May 2nd
Hokage Office
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Tobirama rhythmically tapped his finger against the desk, eyes fixed on the report delivered by Uchiha Kagami. His mind churned.
'Neutral diplomacy… is it a feint? Or do they truly lack the will to strike first?'
The message from Sunagakure was ambiguous. The auction between Iwa and Konoha to win Suna's neutrality was underway, but Tobirama saw through the surface. He wanted to do everything in his power to keep Suna out of the war – but the idea of sending grain and war supplies to a potential enemy made his stomach turn.
He could feel it.
Suna, like other major hidden villages, wanted to weaken Konoha. Yet they weren't exactly allies – only an opportunistic alliance bonded by common interest. To truly sway Suna to Konoha's side would require an unimaginable tribute. And even then, it might not be enough.
Tobirama's mind moved quickly, calculating probabilities:
The likelihood of Suna turning hostile. The cost of supplies required to buy their silence. The casualties Konoha would suffer if western front opened. He couldn't make the call – not yet.
He turned to the intelligence reports on Sunagakure, scanning data from the past year. The picture was clear: Suna's growth had peaked. The desert was choking their expansion. They had no interest in tailed beasts – but they craved territory. The green lands of the Land of Rivers were their prize.
Could Konoha's tribute suppress that desire?
No.
Could Konoha make a deal to split the Land of River?
They can. They had the power. But at what cost?
Konoha's strength lay in its network of small and medium-sized allies. To carve up the Land of Rivers with Suna would shatter the Pax-Konohanica – the fragile peace Konoha had built and their legitimacy too. It would crumble from within.
Suna's expansion was inevitable. Therefore, conflict was inevitable. And worse – Iwagakure was poised to offer them immediate benefits. Tobirama knew the timeline well.
Iwa was the first to form, two years after Konoha; Kumo followed a year later; Suna emerged five years after Konoha; Kiri came one year after Suna.
By age and infrastructure, Iwa's economy and military strength seconded only Konoha. They had the leverage, the resources, and the political reach to draw both Suna and Kiri into the war. They had enough to make it happen.
Tobirama's eyes narrowed.
"Suna and Kiri will definitely join in."
His fingers stopped tapping.
"Suna and Kiri… regrettable. But they are our enemies. Then…"
He rose from his chair, the shadow of the war map stretching across the floor like veins. His gaze swept across the territories marked in ink – Land of Grass (Kusagakure), Land of Hot Springs (Yugakure), and the Land of Rivers (Tanigakure).
"They won't strike yet," he murmured. "But they will certainly strike."
Was Tobirama's order to send Kagami to Suna pointless then? Tobirama was also aware of Suna's motives. They already increased their forces next to the border, pressuring Konoha to allocate fair share of shinobis to the west. It was just that Suna's prolonged silence that unsettled him. Moreover, it was one thing to make assumption and another to ascertain their motives through negotiation and diplomacy.
Tobirama walked to the window, eyes narrowing at the horizon beyond the village walls.
'Neutrality is a mask. Silence is a tactic to hold our troops down while Kumo and Iwa tank our troops.'
He turned back to the desk, his mind already moving through contingencies.
"If Suna and Kiri are waiting for the right moment to join the war, then we must ensure that moment never comes."
His voice was low, but resolute.
"Iwa and Kumo must be neutralized first. Cripple their momentum. Break their confidence. Before they can rally the others."
Tobirama summoned a messenger.
"Notify the clans for a meeting. Immediately."
As the door closed behind the runner, Tobirama stood alone in the quiet of his office.
***
The Hokage building was once again filled with tension. Clan heads, elders, senior jonins, and tacticians sat in a semicircle around the central conference table. The flicking light of Chakra lamps cast long shadows across the walls, dancing over maps inked with redlines and shifting borders.
Senju Tobirama stood at the head of the room, his white hair distinctively catching the light, his gaze sharp as ever and unwavering.
"As many of you have realized," he began, "the Yugakure and Kusagakure fronts have reached a stalemate. And with the Uzumaki's support, we hold a slight advantage. But this will not the end quickly at this rate."
He held up a scroll.
"Intelligence gathered days ago confirms that Sunagakure and Kirigakure are preparing to enter the war."
Murmurs erupted across the chamber.
One elder stood, voice trembling, "This is… this is a world war! A Shinobi World War!"
Tobirama nodded grimly. "Yes. And we are in the eye of the storm - besieged or soon to be, by the four major hidden villages."
The room fell silent. The threat was no longer theoretical. Konoha's survival was at stake.
"Surely, you have a solution for this situation Hokage-sama?" asked Nara Shikasuke in a measured but urgent tone.
Tobirama stepped forward.
"We have about 26,000 shinobi, not including the graduates, and 24,000 are deployed across the three fronts: Land of Hot Springs (Yugakure), Land of Grass (Kusagakure), and Land Rivers (Tanigakure). Only 2,000 remain in the village primarily consisting of Konoha Military Police Force."
He paused, letting the weight of the numbers settle.
"But we are not yet depleted."
He turned to the assembled clan heads.
"Let's be frank. The Senju clan, including former members, still holds about 5,000 retired and unregistered shinobis. I ask all clans to be upfront honest. We must reinforce the fronts and eliminate Iwa and Kumo before Suna and Kiri strike!"
The room stirred
Inuzuka Tetsuro, broad-shouldered and flanked by two ninja-hounds, leaned forward. "You want us to pull our elders out of retirement? Some haven't held a kunai in a decade?"
Tobirama didn't blink. "They will hold it again. Or they will have to watch the village burn and pillaged by others."
Hyuga Hayato remained silent for a moment before he spoke, "Hyuga's branch members are already deployed. But the main family can still muster around 2,000 chunin and jonin."
Akmichi Chozuro nodded. "Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans are ready to deploy our reserves. But they'll need quite a lot of rations."
"And updated intelligence," added Nara Shikasuke. "Enemy formations are shifting even as we speak!"
"You'll have it," Tobirama said. "You'll have everything you need."
Yamanaka Inoten raised a brow. "And the Uchiha?"
Tobirama's voice was firm. "The Uchiha will remain in Konoha. Their strength is reserved for the defense of the village."
A beat of silence followed.
Uchiha Sosuke narrowed his eyes. "We, Uchiha are also shinobi of Konoha. We do not shy from war."
Tobirama met his gaze. "Konoha Military Police Force is Konoha's sharpest sword and our final line of defense."
"AND PRECISELY FOR THAT REASON," Sosuke interrupted, "we wish to fight! What use is a sword if it remains in its sheath!"
Tobirama's voice was steady. "It is because the Uchiha defends Konoha that rest of us can deploy our forces without worry."
The two men stared each other down. Finally, Sosuke snorted and sat back.
The tension lingered, but the meeting resumed. One by one, the clans nodded as they revealed their reserves.
The final tally: 9,430 shinobis.
"Good," Tobirama nodded in satisfaction. "Of those 9,000 shinobis, 3,000 will be sent to reinforce Yugakure front. They will be led by Senju Borai, Grand Elder of Senju clan."
Borai stepped forward, his aged frame still radiating power. "I will make sure to support Danzo and Torifu well."
"Another 3,000 will march with me," Tobirama continued. "We will reinforce Kusagkure front directly. The enemy is consolidating. We will break their momentum."
The remaining 3,000 would remain in reserve – stationed in Konoha, prepared to move at moment's notice.
***
As the meeting adjourned, the village stirred. Old shinobi emerged from their quiet abodes, donning armor that hadn't seen battle in years. Scrolls were dusted off and weapons were sharpened again.
Tobirama stood alone in the Hokage office, watching the map.
'This is no longer a war of attrition. It is a war of endurance and resolve.'
He knew the cost of mobilizing the reserves. He knew the risk of leaving the Uchiha behind. But he also knew the storm was coming – and Konoha would face it with every blade it had.