My Journey as Fourth Kazekage

Somewhere in the Land of Birds

Deep within a dense forest, a group of shinobi clad in Konoha ANBU uniforms lay hidden, as if waiting for something. However, an hour had passed, and their expected target had yet to appear.

Three figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees.

"Orochimaru, it seems your plan has failed."

Draped in a black cloak that concealed his entire form, Orochimaru remained unfazed by the failure, and then spoke in a calm, indifferent tone.

"Isn't that only natural, Danzo-sama? After all, we're dealing with the Kazekage. If he didn't have at least this level of caution, that would be the truly strange part. Hah! It's just a shame we wasted those test subjects..."

Half of Danzo's face remained hidden, his expression dark and unreadable.

"If we don't find out from this Kazekage who leaked Root's secrets, neither you nor I will be able to sleep soundly, Orochimaru."

However, Orochimaru seemed completely unconcerned.

Just then, a Root shinobi appeared before Danzo and reported,

"Danzo-sama, the battle ahead has already ended..."

"What's the situation?"

"F-For... forgive me. We couldn't get too close, so we don't know the exact details. But the Kazekage has already left. We investigated the scene afterward, and it seems all the Iburi Clan ninjas are dead..."

Danzo furrowed his brows slightly, while Orochimaru's face showed a trace of amusement.

"Interesting... The Smoke Transformation Jutsu of the Iburi Clan is an exceptional escape technique, yet not a single one managed to flee. This Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure is quite fascinating~!"

The Root ninja continued reporting.

"Orochimaru-sama, we observed that the Kazekage appeared to have used a Barrier Jutsu to trap all of the Iburi ninjas."

"A barrier, huh?"

Orochimaru seemed deep in thought.

Danzo, however, showed no interest and simply ordered.

"Forget it. Since the mission has failed, we're withdrawing. I have more important matters to handle back at the village."

One by one, the Root shinobi began to retreat. With no other choice, Orochimaru followed suit. However, just as he was about to leave, something caught his attention. He looked up toward the sky.

High above, a giant floating eyeball was watching them.

"How interesting~!"

Orochimaru said nothing more, merely flashing a cryptic smile as he followed Danzo away.

---

The Eye of Sand.

One of many sand manipulation techniques developed by the Second Kazekage. It was essentially a variation of the Transformation Jutsu. By condensing sand into the shape of an eyeball and linking its vision with the user's own, this technique allowed for long-distance reconnaissance.

With the ability to adjust the eye's size, the Eye of Sand could observe movements up to ten kilometers away. Unfortunately, it lacked X-ray vision, meaning it could only detect large, visible movements and provide a general outline of what was happening.

Still, it was more than enough.

"Hah! It is those two again. Seriously, what the hell? Is this level of intelligence of the leader of Root."

Even though the vision was slightly blurry, the distinctive attire of Danzo and Orochimaru made them instantly recognizable. There was no need for a clearer look.

Seeing the reaction, Pakura asked,

"Are they from Konoha?"

"Yes. Danzo of Root and Orochimaru of Konoha."

Hearing the names Danzo and Orochimaru, the three shinobi present were all visibly shaken.

Danzo was the one Rasa had identified as the mastermind behind the assassination of the Third Kazekage, and Orochimaru was one of the Legendary Sannin.

"What do we do now?"

Pakura gritted her teeth as she spoke.

Konoha had dared to assassinate their Kazekage—this was a blatant provocation against Sunagakure.

Rasa was naturally furious, tempted to march straight over and take their heads, but he restrained himself.

"Rushing in when we know it's a trap would be foolish. However, I will not let this slide. I was just looking for an excuse to declare war on Konoha, and now they've delivered one right to my doorstep."

With that, he turned to Baki, issuing an order.

"Baki, in my name, use this assassination attempt to formally declare war on Konoha on behalf of Sunagakure. Inform every shinobi in the village—this time, it won't be like last time. We will make Konoha pay in blood!"

"Hai! Kazekage-sama!"

---

The news that Konoha's Elder Danzo and Orochimaru had failed in their assassination attempt on the Fourth Kazekage spread rapidly throughout the shinobi world.

Sunagakure used this as justification to formally declare war against Konoha.

Upon confirming the news, both Third Raikage (Kumogakure) and Third Tsuchikage (Iwagakure) were ecstatic.

They had initially been worried that Sunagakure might hold back in the upcoming war against Konoha. But now, those concerns vanished completely.

Assassinating a Kage was an act of war in any shinobi nation—it was the greatest diplomatic offense imaginable.

Sunagakure's response was far from passive.

Immediately after the formal declaration, their advance forces began mobilizing swiftly, crossing the Land of Rivers and heading straight for the Land of Fire's borders.

And unlike their previous raids, this time Sunagakure was dead serious. Because behind the advance troops, a massive logistics force was following, transporting supplies out of Sunagakure.

This meant Sunagakure wasn't just planning a skirmish or a quick raid—they were prepared for a full-scale, prolonged war against Konoha.

The main army's deployment now depended on the finalization of the three-nation alliance between Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.

Both Kumogakure and Iwagakure understood Sunagakure's plan.

Eager to seize this golden opportunity to cripple Konoha, they rushed to finalize the three-way alliance as quickly as possible.

---

Konoha, Land of Fire

The moment Konoha received the formal declaration of war from Sunagakure, tension spread through the village like wildfire.

Danzo's actions had been completely unauthorized, but at this point, there was no way to pin the blame solely on him.

For one, Konoha needed internal unity now more than ever. And secondly, Sunagakure joining the war was inevitable, regardless of Danzo's actions.

Besides, Danzo had his own justification—his attempt to assassinate the Fourth Kazekage had been to protect Konoha. If he had succeeded, Sunagakure would have descended into chaos, preventing them from participating in the war at all.

But now, that was no longer relevant.

Sunagakure was fully committed to war, and both Kumogakure and Iwagakure were mobilizing their forces at the borders, preparing for an all-out confrontation.

Seeing this, Danzo finally seized the opportunity to push his real agenda.

"It's time for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to enter the battlefield! With the power of the Nine-Tails, we can turn the tide of war in Konoha's favor."

Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, and future Fourth Hokage, strongly opposed the idea. However given the dire situation, many began to see the Nine-Tails' involvement as Konoha's best chance for survival.

As the Konoha leadership clashed in heated debate, Rasa had already returned to Sunagakure, where he was greeted with an unbelievable report.

Something had happened to the God Tree he had planted.