The Third Great Shinobi War did not begin with a declaration of war, a council vote, or a single decisive betrayal from a great village. It started gradually, through exhaustion, fear, and money - or the lack thereof.
In the short years following the Second Shinobi World War, the balance that had kept the Five Great Nations in check was already crumbling. Daimyō authority weakened across all nations, economies were strained, and shinobi villages, which once served as tools of state power, began acting with increasing independence. Along the borders, especially in smaller nations like the Land of Grass, Rain, and Rivers, skirmishes became routine. Patrols clashed with one another, supply caravans mysteriously vanished, and "temporary" deployments became permanent occupations.
What made this period especially dangerous was attrition. Losses grew faster than villages could replace them, since no one saw them as a result of war, because no war had been officially declared yet. Veterans died, reserves were depleted, and soon even children, some barely out of the Academy, were armed and sent forward. No one called it war yet, but everyone understood what it had become.
The moment the great powers committed fully, the conflict could no longer be contained. It was better for everyone involved to commit fully rather than push it forward and suffer further losses. Also, political interests were at stake, since the Daimyō feared for their power.
.
In a training yard, outside of the Samurai General's quarters, two men were currently sparring. The sound of metal clashing against one another was heard and sounded through the village. Mifune slashed his katana through the air, using lightning chakra to increase its piercing power as much as he could. Tenji stood there passively, dressed in a kimono, one arm holding his O-katana and the other relaxed, hanging in the folds of the kimono.
He lifted his O-katana and blocked Mifune's strike. As he did so, the blade changed slightly. It reacted to the approaching lightning chakra and, following Tenji's will, which he transmitted through his chakra, wind nature transformation wrapped around the blade and blocked Mifune's lightning-covered katana.
The wind chakra cut through the lightning, pushing Mifune back. The Leader of the Samurai slashed his katana through the air, wanting to cut through the approaching wind blades, which were released by Tenji. He was forced to change his stance and used the new techniques he had developed while sparring with Tenji to close the distance.
But it was no use.
Mifune's eyes widened as he saw Tenji's O-katana change again. The air grew hot, and the blade looked almost scorched, releasing a stream of smoke into the air.
Tenji's movements looked almost slow motion in Mifune's eyes, as he knew this move, but still saw his life flash before his eyes. Experience, however, allowed him to pull himself together. His heart almost jumped out of his chest as he felt death. He infused as much chakra as he could into his next and final attack.
He swung his sword at the attack he knew was coming, after coating it in chakra, releasing a sharp crescent of chakra in the arc that he swung the blade.
"Issen!"
Tenji lifted his o-katana lightly and brought it down, performing the simplest vertical slash. But as he did, the fire chakra, which he had infused into his blade, lashed out, and a large wave of fire shot out, towards the chakra arc of Mifune. Both attacks collided in the middle, and an explosion rang out, shaking the walls and ground.
...
"Huff... haaaahh..."
Mifune lay on the ground, panting. His clothes were burnt from the residual heat of the attack. He managed to cancel out Tenji's attack, but it was still strong enough to burn his clothes, even if it didn't harm his body too much—just very slight burns. Tenji walked forward, his O-katana already changed back and at his waist, and looked down on the man he had come to see as a friend over the past months.
"Just... haaa... what is... huff... that sword...?" Mifune asked.
"Heh, pretty amazing, right?" Tenji smiled.
Unlike Mifune, Tenji didn't even look slightly ruffled. He rubbed his thumb over the handle of his weapon and had a contented smile on his face.
"Amazing?... It's like the... huff... mythical swords...!"
"Eh, I'm not so sure about that. From what you told me and what I got to learn, mine is in a league of its own," Tenji said.
And he was right. There was a reason why all the nations except the Land of Iron used Shinobi and jutsu to fight. It was so ridiculously versatile. One could achieve immense things as a Shinobi using chakra, which were hard for a Samurai to replicate. Or so the general populace believed. Tenji came, saw and threw the status quo out the window.
Over the months he had been here, Tenji had improved his smithing methods and created a variety of weapons, and each finished product was better than the last. Until finally, he had created his masterpiece.
Mukei-ken (無形剣) - The formless sword.
As the name suggests, the sword doesn't have a fixed form and can change at Tenji's will. By infusing his chakra into the blade and using the nature transformation he chooses, the blade changes form, allowing him to attack and defend as he pleases.
The most confusing aspect of the 'blade' is that, in its base form, it didn't look like a blade at all, since it didn't have a sharp edge. If he wanted, Tenji could simply use his chakra to enhance the blade and make it seem as if he were fighting with a black stick. The ultimate disrespect, one might argue. But that wasn't entirely true.
After months of keeping up with various training areas, Tenji had reached Sage Mode: Constant. A stage, where he was constantly in Sage Mode, with nature energy filling his cells and nourishing his body at all times. So when he channelled his chakra into the blade, it contained sage power. And the effects of this 'little' experiment were noticeable.
He grew stronger. A lot stronger.
All of his senses, his speed, strength, reaction time, processing speed, and everything else were enhanced to ridiculous degrees. And the best part about it was that it was permanent. By nourishing his trillions of cells, he affected the very core of his DNA, and with each cell division, stronger, better cells replaced the old ones.
"Urgh..." Mifune groaned.
"Are you alright?"
"I feel old," Mifune complained.
"You're not old. Out of practice."
"Huh?! Out of practice?! What are you talking about? We spar daily, and I always look like this when we're done!"
"I don't know why you're complaining, you made progress," Tenji shrugged.
"Progress?! Yeah, I made progress! On how NOT to die! This is ridiculous, entirely ridiculous! Do you have any idea what you created? You created a blade that is capable of not only channelling chakra perfectly, but also nature transformation and release of such attacks. This rivals... no, no, no, this surpasses all the mythical blades in the world! What else can it do, huh? Absorb chakra or something?"
"..."
"Y-you...? You're not serious?! It can absorb chakra as well?!"
Mifune seemed to have lost it. Being in Tenji's presence for months had that effect. Tenji hadn't lied, Mifune had made progress, but so had Tenji, and if we compared their progress... well, it made sense that Mifune was 'slightly' exasperated. Thankfully, Tenji hadn't told him what else Mukei-ken (無形剣) could do. That might have been too much.
.
"How are things with the war?" Tenji asked.
Mifune had taken a bath and changed clothes. They were drinking tea together and relaxing. The tea leaves they used to brew the tea came from trees Tenji created while experimenting with... nature transformation. That was a topic for another time.
"Not good. After Sakumo Hatake from Konoha committed suicide, things took a turn for the worse. The first and most devastating front emerged in the west, stretching across the Land of Grass. Here, Konohagakure and Iwagakure are locked in bloody battle. Iwagakure had infiltrated the Grass Country in an attempt to strangle Konoha's logistics and force a slow collapse. But it hasn't worked so far, from what we've managed to gather. Now, we have a grinding war of ambushes, counter-ambushes, and supply-line demolition. The Uchiha Clan are fighting on that front the most, and they managed to stop the Iwa's advancement almost entirely. But they haven't managed to push back into the Land of Stone.
The second main battlefield stretches across the Land of Hotsprings and Land of Frost between Konohagakure and Kumogakure. This is the second front Konoha has to deal with, and it is the closest to our Land of Iron. We had to stop any attempts to use the Land of Iron as a means of infiltration. As a neutral country, we don't want anything to do with battles, and if Shinobi managed to cross our borders, we wouldn't be able to uphold our neutral status. The Third Raikage is still in Kumo and not fighting personally, but I suspect, with the way things are going, there are subtle power plays in the works, with three countries aiming to bring Konoha to its knees.
That brings me to the third main battlefield. Sunagakure and Konohagakure are fighting one another as well. However, it seems that Konoha has managed to hold the front line deep within the Land of Rivers, forcing Suna to compromise ever so slightly. But it is improbable that they will hold this position, since they are already fighting on three fronts, and it may become four.
Kirigakure has also started moving and looking to make trouble for Konoha as well. How this will turn out or in what way they choose to do so, it is unclear at this stage, though."
Tenji nodded his head and looked at the map in front of him. He could see the tremendous pressure the Land of Fire was facing right now. What surprised him was that it was dangerously similar to what his Land of Ancestors had to deal with over a millennium ago.
The Land of Fire and the Land of Ancestors before it were blessed with a perfect geographical position for farming of all kinds. There was enough water and a pleasant climate to allow the production of any crop they could get their hands on. Naturally, that made neighbours jealous. This time around, the Land of Fire faces much greater tensions and troubles compared to the Land of Ancestors, since it was so much larger. It was positioned right in the centre of attention and between all the other countries. Everyone wanted the abundance of resources the Land of Fire had access to.
Tenji had taken great steps back when he was Emperor of the Land of Ancestors, sowing minor discord among his neighbours and preparing for political tensions. He had to be ready for such things, much like the Land of Fire right now. And yet, a moment of inattentiveness and youthful inexperience in matters of love made him turn his back for a brief moment. But that was already enough, and it seemed it was also sufficient for the Land of Fire.
Mifune had filled some of the gaps Tenji still had about the younger history and how the different countries came to be, and how the Hidden Villages were founded. And what he came to realise was that Hashirama Senju... was the biggest fool he had ever heard of. He was so shortsighted that all his power didn't matter in the end, and his dream of peace had to be shattered. But Tenji had learned from his mistake and wouldn't repeat it.
Tenji finished his tea and set the cup down.
"Is it time?" Mifune asked as Tenji stood up.
"Yes. It is time for me to get going. I have taken enough leave already. Someone is waiting for me, and I can't afford to keep her waiting."
"Can't afford?"
"My heart, Mifune... My heart can't afford it. I am getting restless."
"I understand. I hope you find whoever she is. Must be an incredible woman if you are looking for her."
Tenji smiled sadly.
"The most incredible. She's my wife after all."
"Farewell... Lord Tenji."
Mifune looked after the man whom he had wanted to call a friend, but for some reason couldn't. There was this feeling ever since he had met him, that Tenji stood on another plain, higher than all of them. He would look forward to his accomplishments.