Chapter 87: Declaration of War (Double-Length)
"A task? You mean spreading word of today's meeting around the village?"
Itachi had already begun to sense the outline of Yusuke's plan.
Yusuke gave him an approving nod. "Correct. But make sure the information remains true—and highlight the key points."
Itachi tilted his head slightly in thought. "Highlight the key points?"
Patting him on the shoulder, Yusuke replied with a meaningful tone,
"Some things you have to grasp for yourself."
Of course, Yusuke couldn't openly say he wanted the focus placed on how he had publicly countered the Third Hokage, thereby boosting his own prestige within the village. But he trusted Itachi—sharp as he was—to understand the deeper implications on his own.
That very same day, under Itachi's quiet arrangements, news of the Cloud incident and the intense debate between Yusuke and the Third Hokage quickly spread throughout the village.
Once the rumors circulated, the majority of villagers found themselves siding with Yusuke. After all, no one enjoyed being humiliated.
If an enemy was overwhelmingly stronger, swallowing one's pride might be the only option.
But the Land of Fire was the most powerful among the Five Great Nations, and Konoha had always stood at the top of the shinobi world. In the eyes of most villagers, Kumogakure was simply not on the same level.
Now, someone weaker had slapped them in the face—and they were expected to apologize and offer the other cheek as well? No rational person could accept that.
Quickly, public opinion turned against the Third Hokage. In contrast, Yusuke gained overwhelming support, particularly among the younger generation of shinobi. Even the Third's own son, Asuma, publicly sided with Yusuke.
Eventually, under the twin pressures of public outrage and Yusuke's growing influence, the Third Hokage had no choice but to concede. In the final meeting, he declared that Konoha would not apologize to Kumogakure, and all remaining Kumo ninja in the village were to be expelled from the Land of Fire immediately.
After the meeting ended, everyone left—except the Third Hokage, who sat alone in his chair and let out a long, weary sigh.
His decision to compromise had always come from a place of concern for the village. He had no personal motives.
When it came to foreign affairs, the Third had always adhered to a principle of appeasement—prioritizing peace and stability in the village above all else. In his eyes, things like honor and pride were fleeting ideals.
"Let's hope Kumo doesn't actually go to war..." he thought to himself.
But on the other side of the coin, Yusuke was thinking the opposite:
"Let's hope Kumo has the guts to follow through this time."
In the original timeline, the Third Hokage had bowed to Kumo without resistance.
Even with his interference, Yusuke wasn't sure whether Kumogakure really had the will to start a war.
After all, even a weakened Konoha was still a giant.
Even without Yusuke in the picture, it remained stronger than Kumo in overall strength.
If Kumogakure backed down, Yusuke would lose his justification to seize their Tailed Beast by force—a scenario he deeply wanted to avoid.
Several days later, Konoha officially issued a public statement rejecting Kumogakure's demand for an apology, and condemned Kumo's despicable attempt to steal the Hyūga bloodline limit.
When the expelled Kumo diplomats returned with this message, the hot-tempered Fourth Raikage flew into a rage, beating them bloody and swearing he would flatten Konoha.
But despite his fury, the Raikage wasn't stupid. Nor were the other Kumo high-ranking officials.
Starting a war with Konoha would benefit no one—it would only lead to mutual destruction.
So the Third's wish, and Yusuke's disappointment, came true—Kumogakure backed down.
But there was one more person observing all of this closely—Uchiha Obito.
For him, the more chaotic the shinobi world became, the better. It gave him chances to fish in troubled waters.
If Konoha and Kumo went to war, most of their top fighters—including Yusuke—would be sent to the front lines. That would open a window for him to sneak into the village and seize the still-growing Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
So when he learned Kumo had backed down, Obito was even more disappointed than Yusuke. He decided it was time to intervene directly.
"This is the ocular jutsu left behind by Madara?" Obito asked, holding a scroll in his hand.
"Indeed," Black Zetsu replied. "This technique allows a Sharingan user to control the will of a Jinchūriki—provided their ocular power is strong enough."
In the original timeline, Akatsuki had sent Itachi and Jūzō Biwa to Kirigakure, where they ran into the Fourth Mizukage—a perfect Jinchūriki.
Despite their combined strength, the Mizukage managed to kill Jūzō in battle.
Itachi, enraged, triggered Amaterasu for the first time, severely burning the Mizukage before retreating.
Later, Obito personally went to Kirigakure and used an unknown ocular jutsu to control the Mizukage, transforming him into a puppet ruler.
To avenge Rin, and to destroy the village that had orchestrated her death, Obito turned the Mist into the "Village of Bloody Mist"—slaughtering entire bloodline clans in a brutal purge.
(Note: This ocular jutsu, unnamed in the original series and inconsistent with the lore that Jinchūriki are resistant to genjutsu, is here portrayed as a special Sharingan ability developed by Madara specifically to control Tailed Beast hosts.)
"You're going to use the technique now?" Black Zetsu asked.
Obito nodded. "Yes. First, I'll head to Kumogakure and test the Raikage's attitude.
If he's even slightly inclined toward war, I'll offer him an alliance—with a promise that the Mist will join the offensive against Konoha."
"With two Great Nations united, he won't be able to resist."
Black Zetsu agreed. "A solid plan. Do you intend to involve the Akatsuki in this?"
Obito thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"Not yet. Akatsuki isn't ready to show itself to the world. Nagato's still busy gathering core members, and until we have a full team, it's better to stay in the shadows."
With their plan settled, Obito wasted no time and rushed to Kumogakure to meet the Fourth Raikage.
During their meeting, Obito disguised himself as an emissary from the Mizukage.
Upon hearing that the Mist was willing to cooperate and attack Konoha, the Raikage immediately agreed to form a strategic alliance.
Not long afterward, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, formally proposed a joint declaration of war—with Kumogakure and Kirigakure as allies against the Hidden Leaf.
Within Kirigakure, many were bewildered by Yagura's sudden decision. The village's high-ranking shinobi soon convened to question the Mizukage's intentions for involving them in the conflict.
"Mizukage-sama, why are we inserting ourselves into a conflict between Kumogakure and Konoha?"
The voice came from a female jonin, clad in the standard Kirigakure uniform. Her long, wavy chestnut hair cascaded in crisscrossed locks, one eye obscured by her bangs. Her visible emerald eye shimmered with intelligence. This woman was none other than Mei Terumī—the future Fifth Mizukage in the original timeline.
Though only twenty-five, Mei had already earned considerable respect within the village thanks to both her formidable strength and her warm, approachable demeanor.
Ao, another elite jonin standing beside her, nodded in agreement. "I share Mei's concerns. We have no reason to go to war with Konoha. If we must fight, wouldn't it be wiser to wait until both villages are weakened before striking?"
Ao, known for the white eye he had seized from a fallen Hyūga during the previous war, wore an eyepatch to conceal it. Because of this stolen dōjutsu, Konoha had issued a top-priority bounty on him.
Neither Mei nor Ao realized that the man before them—their Mizukage—had already fallen under a powerful genjutsu cast by an unknown enemy. As a perfect jinchūriki, Yagura should have been immune to such illusions… but what shinobi would ever imagine a genjutsu capable of controlling even someone like him?
With Mei and Ao raising the first objections, murmurs of dissent began to spread through the assembled shinobi. More voices chimed in, expressing doubts and resistance.
"Silence!"
Yagura's voice boomed through the hall. Instantly, the murmurs ceased.
His expression darkened. "I have already discussed this matter with the Raikage. The decision is final. You are to follow my orders without question."
Turning toward Mei and Ao, he continued coldly, "You two will serve as my deputies. Inform the clans to begin preparations. Once war begins, we will strike Konoha from the east."
Kirigakure, located on an island to Konoha's east, was a fortress difficult to assault. The village's mastery of Water Release techniques, enhanced by the surrounding humid climate, gave them a strategic advantage. During the Third Great Ninja War, this terrain allowed Kirigakure to emerge with the fewest casualties among the Five Great Nations.
At this point, Yagura had only just fallen under Obito's control. The infamous "Blood Mist Village" policies had not yet begun. Kirigakure still retained many powerful bloodline clans, untouched by future purges—most notably, the aggressive Kaguya clan.
With these bloodline clans intact and its war resources largely preserved, Kirigakure remained a formidable force.
Though discontent simmered beneath the surface, Yagura's authority and the weight of his command silenced further protest. Under his leadership and the urging of his manipulated will, Kirigakure and Kumogakure ultimately forged an alliance and agreed to launch a joint assault on Konoha.
In the aftermath of the Hyūga kidnapping incident, Kumogakure and Konoha had exchanged bitter accusations. But apart from harsh words, neither side had taken actual steps toward war.
Then, when the entire shinobi world began to believe that conflict had been avoided, news spread like wildfire: Kumogakure and Kirigakure had simultaneously declared war on Konohagakure!
The shock shook the Five Nations. People everywhere feared that this clash among three of the Great Shinobi Villages would ignite another full-scale war, reawakening the fires of the Third Great Ninja War that had only just been extinguished.
When the Tsuchikage Ōnoki received word of the alliance, he decided to bide his time—waiting for the perfect moment to ambush his old enemy, Kumogakure.
Sunagakure, Konoha's nominal ally, chose instead to sit back and observe. The Kazekage calculated that they could let Konoha bleed, and once the time was right, step in to "assist"—thus earning rewards and gaining more influence over their stronger ally.
Back in Konoha, the news of the twin declarations sparked widespread panic among the villagers.
But Yūsuke's strategic control over public sentiment, along with Jiraiya's return, quickly stabilized morale. United in anger, Konoha was soon ablaze with resolve—determined to make Kumogakure pay for its provocations, and to understand why Kirigakure had joined the fight.
Yūsuke hadn't expected Kirigakure to intervene, but as someone with knowledge of the original timeline, the moment he heard the news, he deduced the truth: Obito must have already placed the Fourth Mizukage Yagura under genjutsu.
After careful thought, Yūsuke decided not to reveal this information immediately. If Kirigakure discovered the truth too soon, they would likely withdraw. And if that happened, Kumogakure might also abandon their war plans. That would ruin Yūsuke's entire strategy.
In Konoha's war council hall, all the senior leaders had assembled—along with every active jonin in the village. The gathering had been called to plan their wartime strategy.
"Yūsuke," said the Third Hokage slowly, his voice carrying subtle accusation, "Since this war was largely set in motion by your actions, I'd like to hear your thoughts first."
Though the words were indirect, the implication was clear: Sarutobi Hiruzen believed Yūsuke bore responsibility for provoking two enemy villages.
But Yūsuke remained calm. "Hasn't Konoha always stood against overwhelming odds—and emerged victorious?"
"This war is an opportunity," he continued firmly, "to show the entire shinobi world that we are not to be taken lightly. If we allow ourselves to be humiliated—letting our enemies kidnap our people and demand compensation—what message does that send? That Konoha is weak?"
Sarutobi opened his mouth to retort, but Jiraiya nodded and cut in first. "Yūsuke is right. If we keep bowing our heads, we're only inviting more of the same in the future."
"This is exactly when we should step forward. That's what we're here for—to protect this village when danger looms."
At Jiraiya's words, Hiruzen fell silent, sighing internally. He moved the conversation forward, transitioning to discussion of strategy.
Yūsuke had assumed that Jiraiya—student of the Third and a seeker of peace—would oppose him. But it was now clear: Jiraiya was no fool. Seeking peace didn't mean tolerating humiliation. That wasn't his vision of harmony.
"In terms of true backbone," Yūsuke thought to himself, "there's no one in the shinobi world like Jiraiya."
He nodded toward Jiraiya in silent thanks, then turned to the assembled shinobi. "Rest assured. Konoha's Research Division has been preparing for this."
"We've developed a tool that can significantly reduce casualties in the field."
As he finished, a figure in a lab coat stepped forward behind him.