Somewhere on the moon.
In a mysterious place beyond mortal knowledge.
Hamura silently withdrew his gaze and let out a quiet sigh.
Compared to the future he had originally foreseen, this civil war had been forcibly delayed by more than a year because of his unexpected intervention... and because of the arrival of that child who was never meant to exist.
For a moment, even Hamura couldn't tell whether that was ultimately a blessing or a curse.
So be it.
He sighed once more.
The centuries-old feud between the Main Family and the Branch Family...
And all the conflicts and choices that awaited Rei and Toneri, the brother and sister...
He would leave all of it for that child to face in the future.
...
While Kirigakure was busily preparing for its full-scale offensive...
While Konoha was steadily organizing the evacuation of its civilians...
And while the Ōtsutsuki Branch Family on the moon secretly amassed strength for its coming civil war...
The Land of Iron—
The nation of samurai that always seemed untouched by the conflicts of the outside world—
Finally welcomed a period of excitement all its own.
The triennial National Swordsmanship Tournament had entered its final seven-day countdown.
The streets of the capital grew more crowded with swordsmen by the day, while arguments over the strengths and weaknesses of masters from the various schools never seemed to end in the taverns and teahouses.
It was also on this very day that one of the ninja world's most influential newspapers, World Weekly, released its latest issue.
The front-page headline occupied nearly half the page.
The bold, oversized lettering was impossible to miss.
The Boy Who Lived—The Astonishing Prodigy! Higashino Shinichi Shatters the Ninja World's Common Sense Once Again!
The opening article spared no expense in praising what it described as the revolutionary breakthrough of Konoha's Medical Scrolls.
Beginning with their performance on the battlefield, it detailed how the Medical Scrolls had dramatically reduced Konoha's casualty rate on both the Sunagakure and Kirigakure fronts.
It then stated outright that the inventor behind this groundbreaking innovation was none other than the young prodigy who had shaken the entire ninja world ever since the war began—
Higashino Shinichi.
No one knew how World Weekly managed to obtain so much detailed frontline intelligence.
And this certainly wasn't the first time.
Even during the war against Kumogakure, reports about Higashino Shinichi had repeatedly dominated the newspaper's front page. The level of detail and insider information had been so astonishing that Konoha's leadership had once seriously suspected...
There's a mole!
Konoha launched several internal investigations as a result.
They did manage to uncover a number of spies planted by the other hidden villages.
But they never found the person leaking information to World Weekly.
In the end, Konoha could only issue the newspaper a stern warning and quietly let the matter drop.
After receiving the warning, World Weekly did lie low for a while.
But only for a little over half a month.
Soon afterward, it was back to embodying the fearless spirit of investigative journalism.
Besides, this time your own Land of Fire newspapers reported it first.
We're just following up on the story.
You can't really fault us for that, can you?
As for knowing a few extra details...
Well, you can only blame Mr. Peter Parker for being that good.
The article then spent several more pages singing Shinichi's praises from head to toe, calling him "the greatest medical genius to appear in the ninja world in the past century," while describing the Medical Scroll as "a revolutionary invention capable of changing the very nature of warfare."
Then, in the lower half of the front page...
The article abruptly changed direction.
With another eye-catching headline and an equally extensive feature...
The article then shifted its focus to the upcoming National Swordsmanship Tournament in the Land of Iron's capital—and to Isshin, the Ashina-ryū swordsman who had once made a pact with Higashino Shinichi in Konoha's arena to determine who would one day become the strongest in the ninja world.
In highly dramatic prose, the article revisited the sensational public match held in Konoha's arena the previous October:
"At that time, our Land of Iron sword master, Isshin, defeated one Konoha powerhouse after another on his own... until he finally came to a stop before Higashino Shinichi."
"That duel ultimately ended in a draw, with both men acknowledging one another and making a promise—to one day decide who would become the strongest in the ninja world."
"From that moment onward, their two names became intertwined like threads of fate, destined never to be separated again."
The article then turned its attention to the National Swordsmanship Tournament, which was about to begin.
As one of the favorites to win the championship, Isshin's record of challenging dojo after dojo and defeating masters from every school was given extensive coverage.
The article concluded with an especially grand declaration:
"One has tempered his edge in blood upon the battlefields of the ninja world, burning his enemies to ashes in crimson flames. One day, he will reign over the world as the Crimson Flame King!"
"The other has honed both sword and spirit amid the snow-covered dojos of the Land of Iron, advancing toward the summit with a blade capable of cutting through all techniques. One day, he will stand alone at the pinnacle of all samurai as the Sword Emperor of the Land of Iron!"
"Their paths to supremacy are completely different, yet they resemble two reflections cast from opposite sides of the same mirror. Their eventual duel will no longer be merely a contest between two prodigies—it will become the ultimate embodiment of what it truly means to be the strongest of this era."
"The Crimson Flame King... or the Sword Emperor of the Land of Iron..."
"Which of them is truly the strongest in today's ninja world?"
"We eagerly await the answer!"
...
"Sword Emperor of the Land of Iron?"
Inside a modest inn room, Isshin tossed the newspaper onto the table in disgust.
"What kind of ridiculous title is that?"
Couldn't they come up with a nickname that actually sounded cool?
He couldn't help grumbling to himself.
Then again...
The more outrageous the newspaper made things sound, the faster the story would spread.
Once the efficiency of upgrading his Entries increased...
Who cared what nickname they called him?
With that thought, Isshin stopped dwelling on it, flipped the newspaper over, and casually left it on the table.
...
Five days later.
Late at night.
The southeastern coast of the Land of Fire.
Heavy darkness blanketed the entire coastline in deep gray shadows.
Far out at sea, the waves rolled endlessly beneath the night, their dull roar echoing through the darkness.
And hidden within that endless blackness...
Countless dark figures raced silently across the waves toward the shore.
They stretched on without end.
At a glance, there were no fewer than ten thousand of them.
The entire force resembled an army of ghosts emerging from the depths of the sea, advancing in oppressive silence like a storm on the verge of breaking.
At their head...
Was Karatachi Yagura.
He was the first to step onto the soft sand.
With a flick of his wrist, the hooked staff strapped to his back quietly slid into his hand.
After coming to a stop, he swept his sharp gaze across the surroundings before quickly making a series of hand signals.
The next moment, dozens of shadows split away from the main force and shot off in every direction.
They were the elite reconnaissance squads, tasked with scouting the enemy ahead, detecting traps, and securing key vantage points to eliminate blind spots for the advancing army.
Immediately afterward, wave after wave of shinobi silently swept past Yagura and surged forward.
These were the elite assault units, each composed of experts skilled in rapid strikes and close combat.
Meanwhile, Yagura himself continued leading the massive main force.
Like an immense bank of storm clouds, they advanced steadily toward the headquarters of Konoha's Southeastern Army—
Rinkai City.
"Yagura-sama."
A short while later, two figures sped back from the front and dropped to one knee.
"We advanced all the way without encountering a single Konoha shinobi. Even after reaching Rinkai City, we found no defending forces. The city gates are standing wide open, and the entire city is pitch black. We suspected something was wrong and did not dare enter without orders, so we've returned to report."
Not good.
It's a trap!
Yagura's heart tightened instantly.
"Pass the order!"
"The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Divisions are to fall back immediately! Maintain a safe distance from the city! No one is to advance recklessly!"
"In addition, the entire army will switch to a defensive formation where they stand!"
"Post sentries in every direction—one every fifty meters, with two rotating shifts!"
"Without my direct order, no one is to take another step forward!"
"Reconnaissance teams!"
"Expand the search radius!"
"Search the outskirts of the city, the nearby villages, the forests on both flanks—even the coastline behind us! I want every inch checked!"
Lure the enemy in deep?
An ambush on both flanks?
A buried field of explosive tags?
Is Konoha planning to blow us all into the sky?
Or...
Is Higashino Shinichi hiding somewhere with his army, just waiting for me to enter the city...
...before springing...
The more Yagura thought about it, the more convinced he became that something was terribly wrong.
His expression grew increasingly grim.
A short while later...
"Report! No abnormalities found north of the city!"
"Report! No signs of Konoha shinobi activity west of the city!"
"Report! Every nearby village has been completely abandoned! The civilians evacuated in advance, and every house has been cleaned out!"
"Report! The city remains completely dark! No signs of defending forces can be observed from outside!"
A conspiracy!
There has to be a conspiracy!
Yagura frowned deeply before issuing another order.
"Search again!"
"Do not enter the city!"
"Find high ground outside the walls and scan the entire city with sensory ninjutsu! Check for any hidden chakra signatures!"
The reconnaissance team acknowledged the order and departed.
They returned a short time later.
"Report! No chakra signatures detected. There are no signs of shinobi hiding inside the city."
An enormous conspiracy!
Yagura's expression darkened further.
"Search again!"
"Circle the city!"
"Inspect the outside of the walls for traps, buried explosive tags, or concealed barrier techniques!"
The reconnaissance team departed once more.
Before long, they returned again.
"Report! Everything outside the city walls appears normal. No traps. No explosive tags. No barriers."
"Search again!"
"Inspect the water sources, bridges, and roads outside the city. See if any of them have been tampered with!"
"Report! The water sources are normal, the bridges are intact, and there are no signs that the roads have been dug up."
"Search again!"
The same cycle repeated for an entire hour.
When the reconnaissance team returned once more, Yagura gave the exact same order.
"Search again!"
"Yagura-sama!"
One of the scouts finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"We've already circled the city eight times. There really isn't anything there."
Yagura remained unmoved, his eyes still fixed on Rinkai City.
No one inside the city.
No one in the surrounding area.
That was precisely what made the situation the most dangerous.
It could only mean that Higashino Shinichi was plotting some enormous scheme, just waiting for the right moment to spring it on them.
The Konoha shinobi had to be hiding somewhere.
They just hadn't found them yet.
The moment they entered the city...
They would undoubtedly walk straight into a deadly trap.
"Pass the order!"
"The entire army will remain in position!"
"Double the number of sentries!"
"I want every movement within ten kilometers of the city reported immediately!"
Silence followed.
"...Yes, sir."
Another half hour passed.
Yagura stood motionless atop the command post, his expression grave as his mind raced through one possible conspiracy after another.
Finally, Chūkichi couldn't watch any longer.
He walked over and said, "Yagura... let me take a look."
Yagura turned toward him and studied him seriously.
After a long silence, he nodded.
"Chūkichi, be extremely careful once you're inside. I'm convinced Higashino Shinichi has tampered with something. He's definitely hiding some kind of ambush behind the scenes."
"I understand."
Chūkichi listened quietly, then vanished in a blur.
A short while later, he returned.
Standing before Yagura, his expression was... difficult to describe.
"Yagura..."
"There's really nothing in the city."
"Absolutely nothing."
"No shinobi."
"No civilians."
"Everyone's gone."
"The warehouses are empty."
"The houses are empty."
"Everything... is empty."
He paused before adding, as he looked at Yagura, who was still deep in thought, "They simply packed up the entire city... and handed it over to us."
Yagura's expression grew even more solemn.
No.
Something's definitely wrong.
Would Higashino Shinichi really be that generous?
But Chūkichi's sensory abilities couldn't be mistaken.
After all, he was Kirigakure's finest sensor.
After thinking it over, Yagura finally spoke.
"The rest of you will remain here."
"The First and Second Divisions will follow me into the city."
...
A short while later.
Inside Rinkai City.
Yagura stood in the middle of the deserted main street, his gaze sweeping across the neat rows of abandoned buildings lining both sides.
He silently stared at the empty city for a long time.
Then, without warning...
He laughed.
"Heh."
"Yagura, what's so funny?"
Standing beside him, the Three-Tails' jinchūriki, Hyakume Sōsuke, turned to him curiously.
Yagura withdrew his gaze.
A smile that no one could decipher lingered on his lips as he replied calmly, "Nothing in particular, senpai."
"I was just laughing at how Konoha has no courage... and Shinichi lacks wisdom."