They didn't yet know the full details of the declaration of war.
Even so, the disappearance of the Third Kazekage had already spread across the Shinobi world.
Any strategist with a functioning mind could see how easily this incident could ignite a wider conflict.
Tsunade stared at Aoyama Ryuyun, incredulous. She had doubted his warning about a coming war, but events were unfolding precisely as he'd predicted; now she no longer doubted.
"Ryuyun-kun — you're incredible," she said, half awed, half exasperated.
Aoyama Ryuyun smiled and shrugged. "You've known I was amazing for a long time."
Tsunade rolled her eyes. He chose that moment to flirt, even with war looming—typical of him, and maddeningly effective at breaking the tension.
"If this is true, the war can't be far off," she said.
"Hiruzen-sama must be summoning the clan heads as we speak," Aoyama Ryuyun replied calmly.
He was right. Aoyama Ryuyun, with knowledge from elsewhere and an acute perceptive skill honed into something like foresight, understood the shape of what was coming. This was not a local border clash but a gathering storm that could swallow nations: Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure—and Kirigakure's involvement, overt or covert—would turn it into a brutal, all-consuming war. Legends would be forged in it: Minato Namikaze's name as the Yellow Flash, Shisui's speed and reputation, Kakashi's rise as the Copy Ninja—heroes and horrors alike born from bloodshed.
An Anbu appeared in the courtyard, as if summoned by the thought; Aoyama Ryuyun barely acknowledged him before the operative vanished again to carry orders. Tsunade shot Ryuyun a glance of admiration. "Can you really see the future?"
Ryuyun hesitated, then explained: "Not the future in full—just fragments. When your perception is pushed far enough, you can glimpse immediate possibilities. It's mainly useful in combat." He called it perception because the Shinobi world had no term for what his kenbun-like ability actually was.
Tsunade found the claim fantastical, yet she could not dismiss Ryuyun outright. He had already been correct twice in an hour; demonstration mattered more than argument. To prove his point he predicted Orochimaru's exact words as the snake-man entered through the main gate. When the prediction came true, Orochimaru's snake-like eyes narrowed with a mixture of interest and unease. Even he, who had seen peculiar things, felt unsettled.
"Is that a kekkei genkai?" Orochimaru asked quietly.
"If you want to think of it that way, yes," Ryuyun answered. It was a useful shorthand; in effect his advanced kenbunshoku resembled a bloodline trait.
Tsunade, unable to contain herself, cheered like a woman relieved to be vindicated. "You're amazing! I love you!" Her pride was not mere vanity—Ryuyun's strength validated her choice and reassured her about the future she was willing to shape.
Orochimaru, always practical, shifted the conversation. "Ryuyun-kun, our arrangement still stands. Help Tsunade become Hokage; afterward, the Living Corpse Reincarnation technique should be handed to me."
Aoyama Ryuyun did not object. Immortality was not his urgent priority, but if Orochimaru could perfect the technique, it was sensible to allow it—especially given Orochimaru's capacity and Ryuyun's confidence that absolute power made betrayal a non-issue. Orochimaru's snake-eyes danced at the agreement; Tsunade interjected a warning: not to use Konoha's people as test subjects. Orochimaru demurred but accepted the constraint—there were other sources in the world, he reminded them. Tsunade's condition was enough; she would support Ryuyun's plan to install her as Hokage only if Konoha's people were not sacrificed.
By the time Aoyama Ryuyun, Tsunade, and Orochimaru arrived at the Hokage Office, the meeting had already filled with clan heads and representative Elite Jōnin. Nara Shikaku caught Ryuyun's eye and inclined his head; Ryuyun answered with a subtle nod, unseen by Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was consumed by the incoming crisis.
The arrival of Ryuyun eased Hiruzen for the briefest moment—if Konoha was to stand, every effective blade counted. Hiruzen could not afford to lose any advantage.
Hiruzen cleared his throat and quieted the room. Nara Shikaku, always the strategist, stepped forward first and spoke plainly: Sunagakure's accusation over the Third Kazekage's disappearance was the pretext; the Sand had long coveted the Land of Fire. But before Shikaku could finish his analysis, Hiruzen's next report chilled the assembly.
"It's worse than that," Hiruzen said. "Not only did Sunagakure declare war on Konoha, but Kumogakure and Iwagakure have also mobilized and are advancing toward our borders."
The announcement stunned the chamber into silence. Three of the Five Great Hidden Villages, at once? Even veterans exchanged glances. This was not a single-blade strike; it was a coordinated surge. Panic fluttered like a trapped bird under composed faces.
Hiruzen, fighting to keep his voice steady, would not let silence stand. "Even if Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure are opposed to us, they will not defeat Konoha easily," he declared, trying to rally the room. Under his voice was anger—deep, personal, but also the weariness of a leader who had carried this village through earlier storms.
He turned to the assembled ninjas. "Tsunade! Orochimaru! You two are tasked with operations on the Sunagakure front."
Tsunade's jaw set—Konoha would not fold quietly—and Orochimaru's expression went inscrutable. For a moment the office hummed with a single, terrible clarity: the war that had been predicted was no longer an abstract threat. It had begun.
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters