Chapter 108: The Ninja World on the Verge of War
Once Ishiro made up his mind to retreat into closed training, he completely disconnected from the outside world—even declining the request to act as mediator in the Rain Country.
Fully committed to upgrading Water Pressure Line, Ishiro had no idea that his actions in the Rain had nearly triggered the Third Great Ninja War ahead of schedule.
Ōnoki, always cautious, had not spread news of the Rain's upheaval when he sent Saka to formalize the unequal treaty with Hanzō.
Only after Saka returned to Iwagakure, having secured the alliance, did Ōnoki begin leaking vague rumors.
At first, reports from agents said something like: Konoha and the Rain had a falling out, broke their alliance, and clashed in battle. Both sides lost elite ANBU.
There wasn't much to exaggerate about the Rain Village—its strength was widely known. Claiming they lost a thousand jōnin wouldn't fool anyone—they didn't even have that many.
But when it came to Konoha, Ōnoki deliberately doubled the numbers. He claimed Hanzō himself had acted and released his salamander's poison, killing over a hundred of Konoha's elite ANBU.
But as the rumor spread, the story twisted.
First, it turned into: Konoha tried to secretly take over the Rain, sending a Kage-level ninja who was killed by Hanzō during a massive ambush.
No one believed that at first. A Kage-level dying in secret? Sounded fake.
Then someone claimed the unknown Kage-level was one of the Legendary Sannin, trying to reclaim their honor after their previous loss to Hanzō.
Then it escalated: all three Sannin went together. Hanzō, holding nothing back this time, may have killed Jiraiya or Tsunade—the two who hadn't appeared publicly in a while.
Versions varied, but they all shared one thing: Konoha's ANBU suffered heavy losses.
Normally, such rumors would be ignored. But Konoha had suffered two major blows in recent years, so this time—everyone believed them.
And the response from the other villages shocked even Ōnoki.
Kumogakure and Kirigakure, without warning, launched border raids on several Konoha outposts. When news of this spread, Sunagakure joined in, sending their rising stars Sasori and Rasa.
Not only did three great nations act, but even several minor countries took the chance to sneak in small provocations.
Just like that, the ninja world—peaceful only days ago—nearly plunged into all-out war.
Konoha's response was unexpectedly swift. Unlike during the White Fang scandal, this time they mobilized elite units immediately.
Orochimaru was dispatched toward Kirigakure's front. Danzō volunteered to face Kumogakure.
Konoha's decisiveness stunned all opportunists.
Kumogakure, the boldest of the three, paid the heaviest price. After scoring an early win, they tried to press their advantage—only to run into Danzō, who was itching for revenge. Wind beats Lightning, and Danzō's Kage-level power crushed them. A Kumogakure strike team was nearly wiped out.
Kirigakure fared better. Their strike was more cautious. And since Orochimaru was more interested in studying bloodline limits than slaughter, many of their weaker shinobi escaped.
Sunagakure had the best luck. They struck late and managed to slip through a hole in Konoha's defenses. But when they heard of Danzō's rampage, they immediately withdrew.
As for the minor countries? They barely accomplished anything—and now they were even more cautious than before.
Things should've ended there. Those who gained something would celebrate quietly. Those who suffered would lick their wounds.
But not everyone thinks like a normal person.
The Third Raikage, furious over his village's losses, refused to back down. Kumogakure had suffered the most, and now he personally led a squad to confront Danzō.
If they really fought, it was unclear who would win. Danzō might manage a draw—but he wouldn't risk his life.
Informed in advance via Root's intelligence network, Danzō called for Orochimaru. Orochimaru didn't care about Danzō's fate—but he hated the Raikage.
Back during the destruction of the Whirlpool Country, the Three Sannin had nearly been wiped out by the Third Raikage. They were only saved by Jiraiya's self-sacrifice and White Fang's timely arrival.
Now, Danzō wanted payback. Orochimaru saw a chance to restore his standing with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The three met—Danzō, Orochimaru, and the Third Raikage.
The result? Instant violence.
But for the first time, the Raikage's indestructible Lightning Armor met its match. Orochimaru's Substitution Techniques made every blow feel like it hit air. The Raikage was frustrated.
Danzō, true to form, fought safely—firing high-powered Wind Release jutsu from a distance, wearing down his opponent.
Finally, with support from Baku and Manda, the two managed to force the Raikage to retreat.
This battle shocked the entire ninja world. Had any of the three died or even been gravely injured, the Third Great Ninja War would have been unavoidable.
The balance among the Five Great Nations would have collapsed.
Earth Country had stayed out of everything—just watching from the sidelines. So no one thought to inform Ishiro, who was deep in training.
By the time he heard about it, the ninja world had returned to peace.
He listened to Owl recount the whole story like it was some epic tale.
Afterward, Ishiro sighed in amazement. The relationships between nations were far more fragile than he had imagined.
Having read the original timeline, he saw the ninja world as divided into war and peace eras.
But the people of this world didn't see it that way. They viewed the world as a powder keg—one spark from going off. And many ninja lived with that constant pressure.
Ishiro had never felt that.
In his mind, the Third War was set to begin only after Sasori assassinated the Third Kazekage.
But now, after hearing from Owl, he realized something: when Iwagakure got word of the Raikage personally heading toward Konoha's border, Owl had sent urgent alerts to every Anbu unit in the field.
They weren't told to return, but they were told:
1. Be cautious of enemy nations, especially the other four great powers.
2. If anything happened to Danzō, Orochimaru, or the Raikage, return immediately.
Only now did Ishiro fully grasp—he lived in an era of chaos.
He was fourteen. Sasori was a bit older, already making a name for himself. No one knew when he'd strike.
Even if the butterfly effect had changed Sasori's timeline, Ishiro was certain he'd still go after the Kazekage.
Unless Chiyo truly found a way to bring back Sasori's parents, his path was set.
So even if this recent flare-up didn't ignite the war, the Third Great Ninja War wasn't far off.
That, however, wasn't something Ishiro could stop.
Today, Owl had summoned him for a different reason—to handle his departure from the Anbu.
That's right. Ishiro had been relieved of his position as Anbu squad leader.
The graduating class at the Ninja Academy was about to graduate, and the higher-ups had decided to assign Ishiro as a team leader for the new genin.
At first, Ishiro was surprised and asked Owl why.
Owl answered bluntly: "You need time to develop your jutsu. Leading new genin is an easy job. You'll have plenty of time to train."
Ishiro thought about it—and agreed. A jōnin overseeing D- and C-rank missions? That would leave him with a lot of free time.
After filing his resignation from Anbu, Ishiro went to Advisor Saka's office.
Saka was in charge of team assignments and would pair each new genin squad with a jōnin or chūnin leader.
Knowing Ishiro's new role, Saka gave him a list of students from the top class and let him choose for himself.
As far as the leadership was concerned, Ishiro was far more important than any other jōnin. He had earned the right to pick his own subordinates.
After reviewing the list, Ishiro requested to visit the academy in person. Saka was surprised—he hadn't expected Ishiro to be so invested.
Typically, jōnin didn't care much about who they led. Only a few chose students with matching chakra types to pass on their jutsu and form a master-disciple bond.
Most jōnin simply led missions and trained their squads until they became standard ninja.
But Ishiro's attitude suggested he was looking for an apprentice.
That was unusual—he was only fourteen. Most jōnin at that age didn't even consider teaching. The graduates were only around nine, barely younger than him.
Still, Saka didn't interfere. He nodded and approved the visit, giving Ishiro one day to observe the class and report back with his chosen team.
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