The next morning, inside Amegakure's central administration building—
every jōnin of the village had gathered.
Hanzō sat at the head of the long table, his expression calm yet solemn as he presided over the Jōnin Council.
"The Great Shinobi War is about to begin," he began, his voice echoing through the chamber. "And as the battlefield once again spreads across the Land of Rain, our country faces an unprecedented crisis."
He paused, scanning the faces before him.
"The purpose of this war, as the great nations claim, is to weaken Konoha. But make no mistake—this is also their chance to remind the smaller nations of their power.
"Amegakure stands as one of the strongest shinobi villages outside the Five Great Nations, and our land sits at the intersection of three major powers. That makes us the perfect example for the great nations to crush—to kill the weak and send a warning to others."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands.
"Therefore, I've devised a plan. I'd like to hear your opinions."
"My proposal," he said clearly, "is to declare war on Konoha."
A stunned silence fell over the room.
"This course of action carries three advantages," he continued.
"First—Iwagakure. Two days ago, I personally killed their Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. Because of the structure of their village, Ōnoki's death means Iwagakure is now leaderless—wracked by internal chaos and external threats."
He smirked faintly.
"I may have been the one to slay their Tsuchikage, but unless every last person in that village has lost their mind, they won't have the luxury to come after Amegakure right now. They have no time."
He tapped the table lightly.
"According to intelligence, Iwagakure believes Konoha and Sunagakure have already formed an alliance. Of course, that information is false—but they don't know that yet.
"In their minds, once those two nations learn the Tsuchikage is dead, they'll pounce on the Land of Earth immediately. Even Kumogakure, which has long coveted their territory, won't miss the opportunity."
A few of the jōnin exchanged uneasy looks.
"Before leaving Iwagakure's front," Hanzō continued, "I left them with a message—one that promised I would 'help defend them from Konoha.' That statement served two purposes:
"First, it temporarily defuses their hatred toward us. Even if they wish to avenge their Tsuchikage, they'll have to wait until the war ends.
"Second, it gives us room to bargain. We can extract benefits from them—resources, supplies, or territorial concessions. That's exactly what Amegakure, or rather the entire Land of Rain, desperately needs right now."
He looked around the hall.
"Any objections?"
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then one shinobi, trembling slightly, rose to his feet.
"L-Lord Hanzō… though your plan could bring us great profit, it relies on Iwagakure's cooperation. Even if they agree, declaring war on Konoha could be disastrous. Konoha's strength far exceeds ours. We might not survive the counterattack…"
Hanzō smiled faintly.
"You underestimate how dire Iwagakure's condition truly is. Without Ōnoki, their elite forces are all but wiped out. Their total number of jōnin is roughly the same as ours."
Gasps filled the room.
The realization struck every jōnin present like a thunderbolt—
Amegakure's high-level shinobi could match Iwagakure's?
"Let me clarify," Hanzō said calmly. "If we ignore their genin and chūnin and compare only jōnin and Kage-level power, we could easily defeat them. During this war, Ōnoki was Iwagakure's only Kage-tier combatant."
The shock deepened, and even the bravest among them dared not interrupt.
"Of course," he went on, "Iwagakure still has numbers—nearly forty thousand lower-rank shinobi. You can't simply cut them all down.
"But imagine this: if a small strike team of elite shinobi were to infiltrate behind their front lines and strike directly at the heart of Iwagakure—now undefended since Ōnoki's death—they'd crumble. Their remaining jōnin are deployed on the borders. The village itself is practically empty."
He smiled faintly, his tone sharpening.
"If they agree to cooperate, we'll share the burden at the front and they'll ease their defensive strain. But if they refuse… they'll regret it. There are eight thousand Iwa ninja stationed along our border right now—less than five of them are jōnin. Their field commander is dead. They can't even manage supplies properly.
"All I'd need to do is lead the jōnin present here, raid their camps a few times, burn their food stores, cut their supply lines… within a month, that entire division would collapse.
"If Iwagakure still can't see the logic in that, then perhaps the 'Five Great Nations' will soon become four."
A ripple of uneasy admiration spread through the hall.
"In the past," Hanzō continued, "Ōnoki could appear on any battlefield to balance the odds. A single Kage could decide a war. But now? Without him, Iwagakure has no such pillar."
"Even the Third Raikage, with a detachment of Kumogakure's elite, could smash through their lines head-on and strike their village directly."
He chuckled.
"Let's hope those hot-blooded fools in the Kumo have enough sense to seize the opportunity. When they do, we'll be right there to pick the scraps."
He shifted his tone.
"As for your second concern—our losses against Konoha—that ties into the second advantage."
"Yesterday, Sunagakure sent an envoy," he announced. "They've proposed an alliance with us. The Third Kazekage himself is already en route to Amegakure to meet me in person."
The room fell silent again—this time from disbelief.
When had Amegakure ever warranted a personal visit from a Kage of a Great Nation?
Hanzō's eyes gleamed.
"That's right. The envoy conveyed their intent to join forces with us against Konoha and Iwagakure. They'll supply us with resources and, more importantly, the Kazekage will personally take the field.
"That means Konoha's top combatants will be tied down fighting the Suna. Their elite strength will be split. On our side, we'll be fighting on home soil. Our jōnin can fully participate, while Konoha's lower ranks—outnumbering us by only a couple thousand—won't hold much of an advantage.
"If the Third Hokage himself doesn't appear on the battlefield, we'll press the advantage. If he does… then I'll face him personally. Without Iwagakure's interference, the joint might of Amegakure and Sunagakure will crush Konoha outright."
His gaze swept across the room, sharp and commanding.
"If Sarutobi Hiruzen actually dares set foot in our land, the Land of Rain will become his grave."
The jōnin could feel it—the conviction in his words, the weight of his confidence.
"In that case," Hanzō said, his tone softening, "we'll earn both Iwagakure's gratitude and Sunagakure's support, while minimizing our own casualties. You all understand now, don't you?"
The assembled jōnin nodded in unison, awe written across their faces.
In such a volatile era, to have a leader both powerful and cunning was a blessing beyond measure.
Hanzō stood, his cloak rippling behind him.
"Finally—the third advantage."
His voice grew louder, filled with iron conviction.
"The Land of Rain is our homeland! Yet Konoha, for the sake of its own ambitions, has trampled across our borders, dragging their war into our lands. They've turned our country into their battlefield—grinding our people beneath their boots."
His gaze hardened.
"You've all seen it yourselves while evacuating the villagers. The homes—shattered. The cries of children forced to flee. Families with nothing but a rotting hut or a damp cave to their names—driven out by foreign troops. Tell me, who among you hasn't heard their screams?"
No one spoke.
Every jōnin bowed their head. The memory of those scenes—of endless rain mixed with tears—burned vividly in their minds.
"Konoha brought this suffering upon us," Hanzō said quietly, his tone like steel. "And they must pay for it."
He straightened, the fire in his eyes blazing.
"If we can strike fear into just one Great Nation, the others will hesitate. They'll think twice before trespassing on our soil again."
"Konoha was the first to invade, and it is the strongest of them all. That's why this moment—right now—is our chance!"
"This will be Amegakure's first true rise from the ashes!"
He raised his hand.
"From this moment—Amegakure declares war on Konohagakure!"
---
The next day, the entire shinobi world shook.
Every major village, every hidden land received the same shocking message:
Amegakure had declared war on Konoha.
The first declaration of war ever made by a minor village against one of the Five Great Nations—a moment that would be remembered throughout the history of the shinobi world.