The thunder rolled in earlier than anyone expected.
Just seven days after the Nine-Tails Rebellion, before the dust in Konoha had even fully settled, the Hidden Cloud Village made its move.
At the border of the Land of Fire, a Cloud ninja squad violated sovereign territory under the flimsy pretext of "searching for a missing comrade."
The Konoha border troops pushed back, refusing entry.
Steel met steel.
The skirmish was brief—but brutal. And in the end, the entire Kumogakure team was annihilated.
But that was merely the opening act.
The real performance came shortly after, when the Hidden Cloud Village—wielding the name of the Land of Lightning like a banner—delivered a formal diplomatic condemnation.
They accused the Hidden Leaf of unwarranted aggression and the Land of Fire of violating diplomatic convention.
Then, they dropped their "demand."
Minato Namikaze, Fourth Hokage of the Leaf, was to personally travel to the Hidden Cloud Village……to apologize.…and to pay reparations.
The subtext was as clear as lightning in the dark.
Show us whether the Yellow Flash is still alive.
Because if Minato didn't appear, it would mean one thing:
The Nine-Tails Rebellion had left Konoha truly crippled.
Which meant Kumogakure could march.
Either way, it was a win for the Cloud.
If Minato came, they would judge his strength up close—and, if he looked weakened, perhaps try to kill him then and there.
If he didn't… a war it must.
A sharp-edged test, wrapped in diplomacy, driven by strategy.
Despite their wild and brash reputation, the Raikages of history were no fools. Every "reckless" maneuver by the Hidden Cloud had been, in truth, a calculated risk.
And now, they'd weighed the scales again.
This was no mistake.
This was a masterclass in applied pressure.
Naturally, the crisis fell into the lap of Konoha's current "acting Hokage."
Shimura Danzo.
Danzo had always feared the Hidden Cloud. How could he not?
His teacher, Tobirama Senju, had died trying to fend off two of their monsters: Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
Even if those two had died later in the war, their legacy remained a shadow over Konoha's pride.
Danzo remembered. He'd never forget.
But things were different now.
The Third Raikage, the indestructible wall of lightning, had died in battle against ten thousand Stone ninja.
His son, the Fourth Raikage, was powerful—but still inexperienced. Brash.
Even his brother, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, had once lost to Minato.
And Minato wasn't even in the picture right now—allegedly wounded and protecting Kushina.
So for Danzo, the calculation was simple:
"This is my moment."
Letting Minato travel to Hidden Cloud to calm tensions?
That would be suicide—for Danzo's ambitions.
Minato's return would mean the acting Hokage seat would vanish overnight.
Danzo, who had just tasted the sweetness of power, would rather risk war than hand it back.
So he made his move.
The messengers the Fire Daimyo dispatched to de-escalate the crisis?
Dead.Silenced by Root agents disguised as rogue missing-nin.
Danzo then pushed forward a rapid military mobilization, dispatching forces toward the Land of Lightning.
The signal was clear: war was back on the table.
Was it reckless?
Yes.
Was it stupid?
Perhaps.
But Danzo wasn't fighting alone.
"If I fail," he told himself, "Sarutobi will shield me. As always."
Just admit fault. Grovel a little. Cry loyalty.
That had always been enough to buy the Third's forgiveness.
It wasn't bravery that let Danzo act without hesitation.
It was the safety net of Sarutobi's shadow.
Meanwhile, far from the brewing war, Kai returned to World No. 1.
He arrived in a world already reeling.
It had been three days since Madara Uchiha destroyed Iwagakure.
Three days—and the entire ninja world had turned upside down.
Whispers of the attack spread like wildfire. Terrified nobles sent emergency envoys. Merchant caravans rerouted their paths. Shinobi clans clutched their children closer.
And in the newly-formed villages of the other great nations…
Panic.
They had heard of Madara.
They'd heard of his feats alongside the First Hokage.
But that was just history—chalky names in dusty scrolls.
No one expected this.
One man.One attack.One destroyed Hidden Village.
No armies. No alliance. Just one ghost with godlike power.
And suddenly, the entire continent was forced to re-evaluate the balance of power.
In the Land of Fire, the impact rippled all the way to the Daimyo's court.
Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, there on a diplomatic mission, were the first to hear the news.
The ink had barely dried on the Daimyo's agreement to recognize Madara as the Second Hokage.
And then came the courier:
"Uchiha Madara has destroyed the Hidden Stone."
Tobirama looked like he'd been stabbed through the ribs.
"He did what?!"
Hashirama nearly dropped his tea.
"Did he… at least evacuate the civilians?"
Tobirama was apoplectic.
He ranted. He paced. He glared holes into the floor.
"Do you know how hard it was to convince the Daimyo to accept Madara's appointment?!"
"I trusted that bastard for five minutes and he commits international arson?!"
But nothing could undo what had been done.
No matter how much Tobirama cursed, yelled, or threatened to resign on principle, Iwagakure was gone.
His brother, however… was calm.
Too calm.
Hashirama didn't even seem angry.
He was, if anything, slightly amused.
"Well, it's not like he hurt anyone from Konoha…"
"Madara did overreact… but I'm sure he had his reasons."
Tobirama stared at him in disbelief.
"You—you're actually okay with this?!"
Hashirama shrugged.
"If Konoha wasn't touched, what's the harm?"
In that moment, Tobirama realized the truth:
Madara wasn't the First Hokage's bottom line.He was the bottom line.
Hashirama's tolerance for Madara bordered on the spiritual. Even now, with nations quaking in fear and Konoha's diplomatic credibility under siege, the man had the gall to say:
"I'm sure Madara didn't mean any harm."
Tobirama wanted to scream.
But instead, he did what he always did:
Damage control.
Konoha released an official statement.
The destruction of Iwagakure was a preemptive defense.The village had infiltrated Konoha and stolen forbidden Uchiha secrets.They had desecrated clan shrines.In response, Konoha had no choice but to act decisively, to protect future peace.
Further:
"Uchiha Madara will not be deployed again unless Konoha is attacked first."
Tobirama nearly choked on those words as he dictated them.
But it was necessary.
The nations backed off—barely.
The Daimyo of the Land of Fire was appeased. For now.
But the scars remained.
And so did the grudges.
Tobirama glared out the window of his temporary quarters, clutching a bitter cup of tea.
"Damn you, Madara."
"I wiped your ass…"