Land of the Moon.
Kakashi Hatake was leading his squad—three people in total—on a supplies procurement mission here.
Even though everything they needed could have been bought in the Land of Hot Water, Kakashi still had the team disguise themselves and deliberately travel to the Land of the Moon, closer to the Land of Lightning.
According to the original plan, they were supposed to rest briefly after finishing the purchases, then depart immediately for home.
But an ominous feeling kept circling Kakashi's mind. Unease tugged at him, and he still hadn't given the order to return.
What exactly was wrong?
"Kakashi, what's wrong?"
Might Guy handed him several neatly prepared scrolls—these contained the supplies Guy had been responsible for purchasing.
Because they were disguised, buying in large quantities all at once would draw attention. They had been forced to run between different shops, buying in many small batches to gather everything.
It was that simple motion—Guy handing over the scrolls—that made Kakashi suddenly realize what the problem was.
"You two wait here a moment," Kakashi said. "I'll be right back."
With that, he strode away, his figure quickly swallowed by the bustling crowd.
A few minutes later, he arrived at a grain shop. The owner was busy stacking the last few rice sacks on the shelves.
"Boss, I need to buy 250kg of rice," Kakashi said casually.
The owner looked up, troubled. "Sorry, customer. Rice is being rationed right now."
"Rationed?" Kakashi feigned surprise. "Since when? Was it ordered by the Land of the Moon's daimyo?"
The owner hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Actually… it's just that my stock is running low. If I don't ration it, I'll have to close."
"How could that be? It's spring, sure, but it shouldn't be—"
"Sigh, nothing we can do." The owner shook his head. "Supply's tight lately. Someone's been buying up grain in bulk, and business with the Land of Lightning has gotten harder too. Not just my shop—others aren't doing much better."
"Anyway, I can only sell 25kg. Do you still want it?"
"Yes."
Kakashi stopped pressing and bought what he could within the limit. Then he continued circling the market. Before long, he'd gathered enough information: it wasn't only grain—other everyday supplies were also noticeably scarcer.
Clearly, the Land of the Moon was too small to consume that much stock.
So… where were all those supplies going?
Kakashi's pupils tightened. He turned and sprinted back to the meeting point to rejoin Guy and the third teammate.
"We're leaving. Now. We have to get back immediately!"
Guy didn't waste a word—he followed at once.
"Kakashi—did you find something?"
"If my judgment is right," Kakashi began, then paused and corrected himself, "Cloud may be planning a… large-scale military operation."
"A war?" Guy froze.
"Not confirmed," Kakashi said quickly. "But we have to get this intel back as fast as possible. Move—make sure we reach the Land of Fire border before dark."
At the same time, Kakashi's mind raced.
The Raikage was hardline, and the Hidden Cloud's culture was openly martial. If they were preparing something big, where would they strike?
Konoha?
Years of border friction—Konoha neither attacking nor withdrawing, just keeping Cloud suspended—Cloud had to be sick of it.
But if they truly started a war, Konoha wasn't exactly a good target either.
Konoha had been drilling troops on the border for years; in an outright clash, Cloud wouldn't come out unscathed. And if the war dragged on even slightly, other villages would surely take advantage.
No—those strategic worries weren't his job.
The urgent matter was getting this intel to Shisui.
Kakashi accelerated even more, nearly leaving the other two behind.
…
Land of Fire border.
Uchiha Shisui sat in the seat Tsunade used to occupy, head down and processing paperwork. "Sigh… if only Itachi were still here. Or maybe… I should find a new deputy?"
Right then, Kakashi burst in at full speed. Shisui glanced up and immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Kakashi-senpai—what happened?"
"Shisui, something's off in the Land of the Moon," Kakashi said bluntly. "I suspect Cloud is preparing for war."
Shisui's expression hardened. "Explain."
Kakashi reported everything he'd observed in detail. He had insisted the Seventh Company make the trouble of buying supplies in the Land of the Moon precisely because it was closer to Lightning and better for catching Cloud's movements.
Shisui thought for a moment, then nodded. "Your reasoning makes sense."
Kakashi pressed, "Shisui, I recommend notifying the Hokage immediately and preparing the village. We don't know Cloud's exact target, but we can't just sit and wait."
"I'll report to the Hokage at once and strengthen reconnaissance along the border," Shisui said. "But… I don't think the village needs to enter a full wartime posture yet."
He sighed. "By my count, Lady Tsunade's Hokage inauguration should be today. If news of an impending war reaches Konoha on that day…"
"…Let the villagers sleep well for once."
Kakashi hesitated. "But—our strength—"
"The border force was created with the possibility of real war in mind," Shisui said calmly. "We don't need to fear it. Even if the Raikage comes personally, we can keep him out."
"I understand." Kakashi nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
"Go inform your team to stay ready. That's all."
"Understood." Kakashi turned and left.
"What a shame Itachi got pulled back into Anbu…" Shisui muttered again, then picked up the receiver on his desk.
Yes—telephone.
Konoha had already once had a wireless communications system, an "inheritance" left behind by Orochimaru: signals transmitted via chakra fluctuation, enabling real-time contact over short distances.
But the base stations were built in Konoha, meaning it only worked around the village. Expanding it outward required building more base stations and staffing guards—far too expensive.
And since no one had ever truly reached Konoha itself, the system had mostly been shelved, used only during the Chunin Exams: proctors carried radios to monitor the test grounds and coordinate procedures.
Four years ago, Hyuga Kiyonari proposed building stable communications between the village and the border, ensuring the village could respond instantly to any emergency.
To balance cost and reliability, Konoha reverse-engineered the old wireless system and ultimately developed wired communication.
The construction cost was similar to wireless, but maintenance was far cheaper. Once the cables were laid, the system could run long-term unless deliberately sabotaged.
After repeated tests and improvements, the first experimental wired line was completed a year later, then rapidly extended until the main trunk reached the border.
Testing showed around twenty seconds of delay. That was Konoha's current limit—improving beyond it would likely require Orochimaru's level of expertise.
The call connected, a faint hum in the receiver. About twenty seconds later, a familiar female voice came through.
"This is Tsunade."
"This is Shisui," he said, voice grave. "I have urgent intelligence."
"Speak."
Shisui inhaled. "Kakashi-senpai just returned from a mission in the Land of the Moon. He noticed several anomalies."
"Basic supplies like grain have suddenly dropped in market circulation. Trade volume between the Land of the Moon and the Land of Lightning has fallen. Imports are becoming difficult… Kakashi believes this may be Cloud stockpiling supplies for a large-scale operation—namely, war."
"Kakashi served in Anbu and fought in the Third Shinobi War. I consider his judgment credible."
Silence stretched on the other end—nearly a full minute, clearly Tsunade thinking.
"Shisui. You are the commander of the border force. Tell me your decision."
Shisui answered after a brief pause. "I believe the village should make limited preparations but does not need full mobilization. With current border strength, we can repel any incursion. I will also increase border reconnaissance and closely monitor Cloud's movements."
"Lastly, I hope the Hokage will send a sealed letter to Iwagakure—inform the Third Tsuchikage of Cloud's unusual activity."
"For Cloud, Konoha and Iwa are their only two real opponents. Whether by strength or old grudges, the Land of Earth could also be a target. As for alliance… I ask that you consider it carefully."
"And… on a personal level, I'd like to hear Kiyonari's opinion as well."
Tsunade replied, "Understood. I'll write the letter immediately and send a courier to the Land of Earth. The border is in your hands."
Shisui lifted a hand and lightly touched his eye. "If Cloud truly dares to strike Konoha, I will make the ninja world remember fear of the Uchiha."
There was a short silence. Then Tsunade's voice came again.
"Remember—don't use those eyes lightly. Their power is great, but the price is great too. That was the Second Hokage's conclusion."
"I know," Shisui said evenly. "But power has its purpose. If that moment comes, I won't hesitate."
~~~
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