"We had already anticipated this kind of situation beforehand. There isn't just one contingency plan for war, so everyone, don't panic. Carry out your assigned duties according to the original plan… Konoha will not face any trouble—it will stand unwavering.
Understood?
Good. Now dismissed!"
After finishing his speech, the Third Hokage announced the meeting's end.
The news of the war would quickly spread across the village as people scattered.
War brings tension—that's normal. But panic? That's something else entirely—and completely unnecessary. Just hearing the war has started shouldn't send Konoha into chaos… at least in theory.
As the Third Hokage pointed out, Konoha was fundamentally a military organization. Regarding wars—predictions, hypotheses, and corresponding countermeasures—the village must have had dozens of plans prepared.
Therefore, right now, everyone simply needed to proceed in an orderly manner.
For ordinary ninja and civilians within the village, today was originally nothing more than an average day. Now, however, war had come out of nowhere, like a woman's belly swelling overnight—no discussion, no negotiation.
Haseo hurried back to Kagenami's underground base too. After calling Uzumaki Shikou over to his side, he told her, "Inform everyone. Just now, Sunagakure attacked the Land of Rain. Next, Konoha will also respond accordingly… The war has begun."
He delivered this significant message with remarkable calmness—even a touch nonchalant.
To be precise, Konoha had already made the most intense response possible. Right now its reaction appeared exactly what'd be expected from the 'strongest ninja village.' It turned out even the Third Hokage wouldn't hesitate even a moment when certain matters touched Konoha's core interests.
Sunagakure might have launched their attack on Amegakure believing other villages would react slowly, giving them an exploitable advantage. However, both Konoha and Iwagakure would vividly show them how impossible that assumption truly was.
It's just that Kagenami wasn't among the first wave of Konoha ninja sent to the battlefield… Though this battle escalated, internal organizational distinctions within the village would likely break down. Still, Haseo hoped Kagenami could maintain its existing structure, maximizing combat effectiveness without losses.
Shikou abruptly stopped walking when she heard this, clearly shocked at how sudden everything seemed.
"Is this information accurate, Lord Haseo?"
Haseo didn't even bother answering her question. Within two minutes, she'd realize nobody would joke about something like this… especially not even Haseo himself, who usually excelled at making awkward jokes that left entire rooms speechless.
"Pass this message down and let everyone prepare mentally. Also, remind them not to panic. This is precisely the time when everyone needs to stay focused on their roles," Haseo continued.
Kagenami's sole issue lay in having too many young ninja members. Granted, not everyone lacked experience from the last great war. Still, the battles fought back then in the Land of Whirlpools couldn't compare to what Konoha would face now.
So, at this moment, maintaining stability and order was absolutely essential. There was no room for panic.
"Now the war has broken out in the west, and according to my estimation, this great war might center around the Amegakure region. Still, we must remain vigilant in other directions."
Haseo expressed himself cautiously. In truth, though, compared with the large-scale conflicts across multiple nations during the previous Great Ninja World War, this war would likely focus solely on the Land of Rain... or more precisely, the Land of Rain would become a quagmire for whoever entered it.
"Earlier, when I discussed projections about this war with the Third Hokage, he deliberately positioned us on the eastern or northern fronts to monitor the Mist and Cloud forces, so we won't be mobilized at the very beginning of the war... This will give everyone peace of mind since we have sufficient time."
Of course, wars don't erupt out of nothing—they're events that show signs years in advance, so Konoha wasn't lacking in strategic preparation or even tactical arrangements.
The Third Hokage's plans revealed to Haseo and Kagenami already signified that he no longer treated Haseo merely as an ordinary ninja; clearly, in this war, the Hokage intended to use him as a capable general commanding an entire sector.
Haseo only remembered how every nation had clashed brutally in the Land of Rain during this war—with battles raging until soldiers were charred on the outside and bruised within, their heads cracked open—yet Amegakure somehow endured and even earned itself a fearsome reputation.
As for whether the Mist or Cloud had launched incursions into the Land of Fire, he couldn't recall clearly.
Right, there was also that incident—he recalled how Kumogakure once attempted the abduction of Kushina Uzumaki while visiting Konoha, and back then their envoy team had come under the guise of "friendship." Even now, Kumo and Konoha remained officially allied, yet the pact between them had always been precarious. When necessary, it was worth no more than a piece of scrap paper.
Uzumaki Shikou followed closely behind Haseo. After a while, she realized that Haseo had seemingly already made everything clear; she should have gone off to deliver orders by now, so she hurried away.
Haseo couldn't help shaking his head. If even Shikou was stunned by the news, let alone other members of Kagenami.
Perhaps only Sakumo Hatake would still remain composed under such circumstances.
As for others...
Fortunately, the village had left this small organization enough time to react.
It was only when elite forces were stretched thin or seriously weakened that the village would send rookie ninjas straight out of training into battle... After all, nobody was stupid enough to recklessly throw young children onto the battlefield as cannon fodder.
If the village ever resorted to that, it meant they were desperate—so much so that even what amounted to human shields had become essential.
Haseo entered his room.
News of the outbreak of war began spreading within this underground base.
Not long after that, Tsunade arrived as well.
After entering Haseo's office, she gently closed the door behind her, turning this small room into somewhat of an improvised 'sealed chamber.'
"Haseo, it's really chaotic out there."
Tsunade spoke like that, and as she had just opened the door, some noise from outside drifted in with her. Hashirama could hear it too... Since this place was already supposed to be secluded, hearing any noise at all meant things must be pretty chaotic outside.
Still, her tone suggested Tsunade wasn't in a bad mood, showing she could face the war rationally.
After all, she was a ninja who'd experienced a great war before. Although back then she'd merely been loafing around on the battlefield, even that counted as experience.
Nowadays, Tsunade's hair was significantly shorter than before, and this change in hairstyle gave off a sense of "everything is self-evident without words."
"Don't worry about it—it'll calm down by tomorrow… For those on the front lines, war's always close. But for others, maybe not so much."
Most people thought of the war as something from ten years ago.
Ten years… How many times do you get a decade in life? So I'm sure the village is in quite a mess now too.
Haseo simply raised his head. Upon seeing that it was Tsunade who entered, he continued handling his current work—it went without saying that he needed to plan ahead for the impending battle soon.
"What arrangements do you three have?" He asked again.
"We'll probably leave Konoha within a few days. The three of us will be assigned under Danzo Shimura's unit and deploy immediately to Amegakure's battlefield." Tsunade answered like that.
The Third Hokage's disciples had grown into seasoned ninjas. With the Third himself staying behind to oversee the larger strategy, it fell to them to take up the front lines.
That was the responsibility that came with their status. Haseo couldn't really make any comments about it.
Putting down his brush pen, Haseo sat behind the desk, raising his head to look at Tsunade. "Tsunade, you're only a medical ninja."
So she didn't have to push herself too hard.
"But medical ninjas are still ninjas. Besides, I'm not worse than those specifically designated combat ninjas."
I'm not a child anymore; I am a real ninja now. I can naturally shoulder responsibilities that I should take.
Looks a bit defiant? Her attitude made Yuzuru shake his head slightly, amused.
That was indeed one of the 'downsides' of growing up: she had her own thoughts and certainly wouldn't completely follow his words. However, this wasn't worth complaining about—it was perfectly normal. Even though they had emotional ties, she isn't his possession.
After laughing, Haseo shifted his chair backward slightly, moving his body somewhat away from the table in front, then he patted his thigh lightly.
Well, he admitted—the thigh-patting move was definitely a gamble.
Yet Tsunade simply walked over, leaned casually against a nearby bookshelf stacked with scrolls, and rolled her eyes at Haseo...
Daydreaming was just daydreaming after all. It seemed losing bets wasn't solely Tsunade's personal trait.
Don't even ask what he had been up to all these years—it wasn't like they'd reached that level of closeness yet.
Indeed, shameless living existed only in the minds of the shameless.
Haseo didn't feel the least bit embarrassed or disappointed—it was just a joke anyway. "I called you over because I need to hand something over to you."
"Something like what?"
This made Tsunade curious.
Combat runs through a ninja's entire life, so it should always take precedence under any circumstances.
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