Cloud gathers troops, the Leaf scrambles for answers—and Alaric? He smells a battlefield and grins.
"Go and summon the Advisor—and the two Councillors as well."
With Hiruzen Sarutobi's order given, the room moved quickly.
Not long after, Danzo, Uchiha Fugaku, and Hyūga Hiashi arrived at the Hokage's office.
As leaders at the core of Konoha, all three were already aware of the shifts in the shinobi world.
Still, one thing mattered above all else—
Whether or not Konoha would fight.
That decision rested solely with the Hokage.
Danzo broke the silence first.
"Hiruzen, what's your call?"
"This time, Kumogakure doesn't look like they're backing down."
He paused, voice low.
"They've already deployed their Jinchūriki."
Originally, Danzo had planned to suggest diplomatic probing—
to see what had driven the Cloud Village to such sudden aggression.
After all, the Five Great Villages were still in a recovery phase.
Wars weren't supposed to break out so casually.
But once Kumogakure threw down its strongest cards right from the start—
Sending Tailed Beast hosts to the frontlines—
Danzo knew negotiations were off the table.
Hiruzen sighed deeply.
"I know."
He leaned back slightly.
"What we need to discuss now… is how we fight."
The room fell quiet.
On the surface, Konoha still looked powerful.
But in truth?
It was fragile.
The Nine-Tails incident had wiped out the Fourth Hokage in one night.
Of the Legendary Sannin:
Jiraiya was chasing the trail of the masked man.Tsunade had left the village, crippled by hemophobia.Orochimaru had gone rogue—and escaped due to Hiruzen's hesitation.
The next generation hadn't fully matured yet.
Which meant one brutal truth—
Konoha was critically lacking high-end combat power.
Against two Cloud Jinchūriki?
That was nearly impossible.
As the silence stretched on, a realization dawned on Hiruzen.
Right now…
Konoha's strongest pillars were—
The Uchiha clan.
And the Hyūga clan.
Danzo clearly reached the same conclusion.
The two old comrades exchanged a look—
one filled not with pride, but relief.
Good thing we didn't move against the Uchiha yet…
Otherwise, when war arrived, the two of them—
two aging relics—might have been forced onto the battlefield themselves.
And at their age?
Facing Cloud's berserkers head-on was a death sentence.
For a moment, Hiruzen coughed lightly, masking his awkwardness.
Then he turned.
"Fugaku," he said calmly.
"What do you think we should do?"
Uchiha Fugaku's heart leapt.
This was it.
The chance for the Uchiha clan to redeem their image.
To prove their loyalty once and for all.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama, rest assured!"
"The Uchiha clan is ready at all times!"
"With one order from you—
we will be the first to charge the battlefield!"
The words rang out loud and clear.
Hiruzen's eyes lit up.
Even Danzo nodded approvingly.
"Good!"
"Well said!"
"Clan Head Fugaku… it seems we truly misunderstood the Uchiha in the past."
Hiruzen even stood up and patted Fugaku on the shoulder.
That single gesture nearly made Fugaku dizzy with excitement.
This means something…
The Hokage finally acknowledges us.
The Uchiha are being trusted again.
Everything I've endured—was worth it.
Meanwhile—
Hyūga Hiashi stood there in stunned silence.
Because Fugaku had just said everything he planned to say.
Those were my lines!
But Hiashi quickly collected himself.
He hadn't forgotten his younger brother's death.
The humiliation.
The sacrifice.
The blood stolen by Kumogakure's schemes.
That debt could never be ignored.
Stepping forward, Hiashi spoke with iron resolve.
"Hokage-sama."
"The Hyūga clan is also prepared."
"We will ensure that the Cloud's brutes—
come, and never return."
Hiruzen and Danzo exchanged another glance.
Perfect.
With the Uchiha and Hyūga mobilized,
supported by the Ino–Shika–Chō formation—
The Cloud front could be stabilized.
"Excellent spirit," Hiruzen said solemnly.
"But war is no child's game."
"As Hokage, I am responsible for every shinobi under my command."
"They are all the future of Konoha."
"Our strategy must be carefully planned—
to minimize unnecessary casualties."
Listening to Hiruzen's speech,
both Fugaku and Hiashi felt a deep wave of emotion.
Any lingering dissatisfaction melted away.
Even now…
He's still thinking about us.
About the village.
About the future.
Maybe… we really did misjudge the Third Hokage.
Sarutobi Clan Compound
"What?!"
"Cloud Village is massing troops on the border?!"
Alaric shot up from his bed, eyes wide.
Beside him, Izumi looked… conflicted.
Because on Alaric's face—
There wasn't fear.
There wasn't worry.
There was excitement.
Pure, unmistakable excitement.
"Yes," Izumi replied carefully.
"And sightings suggest the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki are involved."
"The Hokage and the council are discussing countermeasures right now."
The moment she finished—
Alaric leapt to his feet.
Days of playing the spoiled noble had nearly rusted him solid.
Now?
Now the real fun was back.
So the S4 season is starting early, huh?
"Good. Very good."
He laughed as he pulled on his clothes.
"Finally—some entertainment!"
Before Izumi could react—
Whoosh.
Alaric vanished.
Gone in the blink of an eye.
Hokage Tower
Inside the office, the discussion was reaching its peak—
When—
BOOM!!
The door was kicked clean off its hinges.
Wood splintered.
The room froze.
A familiar figure stood in the doorway, eyes blazing.
"I'M GOING TO THE BATTLEFIELD!!!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The war…
had just gotten a lot more interesting.
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