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The last time the Land of Rain became the focal point of the shinobi world was due to the Second Great Shinobi War.
Now, a new war had erupted in the Land of Rain.
There were no flashy tactics—only absolute, overwhelming force.
The Allied Forces split into two groups, advancing from different directions, crushing everything in their path.
They encountered almost no significant resistance along the way.
In just three days, the army had reached the outskirts of Amegakure.
"The supply units haven't suffered any attacks, and the battlefield advance has been smooth. We've already pushed to the outskirts of Amegakure. Tomorrow, we'll launch a full-scale assault and break into the village."
Shikaku, the Jonin Commander, had temporarily taken on the role of Kazuki's secretary, organizing daily intelligence reports and delivering them to him.
"Already at the village outskirts, huh?"
It seemed Amegakure had concentrated all its forces within the village. Nagato hadn't sent his shinobi out to die pointlessly. Instead, he had gathered their strength, preparing a special gift for the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Man, I'd love to go watch the show…
But no, it was better to stay put in the camp.
If he went to the battlefield now, not only would he risk getting caught in the crossfire, but he'd also be forced to fight—otherwise, he'd face criticism. Staying in the camp was the smarter move. Even if the Allied Forces were completely annihilated, the blame wouldn't fall on him.
"Send scouts to monitor the war's progress. They don't need to engage—just gather intel."
"Already done."
Having a competent subordinate was a blessing. Kazuki didn't need to worry about anything—just sit back and wait for reports.
No wonder the Hokages of the past favored the Nara clan so much. They made everything effortless.
Compared to the troublesome Uchiha, the Nara clan could handle any situation with perfect efficiency.
That's the difference.
Still, the Uchiha had their own strengths. Putting aside all the drama, in terms of pure combat ability, several Nara clans combined wouldn't stand a chance against the Uchiha.
------
"Hah! The Akatsuki? Pathetic."
Inside the command tent at Amegakure, the Raikage scoffed.
The Allied Forces had advanced smoothly to the village outskirts. After a brief rest, they would storm Amegakure tomorrow.
The Raikage was eager to see what trump cards the Akatsuki had been saving for them.
But we can't afford to be careless.
The Mizukage wanted to remind the overconfident Raikage to stay vigilant, but after glancing at the silent Third Hokage, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
Maybe the Allied Forces are just that strong?
If the Raikage thought the Akatsuki were weak, the Tsuchikage wasn't much better.
Sure, the Akatsuki had taken out elite squads from the Five Great Villages before—but those were small-scale ambushes.
Now, with the full military might of the Five Great Villages surrounding Amegakure, the Akatsuki would be crushed if they dared to fight head-on.
We'd break their teeth before they even got a bite in!
------
Under the shadow of war, Amegakure had descended into chaos.
Villagers fled in droves, carrying whatever they could.
Nagato placed no restrictions on those who wanted to leave—Amegakure's policy was now "exit permitted, entry forbidden."
But how many of these refugees would survive outside the village? That remained unknown.
The Allied Forces wouldn't pass up the opportunity to interrogate them for intel. Many villagers were captured and subjected to torture—some even had their memories forcibly extracted.
At least, for now, the Allied Forces hadn't resorted to mass slaughter.
Everyone was still keeping their cool.
But if the war started with heavy losses?
Oh, the bloodshed would begin in earnest.
------
Konan handled all of Amegakure's affairs.
Even with the Allied Forces at their doorstep, poised to attack the next day, she remained calm, methodically arranging the village's defenses.
From the moment the Five Kage Summit decided to target Amegakure and the Akatsuki, Konan had begun preparing.
Her primary task?
To deliver a special gift to the Allied Forces.
The full-scale assault was about to begin.
Kazuki didn't sleep that night—he was waiting for news. He wanted to see how the war would unfold.
"Sir."
Since Kazuki wasn't sleeping, Shikaku couldn't either. He even had the logistics division prepare grilled meat for Kazuki's late-night snack.
"Join me."
Kazuki gestured for Shikaku to sit.
"Yes."
Shikaku didn't refuse. He sat down and ate with Kazuki. If not for the camp's alcohol ban, grilled meat paired with sake would've been perfect.
"No need for formalities between us."
"Kazuki, are you worried about the frontline's progress?"
As they ate, the conversation inevitably turned to the war.
"Something like that. I'm afraid I'll just fall asleep and get woken up soon after. I've got a bad temper when that happens, so I'd rather stay awake until the reports come in."
The Allied Forces had their confidence, but the Akatsuki had their own plans.
Unlike the others, Kazuki didn't underestimate the Akatsuki.
Forget about Nagato—a literal walking cheat—or Sasori's puppet army.
Konan's hundreds of billions of explosive tags alone were enough to cause nightmares.
One wrong move, and the Allied Forces might end up buried alongside Amegakure.
If Konan was ruthless enough to plant explosive tags throughout the village and detonate them when the Allied Forces stormed in…
A massive mushroom cloud would rise over the Land of Rain.
In the original timeline, Konan's 600 billion explosive tags against Obito didn't cause widespread destruction because they were tightly layered to maximize damage on a single target.
But right now, she likely hadn't accumulated that many yet.
Still, given the Akatsuki's money-making speed and Konan's Paper Style, a few hundred billion explosive tags weren't out of the question.
Just how terrifying was that?
If arranged properly, it could reduce Amegakure to rubble.
And the shinobi charging into the village?
Very few would survive.
A few hundred billion explosive tags… Tsk. Just how much money would that be worth if sold?
Explosive tags were already one of the most expensive disposable tools in the shinobi world.
A few hundred billion was insane enough, but in the original timeline, Konan had six trillion.
If converted into cash, she'd be the richest person in the shinobi world.
"You don't have faith in the Allied Forces' strength?"
Shikaku sensed that Kazuki didn't seem optimistic.
"No."
Would he admit that?
Kazuki shook his head calmly.
"The Allied Forces' strength is undeniable. But the Akatsuki have been too quiet—that's not their style. A terrorist organization without any aggressive counterattacks? Something's wrong."
"You're right. It is suspicious."
Shikaku frowned slightly.
*****
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