Reborn in the Shinobi World with an Arceus Inside

"The Second Great Ninja War has broken out?"

Kaito, who was only halfway to his destination, heard the explosive news, but he wasn't surprised.

He had long since deduced from Kushina's age that the war would likely erupt within the next year or two, so he had specifically chosen this time to set out. A stark contrast to the him from two years ago who needed to flee from war, he now had complete confidence in his ability to protect himself amid the chaos—unless, of course, he was ganged up on by ninja from all four nations at once.

'They wouldn't hate me that much, would they? I'm just a chef, after all.'

Now that the war had just begun, the various nations' ninja forces had not yet had time to establish their front lines on the borders. This made it relatively easy for Kaito to slip into the Land of Rain from the direction of the Land of Rivers. Later on, when the conflict devolved into a messy war of infiltration, it would be even easier to fish in troubled waters.

Why insist on entering the Land of Rain at this particular moment? It was, of course, for Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan—three high-quality "tools." He had long considered the trio to be in his pocket and had no intention of letting the simple-minded Jiraiya get to them.

Nagato, especially, had been targeted by that old schemer. Jiraiya wouldn't know how to handle him; only someone like Kaito could.

In a brief moment, all these thoughts had already flashed through his mind.

Coming back to his senses, Kaito clapped his old apprentice on the shoulder. "Ryo, you head to the capital on your own. I need to pick up the pace."

With that, he waved and vanished, leaving a bewildered Ryo behind.

"Who's the real master here, anyway?!"

Ever since the declaration of war, the great behemoth that was Konoha had begun to operate at full capacity. Ninja could be seen leaping across rooftops everywhere in the village, and the tense atmosphere was palpable.

In the meeting room of the Hokage Tower, the Third Hokage and the village elders were holding a strategy session.

"After much discussion, we have decided to dispatch two vanguard forces into the Land of Rain to fortify a forward base and conduct reconnaissance," Homura Mitokado, appointed as the chief of war strategy, announced in a solemn tone. "The northern vanguard will be led by the three of you: Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya. Your primary opponents will be Rock and Rain ninja, so the pressure on you will be relatively high. Remember not to get greedy for glory and advance recklessly."

"Yes, sir!" Tsunade and the others replied in unison, their expressions serious.

"As the Land of Wind has not yet declared war on us, the southern vanguard will face less pressure. They need only monitor the movements of the Rain ninja. Sakumo Hatake will be in command."

"Yes, sir!" a cold-faced, white-haired young man responded.

The Third Hokage stood up and declared loudly, "All jonin and chunin assigned to the vanguard forces, identify your commanders and assemble by tonight at the latest to head for the battlefield! The main army will not arrive at the front for at least ten days. You are to use these ten days to solidify our defensive lines and ensure the enemy is held outside our borders!"

"Yes, sir!"

After the meeting ended, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru walked outside together.

"Tsunade, I heard your little brother Nawaki just graduated from the academy and hasn't found a teacher yet. What do you think of me?" Jiraiya sidled up to Tsunade with a grin, only to be shoved aside in disgust.

"Matters like that are for Lord Hokage to arrange. What are you worrying so much for?" Tsunade retorted, though her mind was as clear as a mirror.

'As the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, Nawaki can't leave the village. Lord Hokage will probably teach him personally, but the old man doesn't have time to teach Nawaki right now, does he?'

With that thought, Tsunade waved goodbye to her two teammates. "I'm going home to pack. Don't be late, especially you, Jiraiya!"

"Hey, I'm never late!"

Behind her, Jiraiya's boisterous voice and Orochimaru's cold sarcasm drifted over, and Tsunade rolled her eyes.

When she got home, she happened upon a sullen-looking Nawaki.

"Sis, why can't I go fight? I want to do my part for the village, too!"

"Ensuring your own safety is the biggest help you can give the village right now. You should know what kind of disaster Konoha would face if the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside you were to break free," Tsunade said, her tone carrying a gentleness Jiraiya would never experience.

"I'm not that weak…" Nawaki tried to argue, but seeing Tsunade's clenching fist, he wisely gave up.

"Just stay in the village and obediently study your sealing jutsu." Tsunade patted his head. "Get stronger. When you're even more powerful than I am, Lord Hokage will agree to let you leave the village."

"Okay!"

Early the next morning, Konoha's vanguard forces set out.

At the same time, Kaito, who had been traveling all night, had just set foot in the Land of Rain.

"So this is the Land of Rain? It's not raining right now, at least."

It rained in the Land of Rain for more than three hundred days a year. The rainwater flowed over and under the ground, eventually converging in the massive inland lake at the country's center.

The Village Hidden in the Rain was built upon this lake, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

'Nagato's parents were killed by Konoha ninja, which means his home should be in the conflict zone between Konoha and the Rain Village, but it should be quite a distance from the border.' Kaito checked his direction and decided to slowly make his way inward from the Land of Fire's border. The Land of Rain wasn't that large, and it didn't have many villages.

At some point, the sky had turned a dreary gray, and a light drizzle began to fall.

Kaito put on the raincoat he had prepared, pulled up the hood, and his figure gradually blurred in the rain before disappearing completely.

No one could have predicted that the first battle would not be between Konoha and the Rain, but between the Rain and the Rock.

The Rock Village, always known for its large population, directly dispatched several thousand ninja in a three-pronged attack on the Land of Rain. One prong was meant to be the main force against the Rain Village, while the other two were sent to tie up Konoha and the Sand Village. It seemed their plan was to defeat the Land of Rain with their own strength and gain an early advantage.

However, the Rock Village's calculations were wrong. Their main force was unable to quickly take down the formidable Rain Village, and the war entered a stalemate. The other two forces also encountered stiff resistance.

It was worth noting that Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were surrounded by Rock ninja and fell into a perilous situation. They nearly lost their lives, but fortunately, reinforcements arrived in time to save them.

As the other nations poured large numbers of ninja troops into the conflict, the Rock Village's initial numerical advantage was gradually erased. The Land of Earth slowly fell into a disadvantage; fighting three nations at once was, after all, a bit of a stretch.

"Lord Tsuchikage, we can't go on like this. We should pull back our lines and focus our strength on attacking one nation first."

"Hmph, damn it! We were so close!" The more Onoki thought about it, the more unwilling he was to concede.

Just then, a new, urgent intelligence report arrived.

"What? The Land of Lightning is making a move? They want to take this opportunity to invade us? In their dreams!" Enraged, Onoki smashed the desk in front of him. "All troops are to withdraw from the Land of Rain! Let those three nations fight it out themselves. We're going to defend against the Land of Lightning!"

"Huh?" The subordinate thought he had misheard.

"What do you mean, 'huh'? If we can't take down the Land of Rain quickly, we'll get bogged down," Onoki snorted. "Besides, that Hanzo of the Salamander is no simple character. I misjudged him. Let Konoha and the Sand grind themselves down on that old bone!"

"I see! Lord Tsuchikage is wise!"

The Land of Earth came in a hurry and left in a hurry, leaving the other three nations completely bewildered.

The Land of Wind's ambitions were stirred. While still fighting the Land of Rain, they launched a brazen attack on the Land of Fire's positions.

The three nations had begun a massive, chaotic melee.