In previous wars, it was not unheard of for Hyuga main house members to die in battle, but this was the first time a Byakugan had been seized by the enemy.
The incident immediately shook the entire Hyuga Clan and touched one of Konoha's most sensitive nerves.
To demonstrate the village's extreme seriousness regarding the matter, the third Hokage urgently dispatched Minato Namikaze to the southeastern coast in hopes of recovering the stolen Byakugan.
However, the third Hokage himself knew clearly that the chances were slim.
A strategic asset like the Byakugan would certainly be guarded by the Village Hidden in the Mist with airtight security. No matter how miraculous Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique was, it still had its limitations.
Sending him there was more about showing the Hyuga Clan the village's unwavering attitude and determination.
The second matter was the classified document personally delivered to him last night by his student, Orochimaru, bypassing the command at the northeastern headquarters entirely.
The file vaguely avoided explaining what mission was being carried out, only stating that if successful, it would certainly deal a devastating blow to the Village Hidden in the Cloud and might even force them to withdraw.
When the third Hokage saw that part, his brows immediately furrowed. Then, when he looked further down and saw the list of personnel assigned to the mission, his heart tightened even more.
Shinichi Higashino, Shinichi Battalion.
After reading it, he immediately performed the Summoning Technique to call Monkey King Enma. But unexpectedly, his old partner refused the summons, causing an ominous feeling to rise in the third Hokage's heart.
Thus, he made a decisive decision and had people contact the southwestern battlefield overnight, ordering Jiraiya to return to the village immediately and Tsunade to take over command of the southwestern front and continue grinding it out against the Village Hidden in the Sand.
And just moments ago, he performed the Summoning Technique once again. This time, Enma finally answered him, and from his old partner's mouth, the third Hokage learned everything that had happened in the Village Hidden in the Cloud.
The third Hokage was shocked, delighted, and frightened all at once!
He was shocked because his student Orochimaru had acted so recklessly and boldly, actually daring to secretly carry out such a dangerous operation without informing anyone. Even he, the Hokage himself, had only received a vague document bordering on a mere notice a few hours before the operation began. It was utterly lawless and completely undisciplined!
He was delighted because they had actually succeeded!
And the results far exceeded expectations. Not only had they successfully triggered the Eight-Tails' rampage and completely destroyed the Village Hidden in the Cloud's logistics and medical core, but afterward, under Shinichi's leadership, the Shinichi battalion had consecutively raided the Yotsuki ancestral grounds, destroyed the Raikage building, and shattered the statues of the successive Raikage.
Every single one of those pieces of news, every one of those achievements, was enough to be recorded in Konoha's history books.
What frightened him was that such an earth-shattering assault had undoubtedly driven the Village Hidden in the Cloud into total fury and madness.
The rage of the third Raikage and the entirety of the Village Hidden in the Cloud was certainly being poured entirely onto Shinichi and his battalion right now.
They were an isolated army stranded deep within enemy territory, facing the desperate encirclement of the entire Village Hidden in the Cloud, who was willing to pay any price!
Thus, the third Hokage immediately began preparing himself to personally head for the northeastern front.
Opportunities in war vanished in an instant, and Shinichi's safety was even more urgent.
After dressing completely, he turned toward the sturdy middle-aged man standing beside him and said, "Torifu, I'll leave the village to you during this period. If things go quickly, Jiraiya should return tonight."
Torifu Akimichi solemnly nodded and replied in a deep voice, "I will protect the village, Hiruzen. You must be careful on the front lines."
"I will!"
The third Hokage nodded, then turned toward the subordinate awaiting orders and loudly declared, "Transmit my order to the northeastern army corps! The entire army is to immediately enter maximum combat readiness! Once I arrive, launch a full-scale offensive at once!"
"Yes!"
That same night at eight o'clock, inside the command headquarters of Konoha's northeastern army corps.
The third Hokage sat at the head seat, quietly listening as chief strategist Shikaku Nara rapidly compiled and reported all current intelligence.
Although the Land of Fire was vast, for a ninja, especially a top-tier powerhouse like the third Hokage, distances were not actually very long. Had he not needed to wait for his personal guard unit and coordinate with intelligence stations along the route, he could have arrived by himself at full speed as early as the afternoon.
After listening to Shikaku Nara's briefing, the third Hokage turned toward a Root member inside the tent and directly asked: "Where is Danzo?"
The Root member lowered his head and answered, "Hokage-sama, Danzo-sama departed the camp early this morning with thirty comrades. He did not disclose their destination."
He was telling the truth. Danzo had informed no one before leaving today. Even the 30 Root members following him did not know what mission they would execute.
'That fellow, Danzo, was acting on his own again!'
The third Hokage slightly frowned, but this was not the time to investigate deeply. He stopped asking further questions and instead swept his gaze across every face inside the headquarters before loudly proclaiming: "The situation is clear. The opportunity has appeared. Hear my order! Northeastern army corps, launch a full offensive across the entire front! The target…"
"... The Land of Lightning!"
"Yes!"
Everyone inside the command headquarters answered in unison before rapidly dispersing.
Five minutes later, the Konoha army, which had already completed assembly before the third Hokage's arrival, awakened like a giant beast long dormant and began surging toward the border.
More than ten thousand ninja split into battalions, companies, and squads, silently melting into the night like countless blades slashing toward the north.
Konoha Year 47, March 23, night.
Under the personal command of the third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Konoha ninja army, which since the outbreak of war had remained entirely defensive and fought positional battles, launched an unprecedented large-scale offensive for the very first time.
More than ten thousand Konoha ninja aggressively crossed the borders of the Land of Fire, intending to pass through the Lands of Hot Water, Moon, and Frost, these small buffer nations, and directly assault the homeland of the Land of Lightning!
The codename for this operation was determined to be, save Konoha's Shinichi!
This Konoha's Shinichi could refer to the legendary unit known as the Shinichi Battalion, a force established only a little over a month ago that had not yet even received an official designation, yet had already achieved countless shocking feats, each more astounding than the last.
This Konoha Shinichi could also refer to the legendary boy himself, Shinichi Higashino, only eleven years old yet already among the ranks of the Shinobi World's strongest, whose military achievements since the outbreak of war surpassed the entire army and whose name resounded throughout the entire Shinobi World.
And in the hearts of most of the ninja participating in this operation, although none said it aloud, they clearly understood that the codename referred to Shinichi Higashino himself.
This boy, who had already been the village's brightest rising star before the war and who had ascended during wartime like a dazzling meteor, clearly carried far more weight in the third Hokage's heart than anyone had imagined.