Urgent Dot No. 9 from the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance Propaganda Department, Year 51 of Kumogakure: Noti the Alliance's termeasures Against Konoha's Provocative As

  [pletely Unfounded! Upon iigation, the intelligence about Konoha ung a special military operation is a rumor! Relevant outsourced intelligence personnel have been arrested, and we will strehe training of our intelligence department personnel.]

  Kumogakure Allianent No. 10

  [After a sed review and firmation, member vilges of the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance—Kusagakure and Takigakure—have indeed been attacked by Konoha. To prevent further turmoil in the ninja world and to exercise the Alliance's leading role in maintaining peace, Kumogakure will set an example by exerg restraint and will not directly take as such as ninja frontation. Member vilges should refer to Kumogakure's response measures.]

  Kumogakure Allianent No. 11

  [Konoha has vioted the Ninja World vention by taking special military as against Kusagakure and Takigakure. Such hegemonic acts are eous. The Alliance should have acted immediately upon receiving intelligence, but now it's too te. The fall of Kusagakure and Takigakure to Konoha is a fact. All parties should tio exercise restraint, strengthen defenses, and avoid causing greater harm to the Alliance's is.]

  [The Kumogakure Alliance is the most powerful military for the ninja world, capable of proteg all allied nations, with over ten thousand ninjas in a state of high alert... ]

  [However, we should refle this aablish a more responsive mobile ninja force to proteember tries, to fay sudden bck-tailed beast is in the ninja world. Let us take this as a lesson, work together, and join hands to build the best Kumogakure Allian the entire ninja world.]

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  Kumogakure reacted quickly.

  To salvage their reputation after their member tries were attacked by Konoha, the three internal statements pnned by Kumogakure were beihodically dissemihroughout the ninja world.

  Small ninja vilges that had not been invaded breathed a sigh of relief after reading the statements issued by the Alliance's Propaganda Department. Looking at the stirring words, even the weakest vilges ie areas couldn't help but puff out their chests at the thought of the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance's military and eic strength.

  It was as if simply joining this alliance grahem the qualification to wrestle with the emon of the ninja world.

  As for the issue of Kusagakure and Takigakure being invaded... it was merely the result of Konoha defying the ventions of the ninja world and openly tearing up the peace treaty!

  They were too foolish!

  They wasted their only opportunity for a surprise atta Kusagakure and Takigakure. If they had used it against Kumogakure itself, perhaps they could have dealt a signifit blow to our Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance.

  But now, they're far from that!

  Regarding Kusagakure and Takigakure after seeing suotices...

  Setting aside Kusagakure for now—the forces in Kusagakure that were close to Kumogakure had been thhly purged by Konoha and Iwagakure.

  For the time being, there was no capable person to represent Kusagakure in re-engaging with the Alliance. First, no one had learhe unication ninjutsu; sed, no one dared to stir up trouble just after the Konoha-Iwagakure coalition had withdrawn from the vilge.

  As for Takigakure...

  Because there was no Kumogakure garrison, the Konoha team was led by Hyūga Hiashi of the Hyūga . The extent of the damage was not signifit.

  They merely symbolically helped Takigakure eliminate a group of pro-Kumogakure colborators, and also captured Hidan—the mission target appointed by Advisojo—after knog him unscious with the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, bringing him back to the vilge.

  In a sehis was not a special military operation against Takigakure but rather helped them solve internal troubles.

  Traitors deserved to be eliminated, and Hidan was a notoriously bloodthirsty ninja in Takigakure. Even as Hyūga Hiashi's team left, vilgers of Takigakure came out to see them off.

  After the Alliance sent their notice, the few remainiral fas finally reized reality.

  All that talk about "rumors," "restraint," "setting an example"... A rotten e is always rotten! It's a shame that Takigakure was so misguided intnizing Kumogakure as their big brother, thinking it could lead their vilge to prosperity.

  Thus, the spokespersons first elected by Takigakure ly severed ties with Kumogakure, eveing this internal Alliaice as a treasure to Hyūga Hiashi.

  Before leaving, they strongly expressed their admiration for Konoha. Taxes on the Konoha-Suna trade route, colborative defeakigakure was willing to make cessions on all these, just hoping that Konoha would bring their vilge onto the new era's train of the ninja world.

  Suthusiasm and humility made Hyūga Hiashi, the invader, feel a bit embarrassed. He immediately stated that he would vey the iions of Takigakure's spokesperson directly to Konoha's leadership.

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  "Strongly n Konoha's Hegemonic As, Calling on All Parties in the Ninja World to Exercise Restraint"

  Kumogakure's statement was sent out to the ninja world as promised.

  As soon as it ublished, the ninja world was in an uproar!

  From the Kage-level elites down to ordinary civilians, everyone was shocked by this news, parable to a Tailed Beast Bomb explosion.

  Symbolizing the twest forces in the current ninja world, they were finally going to use Kusagakure as the battlefield for a hot war filled with Fire Release and explosive tags!

  On one side was Kumogakure, representing the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance, uniting more than half of the ninja vilges. Oher side was Konoha, which had held the hegemonic position in the ninja world for fifty years!

  Just hearing the names of the participating sides and the battle reports from the front lines made people's blood boil! It would be worth it even if they died!

  The Konoha News also published the situation ihe Hokage Building the day:

  [At 5 p.m. Konoha time on August 2nd, Kumogakure issued a final ultimatum to Konoha, demanding that Konoha provide assurao stop the special military operation before 7 p.m. that evening. Otherwise, Kumogakure would decre war on Konoha.]

  [Acc to ter recolles by Konoha's Anbu squad leader Kakashi Hatake, when Advisojo received the final ultimatum from Kumogakure, he sat silently without moving, then turo everyone in the operations aer and said: "Even if we lose this special military operation, the First Hokage would still praise us; we defended Konoha's dignity and the Will of Fire."]

  [After 5 p.m., member tries of the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance also issued simir ultimatums to Konoha, with a deadline of 7 p.m. that evening. Konoha ighe ultimatum from Kumogakure and did not respond.]

  [Thus, Kumogakure decred war on Konoha. While exerg restraint, Kumogakure called on member vilges of the Co-Prosperity Alliao implement a war strategy of "only providing military supplies to Kusagakure, not sending ninjas to intervene in the war, nor sending ninjas to attack Konoha's homend," to avoid increasing the iy of the ninja war.]

  [Thus, the first local hot war sihe Third Great Ninja War began! That night, Minato Namikaze, Gojo Kaigetsu, and h-ranking officials moved their offices from the Hokage Building to a secret temporary operations aer to fay possible emergencies.]

  To oppose half the ninja world with the strength of one vilge—what kind of heroic spirit is this?!

  Regarding this issue, the ninja world didn't provide a specific description, but Gojo Kaigetsu couldn't help but marvel at the enthusiasm of Konoha's vilgers.

  After Kumogakure's decration of war arrived, not only did Konoha not show panic, but instead became even more restless.

  More and more young ninjas took to the streets, pressing their right fists to their left chests, shouting slogans like:

  "Offer your heart to Konoha," "Swear to defend Konoha's glory to the death," and so on. These empty slogans tinued from evening until te at night.

  Even more shogly, some shouted slogans like "Great Shadow Minato" and "Sed Great Shadow Gojo."

  People's emotions vary; Gojo Kaigetsu just felt it was noisy. Especially those Uchiha brats—not practig ninjutsu properly but holding banners and shouting slogans all day—what are they doing?

  He, Gojo Kaigetsu, was still cautiously fog on cultural and eic fields, and they were already cm to beat up the entire ninja world and bee the Great Shadow?

  Isn't this a bit too extreme?

  To avoid being swept up by this extreme patriotism, Gojo Kaigetsu had to issue his first order to the Anbu from his safe house—trol! Curfew! Anbu ninjas began to intervene and clear the area!

  The reason was simple: to prevent the Kumogakure Co-Prosperity Alliance from secretly dispatg troops to attack Konoha. To protect the lives and property of the vilgers, at least tonight, everyone should stay at home and not go anywhere.

  Wait until dawn; by then, the situation will be clear!

  Minato Namikaze paced bad forth anxiously, hesitating whether to use the Flying Thunder God Teique to teleport directly to the front lines. Gojo Kaigetsu, however, was sipping hot tea, showing no signs of impatience.

  Why is that?

  Because the system—which seemed to have skipped many episodes and could be felt through the dimensional wall being ridiculed for its insistencies—was crazily feeding Gojo Kaigetsu notifications:

  [Under your and, Konoha's blitzkrieg unit thwarted Kumogakure's pn to pnt a "nail" in the western world of the ninja world. Prosperity +500]

  [... The appearance of Susanoo shocked the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, ōnoki, leaving an indelible psychological shadow. Prosperity +100]

  [... Fugaku Uchiha defeated and subdued Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, and brought her back to Konoha. Prosperity +300]

  [... The Mangekyō Sharingan ocur power held by Fugaku Uchiha has further increased. Prosperity +50]

  [... Rescued the surviving Uzumaki member, Momohime Uzumaki, winning her allegiand having a profound impa Konoha. Prosperity +50]

  [...]

  The massive number of prosperity notifications, like the sound of a payment app notifying at deposits, tinuously disturbed Gojo Kaigetsu's nerves.

  Annoying!

  Having so much prosperity is the same feeling as having too much money; lying in the at, it's just a string of cold numbers.

  —'t spend it all, 't spend it all at all.

  It even made Gojo Kaigetsu have a destructive desire to do something big, to let the prosperity decrease a bit.

  This destructive desire has nothing to do with good or evil; it's like the deep-rooted fws in human nature, always wanting to tear beautiful things apart, dragging the pure into darkness.

  Fortunately, Gojo Kaigetsu still had his wits; such thoughts were just fleeting.

  Because he was annoyed by the prosperity notifications, he simply skipped the ter ability upgrades, just roughly gng over—

  Nothing more than reag "Perfect Level," increasing the unlock degree of Maha, and as for new abilities...

  "Space-Time Ninjutsu: Dimensional Ssh?"

  That's iing; find an opportunity to try it on a resilient ninja.

  "But Fugaku... How did his ocur power increase again? Isn't that a bit strange?"

  Gojo Kaigetsu showed a thoughtful expression.

  This was the only thing he didn't uand. In theory, for the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocur power to increase, the quickest way is to transpnt the Hashirama Cells or be stimuted by stroions again.

  But in a pce like Kusagakure, what is there that stir such emotions?

  It 't be that winning against a Jinchūriki for the first time excited him to the point of a breakthrough, right? Braku isn't that impulsive.

  Minato Namikaze, pag bad forth, couldn't tain himself: "Kaigetsu-kun, do you think... will the blitzkrieg unit enter any problems?"

  "Will Kumogakure send out Jinchūriki to reinforce?"

  "The Two-Tails a-Tails of Kumogakure, uher vilges' Tailed Beast powers, are standing forces that be dispatched from the vilge to fight at any time."

  From Minato's point of view, Kumogakure's military strength is indeed formidable. Although they may not have as many top-tier batants as Konoha, they have two Jinchūriki who be mobilized at any time.

  And as for Jinchūriki, iire Konoha Vilge, how many ninjas front them head-on? Ohey appear, even if Fugaku Uchiha suppress them, the blitzkrieg unit may suffer signifit casualties.

  This is a very unfavorable situation for Konoha.

  "Look at you, getting anxious again."

  pared to Minato's unease, Gojo Kaigetsu appeared pletely calm.

  One calm, oless—the stark trast was evident iemporary operations aer.

  Gojo Kaigetsu calmly began to speak, his voice eg in the room:

  "This is a 'trial'! A trial from the 'ninja world'! The growth of a ninja, the growth of a vilge... is about overing our own and our vilge's immature past..."

  "Therefore, I have infinite fiden the vilge passing the trial of the ninja world!"

  Gojo Kaigetsu raised his index finger: "Tonight, Fugaku Uchiha will bring baimaginable surprises!"

  "Is... is that so..."

  For a moment, Minato Namikaze, Shikaku Nara, and others in the operations aer were all stunned.

  In this fusing moment, only Gojo Kaigetsu could serve as the vilge's stabilizing force, giving people fidence.

  His words seemed to have a certain magic, calming Minato's anxious heart. Minato sat ba his seat, resting his on his hands, waiting quietly.

  Finally—

  The door of the temporary and room was knocked. Kakashi Hatake ope, but the first o reach Konoha was about Takigakure in the Land of Rivers.

  "Hyūga Hiashi rep mission success!"

  Bang!

  Hyūga Hiashi threw Hidan—who had been chattering incessantly along the way and now had his mouth sealed—onto the ground like tossing a dead dog.

  He didn't kneel or lower himself; instead, he pressed his right fist to his chest in a disciplined manner.

  To be ho, these new-era etiquettes proposed by Gojo Kaigetsu not only express the ninja's loyalty to the vilge but also maintain their dignity.

  Even within the Hyūga , the elders of the main family were sidering whether to have the branch family imitate it, and iure, the branch family's slogan would be "Offer your heart to the main family."

  "Lord Hiashi."

  Minato Namikaze hurriedly stood up from his seat to greet him.

  Gojo Kaigetsu waved his hand, having Hidan dragged away for future research.

  "I have led my unit to plete the special military operation against Takigakure. All pro-Kumogakure Takigakure ninjas have been eliminated under my firmation."

  "Acc to post-battle statistics, our unit lost a total of seven genin, one in seriously injured, and five lightly injured..."

  Small ninja vilges outside the Five Great Nations are also graded. Before Hidan rose to promiakigakure could at most be sidered a low-ranking small ninja vilge.

  They had very few jōnin, not many in, and a high proportion of genin.

  They cked expensive ninja tools like explosive tags; their reserves might not even match those of a Konoha patrol unit. Takigakure ninjas primarily used affordable and practical tools like kunai and shuriken.

  For Konoha, the hegemon of the ninja world, to take a against such a weak, developing small vilge was a bit too easy.

  Therefore, the dispatched ninjas were not all elite in like the other "White Unit."

  Even genin, as long as they had physical strength and ce, could participate in this patriotic military operation.

  With the power currently possessed by Takigakure, it was impossible to effectively harm Konoha's in her-level ninjas. Traps like explosive tags were iive if guarded against.

  All in all, only seven genin died, which retty acceptable number.

  "Hmm... Give them a proper burial. Provide pensions to their retives and families acc tutions. If they were orphans, trahe pension to Konoha's orphanage. Also, have their names engraved on the Konoha Memorial Stone."

  Minato ordered.

  The vilge was already doing its utmost duty to these genin.

  In some vilges, genin were even less valuable than explosive tags; if they died, they died. The ninja academy could tinuously provide new "mobile ninja tool users."

  Not to mention pensions, memorial stones, and other respectful posthumous arras.

  But in this special military operation, even genin from Konoha were given a quota of three explosive tags per person.

  Fenin, explosive tags are sometimes a trump card for survival, capable of killing erohan themselves.

  Moreover, uags during the operation wouldn't be recimed post-battle, sidered gifts from Konoha to its ceous ninjas. As for those who died without using their tags... Gojo Kaigetsu proposed providing "Memorial Explosive Tags" in various ninja tool shops.

  Hearing this, Hyūga Hiashi couldn't help but feel a warm current in his heart, filled with respect.

  He was ae jōnin of Konoha and the head of the Hyūga . He shouldn't be able to empathize with lower-level genin. But such as by the vilge leadership made him, as the head of a noble , feel respected.

  [Ninjas are merely tools for pleting tasks.]

  This was an unspoken sensus among many ninjas. Only in a vilge like Konoha, bathed in the Will of Fire, was there a bit more human touch.

  But that's all there was to it. The human touch existed, but if it came down to it, the priority of the mission was definitely higher.

  Remember Konoha's White Fang...

  But now, times have ged!

  Although there was no crete evidence, Hyūga Hiashi had reason to believe that uhe Fourth Hokage's regime, the human tou Konoha was more important than missions!

  With such leadership, how could o be proud, how could o be loyal?

  Charismatic leaders and outstanding subordinates have always been a two-way street.

  "Yes! I guarao plete the mission!"

  Hyūga Hiashi said passionately, his Byakugan eyes seeming to hide a ready-to-pounce lion.

  Sihe publication of "Military Ration Pills," a seed had been pnted in his heart. Because of Minato's words, it broke through the boulder pressing on his heart.

  Hyūga Hiashi made up his mind to lead the Hyūga ake a ge!

  It wasn't his personal desire for power or fame in the ninja history at work but—

  The Hyūga had decayed to the point where a reform "from the main family to the branch family, from top to bottom" was necessary!

  The Hyūga , which regarded themselves as Konoha's number one , had unknowingly fallen far behind the Uchiha.

  Whether in the vilge's reputation or in the 's atmosphere...

  It's hard to imagihat a few months ago, the Hyūga 's reputation in the vilge was stepping on the Uchiha , and the "unity" and "uniformity" within the were far superior to the Uchiha's extreme divisions.

  If the same situation happeo the Uchiha, the victorious faight brand the losers with the Caged Bird seal, binding their desdants as "sves" feions.

  Ah-shattering ge.

  Hyūga Hiashi saw everything, anxious in his heart.

  "The vilge already regards ninjas as people rather than tools. The ugly branch family system of the Hyūga should also end under my leadership!"

  Hyūga Hiashi's eyes were full of determination.

  The vilge's political climate determined whether the Hyūga could make signifit moves.

  The Hyūga is like a mi of the ninja vilge. The so-called head is just a spokespersoed by the elders. If one really wants to touch the 's foundational branch family system, the resistance faced will be immense.

  Its difficulty is far beyond the faal struggles of the Uchiha.

  Acc to Hyūga Hiashi's uanding, without today's versation firming that the vilge's politidscape had been pletely renewed, he wouldn't dare to a the Hyūga 's ic ailment.

  If it were the Third Hokage...

  If he tried to a the branch family system, the elders would uo petition the vilge. For the sake of stability, the Third Hokage might have to personally e to appease his desire for reform.

  He would also send Anbu to monitor branch family ninjas to prevereme situations.

  Beyond five steps, the shuriken is swift; within five steps, the Caged Bird seal is accurate and fast!

  Within a five-step range, just activating the curse mark instantly incapacitate a branch family jōnin.

  The Hyūga branch family is a po of military power, and the Byakugan's importan ninja wars makes it a part that absolutely ot have issues!

  All along, the main family's elders have used this to firmly grasp the vilge. As long as they treat the branch family ninjas as "hostages," the vilge ot interfere with the main family's decisions.

  After all, if the branch family ninjas are already lost, they 't afford to lose main family members.

  But now, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Advisojo made Hyūga Hiashi see the possibility of mutual destru!

  Yes, mutual destru was the method Hyūga Hiashi thought of! Either the main family wipes out the branch family, and then he requests the Fourth Hokage and Advisojo to elimihe main family's hardliners!

  If these two leaders, whard ninjas as people and empathize, perhaps it really be done!

  Use this to force the main family's elders to abolish the Caged Bird system.

  "Each of you, shouting that the branch family system is the 's foundation, more important than life. When the knife is really at your throat, you still say such sanctimonious words?"

  Hyūga Hiashi straightened his back, sneering in his heart.

  "Hizashi... I said I would abolish the branch family system."

  Gojo Kaigetsu seemed to sense something. When he saw Hiashi's passionate and expet eyes, he was startled.

  "Hey buddy, what's with that look? Hyūga Hiashi isn't that kind of person... right?"

  [Hyūga Hiashi is determio make the Hyūga ge. Prosperity +50]

  Hmm?

  Make the Hyūga ge?

  Gojo Kaigetsu was momentarily stuhen realized, revealing a smile of mutual uanding. If it's the kind of ge he thought...

  Byakugan, pure Byakugan, a massive amount of pure Byakugan... Is Sharingan x Byakugaimate answer? High-quality troops with backgrounds and absolute loyalty... Make the Hyūga owe an unrepayable debt of gratitude...

  Mangekyō Sharingan x Pure Byakugan x ails, Two-Tails, Three-Tails Chakra x Hashirama cells x White Zetsu cells x Wood Release—blending all currently mastered resources like a hodgepodge— we create a monster?

  From the momeched wavelengths with Hyūga Hiashi, the ideas in Gojo Kaigetsu's mind burst out wildly, like a fountain.

  He couldn't wait to let Orochimaru, who had been transferred to the undergrou boratory, experiment on these ideas one by one.

  Byakugan! He must make the Hyūga owe him a favor!

  Of course, he couldn't propose this proactively. Just like in a romantic battle, the one who speaks first loses; the one who acts ter has the bargaining power.

  "Don't let me down, Hyūga Hiashi."

  "As an advisor, I really want to have another close friend."

  The good news brought by Hyūga Hiashi was like a shot of adrenaline, invigorating everyone iemporary operations aer, ging the previous temosphere.

  Even Minato, who had been worried about the front lines, smiled more.

  At this moment, a double blessing—

  The messenger Kakashi Hatake k on one knee, rep to the assembled vilge leaders:

  "Report! The White Unit led by Jōnin Fugaku Uchiha has returo the vilge!"

  Whoosh—!

  All the high-level officials of Konoha stood up; Minato Namikaze stared ily at his disciple, as if wanting to glean reassuring information from his expression.

  Finally, he couldn't hold back his tension:

  "What's the situation?"

  "It seems... eveer than before they left. The White Unit doesn't appear to have suffered signifit casualties, and the mission target, Momohime Uzumaki, was also successfully brought back."

  "And..." Kakashi paused, his expression a bit dazed.

  "And what?"

  Kakashi came back to his senses: "Lord Fugaku has brought back Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki to the vilge."

  "Quickly, ihem! No, we'll go over—to the Hokage Building!"

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