Well guys, this is it. We're done.
Well. We're done with the buildup and foreshadowing, at least. After Chapter Twenty Eight, we hit the 'dreaded' Invasion. Who's gonna live through it? Who's gonna die? Who will the invaders be? What will the objectives be?
If I answered all of that, it would spoil half the fun.
Life is simply unfair... don't you think?
Simplistically, one could liken war to the flipping of a coin. There are two opposing sides, and once someone ignites the flames (flips the coin), the struggling won't stop until a victor - a result - is determined. Naturally a war lasts longer than a single flip of a coin, but it still works for an analogy.
The Invasion is that flip of a coin. Nothing ever came out of the Invasion in canon, but that largely had to do with the 'opposing sides' reconciling after it was discovered the Hidden Sand was manipulated into fighting the Hidden Leaf. The scope here... will be much, much larger, and far-reaching. Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand have a tight bond, but it will be put to the test through this Fourth Shinobi World War. Hidden Stone on one side of the Continent, and Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist on the other. There is also the little matter of 'experienced Jinchuriki', of which the Hidden Leaf and Sand do not have very many of. They have Rin Nohara, who has been a Jinchuriki for slightly longer than Naruto has been alive, and the other three - Naruto, Gaara, and Fu, are still learning to master their Tailed Beast Chakra. Hidden Cloud has two rather experienced Jinchuriki - Killer Bee and Yugito Nii. Hidden Stone has Roshi and Han. And Hidden Mist has Utakata. Utakata is perhaps the youngest of those five, but even he has a 'unique' mastery of the Six-Tails....
On top of the Big Five, there are the minor nations with their shinobi villages. Rain and Waterfall side with Leaf and Sand, while Grass is 'on-the-fence'. Hidden Sound is naturally allied with the Hidden Mist, but not necessarily the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Stone (though it may send reinforcements to them on occasion). Lands like the Land of Rivers, Land of Frost, Land of Hot Water, and Ishigakure..... will essentially be warzones. Not belonging to either side, after a while.
And who should be instigating all of this but the great Tailed Beast Hunters themselves? The Moon's Eye. War is the perfect backdrop for a Jinchuriki Hunt, because they'll all be out in the open, doing their very best for the countries they serve. The Moon's Eye will bring a lot to the table for both the Invasion and for the War; they need to, as 'allies' of the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud. Without their cloak and dagger efforts, there wouldn't even be a Fourth War... at least not so soon after the Third War. The Leader of this organization has also set his eyes on the Rinnegan of the Fifth Hokage. Will he succeed by the end of the Fourth War..?
And wouldn't it be interesting if they have a 'pet Jinchuriki' working to further their ends...? Stay tuned for the Invasion, as we kick it off in Chapter Twenty Eight of TToNU!
