Hokage's Office.
Kitazawa opened the scroll and read through it.
The scroll had come jointly from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure.
The Fourth Raikage, Ōnoki, Terumī, and Rasa had all signed their names at the bottom.
"This really does feel like a declaration of war."
After finishing it, Kitazawa couldn't help but chuckle.
Konan looked mildly puzzled.
She didn't know what a "declaration" meant in the old sense, but she understood what the scroll implied.
On the surface, it demanded the return of the tailed beasts. In reality, it was the four great villages declaring war on Konoha.
If it were someone else, they might already be unable to sit still.
But when she thought of Kitazawa's strength, she became as calm as he was.
"Notify everyone. Once the New Year holiday ends, we'll convene a jōnin council meeting."
Kitazawa thought for a moment and gave the order.
A war involving all five great villages wasn't going to break out within a week.
And judging from the wording of the scroll, the four villages were still clinging to a sliver of hope—
that Konoha might return the tailed beasts.
If Konoha really did return them, they likely wouldn't launch a Fourth Great Ninja War.
More importantly, Konoha had White Zetsu and could keep track of their movements at any time.
If the four villages were hoping to pull off a surprise attack during the New Year holiday, it would never succeed.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Konan answered immediately.
After she left, Kitazawa interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them.
He began thinking about what attack routes the four villages would choose.
Konoha sat at the center of the shinobi world.
The four villages couldn't do what they did in the original story—gather at a single point and form a united Shinobi Alliance.
No matter where they tried to meet up, it would be hard to avoid passing through the Land of Fire.
And even if they could avoid it, gathering that many ninja from four separate villages in one place wasn't easy to begin with.
Konoha could simply sabotage the rendezvous.
So the most likely plan was to surround Konoha from all sides.
That way, they wouldn't need detours—they could just advance in straight lines toward Konoha.
Kitazawa casually pulled out a map of the shinobi world.
Iwagakure and Sunagakure were closer to Konoha and should arrive first.
Kumogakure was at a medium distance.
Kirigakure was the farthest.
After a bit more thought, Kitazawa decided Konoha would also split into four routes.
In simple terms, they would divide all ninja into four armies and respond to the four villages.
That made the commander of each army critically important.
On top of that, there was the assignment of Sasuke Uchiha and Neji Hyūga's seven squads.
Now each squad had a jinchūriki, making their overall combat power terrifying.
No exaggeration—each squad possessed the ability to swing the tide of a battlefield.
[Current Mission: Defeat the Four Great Villages.]
[Mission Reward: 80% Senju Hashirama–class physique.]
[Accept?]
Kitazawa looked at the system prompt that appeared out of nowhere and gave a quiet, surprised sound.
He hadn't expected the reward to be an 80% Hashirama-class physique.
Previously, he'd received a system mission to help Uzumaki Naruto become a perfect jinchūriki.
That reward had been a 20% Hashirama-class physique.
In other words, if he completed both missions, he would have a full 100% Hashirama-class physique.
Kitazawa thought for a moment and roughly guessed the reason.
Back in the Warring States era—before the "hidden village" system even existed—it was Hashirama Senju who rose like a comet and brought the chaos to an end.
And ending that chaotic era was, in practice, no different from defeating all rival powers.
So it made perfect sense that this mission could be triggered.
He didn't lack chakra anymore, but when it came to chakra, more was always better.
By noon, after an entire morning of planning, Kitazawa had a rough structure in mind for the four armies.
All that remained was to finalize it at next week's jōnin council meeting.
"I'll take you back."
Kitazawa stood up.
It was the New Year holiday—if not for the four villages' sudden announcement, he couldn't be bothered to come in at all.
Konan immediately hurried over to him.
She stood there, simply looking at him.
In her cool, distant eyes, there was a faint trace of anticipation.
Kitazawa couldn't resist giving her a light pat on the backside.
He bent down, slid his arms under her stocking-clad thighs, and lifted her into a bridal carry.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Kitazawa appeared inside Konan's Anbu dorm room.
"Are you eating lunch here today?"
Konan leaned against him and asked softly.
"Since you're asking like that, of course I'm eating lunch here."
Kitazawa lowered his head and kissed her soft lips.
After a heated exchange of kisses, he set her down.
"I'll cook."
Konan took a breath and said.
"Mhm."
Kitazawa nodded.
Konan turned and walked into the kitchen.
Kitazawa sat on the sofa and looked over in that direction.
Since it was a single-person dorm, the room wasn't large—especially the kitchen and bathroom, which felt a bit cramped.
But for one person, it was fine.
Then Kitazawa's eyes widened.
After entering the kitchen, Konan took off her women's suit jacket and pencil skirt.
She kept only her black stockings, then put on an apron.
The apron had thin shoulder straps, revealing her pale shoulders.
And the hem only reached mid-thigh.
From the side… it was almost unbearably enticing.
Yet Konan's expression didn't change at all—still cool, still detached.
The effect was as if this outfit were completely normal to her.
That intense contrast made Kitazawa stand up without thinking.
He walked into the kitchen.
What greeted him was Konan's smooth, jade-like back, her full hips, and her long legs wrapped in black stockings.
Kitazawa suspected she was doing it on purpose.
No—there was no need to suspect. She absolutely was.
The longer Konan stayed by his side, the better she understood him.
Most of the time, she didn't need him to say anything—she already knew.
Kitazawa stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her soft body.
He lowered his head and gently bit her long, fair shoulder.
Konan's body trembled slightly, but she continued cooking as if Kitazawa didn't exist.
Kitazawa smiled.
For him, this kind of experience was a first.
He glanced at Konan's expressionless face as his hands slowly moved upward.
Her breathing paused for a split second, then quickly returned to normal.
But in less than a moment, it grew noticeably faster.
Konan could feel her heart being teased and stirred.
Even so, she didn't forget her "mission"—to cook.
Then, all of a sudden, the flame under the stove went out.
Konan froze for a beat. Just as she reached to turn it back on, she felt a pair of hands grip her slender waist.
Her snowy toes lifted off the floor.
Instinctively, Konan pressed her hands against the edge of the counter.
Her long hair fell forward, but the corners of her lips lifted.
Because in this round of sparring, she'd won.
Of course, victory was only temporary.
Before long, she was like a willow branch in the wind—swaying again and again.
After lunch, Kitazawa went home.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Even though it was still the New Year holiday, the four villages' announcement had already spread throughout Konoha.
All the ninja knew.
Many felt uneasy.
But more people were excited—full of anticipation.
Because they believed in Kitazawa's power, convinced that even one versus four, he could still win.
Especially clan heads like Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyūga—they saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
War meant merit.
Every war produced rising stars—sometimes even future Hokage.
Like Minato Namikaze, who became famous in the Third Great Ninja War.
And this time, there would be even more who could make their names—
people like Sasuke Uchiha, Hinata Hyūga, and Naruto Uzumaki.
Those backing them all understood: if you didn't become famous in this war, you might never get another chance.
Because if Konoha won, it would unify the entire shinobi world.
8:30 a.m.
Even though the jōnin council meeting was still half an hour away, the conference room in the Hokage Tower was already packed.
Konoha's jōnin were all present.
And there were also non-jōnin in attendance—Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki's group.
They'd been specially permitted to participate.
After all, this war would involve them.
"Are we going to the battlefield?"
Yamanaka Ino looked around and asked.
She could tell the atmosphere in the room was extremely serious.
"Why do you say that?"
Naruto scratched his head.
"Kitazawa-sensei isn't going to return the tailed beasts."
Sasuke glanced at him and said.
The Hokage Guard Unit hadn't been officially announced yet.
Most people didn't know—but Sasuke, as the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki and a member of that unit, knew perfectly well that the tailed beasts could no longer be "returned."
Unless you cut open their bellies and pull them out.
Kitazawa would never do something like that.
"There's no need to return them!"
Inuzuka Kiba snorted. "Konoha can still win one versus four!"
He did regret not getting a tailed beast himself, but at this point the tailed beasts belonged to Konoha.
"Kitazawa-sensei called all of us here for the jōnin council—he definitely intends to send us to the battlefield."
Nara Shikamaru put his hands behind his head and sighed. "What a pain…"
"I've never been on a battlefield."
Kurama Yakumo said quietly.
"You don't need to worry too much."
Yakushi Kabuto comforted them with a smile. "A battlefield isn't that different from our usual work. It's still just missions."
"Really not that different?"
Tenten sounded skeptical.
"With your strength and your status, it really is about the same."
Kabuto's smile didn't change.
The biggest difference was that the battlefield was more unpredictable.
One mission could turn into several missions—something like that happened all the time.
But no matter what, strength was what mattered.
Kabuto understood the power of these juniors very well.
For them, the battlefield wasn't especially dangerous.
"I hope I can do missions with Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura Haruno said excitedly.
"That's definitely possible."
Ino laughed. "On the battlefield, joint missions are the norm. Usually multiple squads—sometimes a lot more—have to work together."
"This war is a good opportunity for you."
Kabuto reminded them. "You can sharpen your strength, and you can raise your reputation."
"Reputation!"
Kiba instantly got excited. "I want a cool title like Naruto's!"
"What title could you possibly get?"
Tayuya mocked. "Konoha's Mad Dog?"
"Konoha's Mad Dog isn't bad!"
Kiba blinked, then asked, "Akamaru, what do you think?"
"Woof woof woof!"
Akamaru barked happily.
"You don't choose your own title."
Neji shook his head. "Your enemies give it to you."
"Then I've gotta perform well in this war!"
Kiba declared confidently.
Kimimaro Kaguya and the others didn't speak, but they were thinking the same thing.
Having a title sounded insanely cool.
And without one, it almost felt embarrassing to call yourself a true powerhouse of the shinobi world.
9:00 a.m.
The door opened.
Kitazawa walked in.
He swept his gaze across the room.
The retired Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade weren't here.
Orochimaru wasn't here either—he was completely absorbed in experiments.
Jiraiya had been sent to Amegakure, and he was also chasing his so-called Child of Prophecy, so he hadn't attended this meeting either.
"Hokage-sama."
Everyone stood up at once and spoke in unison.
"Sit."
Kitazawa nodded.
"Hokage-sama."
Nara Shikaku spoke in a low voice. "According to the latest intelligence, the four great villages have already dispatched an advance force of over ten thousand ninja."
Many people looked shocked.
Ten thousand for an "advance force" was absurd.
Normally, an advance force would be one or two thousand.
Ten thousand was already a main army.
In the Third Great Ninja War, Iwagakure had once deployed ten thousand ninja to surround and kill the Third Raikage of Kumogakure.
"From the current situation, they intend to attack us simultaneously from the east, south, west, and north."
Shikaku laid out a map marked with four straight lines—perfectly connecting all five great villages.
"As expected."
Kitazawa chuckled. "They outnumber us, so the most sensible approach is an encirclement."
"Numbers don't matter!"
Fugaku Uchiha suddenly spoke up. "What decides victory is the top-tier strength on both sides!"
"Exactly!"
Hiashi Hyūga quickly agreed. "With Hokage-sama here, we can't lose!"
Shikaku and the others felt something… subtle.
Since when did you two learn to flatter people?
Thinking carefully, there had been signs before—just not this blatant.
"Shikaku, how many ninja can Konoha mobilize for the battlefield?"
Kitazawa cleared his throat lightly.
Fugaku and Hiashi exchanged a look and immediately stopped talking.
"About twenty thousand."
Shikaku answered.
"Good. Divide them into four armies—five thousand per army."
Kitazawa ordered.
In the original Fourth Great Ninja War, the Allied Shinobi Forces had numbered eighty-seven thousand.
That included the five great villages plus the samurai of the Land of Iron.
The samurai could be ignored.
Meaning each major village contributed roughly seventeen to eighteen thousand.
So Konoha gathering twenty thousand now was perfectly normal.
Fugaku and the others felt their hearts jolt.
Four armies meant the most crucial question was: who would command each?
And who you faced would matter too.
Fighting Kumogakure or Iwagakure would be especially hard.
But on the flip side, if you won, the fame and merit would be even greater.
"The First Army will be commanded by Fugaku Uchiha, defending against Kumogakure."
Kitazawa spoke steadily. "Team Seven will accompany you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Fugaku stood immediately, his voice bright with excitement.
He'd lived through three great wars, but this was the first time an Uchiha had been appointed as a field commander.
And with Team Seven accompanying them, high-end combat power wouldn't be lacking at all.
Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyūga were already, by strength, on the level of a Kage.
Even against powerful Kumogakure, they would still hold the advantage.
Hiashi instinctively clenched his fist.
If Fugaku had become a commander, then what about him?
Hinata was also Kitazawa's student—surely the Hyūga wouldn't be overlooked.
"The Second Army will be commanded by Hiashi Hyūga, defending against Iwagakure."
Kitazawa continued. "Team Five and Team Six will accompany you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Hiashi finally relaxed, then quickly replied.
As expected—Kitazawa treated the Uchiha and the Hyūga equally.
Team Five was Might Guy's squad: Rock Lee, Hotaru, and Haku.
Team Six was Yamato's squad: Neji Hyūga, Tenten, and Shion.
They weren't quite Team Seven, but they were still top-tier—especially Might Guy with the Eight Gates, Neji with the Tenseigan, and Yamato with Wood Release.
"The Third Army will be commanded by Shikaku Nara, defending against Kirigakure."
Kitazawa thought for a moment. "Team Three and Team Four will accompany you."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Shikaku froze for a beat, then stood to acknowledge the order.
As a Nara, he was usually a strategist.
Serving as a standalone commander was rare.
But after the surprise came excitement.
This was a huge chance for the Ino–Shika–Chō clans to rise.
And Kitazawa had assigned Team Three and Team Four to accompany them.
Team Three was Asuma Sarutobi's squad.
Shikaku also knew that Ino Yamanaka had already become the Two-Tails' jinchūriki.
Team Four was Anko Mitarashi's squad.
Not only was Kimimaro Kaguya the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, Anko was also the leader of the Curse Mark Unit.
Meaning the Curse Mark Unit would be attached to the Third Army as well.
"The Fourth Army will be commanded by Yakushi Kabuto, defending against Sunagakure."
Kitazawa continued. "Team One and Team Two will accompany you."
The first three commanders drew no objections.
Fugaku, Hiashi, and Shikaku were all high-level figures in Konoha—powerful, with major clans behind them.
But naming Kabuto as the Fourth Army's commander immediately caused a stir.
Kabuto wasn't famous.
Everyone knew he was Kitazawa's student, but he kept such a low profile that he had almost no public achievements.
Most people only thought of him as a capable medical-nin.
In truth, the current Kabuto was one of Konoha's absolute top-tier powerhouses.
Sage Mode plus being the Four-Tails' jinchūriki meant he could carve through Sunagakure alone like a blade through paper.
And that was before even counting Team One and Team Two.
Team One was Kurenai Yūhi's squad, including Kurama Yakumo and Karin, the One-Tail's jinchūriki.
Team Two was Kakashi Hatake's squad—Kakashi himself was a jinchūriki of three tailed beasts.
On top of that, Kabuto was also the leader of the Summon Beast Unit.
"That's the arrangement."
Kitazawa didn't explain further. "Once you're ready, you may depart."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Fugaku, Hiashi, Shikaku, and Kabuto answered together.
Even with the numerical disadvantage, they were still confident.
Because Konoha held the edge in top-tier combat power.
If the elites canceled each other out, the rest came down to command.
"There's also a special unit, dedicated to intelligence."
Kitazawa clapped his hands once. "White Zetsu."
A White Zetsu wearing Anbu gear stood up.
"It will send personnel to accompany you and provide intelligence."
Kitazawa explained.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Fugaku and the others nodded.
Konoha's intelligence had always come from Anbu.
Even though they didn't recognize White Zetsu, they chose to trust the Hokage.
"Any questions?"
Kitazawa paused. "If not, then aside from the four commanders, everyone else can go prepare."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Everyone stood and filed out, until only Fugaku's group and White Zetsu remained.
"Each of your armies has only five thousand ninja."
Kitazawa looked at them. "To be safe, I've prepared another five thousand for each of you."
"…?"
Fugaku and the others instinctively looked confused.
What did that mean?
You were hiding another twenty thousand ninja?
How was that possible?
They knew Konoha well—twenty thousand was already the limit.
Forty thousand was a number you only saw in dreams.
Could they be from Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, or Sunagakure?
That made no sense.
And aside from the five great villages, no other village could possibly scrape together twenty thousand ninja.
"These five thousand are… special. Their strength is average—about genin or chūnin level."
Kitazawa smiled. "But they're good at Transformation Jutsu and infiltration. They can be used to create chaos."
What he was really talking about was White Zetsu.
In the original story, White Zetsu used the Spore Technique to produce one hundred thousand White Zetsu.
For safety's sake, Kitazawa had White Zetsu prepare twenty thousand, to be distributed as emergency support for the four armies.
"Transformation and infiltration are already enough."
Fugaku said at once.
"Exactly."
Hiashi agreed. "This will greatly reduce our pressure."
Shikaku and Kabuto nodded as well.
"Good. White Zetsu will explain the specifics to you."
Kitazawa stood up. "I wish you victory from the first strike."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Fugaku and the others answered quickly.
"I'll accompany the First Army."
Kitazawa added after thinking for a moment. "But not for long."
With Flying Thunder God, he could leave whenever he wanted and arrive wherever he wanted.
The main reason he would go at all was because Team Seven would be there—he was their leader, so showing his face made sense.
Fugaku froze for a moment—then felt a surge of delight.
With Kitazawa present, the First Army taking down Kumogakure was a certainty.
~~~
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