The Third Hokage: First Move Send Danzō to Prison

After leaving the Hokage's office, Kakashi immediately summoned Might Guy and Yamato.

The three of them stood atop the Hokage Rock, overlooking the entire Hidden Leaf Village.

Kakashi was about to brief his trusted comrades and fellow shinobi on the looming crisis.

The golden rays of sunset bathed every corner of the village. The streets were alive with bustling crowds, and children's laughter drifted on the wind.

"If war breaks out, scenes like this will become rare," Kakashi said quietly, hands tucked into his pockets, a hint of regret in his voice as he gazed at the peaceful scene below.

"Kakashi, is it really that bad?" Guy crossed his arms, his usually passionate energy absent, replaced by a rare somber expression.

Even Guy, known for his youthful exuberance, couldn't stay upbeat at the prospect of war. He too had experienced the Third Great Ninja War.

"It is," Yamato replied coldly.

His time temporarily leading Team 7, training and going on missions with them, was about to come to an abrupt end. He hadn't even fully enjoyed being the acting captain. He also worried about Sakura and Sasuke's progress in their training.

"Prepare yourselves," Kakashi said seriously. "All available intel points to war being imminent. I'm telling you this now so you'll be ready for the worst."

"The worst?" Guy clenched his fist. "Are we really about to face the Fourth Great Ninja War? Are the Hidden Cloud shinobi really so eager to fight?"

"If the Raikage has personally led a team into the Land of Fire, then it's a clear declaration of war," Kakashi answered calmly and firmly. "We have no choice but to eliminate the greatest threat before it's too late."

Yamato nodded. "Let's discuss strategy. The Raikage is a Kage-level opponent. Taking him down won't be easy. He's a high-speed type, on par with the Fourth Hokage."

"The advantage is ours. We outnumber them, and they don't know we've discovered them," Kakashi said, forming hand seals to summon a scroll. "These are records left behind by the Fourth Hokage after his battle with the Cloud's A and B combo."

Yamato quickly absorbed the contents of the scroll. Trained in the Root division, he shifted into mission mode almost instantly. "If the Raikage is in action, then there's a high chance his brother, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee, is with him. So that's why the Hokage called me in."

Kakashi nodded. "Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade will be assisting us. We don't need to worry too much about power balance."

Guy sighed. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"So do I," Kakashi replied, looking into the distance as the last light of the setting sun touched his mask. "There's one more thing the Five Grand Generals of the Hidden Leaf."

"Huh?" Guy and Yamato both turned to him.

"After this mission, the Hokage plans to appoint five top jonin as Konoha's Grand Generals," Kakashi explained.

Guy rubbed his chin and said, "Kind of like the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

"More than that," Kakashi said, pointing toward the vacant space beside the Hokage Rock. "These five will be the core leadership of Konoha. If something happens to Lord Third, the village's future will rest in their hands. The next Hokage will likely be chosen from among them. If nothing changes, it'll be me and Guy, along with Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade. One spot is still undecided."

Kakashi really did have the bearing of a future Hokage promoted on the battlefield, rising to the occasion.

"Wha-?!" Guy blinked in shock, then burst into a radiant grin, teeth gleaming. "That means I have a chance to become Hokage too! Finally, I can make youth-themed bodysuits mandatory village wear!"

"Yeah, let's not go that far."

Yamato, who came from the Root division, suddenly grew more serious. There was still one open slot. Could that be his chance to prove himself?

The streets below were still busy. Children's laughter echoed in the air. The Hidden Leaf was flourishing.

But if war truly erupted, that joy would vanish in an instant.

The Hidden Leaf was always the one wearing shoes when others brought dirt.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Tsunade were rushing back toward the village with Naruto and Shizune in tow. Jiraiya's expression was grim, while Tsunade looked slightly fatigued losing yet another bet to that blond kid was ridiculous. Somehow, that knucklehead had learned the Rasengan in just seven days.

"Jiraiya, are you certain the Hidden Cloud's shinobi have already entered the Land of Fire?" Tsunade asked as they sped through the trees.

"There's no mistake," Jiraiya nodded. "I noticed something off while gathering intel in one of my usual haunts. After investigating further, I found that among the supposed 'merchants,' there were at least a dozen jonin-level ninja. Their numbers keep increasing."

"What is the Cloud planning?" Tsunade frowned. "Don't they care if this leads to war?"

"That lunatic Raikage he's capable of anything," Jiraiya said with a sigh. "We have to get Naruto back to the village as fast as possible. If they've figured out who he really is..."

Naruto followed behind them, not fully understanding how serious things were, but even he could sense the tension in their expressions.

"Pervy Sage, Granny Tsunade... are we about to fight a big war?" he asked.

Jiraiya turned and forced a smile. "Don't worry, Naruto. As long as we're here, whatever scheme they're cooking up won't succeed."

Things had been looking up. Hiruzen had regained his clarity and made smart moves, Orochimaru and Tsunade had returned, and Naruto was starting to shine like Minato once did.

If things had continued peacefully, Konoha might have eventually triumphed through culture and progress alone.

But now...

Jiraiya, a veteran of two previous great ninja wars, couldn't help but worry. He knew better than anyone what war truly meant.

Tsunade patted Naruto's shoulder. "Kid, stop overthinking. Right now, your job is to get stronger. Protect yourself, and protect the people around you."

Naruto nodded and thumped his chest confidently. "I will! I'm gonna be Hokage, after all!"

"You've barely grasped your dad's signature technique!" Jiraiya couldn't help but jab back.

"You don't know how to use it either! And you were Dad's teacher!" Naruto shouted.

"Minato didn't need me to teach him!"

Shizune clutched the piglet in her arms, still trying to process how this golden-haired monkey of a kid had managed to spar with Lady Tsunade for over thirty rounds and now had his eyes set on mastering the legendary Flying Thunder God.

She couldn't help but think, You're already strong enough for your age. If you get any stronger, I might as well retire.

At the same time, deep within the forests of the Land of Fire, Hidden Cloud shinobi were racing through the trees. At the front was the Fourth Raikage, A, with Killer Bee and a dozen elite jonin at his side. These were just the ones qualified to run with him. Behind them, many more Cloud shinobi disguised as merchants were on the move.

They were pursuing Jiraiya's group. Raikage A could have easily caught up alone, but doing so solo would be suicide.

"Big Bro, are we really doing this?" Killer Bee asked as they moved, his words coming out in rhythmic rhyme. "That masked man who gave us the Nine-Tails intel didn't exactly give off good vibes."

"Shut up, Bee! As long as the intel is good, it doesn't matter where it came from," A snapped, waving him off. "This mission is about the future of the Hidden Cloud. We can't afford to mess it up."

"But Jiraiya and Tsunade are there too. Isn't this a bit reckless?"

"Hmph, Konoha may look strong, but it's all bark and no bite," the Raikage sneered. "As long as we move fast enough, they won't have time to react."

Raikage A didn't expect to kill Jiraiya or Tsunade. Their target was Naruto either abduct him or take him out.

As long as they succeeded, they could deal with the consequences later.

At worst, they'd just apologize!

Surely Konoha wouldn't dare start a full-blown war over it!

The masked man's intel was clear: Naruto wasn't just the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki he was also the son of the Yellow Flash, a child prodigy who could already summon both Enma and the Toads of Mount Myoboku.

The spies they sent confirmed it. All of it was true.

A Nine-Tails Jinchuriki combined with the legacy of the Yellow Flash?

That kind of power couldn't be allowed to grow.

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