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Nawaki left the battlefield, but the stalemate between Konoha and the Suna-Ame forces continued.
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Konoha had the upper hand, but only because of Shin.
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Without him, they would be losing.
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So, the situation remained tense. Konoha didn''t dare attack, and neither did Suna and Ame.
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Meanwhile, at the Konoha-Iwa front, the situation had stabilized after Danzō''s arrival.
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But then, another disaster struck: Kirigakure, the Hidden Village in the Land of Water, declared war on Konoha.
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Hiruzen almost tore his hair out when he heard the news. Konoha was already facing three villages: two Great Villages and Amegakure.
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Now Kiri was joining? Konoha couldn''t handle this.
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While Hiruzen was panicking, the Third Kazekage, the Third Tsuchikage, and Hanzō were ecstatic.
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Hanzō even went to the Kazekage to ask if he had invited Kiri to join the war.
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The Kazekage''s answer was vague, neither confirming nor denying.
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Shin was surprised when he heard the news. In the original story, Kiri hadn''t participated in the Second Shinobi World War.
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Was this another butterfly effect caused by him?
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He was right. Kiri''s involvement was directly related to him.
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He had infiltrated Kirigakure, rampaged with his Susanoo, killed hundreds of their Shinobi, stolen their Forbidden Scroll, and even made off with a large sum of money.
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Although Kiri had identified the "Culprit," they couldn''t capture "Uchiha Ryota." This caused unrest within the village.
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The Third Mizukage was desperate. He decided to divert attention by declaring war on Konoha.
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He claimed it was to force Konoha to hand over Ryota, but his true motive was to shift the focus away from his failure to protect the Forbidden Scroll.
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If he didn''t do something, his position as Mizukage would be in jeopardy.
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And with Konoha facing multiple enemies, it was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
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As expected, after he declared war on Konoha, no one cared about the stolen Forbidden Scroll anymore.
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The Mizukage personally led a force of four thousand Kiri Shinobi to attack the Land of Fire. Hiruzen was forced to send reinforcements to defend against them.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
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He sent Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two elders. They weren''t as senile as Danzō yet and were still capable fighters.
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With their leadership, the Konoha forces managed to hold back Kiri''s attack for now.
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"This is putting a lot of pressure on Konoha. And Kumogakure hasn''t even made a move yet."
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They had to be wary of Kumo. They were ambitious. If Konoha showed any signs of weakness, the Third Raikage would definitely seize the opportunity to attack.
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He might not just take a bite; he might try to swallow the entire Land of Fire whole.
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Shin sighed. He had hoped to obtain the Divine Replication Card without lifting a finger, but it seemed that wasn''t going to happen.
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"No matter what, Konoha has to win."
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His mission was to ensure Konoha''s victory. The reward was a Divine Replication Card. If he failed, he wouldn''t get the card.
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He couldn''t be complacent anymore. Konoha might actually lose.
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"Kumo hasn''t attacked yet. I wonder if they''ll do the same as in the original story and attack Iwa."
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In the original story, during the First Shinobi World War, Iwa had been attacked by Kumo while fighting Konoha, forcing them to abandon their fight against Konoha to deal with Kumo.
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But the current war was different. There was no telling what would happen. Perhaps Kumo would attack Konoha instead. After all, Konoha was surrounded by enemies; Kumo might seize the opportunity to strike.
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"What are you thinking about?"
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Kushina nudged Shin, snapping him out of his thoughts.
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"Shin, are you worried about Konoha?" Mikoto asked.
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"Yeah, things are looking grim. Looks like it''s time for me, the savior, Uzumaki Shin, to step in."
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Shin said with a smile.
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Despite the unexpected turn of events, he wasn''t worried. With his current strength, he could take on all four Hidden Villages at once.
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"You''re not a savior; you''re a demon lord."
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Kushina thought of Shin''s Perfect Susanoo. That black monstrosity was the embodiment of destruction.
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Thwack!
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"That''s for being a smart aleck." Shin flicked Kushina''s forehead.
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"Shin, you meanie!"
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Kushina glared at him, tears welling up in her eyes. That flick had hurt.
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"Kushina, learn your lesson. Remember to say nice things from now on," Mikoto said with a smile.
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"Mikoto, are you laughing at me?"
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Mikoto tried to suppress her laughter, but she couldn''t help but smile.
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She admitted it; she was laughing at Kushina.
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"Mikoto, I''ll get you back for this!" Kushina threatened.
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"Sorry, Kushina, you''ll never get the chance."
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"Hmph, we''ll see about that."
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"Here, have an apple. It''s rare to find fruit on the battlefield." Shin handed Kushina a large apple.
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"You think you can appease me with a measly apple?"
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Kushina took the apple anyway. Fruit was indeed a rare treat on the battlefield.
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Shin had used Yomotsu Hirasaka to buy these apples from the Land of Rivers.
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"Hey, where are you going?" Kushina asked as Shin left the tent.
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"I''m going to the medical tent to practice Medical Ninjutsu. Want to come?" Shin asked Kushina and Mikoto.
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"Sure, why not? I want to learn Medical Ninjutsu too," Kushina agreed, following Shin.
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Mikoto also followed.
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"Kushina, why do you suddenly want to learn Medical Ninjutsu?" Shin asked curiously.
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"It''s always good to have more skills. And if Mikoto gets injured, I can heal her." Kushina glanced at Mikoto.
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Mikoto rolled her eyes. So Kushina was hoping she''d get injured?
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