"Needless to say… Sunagakure has declared war on Konoha!"
"Nani?"
Nara Shikaku froze mid-breath.
He knew the Third Great Ninja War was inevitable after recent events… but he didn't expect it to explode this fast.
And he wasn't the only one.
Everyone in the Hokage's office stiffened at the announcement.
"Declared war?"
"So soon? It hasn't even been that long since the disappearance of the Third Kazekage!"
"Is Sunagakure really this reckless?!"
Their shock was understandable.
If it were just Sunagakure, no one here would be losing sleep.
Konoha didn't hold the title of strongest Hidden Village for nothing.
But—
Sarutobi Hiruzen's next words dragged the entire room into dead silence.
"In addition to Sand… Kumogakure and Iwagakure have also declared war on Konoha. Their forces are already marching toward the Fire Country's borders."
"…"
Everyone went completely blank.
Three of the Five Great Ninja Villages declaring war together—even hearing it felt like a death sentence.
"H-Hokage-sama… that can't be real, right?! This isn't a joke!"
Three villages attacking at once—
it was horrifying enough to make even seasoned jonin pale.
Sarutobi exhaled through his nose.
"What do you think? Would I joke about this?"
No one spoke.
Even Tsunade and Orochimaru—who already expected a war to erupt—fell silent. None of them imagined they'd be facing the combined assault of so many villages at once.
Only one person in the room acted like nothing was wrong—
Shiki.
Hands behind his back, standing there with the same unruly confidence as always, completely unfazed.
Worry?
For what?
He looked like someone who'd been waiting to punch Kumogakure in the face since breakfast.
"Ahem."
Sarutobi couldn't let the gloom swallow the room, so he cleared his throat and straightened up.
"Even if Konoha faces Sand, Cloud, and Stone at the same time, it is absolutely impossible for us to let them trample on us like this."
For once, Hiruzen looked genuinely angry.
He might be tolerant to a fault at times, but this...
this was an insult.
"Tsunade! Orochimaru! You two will take command of the Sand front!"
"Understood."
Neither of them turned down the chance to earn massive military merit.
Sarutobi turned.
"Jiraiya, you and Minato will handle the Iwa front."
"Don't worry, old man! Leave it to us."
Hiruzen allowed himself a small smile.
Among the Sannin, he trusted Jiraiya the most.
Finally—
his gaze settled on Shiki.
"Ahem… Shiki. I'm assigning you to the Kumogakure front. I'll have the Ino–Shika–Cho clans support you."
Kumogakure was no joke.
The Third Raikage — the strongest spear and the strongest shield.
A pair of future monsters — A (future Fourth Raikage) and Killer B.
Plus the Two-Tails jinchūriki, Yugito.
Four kage-level enemies.
Maybe more.
That's exactly why Hiruzen wanted Shiki there.
He held his breath, half-expecting Shiki to demand conditions—
But Shiki just glanced at Tsunade…
…and nodded.
"That's fine. I'll take the Cloud front."
A bunch of muscleheads?
He wouldn't run from that.
"…"
Sarutobi almost dropped his pipe.
He agreed.
Just like that.
No negotiations.
No demands.
Unbelievable.
Shiki noticed the Hokage's expression and smirked.
"What? Hokage-sama, do you have other instructions?"
"…Nothing."
Hiruzen shook his head quickly.
If Shiki wanted zero conditions, he wasn't going to jinx it.
"Right."
As if remembering something, Shiki suddenly turned toward him.
Sarutobi's stomach sank.
Here it comes…
He's finally going to ask for something…
But Shiki simply asked:
"Hokage-sama, are we deploying every available unit to the borders?"
"Yes."
Hiruzen answered without hesitation.
"Then what if Kirigakure also declares war?"
The entire room went still again.
If Mist attacked while all troops were deployed elsewhere…
Konoha would be defenseless.
"T-This…"
Hiruzen wanted to say Shiki was overthinking it.
And many in the room clearly thought so too.
After all—
in the First and Second Great Wars, Kirigakure never participated.
Why would they jump in now?
But with Shiki looking dead serious, Hiruzen couldn't brush it off.
"If Mist attacks… as the Hokage I will personally lead the defense."
Was Hiruzen really planning to fight?
Of course not.
He just didn't believe Mist would join the war at all.
Spotting another detail, he added firmly:
"And the Uchiha clan will defend Konoha with me."
"With my Uchiha clan present," Uchiha Fugaku declared proudly, "Konoha will not fall!"
Shiki rolled his eyes so hard it was audible.
Idiot.
Uchiha's specialty was fire release.
Mist's was water release.
And Sharingan?
In a battlefield covered in Hidden Mist Technique, it would be nearly useless.
Sarutobi, completely unaware of the looming irony, nodded with calm confidence.
"If that's settled, we should all prepare."
The meeting ended on a heavy note.
No chatter.
No lingering discussions.
Everyone simply drifted back home with grim determination.
"Lord Shiki!"
Just as Shiki was about to leave with Tsunade, a voice called out.
He turned, mildly confused.
Yuhi Shinku approached, face unusually serious—
and that was never a good sign.
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