Post by j8cob on Jan 13, 2014 5:02:41 GMT
16 Years Ago
The beginning of what was to become the largest conflict in history. The Shinobi World War did not suddenly ignite from a rapid series of events. Rather, it began slowly. Tensions rose as skirmishes between rival territories broke out along the borders. Trade dispute across nations was the first spark to the fire, and soon territory rights were dragged in. Political disputes boiled over into military action. The first formal battle of the Shinobi World War was seventeen years pre-IC, when Sunagakure scouts encountered an Iwagakure legion within their border. Surely, the other nations were dragged in one way or another. Konohagakure, led by powerful figures such as Daisuke Uchiha, Jinkama Moto, and Elder Koi, moved their forces along the border to prevent the spread of the Suna-Iwa conflict from spilling onto their land. This was misinterpreted as a sign of war, causing both sides to advance upon the nation. Kumogakure, led by the mysterious Genmyou and the eclectic Waki Sanosuke, took advantage of the distraction to move forces on Iwagakure, their long-standing trade rival. Kirigakure was the final village to enter the war, led by Shouji Suzu and Fumiyo Nagano, entering the war as an attempt to expand territory, though they were initially short of the Seven Swordsmen due to their eradication prior.
15 Years Ago
The early battles had mostly consisted of small formations of squads fighting over a key road or strategically important village. By now, however, most key locations had a "permanent" owner, so the scale of warfare began to grow. After all, the attacking force would need larger numbers than the defending. It was around this time the war started to get particularly... bloody. Konoha was fighting a three front war, defending from nearly all sides. This kept their line from shifting as they had to focus solely on the defensive. As well, two generals were lost around this time, leaving Konoha looking rather grim. However, a young Zakito Hon and Nakashima Senju began making names for themselves at this time. As well, Kumogakure began to see a rising star in Jinyaru Sanosuke. Speaking of, Kumogakure began to put into motion the early stages of an alliance with Konoha, as the two nations were the only ones not combatting each other and had common trade interests. Sunagakure and Iwagakure began to lose their steam around this time, with Suna being battered by Konoha and Iwa and Iwa being battered by it's three neighbors. On the other side of the world, Kirigakure forces had begun to make great strides in their campaign, with a new gathering of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and plenty of victories over their primary opponent: Konoha. Around this time, Amegakure began to form it's own military force as an attempt to protect it's territory from the warring nations around it, as recently they had begun encroaching upon it's territory. Though, it's military was in only in it's baby stages and stood next to no chance against any larger forces that wanted their way with the neutral Amegakure.
13 Years Ago
The winding down of the war. Sunagakure was the first village to resign from the war, having taken unsustainable losses and electing to avoid further. Iwagakure was losing a war as well, with the allied forces of Konoha and Kumo closing in they stood no chance but carried on. The Kirigakure/Konohagakure front had recently hit a stalemate, as the defending nation of Konoha finally got the chance to redirect the necessary forces. In this particular year, the First and Second Kazekage were killed, the First Tsuchikage was killed, the Second Hokage was killed, and the First Mizukage was killed. Many high ranking members on all sides met their ends, but no party was left leaderless. The Second Mizukage had been in charge since the start and continued with his plans, while a new Hokage and Tsuchikage were appointed. A new Kazekage was not appointed for another year. The Third Hokage, the young Zakito Hon mentioned before, was not formally inaugurated until after the war, so Jinkama Moto took control of Konohagakure forces with the passing of the Second. With new leadership, the aggressive efforts of Jinkama Moto and Zakito Hon pushed Kirigakure back into it's own territory while their allies in Kumo forced Iwagakure to resign from the war.
12 Years Ago
The conclusion of the Shinobi World War. Every country but Konoha and Kiri had resigned themselves from what was now known as The War. The last few months of the war consisted of Konoha forces overpowering Kiri forces over and over again, beating the shinobi back to their village. The final battle of the war took place less than five kilometers from Kirigakure itself, where the Second Mizukage was killed. The war was now officially over with the resignation by Kiri, leaving the world a battered place. Many small villages had been destroyed in the process, and some of the major villages had even seen damage. The loss of human life was incomprehensible at the time. Millions had died over the four and a half years of war. The Third Hokage was formally brought in and a Third Kazekage was finally chosen. The balance of power had since shifted since the beginning, however, with Sunagakure losing some of it's territory and Konoha asserting it's trade rights over other nations. The alliance with Kumogakure remained in place, making the two a superpower of the shinobi world. It would be over a decade before the alliance would be broken, which would cause another shift in the political landscape.
Around this time, an organization known as Dragon Lotus began to take root. Initially formed by the deceased Second Hokage years ago, the group began recruiting veterans of the Shinobi World War almost immediately after it ended. The few who knew about the organization before now didn't know who was in it anymore, due to the war altering it's roster drastically due to casualties. It would be years before they made any notable acts, but this was the beginning of the modern group. As well, the new Hokage in Konoha formed a clandestine organization of his own personal contacts known as the Hokage Guard. In Kirigakure, the beginning of a inwardly bloody feud across the city began, and their infamy of assassination business began to skyrocket following their defeat. Amegakure's military has finally been properly established, allowing it to be capable of combatting it's large neighbors, though it was too late to actively participate in the Shinobi World War itself.
11 Years Ago
Tensions had mostly settled by now. Though bitter resentment remained from the losing countries toward the Konoha/Kumo alliance. The Daimyo of all the nation gathered twice this year. The first time was to formally set up all agreements, to help prevent further warfare. Though, the meeting ended up becoming a heated debate and the results can be argued to be nonexistent. The second time was organized by an outside party in the form of Shoji Hakouten. Another attempt at patching up relations was made, as well as an attempt to head total disarmament from all parties by Shoji, but the negotiations ended the same as before. No progress was made, but at least things weren't made to be worse. Economies had begun to rebuild, and the various territories that managed to avoid the war were seeing the most of the profits being made. Particularly the Land of Iron. On the other end of the scale, shinobi dissent became an all-time high, with many shinobi leaving their villages from regret over the war. Though the rate was still marginally low, it was the highest it had ever been up until that point.