Chapter 144: The Battle Begins

Chapter 144: The Battle Begins

The situation in the ninja world was like a tightly coiled spring—every event leading up to now had only compressed it further. So while the surface may have seemed calm just a moment ago, the next could erupt into a storm.

Sure enough, the rising tension from the Hidden Cloud gave the Hidden Sand the courage to act. Clashes between Sand and Leaf in the Land of Rivers escalated multiple times in a single day.

What began in the morning as a few probing skirmishes between scouting parties turned by nightfall into full-scale group battles, with each side deploying nearly a hundred ninja.

And the escalation in the Land of Rivers directly impacted the situation between Kumo and Konoha, rapidly intensifying their conflict as well.

The Cloud chose to forgo small skirmishes and probing tactics, instead launching elite unit ambushes and annihilation-style strikes.

This method was clearly more effective than the Sand's reckless, brute-force approach.

Since the end of the Second War, Konoha's ANBU had known no peace, and what they now lacked most were elite operatives.

So even though Kumo had entered the war later than Suna, its early results were far superior.

Faced with this, Danzo had no good solution. If this had been before that ill-fated mission to the Land of Rain, he would've dispatched Root immediately. But now, every Root member was considered precious—expendable no longer.

But did you really think Danzo would just sit back and take the hits? Think again.

Though Root didn't target the Cloud's elite forces, it was far from idle.

Danzo's agents approached both the daimyo of the Land of Hot Springs and the leader of the Hot Springs Village. However, little progress was made. While the country's leadership was unhappy about Konoha and Kumo battling on their land, they dared not openly speak out.

They weren't fools—trying to drag them into the war was a wasted effort.

But Danzo being Danzo, just because diplomacy failed didn't mean he was out of options.

Root turned to the cult of the Evil God in the Land of Hot Springs. In exchange for helping them take control of the Hot Springs Village, Danzo convinced the cult to side with Konoha.

The cult wasn't strong militarily, but its believers were numerous and influential among civilians. Spreading intelligence, disrupting enemy plans, and sabotaging logistics—those were well within their power.

With the cult's cooperation, Danzo managed to counter Kumo's elite tactics blow for blow.

Danzo handled this very covertly. No one outside was aware. Kumo hadn't taken the cult seriously, and now its leadership began to suspect the Hot Springs Village or even the daimyo of betrayal.

How Iwagakure got wind of this, Ishiro didn't know.

But as the battles in those regions intensified, the calm days at Ishiro's Eastern Division came to an end.

According to intel, the situation in the Land of Waterfalls was becoming unstable too. However, the Waterfall Ninja had not taken sides with either Iwa or Konoha. They were simply unhappy about the possibility of war breaking out in their country.

Some younger ninja even declared that whichever side first sent a large army into their land, they'd oppose it and go to war against that side.

On the surface, this seemed fair to both Konoha and Iwa, but in truth, it favored Konoha.

After all, Iwa was the aggressor—initiating the conflict—while Konoha had been passive, at least for now.

Ishiro strongly suspected this was Konoha's doing—this kind of setup had Danzo's fingerprints all over it.

Still, ever since he learned that the commander across from him was Minato Namikaze, Ishiro hadn't planned on making the first move. Kitsuchi was just an elite jonin—no one in their right mind would pick a direct fight with Minato.

With that in mind, Ishiro decided not to concern himself with whatever schemes Konoha might be stirring up in the Land of Waterfalls.

But now that Suna had escalated their conflict and Kumo had entered the fray—what exactly was Minato up to?

If Ishiro kept holding back, would Minato simply continue this quiet standoff?

What if one day Minato suddenly broke through to the Kage level, and then came alone to wipe out the entire Eastern Division camp?

"Tch…" Ishiro shuddered.

What should he do? Should he go talk to Minato?

He remembered mentioning the "Child of Prophecy" the last time he fought Minato. Since he'd just returned from meeting Yahiko and the others, maybe that could be a good excuse to strike up another conversation.

After checking in with Kitsuchi, Ishiro made his way once again into the patrol zone near Konoha's encampment.

This time, he didn't sneak up on any patrols. Last time had been about making a statement. Now, his presence was well-known. Everyone in the Konoha camp should already know who he was.

He walked straight up to a patrol squad, making no effort to hide, and announced, "I'm Ishiro, Eastern Division Deputy Commander of Iwagakure. I'm here to see Minato Namikaze. Go notify him immediately."

The squad froze when they saw him approach. They were just about to respond aggressively when they heard his name and request. Then they paused—clearly remembering the recent rumors that had swept through camp.

That previous duel—featuring one-handed seals, no-hand-sign jutsu, flight, and a giant summoning beast—had already become the stuff of legend. Everyone knew about the man who'd fought Minato to a standstill.

Even though he ultimately conceded, he had walked away completely unharmed.

The chunin team leader didn't dare be careless. He gave Ishiro a respectful nod before leading his three subordinates back toward the camp.

Ishiro didn't have to wait long. Minato arrived alone.

Whether it was out of trust, or simply an acknowledgment that numbers wouldn't matter against someone who could fly, Ishiro wasn't sure.

Standing about a hundred meters away, Ishiro sized him up. From his aura alone, it was hard to tell whether Minato had broken through to Kage-level.

However, Ishiro did notice the special kunai hanging from Minato's waist. It seemed he was now practicing the Flying Thunder God Technique. Whether he had mastered it or not remained to be seen.

Though surprised, Ishiro didn't show it—he'd expected as much.

Minato studied Ishiro as well. This time, Ishiro felt more composed, his presence more restrained.

Minato was experienced enough to recognize what that meant—this was someone who had begun to truly settle into the rank of elite jonin.

After a few moments of mutual observation, Minato spoke first. "Ishiro, what brings you here? And that 'other Child of Prophecy' you mentioned before—who is it?"

Perfect. He brought up the subject himself.

"Did your teacher Jiraiya never mention it to you?" Ishiro asked with mock surprise.

Minato thought for a moment, then said, "He did once mention taking in three orphans from the Land of Rain, but they haven't kept in touch for a long time."

"Heh. Your teacher Jiraiya once went around the ninja world claiming that the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku gave him a prophecy—that he would take on the Child of Destiny as his student."

"That rumor still circulates, but few people take it seriously anymore."

"I didn't either. I thought it was just Jiraiya—or the toads—boasting."

"But then I met those three students of his in the Land of Rain."

At this point, Ishiro deliberately paused. As expected, Minato's expression grew a little anxious.

He quickly hid it, returning to a calm gaze.

Smirking, Ishiro continued, "One of them actually possessed the legendary Rinnegan—said to belong only to the Sage of Six Paths himself."

This time, Minato didn't react. Ishiro couldn't tell if he already knew, or if his mental state was just that stable.

"From that moment on, I was sure that the one with the Rinnegan—Nagato—was the prophesied child."

"But as I got to know them more, I began to feel that Yahiko—their leader—was an even better fit."

"He had this natural charisma. People just gravitated to him—trusted him instinctively."

"Compared to that, the Rinnegan user seemed more like a supporting figure."

"That was my belief for a while… until one incident changed it again."

"Yahiko almost died—because of your Konoha advisor, Danzo."

"What? That's impossible!" Minato blurted out instinctively. It was his first spontaneous outburst during the entire conversation.

Ishiro was satisfied with the reaction. Caught you slipping, Golden Boy.

"I got involved. Disrupted Danzo's plan. Saved Yahiko's life."

"But that made me wonder—was my intervention part of destiny too? Or was my original judgment flawed?"

"So I started over. And discovered Jiraiya had another student—Minato Namikaze."

"I dug into your background. One detail stood out. Want to guess what it was?"

He let the question hang.

Minato thought for a moment, then answered confidently: "My personality."

Ishiro was impressed. No wonder this guy became the Fourth Hokage. That quick thinking, that insight. No wonder he was the first to figure out Kamui's weakness in the original timeline.

Refocusing, Ishiro said, "Exactly. The records said you had remarkable charisma and likability."

"That instantly reminded me of Yahiko."

"And then a new thought struck me—maybe the Child of Prophecy isn't just one person."

"Maybe it's all three of you—Yahiko, Nagato, and you."

"To learn more about you, I came here last time to challenge you."

"Though your power isn't on par with Rinnegan Nagato, becoming a quasi-Kage so young means you have no real weaknesses."

"And while I didn't directly experience your personality, I saw how your subordinates looked at you. It confirmed the reports."

"However, whether it's you or Nagato, both of you lack one thing compared to Yahiko: an actual attempt to change the world."

"Yahiko founded the Akatsuki long ago with the goal of transforming the Land of Rain—and he has stuck to that ideal."

"After I spoke with him, he expanded his goal—now he wants to change the entire ninja world."

"Later, Danzo and Hanzo tried to destroy Akatsuki. The organization nearly collapsed. I feared Yahiko would lose his way."

"But he didn't. If anything, that experience strengthened his resolve."

"Now, starting with his small country, he's slowly improving people's lives. Akatsuki may have less influence now, but I believe his dream is more achievable than ever."

At this point, Ishiro noticed a faint spark in Minato's eyes.

Smiling, he continued, "According to reports, your dream when you entered the ninja academy was to become Hokage. With the talent you've shown, let me ask—do you still want to be Hokage?"

Minato hesitated. Of course, his dream hadn't changed. But he wasn't sure if Ishiro was trying to trick him. What if this was just bait to drive a wedge between him and his allies?

No one becomes Hokage by being naive.

Still, in the end, Minato gave a firm answer: "My dream has never changed."

From his calm tone, Ishiro could hear a deep resolve. Was it Minato's strength that forged that will? Or had that unwavering dream been what shaped Minato?

"Very good. Since your dream is to become Hokage, then tell me—what will you do to change the ninja world?"

"How will you break this endless cycle of war?"

"Hashirama Senju believed that by founding the Hidden Villages, he could end the Warring States era. But his naïveté only led to new cycles of brutal wars."

"So, future Hokage—how will you transform a world ruled by hatred and conflict?"

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