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"Captain! We're detecting a large number of unidentified chakra signatures breaching the Konoha barrier!"
A sensor ninja who had just channeled chakra into the village's detection array reported urgently.
"How many?"
The leader of the Barrier Squad sprang to his feet, voice tense.
"I can't determine the exact number, but they're approaching from all directions—fast!"
"Damn it! Sound the alarm! Notify the ANBU and the Konoha Military Police—Konoha is under attack!"
"Also, send word to Advisors Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu—tell them to begin emergency evacuation of all civilians!"
With the captain's commands issued, the village's peaceful atmosphere snapped into full alert. The ominous howling of alarms echoed through the Hidden Leaf.
"Finally... it's begun."
Elsewhere, Ye Dou, having received the update from his shadow clone, quietly pulled a blank-white ANBU mask over his face.
"Come and taste the fear of ruin, Konoha."
Casting one last glance at the towering Hokage Rock, he turned and began walking in the direction of the Ninja Academy.
---
[Sudden War]
Konoha plunged into chaos. The alliance of Sunagakure and Otogakure launched a sudden, coordinated assault. Hidden Leaf shinobi scrambled to defend their home as violence erupted in every direction. The peaceful Chūnin Exams had transformed into a war zone.
On the roof of the arena where the final round of the Chūnin Exams was held, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had been sealed inside the Four Violet Flames Formation—a high-level barrier technique—by none other than his former student, Orochimaru.
The ambush had been swift and merciless.
Konoha's defensive wall had been breached by a summoned creature—Manda, the giant serpent from Ryūchi Cave. Though in this telling, it was a terrifying three-headed snake. Each head crashed through the village like a natural disaster, scattering shinobi and civilians alike.
"It's like the night of the Nine-Tails all over again…" one jōnin muttered as explosions echoed throughout the village.
At the village gates, members of the Konoha Military Police Force fought desperately to stall the three-headed serpent. But the beast's massive scales were stronger than reinforced steel. Kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags bounced off its hide uselessly.
Its movements were devastating—just a flick of its tail leveled entire blocks of buildings.
"This isn't something we can take down ourselves!"
"Signal for backup!"
The police captain bit his lip, then shouted, "Send a flare! We need support from the village immediately!"
---
Meanwhile, in Konoha's central command building…
"What did you just say!?"
"Mito-sama, we request you initiate full evacuation protocols. Konoha is under invasion. We're being attacked from all sides by Suna and Oto forces. Their numbers are still unknown."
"Where is Lord Hokage?"
"Hokage-sama is currently trapped by Orochimaru inside the Four Violet Flames Formation. He is engaged in battle as we speak."
"Orochimaru!" Homura bellowed, slamming his fist against the wooden table, shattering the tea set. "I told you Sarutobi should've executed him when we had the chance. That snake was always going to turn on us!"
They all remembered Orochimaru's dark experiments—human testing, forbidden jutsu, desecration of ethics. By Konoha's laws, the crimes alone warranted execution many times over. But Sarutobi, bound by his affection for his former student, had shown mercy.
Now, that mercy had returned to haunt the village.
"There's no time to debate past mistakes!" Koharu barked. "Begin evacuation! Send the children and civilians to the underground shelters. Raise the red flare—Konoha is at Level-One Emergency Alert!"
Danzo Shimura, silent until now, stepped forward with a calm authority.
"With Lord Hokage occupied, I will issue operational orders on his behalf," he declared. "Deploy all available forces. Intercept the enemy at all village sectors. Prioritize the protection of the children and key assets."
Internally, Danzo was almost jubilant.
Sarutobi's credibility was about to collapse. The enemy had walked straight into Konoha under his watch. And worse—Orochimaru, the mastermind behind it all, had once been pardoned by him.
This is it… my time has come.
Danzo could already envision himself standing behind the Hokage's desk.
---
Back at the arena, jōnin-level shinobi including Hatake Kakashi and Might Guy had engaged the invading Oto and Suna forces head-on.
"Kakashi!" Guy called out, intercepting a strike from an Oto ninja.
"I know," Kakashi replied calmly, his Sharingan already activated. "This isn't just an ambush. It's a declaration of war."
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