In the Kumo military camp, two months and more of harassment had passed.
Ei received a secret message from the Third Raikage.
"So all attempts at decryption have ended in failure," he muttered, placing the letter down, his gaze hardening.
He unfolded the map, observing the four circled locations.
With enemies able to retreat swiftly and use instant communication jutsu, this Kumo unit had truly struggled to mount counterattacks.
"After holding back for over two months, it's time for revenge!"
Inside a vast open space, a tiny dark figure steadily approached the thousand-meter-high Sealing Gate.
"Zzz... Zzz..." Kurama snored peacefully, unaware of his arrival.
Kumo had lasted two months—and so had he.
One side sought to crack enemy communication techniques, while the other simply aimed to guard the gate.
Yet both of them were victims of the same hidden hand.
"Done!" Shen removed the sealing tag.
He applied chakra to the Sealing Gate and then turned to form a solid chain, linking it to the entrance of this space.
"Nine-Tails, I, Shen Uchiha, win!"
Upon hearing such an arrogant proclamation, Kurama suddenly opened his eyes and swiped a massive paw toward the upper part of the gate.
"Behave now, cutie. We'll meet again." Floating midair, Shen stared straight into the eyes behind the gate.
"Brat! If you've got guts, release me already!" Kurama, suffering endless mental torment, couldn't accept defeat.
Now completely free to do whatever he wanted inside the Sealing Space, Shen enlarged those screens and sound devices before transferring them right in front of Kurama.
"Nine-Tails, these are all gifts for you—yes, as compensation for losing to me!"
After speaking, Shen instantly vanished from the Sealing Space.
The next second, a giant paw slammed exactly where he'd stood moments ago.
"Rude little brat from the Uchiha clan!" Kurama cursed angrily, finally admitting his own loss.
Back in reality, Shen opened his eyes to find Mito watching him with gentle kindness.
"Grandma Mito, the seal has been successfully renewed." He smiled brightly, reporting the final result to her.
Actually, over a month ago, Mito had already sensed that Kurama had stopped attacking the seal.
You could say the curiosity of tailed beasts even outmatched that of humans.
Ninjas came to understand the world through war, while tailed beasts did so through fighting them. Shen's actions unintentionally reduced Kurama's distrust toward ninjas just slightly.
"Shen, well done." Mito placed her hand gently on his head, stroking him lightly.
After completing his mission, Shen handed her a small black box: "Grandma Mito, this is the password that will create a slight gap in the seal."
Mito accepted the box without excessive thanks.
She hoped she would never actually need to use it.
Inside the Hokage Tower Office, the Third Hokage, looking deeply conflicted, destroyed the crystal ball.
The Third Hokage opened the sealed letter, his expression growing darker as he read.
"Lord Third, there's urgent intelligence."
The Land of Hot Water Country and the Land of Lightning had only been at war for a few months when, now in the west, the Land of Earth declared war against the Land of Grass.
"Attacking from both fronts simultaneously—an attempt to weaken our strength as much as possible," he muttered.
He picked up another encrypted letter and jotted down two short lines of text.
"Deliver this message to the Kazekage."
The Anbu operative took the sealed letter and leapt out the window once more.
The Land of Earth's movements were clearly due to their observation that the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water Country had yet to crush the Land of Lightning, and they wanted to join the fray and reap some profit in the chaos.
"The Hidden Mist and Takigakure will probably jump in soon too."
On the shinobi world map displayed in the office was Uzugakure. Now annexed into the Land of Fire's territory after Uzumaki village's mass relocation to Konoha, it was separated from Mist by only a sea.
Stream Country, which bordered Grass Country, was separated from Hot Water Country solely by the Land of Iron. (Snake Uncle still remained in Konoha, and Otogakure had not yet come into being.)
If they moved, it would undoubtedly have a major impact on the situations in both the Lands of Grass and Hot Water.
Requesting military support from the Third Kazekage would be the wisest course of action.
The further Lord Third read, the sharper his headache became.
This chaotic situation reminded him how none of these nations would easily abandon their ambitions toward Konoha—the sweet prize everyone wanted a bite of.
How did the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, manage to suppress the entire shinobi world during his era? Beyond possessing overwhelming power, he had even sold the other villages tailed beasts—strategic assets.
"Such a hollow peace," he mused, greatly relieved that he had passed this burden onto someone else.
In today's Konoha, ruled by its pacifist faction, few likely understood just how devastating the chain reaction would be once this fragile peace finally shattered.
"Old man Third, I'm back from my mission!"
Lord Third instantly recognized the voice—it could only be Shen, the very person he'd been watching just moments ago.
"As agreed, I want to go to the battlefield!" Shen sat down and immediately voiced his purpose.
"Hmm... let me think." After a brief pause, the old Hokage gave him an unexpected reply: "You can go to the battlefield if you can hold your ground against me for ten minutes."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, originally considered the strongest Hokage, actually said something so underhanded to a child?
Shen immediately condemned his behavior, vowing that tonight's incident would be all over the village headlines—the true face of the current Hokage revealed!
"You're not scared of me, are you?" Unfazed, Lord Third calmly provoked him with reverse psychology.
Frustrated and annoyed, Shen raised his thumb directly at him, saying, "Old man Third, touché."
"You only get three attempts."
"Three chances? I'll settle things with you in just three moves!"
The next second, Shen activated the Shadow Clone Jutsu, conjuring two clones whose presence required full pixelation censorship.
[Shadow Clone Jutsu]
His eyes and mouth stretched wide beyond normal limits, Lord Third froze stiff as stone.
Shen Uchiha instantly activated his Sharingan, not daring to draw the Chakra Channeling Blade. He merely used the scabbard to jab at a certain sensitive area of the opponent seated in the chair.
"Brat, do you really think such a cheap trick can defeat me?" The Third Hokage gripped the scabbard with his right hand and casually wiped his nose with his left.
Sure enough, under Shen's hopeful gaze, several drops of red unknown liquid stained its surface.
"Lord Third, let's play~" B-Sensei on the left hooked his lowered left arm.
"Violence is so crude," C-Sensei on the right whispered, pressing part of her body snugly against the hand that held the scabbard.
The Third Hokage immediately let go.
As if fighting to control some inner beast, sudden blinding flashes of white light sent chills down his spine.
"I, Shen Uchiha, claim victory!" Joyfully, Shen hugged his camera and happily leaped out the window.
Although the Third Hokage wanted to give chase, those trembling sensations continued clouding his mind.
"Endure... I must endure!" As his self-control nearly collapsed, two puffs of white smoke instantly restored his clarity.
Staring at the empty office, the Third finally realized yet again—he'd totally been played.
"This old man's gonna blow a gasket!!!"
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>