Chapter 88 — The Alliance of the Four Great Villages
Konoha Village was actively preparing for war.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure had all begun to mobilize.
For the four major villages, this was the perfect opportunity to finally topple the First Ninja Village—Konoha—and divide up its rich resources. The faster they moved, the better.
After all, during the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, Konoha had always emerged victorious, securing massive spoils of war. That was one of the reasons Konoha had maintained such a steady stream of geniuses over the years.
Now, with Konoha weakened, it was the perfect time to strike.
Thus—
Under the watchful eyes of countless ninjas across the world,
Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure moved aggressively and openly, brazenly invading the Land of Fire's territory.
Because Konoha did not send any forces to intercept them, the armies of the four great villages advanced at an alarming pace.
Eventually, the massive armies stopped only a few kilometers away from Konoha itself.
---
Inside a tent at the headquarters of the Kumogakure 24th Unit, deep in the Fire Country:
Gathered in one place were an astonishing lineup—
Third Raikage — Ay of the Night Moon Clan,
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki — Killer Bee,
Elder Yagura of Kirigakure — the Three-Tails Jinchūriki,
Third Tsuchikage — Onoki of Iwagakure,
The Five-Tails Jinchūriki — Han,
Fourth Kazekage — Rasa of Sunagakure,
Maki — a senior Sand Village strategist.
If anyone else had witnessed this scene, they would have been stunned — the combined strength of the four villages' Kage and Jinchūriki was truly terrifying.
"It's so satisfying,"
Rasa sneered as he broke the silence.
"We've invaded deep into the Land of Fire without encountering any resistance. It seems Konoha is trembling before us."
"Heh..."
Onoki glanced sideways at Ay, the Fourth Raikage, and chuckled lightly,
"Who would've thought we'd actually unite to attack Konoha?"
"You... what are you implying?"
Ay growled, gritting his teeth.
"Nothing much,"
Onoki shrugged, his tone casual.
"Back in the Third Great Ninja War, we threw tens of thousands of Iwa-nin at your father, the Third Raikage."
He paused, a shadow of fear flickering in his old eyes.
"And to deal with a rising star like Uchiha Yuta now, I wouldn't be surprised if we needed even more."
"!!"
There was an audible gasp around the tent.
Even Ay, who had been furious, paused and swallowed hard. After a deep look at Onoki, he forced himself to calm down, clenching his fists tightly.
"Hmph..."
Onoki snorted.
"Since Uchiha Yuta was able to eliminate Konoha's entire high command, his strength and ability must be beyond terrifying. Even with tens of thousands of troops and three other villages joining in, I wouldn't dare underestimate him."
"Tch! Old man, you're overthinking it!"
Ay snapped.
"No matter how strong Uchiha Yuta is, he can't possibly defeat an entire army alone!"
"The Third Hokage Sarutobi and the Council were destroyed, sure—but Konoha's overall strength has dropped significantly! One Uchiha Yuta can't turn the tide by himself!"
"..."
The more Onoki spoke, the heavier the atmosphere in the tent became.
Originally filled with confidence, the leaders now felt an uneasy chill creep into their hearts.
Damn it—
They had worked so hard to forge this fragile alliance, but Onoki's words were killing their morale!
"You have no idea how terrifying a true Uchiha is,"
Onoki said grimly.
"I once fought against Uchiha Madara alongside the Second Tsuchikage. Even together, we were utterly crushed."
He sighed.
"Uchiha Yuta may not be Madara... but you can never be too cautious."
The tent fell into a heavy, oppressive silence.
Everyone looked solemn.
Initially, they had been overconfident—but now a seed of fear had been planted.
Finally, Mū, the elder of Kirigakure who had remained silent until now, spoke in a low voice,
"Once the war begins, we must immediately focus all our firepower on eliminating Uchiha Yuta."
"Agreed!"
Ay said coldly.
"I second that."
Killer Bee nodded.
"We'll attack first. After all, once Konoha falls, the resources are ours to divide later,"
Rasa said indifferently.
"No objections..."
"No objections..."
Everyone else agreed one after another.
Thus, the fragile temporary alliance was cemented — at least for now.
But how long it would truly last was anyone's guess.
---
After Onoki, Rasa, Yagura, and the others left the central tent—
"Hmph, that old puppet Onoki really is cunning,"
Ay sneered, slamming his fist into his palm.
"When we finish off Konoha,"
he continued coldly,
"we'll crush the Iwa-nin army next — and avenge my father."
"I know."
Killer Bee's expression grew serious for once as he nodded firmly.
His usual carefree attitude vanished at the mention of the Third Raikage.
The bloody feast of the ninja world was about to begin.
But none of them yet realized—
they had severely underestimated the storm that Uchiha Yuta was about to unleash.
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