Chapter 145: Famous in the Ninja World!

The sky gradually darkened, and due to its geographical location, the Sand Ninja Village enjoyed much longer daylight hours than Konoha. When night fell, it was already around seven in the evening.

At this time, Uzumaki Raiden secretly slipped out of Kazekage's office building. After contacting Fugaku and others who had infiltrated the village, he quickly left Sand Ninja Village with them. Not long after Raiden's departure, a loud explosion erupted in the center of Sand Ninja Village, illuminating the night sky with a blast that spanned nearly ten meters.

For a moment, Sand ninjas who were not assigned support missions rushed toward the site of the explosion, eager to investigate.

Two days later, shocking news from Sand Ninja Village spread throughout the ninja world.

In the Land of Lightning, at the Cloud Village:

"Oh!"

The Third Raikage Ai clenched a scroll in his hand, slamming the table in excitement. The content of the report thrilled him.

"Father, what happened?" asked the future Fourth Raikage, Ay, looking at his father in surprise, confused by his sudden excitement.

"Hahahaha!

"Uzumaki Raiden of Konoha secretly infiltrated Sand Ninja Village a few days ago and killed Elder Chiyo right within their village.

"Moreover, in a single battle, he annihilated the entire Sand Ninja puppet squad and caused a massive explosion that damaged the Kazekage's office building.

"Not only that, but Chiyo's brother, Ebizo, was also gravely injured and is now on the brink of death.

"Sand Ninja Village has completely turned against Konoha! The war between the two villages has reached an irreconcilable point!"

The Third Raikage Ai was visibly elated as he relayed the information. However, his son, failing to grasp its significance, asked in confusion: "But father, Sand Ninja's loss—what does that have to do with us in Cloud Village?"

"Foolishness!

"This is an excellent opportunity. Notify our frontline forces in the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Springs to prepare for battle. Once reinforcements arrive, we'll invade the Land of Fire immediately!

"The time has come. In this war, I will bring down Konoha!"

The Third Raikage spoke with determination. In the shadows, Anbu members departed swiftly to deliver the orders. Within moments, the entire Cloud Village mobilized, recalling all ninjas who had been on leave. By morning, the village had assembled thousands of reinforcements, marching toward the border.

At the same time, Onoki of Iwa Village in the Land of Earth also received the information. As an experienced political strategist, he quickly recognized the opportunity. Onoki deployed a substantial number of Iwa ninjas to fortify the borders.

Suddenly, Konoha found itself under unprecedented pressure.

Compared to the Second Ninja World War, the current situation was far more dire. During the Second War, Konoha's peak strength prevented Kumo and Iwa forces from coordinating effectively.

But this time was different. Both Iwa and Kumo seemed to have reached a mutual understanding, simultaneously strengthening their forces at the borders, leaving Konoha feeling anxious.

At noon, Sarutobi Hiruzen received two major updates in his office. The first concerned the chaos caused by Uzumaki Raiden in Sand Ninja Village. The second came from the front lines, reporting that both Iwa and Cloud had sent reinforcements to bolster their troops.

Ninjas from other countries, including the Land of Rain, the Land of the Moon, and the Land of Hot Springs, had also been spotted, signaling the imminent actions of Iwa and Cloud.

"Where is Uzumaki Raiden? Has there been any word from his team?"

The Third Hokage sat in his office chair, addressing a group of over a dozen Anbu members delivering updates. Alongside him, members of the Nara clan provided support with their strategic expertise.

Hearing the Hokage's question, the Anbu members exchanged hesitant glances, uncertain how to respond.

"Report: No updates.

"Their entire team seems to have vanished without leaving any trace."

Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brows at the report and picked up a scroll on the desk, examining it carefully.

According to intelligence from spies in Sand Ninja Village, Uzumaki Raiden's team appeared to have escaped without incident following the attack. The absence of any mention of the Nine-Tails confirmed this. If Raiden's team had been in a desperate situation, the Nine-Tails would have undoubtedly been unleashed.

Thus, the Third Hokage reasoned that Raiden and his team were likely in hiding rather than having encountered disaster.

"Wounded and lying low, perhaps?"

"That would make sense."

Sarutobi Hiruzen pondered for a moment before sending reinforcements to the two-line border. He then dismissed all the Anbu present. Once alone, he retrieved a scroll, wrote down crucial information, and performed a series of hand seals to seal it.

In an instant, the scroll vanished from his hands.

At the same time, Namikaze Minato, at home in Konoha Village, felt a sudden sensation. Forming a quick hand seal, a scroll materialized in his hand out of thin air. Recognizing the chakra seal on it, Minato immediately unlocked the scroll, unrolled it, and began reading.

"I need to find Raiden? He's lost contact?"

Minato processed the information, pricked his finger, swiftly formed another hand seal, and vanished with a low shout:

"Reverse Summoning Jutsu!"

Namikaze Minato reappeared at Mount Myōboku, casually dressed. He summoned a contact toad and instructed it to locate Uzumaki Raiden.

At the same time, Uzumaki Raiden led Uchiha Fugaku and others through the desert in the Land of Wind. Having left Sand Ninja Village, his team was en route to the River Country. They carefully concealed their movements and refrained from sending any updates to Mitokadu Homura or the village—strictly following Raiden's orders.

Two days earlier, Uzumaki Raiden had successfully negotiated peace with Sand Ninja Village. However, he had also laid a trap to lure Iwa and Cloud ninjas into taking aggressive action.

As the team traveled, smoke suddenly surrounded Raiden, and a red toad appeared on his shoulder. The sight of the contact toad brought the entire team to a halt.

"Raiden," the toad croaked, "Namikaze Minato has arrived at Mount Myōboku. He seems to have business with you."

Hearing this, Raiden turned to Fugaku and said, "Fugaku, take the contact toad and proceed to the River Country base. I'll summon myself to the toad's location when the time comes."

"This is likely the old man's doing—Minato is probably looking for me. I'll go."

"And one more thing."

Raiden waved Fugaku closer and whispered, "Be vigilant on the road. No information is to be leaked under any circumstances. If you reach the River Country base and I haven't returned, do not answer any of Elder Homura's questions. Wait for me."

Without waiting for a response, Uzumaki Raiden formed hand seals and performed the reverse summoning technique, vanishing on the spot. The contact toad leaped onto Fugaku's head.

"Let's keep moving!" Fugaku commanded.

Though Fugaku didn't fully understand Raiden's actions in Sand Ninja Village, he recalled Raiden wandering through the village, collecting seemingly trivial information. Then, the massive explosion in Sand Ninja Village had occurred, and Raiden had reappeared to lead them away. Now, Fugaku could only guess that Raiden had obtained something critical and was being cautious about leaks.

Uzumaki Raiden appeared at the oil pond in Mount Myōboku, near a shadow clone of himself sitting cross-legged and gathering Sage Chakra.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Raiden scanned his surroundings. Not seeing Namikaze Minato, he created another shadow clone to assist in gathering Sage Chakra. Moments later, Minato appeared beside Raiden in a flash.

"Are you okay?" Minato asked immediately, circling Raiden to inspect his condition.

"You think something's wrong with me?" Raiden replied with a smile.

"You're fine, but why didn't you contact the village? Lord Hokage said you'd gone missing and sent me to find you!"

"Something happened in Sand Ninja—it wasn't convenient to make contact. But since you're here, let's make this simple. Take this scroll to the old man. Its contents are vital for Konoha."

"Remember, this mission is for you alone. Only the Third Hokage and those he trusts implicitly should know what's in it."

With that, Uzumaki Raiden vanished again. Though puzzled, Minato followed his orders, returning to Konoha to deliver the scroll to Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The Third Hokage dismissed everyone from his office before opening the scroll. As he read, his previously tense expression softened.

"So, that's it. Raiden has truly delivered a brilliant surprise!" Hiruzen exclaimed with a laugh.

"Minato, please fetch Sakumo Hatake for me."

A week later, explosive news spread through the ninja world.

The thousand-man Konoha army, led by Hatake Sakumo, clashed with the thousand-man Sand Ninja forces under Rasa in the River Country. The intense battle reshaped the landscape entirely, replacing the lush vegetation with vast fields of gold dust.

Though both sides suffered heavy casualties, the Sand Ninja forces claimed victory, with Rasa personally killing Hatake Sakumo. Konoha faced an unprecedented defeat on the River Country front.

When news reached Onoki and the Third Raikage Ai, they recognized their opportunity. Immediately, large numbers of Iwa and Cloud ninjas began invading the Land of Fire, turning the Lands of the Moon, Rain, and Hot Springs into battlefields.

Amidst Konoha's struggles against Iwa and Cloud forces, the Sand Ninja quietly withdrew their troops from the River Country, redeploying them to the Bird and Rain Countries bordering the Land of Earth.

Above these small nations lay the Land of Earth.

Here is the revised version of the text, incorporating all specified corrections and improved readability:

In the territory of the Bird Country, a team of six moved swiftly through the dense forest, heading toward the Land of Earth.

Each member's face was obscured by a mask, and they all wore large black cloaks that completely concealed their identities.

The leader wore a death mask, and as he walked, the outlines of two oddly shaped weapons strapped to his waist could be faintly seen.

"Captain, we're about to enter the Land of Earth. Why don't we rest first?"

The question came from a man wearing a fox mask, his voice deep and unprocessed, betraying the tone of a middle-aged man.

"Fine, let's rest here and cross the border at night," the leader agreed. His voice was youthful, hinting he was a boy who hadn't yet reached vocal maturity.

"Raiden, what exactly is our mission in the Land of Earth? You haven't said a word about it this entire time," Uchiha Fugaku, also masked, asked the leader aloud.

This team, led by Uzumaki Raiden, was the same one that had infiltrated Sand Ninja Village. After days of travel, they had reached the border between the Bird Country and the Land of Earth, preparing to sneak into enemy territory. However, their composition had changed—what was once a five-member team had now grown to six.

"Vice-Captain Sakumo, set up the barrier," Raiden ordered the fox-masked ninja. "I'll explain everything to them."

Hatake Sakumo nodded and vanished into the surrounding forest. Soon, a strange chakra enveloped the area, ensuring privacy. Removing his death mask, Uzumaki Raiden revealed his face to the team.

"The details didn't concern you earlier because the battle plan is already in motion," Raiden began. "Now, listen closely.

"We'll be conducting sabotage and interception operations within the Land of Earth. Meanwhile, Sand Ninja will launch an offensive against the Land of Earth."

Raiden paused for emphasis, his gaze sweeping over the team.

"On the day we infiltrated Sand Ninja Village, I struck a secret agreement with their higher-ups. Together, we've planted this 'smoke bomb' for the ninja world."

"The explosion at the Sand Ninja Village center? That was their doing, entirely controlled for effect."

"And the battle in the River Country, where Hatake Sakumo's forces supposedly clashed with Sand Ninja troops? That was staged, designed to provoke Iwa and Cloud Ninja into launching their offensives sooner."

"Now, Konoha and Sand Ninja have secretly deployed significant forces along the Land of Earth's front lines. Once we enter the Land of Earth, those troops will launch their counterattack."

"Currently, 70% of Konoha's military strength is focused on the Land of Earth. Once our operations behind enemy lines begin, they'll have maximum impact."

Uzumaki Raiden's explanation was complex, but Fugaku managed to piece together the plan. Contrary to appearances, Konoha wasn't being attacked on three fronts. Instead, they had formed an alliance with Sand Ninja to strategically strike Iwa and Cloud. This alliance was entirely unknown to their enemies.

In other words, the Land of Earth, oblivious to the true situation, was about to suffer a devastating assault from both Konoha and Sand Ninja. Konoha's strong presence on the Land of Earth's front lines wasn't defensive—it was an aggressive strategy.

"Joining forces with Sand Ninja blindsided Iwa Ninja," Fugaku muttered. "This war might end here much sooner than expected."

"Afterward, we'll only have to deal with Cloud Ninja. That should be significantly easier," Raiden concluded confidently. "If everything goes as planned, this war could end within a set timeframe."

(End of Chapter)