also made some of the novice youngsters curious. They weren't familiar with that previous war and didn't understand why the older shinobi were so worked up.
Nevertheless, with emotions running so high, and the matter concerning the unity of the Land of Fire, even these recently graduated children were preparing to accept a mission at the counter.
However, when they joined the queue, they were pulled out by the administrators. "Sorry, young shinobi. The minimum requirement for the Amegakure support mission is Chunin rank. Because of the inherent danger, Genin-level shinobi are not permitted to accept this task."
"Ah? Is that so? What a shame."
The Genin, who had been full of fighting spirit, now shook their heads in disappointment. It seemed they were destined to have no part in the glory of suppressing this rebellion. With so many Konohagakure shinobi heading out, they figured it wouldn't take long to completely wipe out the rogue shinobi in the Amegakure region.
"Yeah, what a pity. I was just about to sign up for the Chunin Exams. I should have just signed up last year! I played it safe, and now I've missed such a great chance to earn merit!" Some of the older Genin joined in the lament.
The Chunin and Jōnin waiting in line to accept the mission laughed heartily. "Alright, the Hokage-sama himself said there could be danger. You all just stay home, you've got us."
Though the Genin were annoyed by the old shinobi's cockiness, there was nothing they could do; the Hokage-sama's rule was absolute. They had no choice but to give up.
In no time, every eligible shinobi in the entire Mission Assembly Hall abandoned their original tasks and chose to head to the Amegakure region for support.
The news spread quickly throughout Konohagakure. In less than half an hour, the entire village knew the news.
Torifu, resting in his courtyard, had his phone bombarded with calls. One would hang up, and another would ring immediately. Torifu was about to hang up and reply to them all later, but his peripheral vision caught the caller ID.
It was Ōnoki.
Since it was the Tsuchikage, Torifu couldn't ignore it. "Hello, Tsuchikage. You're calling about the Land of Rain rebellion, I presume?"
Ōnoki's tone was clearly hurried. "Yes, Hokage. Where did you get this information? Is it reliable?"
Torifu's voice was serious. "Of course it is reliable. The current administrator of the Amegakure region is the vice-leader of my subordinate organization. According to his report, the situation has been brewing for two months, only recently exploding."
"Furthermore, there seems to be a rebellion in the Land of Rain territories under your Land of Earth and the Land of Wind's jurisdiction, though the specifics are unknown. You should call your administrators over there."
Ōnoki felt highly annoyed and helpless. Why had a rebellion suddenly cropped up out of nowhere? Why was that small, miserable place so much trouble? Iwagakure had sacrificed over a thousand people in that previous war for peace. Was chaos about to erupt again?
"Understood, Hokage. Thank you for the information. We plan to set off and return tomorrow morning. Thank you for Konohagakure's hospitality during this time. As for the Kazekage, I will pass the message to him."
Ōnoki knew Torifu must be incredibly busy right now, so he didn't waste much of his time, even taking on the task of informing the Kazekage. This was very helpful to Torifu, who despised trouble. It was best if Ōnoki could explain things to the Kazekage.
"In that case, I thank you, Tsuchikage."
The two then hung up. Ōnoki did not stop; he immediately called the administrator stationed in the Land of Earth's sector of the Amegakure region to inquire about the situation there.
The administrator's report was consistent with what Torifu had said: the region was indeed in chaos, with an unknown force secretly plotting against the Land of Rain, attempting to make it independent again.
However, Ōnoki believed this was impossible. Regardless of who was behind this force, by angering three great nations simultaneously, they wouldn't come out unscathed. The woman covered in fire had been defeated by them and forced to flee in disgrace. Even if they returned this time, Ōnoki wasn't afraid.
"I had a feeling back then that old Hanzō wouldn't just give up. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."
Ōnoki rudely assumed that Hanzō was the culprit; otherwise, who would risk incurring the wrath of three great nations just to plot for a small place like the Land of Rain?
After calling the administrator, Ōnoki's task wasn't over. He still had to tell the Kazekage to prepare quickly.
Back in Konohagakure, the news of the Amegakure rebellion was the talk of the town. Villagers were shocked that such bad news would occur on the first day of the New Year. If a rebellion really broke out, would it lead to another war?
A feeling of fear quickly spread among the villagers. They didn't fear war itself, but the possibility of their loved ones dying in it. That feeling was simply too painful. The fact that the Hokage-sama had not yet come out to confirm or deny the truth of the matter only made the villagers more anxious.
The heads of the various clans also became active, scurrying back and forth between each other's compounds. They all wanted to know what the other clan heads thought about the situation and how many clan members they planned to send. After much discussion, they couldn't reach a conclusion, so the large contingent of clan heads decided to go straight to the Hokage.
Just as they were about to leave their compounds, Torifu's voice echoed throughout Konohagakure.