"Sensei, are we really going to war with Sunagakure?"
"Yes. We are."
"Is there no way to avoid it?"
"There's no avoiding it."
"But… why?"
"There are plenty of reasons. But mainly? Money."
Orochimaru didn't even look up, his eyes fixed on a set of experimental data.
Beside him, Nawaki wore a face full of worry.
"Money? That can't be right!"
As the direct heir of the Senju clan, Nawaki had never known want. The idea that two friendly ninja villages would go to war over something as crass as money was almost unthinkable to him.
At last, Orochimaru set aside his report and spoke seriously.
"My foolish disciple, we're talking about a lot of money—a sum big enough to buy an entire ninja village. More than you could possibly imagine."
Nawaki's jaw dropped. He was speechless for a long moment.
The truth was, beyond the Eastern Army led personally by Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura's Northern Army, and the stillborn Western Army, there was another force in Konoha's campaign: the Southern Army, under Orochimaru's command.
The reason no one paid much attention to it was twofold. First, it was the smallest, barely five thousand troops in total. Second, this wasn't the main battlefield—it was a defensive line against Kumogakure's secondary front to the north.
After the Five Kage Summit, the great ninja villages had drawn their borders. Konoha took its powerful northern neighbor very seriously. Over the past seven years, they'd built three permanent lines of fortifications along the "national border." The terrain here was mostly rugged mountains and dense forests—easy to defend, hard to attack. With the calm and cunning Orochimaru in charge, Hiruzen had every confidence in the northern defense.
"What about my sister? What's going to happen to her?"
Tears began to well up in Senju Nawaki's eyes.
For once, Orochimaru's expression softened.
"Yeah… Once Konoha and Sunagakure go to war, things won't be easy for Tsunade. The old man really didn't handle this well—how's Tsunade supposed to live with her in-laws after this?"
He patted Nawaki on the shoulder.
"That's why I brought you into the Southern Army. You don't want to face your brother-in-law across the battlefield, do you?"
"Thank you, Sensei."
"No need. Honestly, it's not just you—I don't want to fight Jinghang either. This whole thing…"
"Report!"
A ninja appeared just outside the tent.
"Come in," Orochimaru called.
"What is it?"
"Orders from the Eastern Army HQ. The Hokage has officially declared war on Sunagakure as of yesterday!"
"What?!"
Orochimaru snatched the paper from the ninja's hands. After a long moment, he handed it to Nawaki.
"Looks like things won't stay quiet here for long, either."
He turned back to the ninja.
"Notify all Southern Army ninjas: Level One battle readiness. Send someone back to the village with the news. Order the two thousand reserves to prepare—be ready to reinforce the north at a moment's notice."
Nawaki quietly read the paper:
"'Sunagakure—desert bandits by origin, not inheritors of the Sage of Six Paths' true ninja tradition, known for murder and pillage, savage and bloodthirsty…' Sensei, this reads like a war proclamation!"
"You're not wrong. It is a proclamation. The Third Great Ninja War has begun."
Orochimaru said solemnly.
Since ancient times, a "proclamation" was a formal document denouncing an enemy or rebel. The writing had to be as sharp as a blade, brimming with righteous fury—not only to rally your own people, but to trample the enemy's reputation from the highest moral ground.
There was a formula to these things. First, personal attacks—dragging the enemy's ancestors through the mud, painting them as lowborn and contemptible, as if villainy ran in their blood. (See: Proclamation Against Cao Cao.)
Second, a litany of the enemy's heinous deeds—crimes against heaven and earth, every outrage imaginable. In short, they've done everything except a single good deed. (See: Proclamation Against Wu Zetian.)
And finally, a declaration of your own righteousness: leading a just and mighty army, driving out darkness with light, vanquishing evil with justice—"In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" (See: Proclamation Against the Guangdong Bandits.)
Hiruzen Sarutobi's "Proclamation Against Sunagakure," broadcast to the entire ninja world, followed the same playbook.
First, it claimed Sunagakure were desert bandits, not legitimate heirs of the Sage of Six Paths' ninja tradition.
Obviously, this was a stretch. Every great ninja village had bandit groups join up in the beginning. In those chaotic times, the line between ninja and bandit was blurry at best. Making a fuss about it now was just splitting hairs.
The second point was almost comical: accusing Sunagakure's ninja of refusing missions, refusing honest work, and spending their days scheming for profit. Supposedly, this "undermined the ninja lifestyle" and threatened to upend the world order. It reeked of sour grapes—resenting others for eating well while you're stuck with scraps.
And the finale was classic:
"…Now, I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, shall lead twenty thousand troops, vowing to endure hardship and eliminate these rebels, to restore our trampled ninja way, to rescue the oppressed, to defend a thousand years of tradition, and to ease the pain of our ancestors. Not only will we avenge the wrongful deaths of millions, but we will also cleanse the shame brought upon the Sage of Six Paths."
"At last, it's here. But if you want to fight, just fight—what's the point of writing this garbage? 'Defend the ninja way of life'—what way? The way where you starve when there are no missions? What a load of crap!"
Jinghang sneered, tossing Hiruzen's proclamation to the floor.
Sasori quickly tried to soothe him.
"Don't be mad, godfather. He's just jealous we're making money. If anyone looks ridiculous for writing this, it's Konoha—not us."
Jinghang thought it over and let it drop.
"Have Kundun and Chifenruo set out yet? Konoha's about to attack from the Land of Rivers."
Kundun is the Rat, Chifenruo the Ox, both members of the Twelve Earthly Branches. With Iwagakure in chaos and pressure easing out west, Jinghang had immediately called Chiyo to transfer some Branch members east, to counter Konoha's elite.
"My father said he sent them on the fastest warship the moment the order came. They should arrive in three days."
"Good. The grand strategy's set. Now it's down to the details. Konoha's split into ten teams this time, and every captain's a tough customer. We'll take them one by one—make sure we're ready for all of them."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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