--------------------------------------------------
A remote temple honoring the Sage of Six Paths stood deep within a lonely mountain range.
Night settled in. The moon lit up a sky with hardly any stars.
Four groups arrived one after another, each representing one of the four major shinobi villages outside Konoha.
Reto, the First Kazekage.
A, the First Raikage. Every Raikage inherited the name A.
Gengetsu Hōzuki, the Second Mizukage.
And Mū, the Second Tsuchikage.
"You all saw what happened today," Mū began. "Uchiha Madara treated us with open contempt, and Konoha has finally stopped pretending. It has become a hegemonic power that intends to dictate terms to the entire shinobi world."
With one sentence, Mū had passed judgment on Konoha.
The others nodded. People always said Konoha was open, tolerant, and against war. They claimed the village had no wish to rule over its neighbors—yet Madara had threatened all four of them during the summit.
Was that supposed to be peace?
It seemed more like Konoha thought it deserved to rule everyone else.
"The age of Lord Manji has passed… Konoha is no longer the village it once was." Reto said with a sorrowful sigh.
He remembered when Manji was the First Hokage. At that time, Konoha was a true beacon for the shinobi world. Manji helped the other villages get started without using Konoha's power to force them into submission.
"You all held me back today," the First Raikage said, taking another swig of beer. "Otherwise, I would have settled things with Uchiha Madara right then. One of us wouldn't have left that room alive!"
Gengetsu folded one arm across his chest and pointed at him with the other.
"He's had too much to drink. None of us stopped you. Madara just let out a bit of chakra, and you froze up."
"Enough," Mū cut in before they could argue. "We need to decide what to do. Today was probably just a test. Konoha wants to see how much we'll put up with. If we keep backing down, I fear…"
He left his sentence unfinished on purpose.
The First Raikage clenched his fist. "I don't care what Madara wants. If he wants a fight, let him face me! Kumogakure has enough shinobi to wear him out, no matter how strong he is!"
"Let me ask you all something. Are you ready for war?" Mū smiled when he heard that.
The mood in the temple shifted.
Every village had made plans in case of war. None of the Kage became leaders by trusting peace to last forever.
A war against Konoha was another matter. But when they wondered if they were ready to attack the Hidden Leaf, none of them felt sure.
"An aggressor never wins in the end," Reto said as he placed the Kazekage hat on his head. "If Konoha attacks us, we will fight back. I believe Konoha will be the one that falls."
"We should set up a secure way to talk between our villages… Any news about Konoha should be shared right away. No matter our differences, we now share a common enemy." Mū suggested.
The others looked at each other and nodded.
That enemy was Konoha!
…
Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf, Madara and Tobirama spent the whole night talking over their plans.
That night would shape the future.
After they made their decision, Madara called Izuna to the Hokage's office. Izuna showed up looking confused, not sure why his brother wanted him so late.
"Izuna, Tobirama and I have decided to go through with something," Madara said without preamble.
Izuna frowned. He already had a bad feeling. "What are the two of you planning?"
Madara looked him in the eye and spoke each word clearly.
"UNIFY THE SHINOBI WORLD."
Izuna's eyes widened. "Brother, you can't! Haven't I already told you? The people of Konoha don't want another war!"
"They only say that because they've never experienced what war can bring them—there is only one way to guarantee lasting peace. The entire shinobi world must be brought under a single rule." Madara replied.
His face grew serious. "Under my rule, there will be peace… Don't worry. The war won't last long. I expect Konoha to sweep across the shinobi world within a year."
Izuna stared at his brother, speechless. He was happy managing Konoha's land and helping the village grow. Madara, though, seemed set on finding a fight.
To Izuna, their job was to protect the people living now. Future generations could handle their own problems.
"Brother, what about your eyes?" he asked, unable to hide his concern.
Madara brushed off the question. "I won't need to use them much to end this war."
Izuna still looked worried.
"My decision is final. There is no reason to keep arguing. Tobirama and I have already settled the matter." Madara said.
Izuna released a sigh. "Does the Second Hokage know?"
"There's no need to tell my brother—he'll find out once the war begins," Tobirama answered from beside Madara.
Both men had made up their minds. Izuna knew nothing he said would change that. Konoha's top leaders had already decided, and as a leader himself, he knew they had to stand together.
"Then what is the plan?"
"Tobirama and I will start with a quick attack on Iwagakure," Madara explained.
"Once the Hidden Stone falls, fear will spread to the other three villages. Some will give up. The rest will start to think they've already lost. After that, we'll head south to take on Sunagakure, then go after Kumogakure. Last—we'll team up with the Land of Whirlpools to defeat Kirigakure, which is cut off across the sea."
…
A month later, Konoha started moving its forces in secret.
Up north, Izuna stood over a map, thinking about the orders from Madara and Tobirama. He was in charge of defending the northern routes in case Kumogakure tried a surprise attack while Konoha fought Iwagakure.
Madara first wanted to attack on several fronts at once. Tobirama said no, arguing it would stretch Konoha's forces too thin.
"Who should I send to guard the Valley of the End…?"
Izuna looked over the map. The valley was in a key spot. It was the northern gateway into Konoha and the place the village would use to launch its campaign north.
One of his students soon came to mind.
Shimura Danzō.
Danzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi were Izuna's two favorite pupils.
"Send Danzō in."
Soon, a young man walked in. Danzō had grown a lot since he started training with Izuna, though he was still only eighteen or nineteen.
"You wanted to see me, Teacher?" Danzō asked with a respectful bow.
Izuna smiled and waved him over. "Danzō, do you know about the Valley of the End?"
Danzō nodded right away. "Yes. The First Hokage named it years ago. It's important because it links Konoha to the northern lands."
"That's right… I plan to put a unit there to guard against a possible surprise attack from Kumogakure." Izuna nodded.
"What? Kumogakure plans to attack Konoha??" Danzō looked at him in shock.
Izuna hadn't told his student that Konoha's leaders planned to start a Shinobi World War. Only a few people at the top knew about the plan.
"We're getting ready, just in case. But there's another reason for this deployment." Izuna said.
Danzō frowned. His teacher's tone sounded different this time.
Had Konoha's leadership decided to begin a war?
"The Valley of the End is the blade Konoha will point north," Izuna said. He stood up and held out his hand. "Danzō, will you lead the unit there?"
Danzō froze. His eyes shook as he realized what those words meant.
North… A northern campaign??
His teacher had nearly said it outright.
Excitement surged through Danzō, followed by pure delight.
At last!
War was finally coming!
'Gentlemen, I love war!' He would finally get to show his skills on the battlefield!
Danzō dropped to one knee and raised his voice.
"Teacher! Even if Kumogakure sends an army of one hundred thousand, I will sweep them aside with Wind Release!"
——————————
~ Every 200 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)