027 The War Intentions of Hidden Cloud Village

Taking the scroll, Orochimaru glanced over it, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
“So, the Hidden Cloud Village is finally making their move? Tsk, how terribly slow.”
With a few sinister chuckles, Orochimaru’s figure vanished from the spot.
To him, this Shinobi War was a rare opportunity—a perfect chance to seize control over the Uchiha clan once and for all.
No one would be allowed to interfere.
…
Outside the Hokage Tower, the grounds were filled with shinobi summoned in haste. Roughly counted, there were several hundred, all elite members of the village; at a glance, not a single genin was to be seen.
Kakashi and Guy stood among the crowd, grouped together with their peers from the same generation, such as Kurenai Yuhi and Anko Mitarashi.
Kurenai’s brows were knit in a frown. “To gather so many shinobi… It seems war is upon us again.”
Not long ago, during the Night of the Nine Tails, Kurenai had lost her father. Her heart was still steeped in grief, and now with the village once more on the verge of war, her words carried a heavy, suppressed resentment.
This was not fear in the face of battle. Rather, she had the air of a bereaved soldier, yearning to rush to the frontlines and strike down the enemy herself.
Many of the Konoha shinobi around them shared this mood. The Nine-Tails’ rampage had been sudden and inexplicable, and even when it ended, the true mastermind was never uncovered. But at least, on the battlefield, the enemy would be plain to see.
Kakashi’s face was cold, his silence unbroken since the summons began. Suddenly, his expression shifted, as if he’d just seen something unbelievable. “Why are they here?”
Following his gaze, the others also noticed the newly assembled platoon of shinobi.
They wore standard shinobi uniforms, with the fan-shaped crest emblazoned on their backs. Men and women alike wore blank expressions, radiating a silent, forbidding presence.
Guy, puzzled, said, “What about the Uchiha? They participated in the last shinobi war as well.”
“Idiot, that’s not what Kakashi meant,” Anko shot Guy a glare, explaining, “Last time, individual Uchiha were selected for the frontlines. This time, it’s clearly the entire Uchiha Police Force, acting as a unit. In the previous three shinobi wars, nothing like this ever happened.”
“Oh, I see,” Guy said, suddenly enlightened, though he only understood the most basic point.
He marveled, “Anko, you’re amazing—you really know a lot about the Uchiha!”
“Anyone could see that much,” Anko replied, sticking out her lower lip in feigned indifference.
In truth, she’d started paying attention to them only after Orochimaru single-handedly overwhelmed the Uchiha Police Force.
A whoosh cut through the air. A figure appeared before the Hokage Tower and disappeared through the doors in the blink of an eye.
Some of the shinobi present, observant enough, managed to catch a glimpse of the newcomer and gasps of recognition rippled through the crowd.

“It’s Lord Orochimaru!”
“Will one of the Sannin really be leading this war?”
“If Lord Orochimaru is in command, victory will surely be within our grasp.”
…
On the eve of battle, there were those like Kurenai, suppressing their anger and eager to fight, but there were also those who, fully aware of war’s brutality, were filled with unease.
A degree of apprehension touched everyone, but having a powerful shinobi by their side undoubtedly brought reassurance.
Thus, talk of Orochimaru’s strength and achievements began to ripple through the crowd.
The most recent, and much-discussed, was the overwhelming defeat he dealt to a certain clan of ocular jutsu users—a series of battles where he utterly crushed them.
Since the fights were not confined to a single encounter, some daring jonin had witnessed from afar, and now recounted the events with animated gestures, as though they themselves had accomplished the feat.
Not far away, the expressionless Uchiha present looked far more rigid than before.
If not for the looming threat of war, some among them would likely have stepped forward to give the boasting jonin a lesson in humility.
“Lord Orochimaru really is incredible,”
Guy said with pride as he listened to the surrounding chatter.
Anko glared at him in irritation. “Why do you address Lord Orochimaru as ‘sensei’?”
Guy smiled. “When Orochimaru-sensei taught me taijutsu, he said I could call him that. If you don’t believe me, ask Kakashi.”
Seeing Kakashi nod in confirmation, Anko’s face darkened, her eyes brimming with annoyance, like a child abandoned by her father.
…
Leaving aside the commotion before the Hokage Tower, when Orochimaru entered the meeting room, nearly every seat around the long table was occupied.
Because his underground laboratory was far from the village center, Orochimaru was the last to arrive.
Still, apart from the Third Hokage and Danzo, no one dared show him the slightest disrespect. The rumors circulating in the village had given them all plenty of pause.
He pulled out a chair at the head of the table and sat down. With a slight tilt of his chin, the Hokage’s aide hurried over and reported the latest intelligence.
After listening to the account, Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.
The Hidden Cloud Village had mobilized nearly their entire force, leaving only enough behind to guard against an attack from the Stone. The rest were all marching to war.
They were determined to win or die trying, seizing the moment when Konoha was weak, intent on a decisive confrontation—to crush the Leaf once and for all.

For the current Raikage to show such boldness…
Given this, the previous proposal to rely solely on the Uchiha Police Force was likely out of date. Even if it were put forward now, it would not win approval.
Yet, the general strategy required little adjustment.
Orochimaru pondered for a moment and quickly settled on an answer.
The focus of the meeting was singular: How should their forces be divided?
How many troops should be sent to meet the sudden assault from the Cloud? How many should be dispatched to guard the borders and prevent other villages from exploiting their vulnerability?
And, crucially, who should be assigned to lead these two fronts?
Facing the Cloud head-on was by far the most dangerous task; with the enemy advancing en masse, the coming battle was sure to be brutally fierce.
Defending the borders against other villages was also no easy duty, though until fighting broke out, it mostly required vigilance rather than risking one’s life.
The village had just endured the catastrophe of the Nine-Tails, some clans suffering heavy casualties while others remained unscathed. Naturally, those hit hardest were reluctant to bear the brunt of the fighting.
But for Orochimaru, none of this was a problem.
If this shinobi war were a game of chess, he had already decided who would serve as his attacking pieces.
Amid the noisy debate, Orochimaru suddenly spoke. “Set the rest aside for now; first, we must answer one question:
Why does the Hidden Cloud seek to launch this war? Does the Raikage truly believe that Cloud alone could destroy us?”
The room fell silent at his words. The clan heads wore looks of deep thought. Even the Third Hokage and his two advisors frowned in concern.
Indeed, even after the Night of the Nine Tails, which cost the Leaf two Kage-level fighters and many upper- and mid-ranking shinobi, the Cloud could not hope to surpass Konoha.
This was not arrogance bred of decades as the strongest hidden village, but plain, undeniable fact.
“Doesn’t this situation seem familiar to you all?”
Orochimaru tapped lightly on the table, drawing every gaze. “It was just like this when the First Hokage passed away.”
Recognition dawned on the Third’s face. He knew what Orochimaru was about to say.
“We are now at the weakest point, fallen from our height of power.”
Under the astonished stares of the assembled, Orochimaru continued in a calm voice, “The Hidden Cloud wants to recreate the first shinobi war, when all the great villages joined forces to besiege Konoha.”