The spark ignited by the death of the Third Kazekage had been burning since January of this year.
By April, the Fourth Kazekage and the Third Tsuchikage had pinned the blame on Konoha.
Now, half a year had passed. The words "Shinobi World War" loomed over everyone, yet the war itself had yet to begin.
Why hadn't it broken out yet?
Because the situation was still uncertain.
Some players had yet to make their moves, and the strategists were hesitant.
Moreover, the Third Kazekage's sudden death had caught everyone off guard, and the villages were still preparing for war.
Who hadn't made their move yet? Kumogakure and Kirigakure. Kumogakure had already stepped in earlier.
As for Kirigakure, they didn't want to play, they preferred to observe.
They had dipped their toes in, tested the waters, and then stepped back.
Who wasn't fully prepared for war? To be precise, it was Sunagakure and Konoha—the two villages that were either forced to fight or suddenly dragged into the conflict.
"That's right."
Hearing Yagura's increasingly clear train of thought, Elder Genshi affirmed his deduction with a nod.
Yagura's eyes lit up as he continued to scribble furiously on paper, voicing his thoughts to Elder Genshi as he wrote.
"The Third pushed himself off the board and put a child in charge of the game. Kirigakure's condition for withdrawing has been partially met."
"But even if the one holding the pieces is a child, he still has the game pieces the Third had prepared in advance. He remains a force to be reckoned with."
"So, our top priority is to shatter those pieces, ensuring he loses the ability to play altogether."
Yagura circled the words "shatter the pieces" on his paper, emphasizing them before looking expectantly at Elder Genshi.
"Correct."
Elder Genshi nodded approvingly, giving Yagura a look of encouragement. Then he guided him further,
"Now, how do we break those pieces?"
"By crippling our own walls..."
Yagura scratched his head, momentarily stuck. He couldn't exactly command the Kiri shinobi to kill themselves.
Kirigakure shinobi loved their blades, not spears.
"Heh."
Seeing Yagura deep in thought, his young face scrunched in concentration, Elder Genshi knew he wouldn't arrive at the answer immediately. He said,
"Try looking at it from another angle. Set that thought aside for now and return to the beginning. What was it that suddenly crossed your mind just now?"
What was I thinking about earlier…? What did I realize…?
Following the guidance, Yagura's gaze drifted back up his hastily written notes.
War preparations. Players entering the game. The topic that had been discussed over and over—the Third Shinobi World War and why it hadn't started yet.
Back to the beginning.
That's it! Accelerate the war!
Yagura abruptly slammed the table, circling the words "initiate the war immediately" with his pen. He had found Kirigakure's answer to this puzzle. With a surge of excitement, he declared, "As long as the war starts, whether Kirigakure is involved or not will no longer matter!"
"Once the war begins, no one will have the luxury of worrying about Kirigakure!"
War preparations. The outbreak of war.
Yagura felt as though he had grabbed onto something again. He quickly circled a few key terms.
His eyes darted between the words he had emphasized, struggling to piece together the connection.
The breakthrough had to be among these ideas.
War preparations. The start of the war.
War preparations → Kirigakure enters → War preparations → Sunagakure enters → Kirigakure withdraws → War begins.
A flash of inspiration struck.
As if guided by an unseen force, Yagura began drawing arrows between the key phrases, forming a sequence.
The paper became a chaotic mess of lines, but to him, the pattern had never been clearer.
He had found the breakthrough!
With an exhilarated fist slam onto the table, Yagura locked eyes with Elder Genshi, his voice trembling with excitement.
"We sell all the wartime supplies that the Third secretly stockpiled—to Sunagakure!!"
How do you destroy an opponent's pieces? At the very least, eliminate part of them—by selling off the Third's hidden war supplies.
The war hadn't started yet, so whose logistical preparations were lacking? Sunagakure and Konoha!
Who was supposed to start this war? Sunagakure!
By selling the supplies to Sunagakure, their strength would increase while Kirigakure's would weaken.
With sufficient resources, Sunagakure would gain the confidence to fire the first shot against Konoha, officially igniting the Third Shinobi World War.
Meanwhile, Kirigakure would have the perfect excuse to remain uninvolved.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Elder Genshi applauded without hesitation, giving Yagura the highest form of acknowledgment.
This was a solution he had pondered for an entire month. Even when the Third Mizukage was on his deathbed, Elder Genshi had struggled to see beyond his passing and predict the future.
Yet now, standing in the aftermath of the Third Mizukage's death, Yagura—though guided step by step—had arrived at this answer in mere moments.
Elder Genshi couldn't help but be impressed.
"The Third Kazekage vanished suddenly, and now the Fourth Kazekage has placed the blame on Konoha."
Elder Genshi summarized, "Six months have passed. Since Sunagakure was attacked by Iwagakure and the Fourth Kazekage took over, three months have gone by. And yet, they have yet to make a move against Konoha. With tensions bottled up for half a year, the public sentiment cannot be suppressed forever—they need an outlet."
Stay silent and perish, or take a gamble and fight.
The Fourth Kazekage was being roasted over an open flame.
Standing from Sunagakure's perspective, it was clear that Rasa had no choice but to act.
...
The Third Raikage and the Third Mizukage had finally taken their sides, solidifying the situation. Rasa could finally proceed with war preparations at full speed.
But then, a month later, the Third Mizukage suddenly died, throwing Kirigakure's stance into ambiguity once more.
Sunagakure was caught between Konoha and Kirigakure, with nothing but endless desert around them.
And they had just been raided once—not something they could afford to take lightly.
Yagura picked up the diplomatic letter sent by Sunagakure and read it again.
Kumogakure was indifferent. Iwagakure was threatening. Konoha was trying to win them over. Sunagakure was testing the waters.
By comparison, Sunagakure was in an exceptionally weak position.
"There's one more issue, Mizukage."
"Go ahead, Elder."
"For decades, ever since the time of the Third, the animosity between Kirigakure and Sunagakure has never ceased. This hatred spans over two generations."
Elder Genshi pointed out the final missing piece of the plan. "Convincing Sunagakure that we won't intervene will be difficult."
And there it was—the key to Kirigakure's solution.
To reassure the entire shinobi world, they only needed to convince Sunagakure.
Because in this war, Sunagakure had to be the one to fire the first shot.
With public sentiment boiling over, they could only declare war on Konoha—the one responsible for the Third Kazekage's death—not an uninvolved Kirigakure.
Once that happened, Rasa would be completely entangled in war with Konoha, unable to spare any attention for Kirigakure.
And then, the other great nations would be drawn in.
As long as Sunagakure believed Kirigakure wouldn't stab them in the back and had the confidence to initiate the war…
Once the Third Shinobi World War began, no one would have time to worry about Kirigakure!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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