Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 284 We Will Never Back Down
"Teacher, do I really have to appear on camera later?" Yuan Yuxie was still a little nervous before the live broadcast started. After all, since he ascended the throne, he had basically been studying crickets in the palace, except for showing his face as a mascot at the grand court assembly.

But now, he was suddenly told that he had to appear in front of the entire nation, and Yuan Yuxie was still very nervous.

“There are some things that would be better for you to handle, but don’t worry.” Uchiha Touko patted the other’s head and said patiently, “You just need to show the people that our Land of Fire is confident that we can win this war. As for the rest, leave it to me.”

“I understand now.” Yuan Yuxie nodded. “I believe that teacher can definitely win this war.”

"Your Highness, Hokage, the live broadcast is ready." At this moment, a staff member from Konoha's television station reported to Uchiha Touko.

“Let’s begin.” Uchiha Touko nodded.

Soon, the figures of Uchiha Touko and Genji Yuuki appeared on the television screens of every household in the Land of Fire, and at the same time, radio broadcasts throughout the Land of Fire began to play them simultaneously.

"Fellow countrymen of the Land of Fire, I am Uchiha Tokō, the Grand Minister of State of the Land of Fire and the Fifth Hokage." Uchiha Tokō's gentle voice was transmitted to every corner of the Land of Fire via television and radio signals.

“Three days ago, Iwagakure suddenly launched a war against the Land of Grass, with its army pointing directly at the northwestern border of the Land of Fire. Meanwhile, the Land of Lightning, which had been eyeing us covetously, colluded with the rogue ninja of the fake Kirigakure to attack our closest ally and our base in the Land of Water.”

"Time and history will prove that this was a despicable sneak attack!"

"At this moment, I stand before you all, with no trace of complacency in my heart, only a heavy, life-or-death warning: war has already arrived!"

"Konoha ninjas, my brothers and sisters! Have you seen this stark truth?"

"The army of Iwagakure, like a silent torrent of rocks, is eyeing our borders with predatory intent, while the lightning blades of Kumogakure, driven by greed, are trying to tear apart the barrier upon which we depend for survival."

"They arrogantly believe that beneath Konoha's flourishing facade lies nothing more than lambs to the slaughter. They attempt to use this despicable sneak attack and pincer movement to crush the seeds of peace sown by the First Hokage, along with this beloved land beneath our feet, into dust! How can we tolerate this humiliation, this trampling of life and dignity? How can the backbone of Konoha be bent by coercion?"

"Konoha ninjas, now step outside and look at the Hokage Rock standing tall in the village! Look at the silent and solemn faces of the past Hokage on that Hokage Rock!"

"It was the First Hokage who, with his unparalleled Wood Release, secured a haven of peace for this chaotic world! It was the Second Hokage who, with his iron-fisted methods and wise systems, laid the foundation for Konoha; it was the Third Hokage who, with his compassionate heart and indomitable will, ensured the unbroken transmission of the Will of Fire; and it was the Fourth Hokage who, with his own body, protected our homeland!"

"What turbulent waves did they stand against? The flames of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the inferno of the Nine-Tails' rampage—each time they faced life and death hanging by a thread. Yet, Konoha never fell. The walls built by our forefathers with their flesh and blood, the flames ignited by their indomitable faith, pierced through the fog like a lighthouse in every dark moment, guiding us through desperate situations! This legacy, this will, has long been ingrained in our blood, imprinted deep within the soul of every Konoha ninja!"

Uchiha Touko's voice grew increasingly impassioned. At that moment, in a secluded room in the Hokage Building, the Senju brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama, watched intently as Uchiha Touko passionately spoke on the screen.

"I'm a little embarrassed by what Touko said," Hashirama Senju said, scratching his head and smiling.

"I have to admit, in terms of uniting people's hearts, Tobirama Senju has done a better job than any of our previous Hokage," Tobirama Senju sighed.

At this moment, Uchiha Touko's speech was still ongoing.

"Today, the ambitions of Iwagakure and Kumogakure are nothing more than a continuation of the greedy gazes of countless challengers in the past. They attempt to extinguish the flames of Konoha's generations of peace with the chill of war and to strangle our precious peace with despicable sneak attacks!"
"However, they did not understand why the name of Konoha resounded throughout the ninja world. It was not because of the superiority of its weapons and armor, but because of the indomitable spirit passed down from generation to generation!"

"Look around you—that's the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan, seeing through everything, guarding every secret of the village; that's the silent swarm of insects and loyal hounds of the Aburame and Inuzuka clans, seemingly weak, yet capable of devouring any invading enemy!; that's the 'Ino-Shika-Cho' trio of the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akimichi clans, their bond strong enough to turn the tide of battle; and there's Sarutobi, Kurama, and Uzumaki! And then there's our Uchiha Sharingan, seeing through all illusions, discerning truth and darkness! Every drop of flowing blood, every unique power, is an unshakeable root of Konoha, this towering tree! If the enemy wishes to destroy Konoha, they will first have to step over the corpses of each and every one of us!"

"Today's battle is not merely about protecting this roof and this land! We are protecting a possibility, a possibility symbolized by the Will of Fire, where children can play in the sunlight instead of crying in the smoke of gunpowder! We are protecting a dignity, the dignity of Konoha ninjas who win the right to live with their own hands and beliefs, refusing to live a life of humiliation under the blade! We are protecting a future, a future where the seeds of peace can sprout again, instead of being completely annihilated in the mire of power and betrayal!"

"If we retreat today, if we allow this atrocity to succeed, then the soul of Konoha will die with it, and the ninja world will once again fall into the eternal dark abyss of the survival of the fittest. This battle is not for empty glory, but for survival! For the survival of the Will of Fire! For the survival of hope itself!"

More and more people left their homes and came to the streets of Konoha. Uchiha Touko's voice echoed in their ears. Everyone, even the most stubborn and unruly people in Konoha, were solemn at this moment.

They knew that this war, which had already begun, was closely related to each and every one of them.

At this moment, Uchiha Touko sighed softly and then said:

"I am well aware that the road ahead in this war is fraught with peril. The enemy's numbers are like a dark cloud looming over us, and their tactics are despicable and insidious. We will experience an unprecedentedly bitter struggle, and the fight for every inch of land may come at an unimaginable cost in blood. I also know that fear is a natural human emotion."

"But, Konoha ninjas, I, in the name of the Fifth Hokage, implore you, at this moment, to transform this fear into a more resilient will, a more precise strike of the kunai, and a more fervent fighting spirit! Keep our enemy outside our borders!"

"We will strike hard at the first line of defense along the border!"

"We will fight for every inch of land amidst the burning flames and ruins of war!"

"We will build the last and strongest bulwark with our lives on the sacred land that our ancestors guarded!"

"We will fight to the very end on scorched earth, in every place where the enemy thinks we have no place to stand!"

"Even if our chakra is exhausted and we collapse from exhaustion, we must use our willpower to support our remaining bodies and tear at our enemies with our teeth!"

Even if we are surrounded and ambushed from all sides, we will stand back to back and shoulder to shoulder, so that the Konoha headband can reflect its last light in the blood and fire!

"Even if the forests are burned to ashes and homes are covered in scorched earth, as long as there is one Konoha ninja standing, as long as there is one finger that can form hand seals, as long as the heart still beats in the chest, the fire of Konoha will never be extinguished! The Will of Fire will never surrender!"

With that, Uchiha Touko raised his Divine Robe and drew his Lightning Bolt sword. "I, Uchiha Touko, swear in the name of the Fifth Hokage that my Sharingan will watch over the darkest corners of the battlefield, and my figure will stand at the forefront of the battle! My Lightning Bolt will be stained with blood with you, and my fate will be intertwined with that of Konoha!"

"Now, pick up your kunai and grip your ninja tools tightly!"
Let the enemy see what the spirit of Konoha ninja truly is!

Let the conspiracy of Hidden Rocks and Hidden Clouds pale in comparison to our indomitable will!
In the name of the Hokage, in the name of Konoha—

Let our roars echo through the heavens! Let our will shake the earth!
For survival, for dignity, for the inextinguishable will of fire, advance! Fight! Konoha—victory is assured!

"Victory is certain!" Exhilarating shouts rose from every corner of Konoha. At this moment, every villager in Konoha, whether a ninja or not, shared the same belief: they would surely win this war!

Uchiha Touko listened to the cheers that pierced through several walls, nodded slightly, sheathed his sword, and looked at Minamoto no Miyaku with an encouraging gaze.

Genjiro nodded to Uchiha Touko, straightened his magnificent robes that represented his daimyo status, and then approached the camera and microphone.

After the shouts outside subsided a little, Yuan Yuxie slowly spoke.

"I am the daimyo of the Land of Fire, Minamoto no Mikihisa."

Gen Yuxie's slightly immature voice was broadcast throughout the Land of Fire via television and radio. Those who heard the voice were initially taken aback, as this was the first time most people in the Land of Fire had ever heard the voice of their lord.

"My teacher has already said what needs to be said, so I will not repeat myself. I firmly believe that our Fire Kingdom will be the final victor in this war. There may be sacrifices in this war, but please believe that I will always be with you! I look forward to the day when you return in triumph, and at that time, I will personally award medals to the returning soldiers!"

After Genji finished speaking, deafening cheers rang out again in Konoha. The daimyo personally giving a pre-battle pep talk was something that had never happened before in the entire ninja world.

After the cheers subsided, Minamoto no Miyakuya continued, "Today, I, Minamoto no Miyakuya, the 13th Daimyo of the Land of Fire, stake my Land of Fire on its very existence!"

Yuan Yuxie paused briefly, then said, word by word with unwavering determination:

"To the Land of Earth! War!"

"Declare war on the Land of Thunder!"

"Attack the rebels of the Water Kingdom! War!"

Meanwhile, envoys from the Land of Fire, carrying declarations of war and protected by ninjas, set off for other countries. Each envoy wore an expression of resignation, for the ninja world had no rule against killing envoys during wartime. These civil officials knew they might not return, but their steps remained resolute.

Before they set off, Uchiha Tokō, in his capacity as Grand Minister of State, made a promise that regardless of whether they returned or not, as long as they did not tarnish the reputation of the Land of Fire, their names would be recorded in the annals of the Land of Fire. For a civil official, this was the greatest honor in the world!

After finishing his speech, Uchiha Touko returned to the command center of the Hokage Building. All the high-ranking officials of Konoha, except for the garrison commander stationed outside and Shisui who led the vanguard to support Fugaku, were present. Among them, Hyuga Neji and Uchiha Sasuke, the two outstanding young talents, stood at the very front of the group.

"Shikaku, send a letter to the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, instructing them to transfer their troops to the northwestern border to join us in a pincer movement against Iwagakure," Uchiha Touko instructed, staring at the map.

"Yes!" Nara Shikaku nodded.

"Kakashi, you will lead Konoha's First Army to land in the southern part of the Land of Water to support the vanguard that Shisui brought earlier. You must stop the allied forces of Kumogakure and Northern Pseudo-Kirigakure outside the Land of Water."

"Yes!" Kakashi nodded in acceptance.

"Cho-za, you, Ino-Shika-Cho, will lead the Second Legion to rendezvous with Commander Shii and Commander Jaw, and then head directly towards the border of the Land of Lightning, pushing the battlefield beyond the country's borders!"

"Yes!" Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Nara Shikaku, who rushed back to the General Staff after issuing the notice, all nodded in unison.

"Asuma, take the Third Legion and meet up with Commander Hiashi, who arrived at the border some time ago. Then, cross the border directly and attack from the direction of the Land of Grass. The troops from the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind will come to your aid."

"Yes!" Asma nodded in acceptance.

"Sasuke, Neji." Uchiha Touko turned to his two disciples. "Each of you will lead an elite force to infiltrate the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, destroy their fortifications, and inflict as much damage as possible on their supply lines."

"Yes!" Sasuke and Neji exchanged a glance and then nodded in agreement to the task.

"And I..." Uchiha Touko glanced around at everyone, "I will be able to provide support to you at any time with the help of the Flying Thunder God Team."

"Remember, when facing the enemy, fight boldly and confidently. I will always be behind you!" Uchiha Touko said.

"Yes, sir!" Everyone in the command post nodded vigorously in unison, and then saluted at the same time.

"loyalty!"

(End of this chapter)