Chapter 27: Hidden Cloud Village's war intentions

After receiving the scroll, Orochimaru glanced over it, a smirk curling at the corners of his mouth.

"So… Kumogakure is finally making their move? Took them long enough."

Chuckling to himself, he vanished in an instant.

This war was an opportunity—the perfect opportunity to tighten his grip on the Uchiha clan.

No one was going to get in his way.

---

Outside the Hokage Building, a large group of elite ninjas stood assembled. By rough count, there were hundreds of them—every single one a high-ranking shinobi. Not a single genin in sight.

Among them stood Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and Anko Mitarai—ninjas of the same generation.

Kurenai's brows furrowed slightly as she surveyed the gathering.

"With this many summoned, it has to be war…"

She spoke quietly, her voice tinged with bitterness. Her father had died during the Nine-Tails attack not long ago. Now, Konoha was about to face another crisis. Her sorrow had sharpened into a simmering anger—an eagerness to strike back.

Many of the surrounding Konoha ninja shared the same mood.

The Nine-Tails Rebellion had come and gone, its mastermind still unknown.

But now, on the battlefield, they would finally have a tangible enemy.

Kakashi had been silent, his expression cold. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"…Why are they here?"

Everyone followed his gaze—and saw a newly arrived squad of shinobi.

They wore matching uniforms, the Uchiha clan's fan emblem emblazoned on their backs. Men and women alike wore stoic expressions, giving off a cold, unapproachable aura.

Might Guy scratched his head. "What about the Uchiha? They fought in the last war too, didn't they?"

"Idiot," Anko muttered, throwing him a glance. "That's not what Kakashi meant. Last time, they reassigned a few Uchiha to help. But this time... they're sending out the entire Uchiha Guard as a unit. That's never happened in any of the previous three wars."

"Ohhh, I see," Guy said, understanding only the surface of it.

"You seem to know a lot about the Uchiha, Anko," he added with admiration.

"That's obvious," Anko shrugged, pretending not to care.

In truth, she'd only paid closer attention after learning Orochimaru had personally taken an interest in the Uchiha Guard.

---

A gust of wind swept through the square, and a single figure flashed past, entering the Hokage Building in the blink of an eye.

A few sharp-eyed ninjas recognized him instantly—and gasps spread through the crowd.

"That was Lord Orochimaru!"

"Is one of the Sannin really joining this war?"

"If Orochimaru leads us, our chances of winning skyrocket!"

Nervous tension ran high. Some, like Kurenai, burned with a desire for vengeance. Others, fully aware of war's horrors, felt their anxiety grow.

But the presence of a powerful figure like Orochimaru offered comfort.

Talk quickly turned to his strength—his many accomplishments.

The most discussed feat, of course, was his recent one:

Taking on an entire Uchiha force by himself… and utterly crushing them.

One jounin, who had witnessed the battle from afar, recounted it enthusiastically, exaggerating his own part in the tale as if he'd been in the middle of the fight.

Not far away, the Uchiha stood silently.

Expressionless as ever—yet some of their faces visibly stiffened at the mention of that humiliating defeat.

If there wasn't a war looming ahead, a few Uchiha might have already stepped up to teach that overly talkative jōnin storyteller a lesson.

"Orochimaru-sensei is truly incredible," someone murmured nearby.

Hearing that, Might Guy stood proudly, chest puffed out with pride.

Anko frowned and shot him a glare. "Why are you calling Orochimaru your teacher?"

Guy laughed. "When Orochimaru-sensei taught me taijutsu, he said I could call him that. If you don't believe me, just ask Kakashi."

Kakashi gave a small nod in agreement, and Anko's expression immediately darkened. Her face soured, her eyes filled with frustration, like a child who felt abandoned by her own father.

---

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Building's war room, nearly every seat at the long meeting table was filled.

Orochimaru arrived last, having come all the way from his underground lab on the outskirts of the village. Still, no one dared to question his tardiness—aside from the Third Hokage and Danzo, none of the attendees even dared meet his gaze. Recent rumors swirling through the village had only made them more cautious around him.

Orochimaru pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat down. The Hokage's aide immediately stepped forward, whispering the latest intel into his ear.

As he listened, Orochimaru's brow arched slightly in surprise.

Kumogakure had mobilized nearly their entire force. Aside from leaving a minimum number of shinobi behind to guard against a sneak attack from Iwagakure, they had committed everything to the battlefield.

They were clearly going all in—betting everything on a swift, overwhelming victory, hoping to crush Konoha while it was still recovering from recent losses.

The current Raikage was bold—recklessly so.

Given the scale of the assault, the previous plan—leaving it solely to the Uchiha Guard—was no longer feasible. Forcing that strategy now would gain no support.

Still, the overall direction of the strategy didn't need to change.

Orochimaru sat quietly, deep in thought, then nodded subtly to himself. He already had the answer.

The core question being debated in the room was straightforward: How should Konoha divide its forces?

How many should be sent to face Kumogakure directly in the main conflict? How many should be stationed along the borders to prevent opportunistic attacks from other hidden villages?

And just as importantly—who should lead each force?

Facing Kumogakure head-on was undoubtedly the most dangerous assignment. With the enemy's full strength on the field, that battle was bound to become a brutal, drawn-out clash.

On the other hand, guarding against potential threats from other villages might not involve direct combat—at least not immediately. It was a less glorious task, but far less deadly.

Konoha was still recovering from the Nine-Tails attack. Some shinobi had lost comrades and suffered wounds; others had come through untouched. Naturally, the former were more hesitant to volunteer for the frontlines.

But for Orochimaru, this wasn't a concern.

To him, this war was a game of shogi—and he had already decided which pieces to move forward.

As the room filled with overlapping voices and arguments, Orochimaru spoke suddenly, silencing everyone:

"Leave the rest aside for now. There's a more pressing question we need to consider first."

He swept his gaze across the room.

"Why did Kumogakure start this war? Does the Raikage truly believe that their village alone can destroy Konoha?"

The room fell silent. Several clan leaders exchanged uneasy glances. Even the Third Hokage and his advisors furrowed their brows.

He was right. Despite the loss of two Kage-level shinobi and many elite forces during the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha was still not weak enough to be overrun by one village alone.

That wasn't arrogance—it was fact.

"Doesn't this situation seem… familiar to any of you?" Orochimaru continued, tapping his finger rhythmically on the table.

"When the First Hokage passed, the world thought Konoha would crumble. That was when the First Great Ninja War began."

The Third Hokage's expression shifted. He now saw where Orochimaru was leading the conversation.

"This… is Konoha's weakest moment since then," Orochimaru said calmly.

Under the weight of his words, the entire room felt colder.

"Kumogakure isn't just attacking out of ambition. They want to recreate the First Great Ninja War."

_________

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