A Sage's Pursuit of Power

The walls of the meeting hall shattered under immense force. The Raikage, acting on pure instinct, immediately chose to break through. However, the next moment, countless plant-like tendrils wrapped around him, laced with a pink mist.

He forced his way through dozens of roots, but soon felt a wave of dizziness. His chakra flow began to falter.

This isn't good.

His heart sank. As the Raikage, his taijutsu and physical prowess were unparalleled, allowing him to normally crush obstacles with ease. But the poisonous mist of the Deep Forest Emergence had caught him off guard, leaving him vulnerable.

To make matters worse, his left arm had been severed during his last encounter with Aoba, severely impacting his capabilities as a taijutsu fighter.

"This was a trap set by the Mizukage!" The Raikage immediately suspected treachery.

But when he turned to look, he froze in shock. Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, had been impaled by a massive tendril and now hung lifeless in midair. Chakra from his tailed beast was chaotically surging, desperately trying to save its host, but the damage was already irreversible.

"..."

If it wasn't Yagura, then who? Onoki, perhaps?

The Raikage looked toward the elderly Tsuchikage and saw him plummeting from the sky. Onoki had attempted to fly using his Lightened Boulder Jutsu, but the poisonous mist had affected his breathing, causing him to lose control.

The Raikage hesitated for only a moment before dashing to catch Onoki.

No matter their differences, the two were now allies by necessity. The Raikage had grown wiser after multiple defeats at the hands of Aoba. Additionally, facing an enemy like Wood Release required Onoki's experience.

The mist's poison continued to affect them. Although Black Zetsu's Wood Release wasn't as powerful as Madara's, it was still enough to overwhelm most.

With Onoki slung over his shoulder, the Raikage roared, "Get it together, Onoki! If you don't snap out of it, we're both going to die here!"

The Raikage glanced around at the carnage. Bodies lay strewn across the battlefield, both Kirigakure's ANBU and their own guards had been annihilated. The wide-range Wood Release technique, paired with the toxic pollen, had effectively cleared the area.

Onoki managed to regain some clarity, pressing his hands together.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

A pure white beam of energy swept across the battlefield, disintegrating countless tendrils in its path.

Using this opening, the Raikage increased his speed and, with Onoki's Lightened Boulder Jutsu enhancing his jumps, the two ascended into the sky and disappeared into the horizon.

News of the chaos at Kirigakure reached Aoba's desk just two hours later.

Upon reading the report, Aoba immediately understood Black Zetsu's plan. Without a doubt, the blame for the ambush would be pinned on Konoha.

Originally, Yagura would have been the prime suspect, but with him now dead and Kirigakure suffering the heaviest losses, the blame shifted directly to Konoha.

After all, the meeting's purpose was to discuss countermeasures against Konoha. It was logical to assume that Konoha would preemptively strike.

Onoki's suspicions ran deeper; he felt something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint exactly what. Regardless, the ambush forced both Iwagakure and Kumogakure to respond. As one of the Five Great Nations, they could not ignore such an attack without losing face.

At this point, whether Konoha was truly responsible no longer mattered. What mattered was that the attack gave the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Earth a perfect pretext for war.

War had become inevitable.

Black Zetsu, with over a millennium of experience manipulating human conflicts, had perfectly orchestrated the situation.

The next day, Kumogakure officially declared war on Konoha. A day later, Iwagakure followed suit. Shortly after, Kirigakure also announced its declaration of war. Thus, the Fourth Shinobi War was set into motion.

In the Hokage's office, Aoba set down the mission scroll and addressed the gathered leaders.

"Well, it's official. Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure have declared war on us. We are now in a state of war. With three fronts to manage, we must proceed cautiously. Let's convene this strategy meeting."

Aoba then returned to his seat as Tsunade took the floor.

"The Land of Fire has already begun mobilizing for war, but the daimyo's support has been lukewarm. As such, Konoha must rely heavily on its own resources. Fortunately, we have substantial reserves of food and equipment.

The main agenda for today is to discuss strategies for managing the three war fronts and to appoint our battlefield commanders."

Neither Tsunade nor Aoba seemed overly concerned about the declarations of war. To them, the true threat remained the elusive Black Zetsu.

Black Zetsu, however, had remained in hiding after its brief appearance in Kirigakure.

"Based on our intelligence, both the Raikage and Onoki have sustained severe injuries. This means we won't face them in the early stages of the war. However, even without them, managing three fronts will place immense pressure on us," Tsunade explained.

"Not exactly three fronts," Aoba interjected. "Kirigakure is essentially crippled. Their most elite forces are now with us. Let them deal with their own problems. Our primary focus should remain on Kumogakure and Iwagakure."

The meeting lasted an entire day, though it was only enough to outline a broad strategy.

War is unpredictable. No matter how detailed the preparations, unforeseen circumstances would inevitably arise.

Still, Aoba understood one thing clearly: the moment he left Konoha, Black Zetsu would strike.

In their previous encounter, his Kotoamatsukami had evidently frightened Black Zetsu. Since then, it had avoided direct confrontation, choosing to stay hidden.

By staying within Konoha, Aoba aimed to maintain a stalemate. His presence kept Black Zetsu guessing, deterring any reckless moves.

But Aoba knew that the moment his location was revealed, Black Zetsu would undoubtedly reappear.

After the meeting, Aoba sought out Minato.

At that moment, Minato was personally overseeing the training of Team Seven at the training grounds. Having lost so many years with Naruto, Minato was now practically inseparable from him, as though trying to make up for all the lost time.

Even Naruto, as dense as he could be, had noticed something unusual. This "Minato-sensei" seemed to be a little too good to him.

However, after Minato explained that he had been a friend of Naruto's father, Naruto stopped questioning it and simply accepted his kindness.

When Aoba arrived, Minato immediately understood that something important must have come up. Over the past few days, Aoba had tried not to interrupt Minato's time with Team Seven, giving him as much space as possible to bond with Naruto.

Minato, fully aware of this, had been putting in extra effort.

"Is it time?" Minato asked as he walked over to Aoba.

"Just about. The Fourth Shinobi War has officially been set into motion. However, the war itself is not our main priority, capturing or eliminating the mastermind behind all this is. This time, I'll be leading the frontlines as the commander.

Once I leave Konoha, that person will undoubtedly target Naruto and the village. They know I have Flying Raijin, but that technique isn't invincible. I can't guarantee they won't have some way to hinder me.

If for any reason I'm unable to return, the defense of Konoha and Naruto will depend on you."

"This is exactly why you revived us, isn't it? Don't worry, leave it to us."

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Currently on Chapter 226 - The Hyūga Clan's Request of Mentorship