"An alliance!"
Itsuki said calmly, "Other than this plan, do you all have any other solutions?"
"No single village alone has anyone who can match Uchiha Obito."
Except me!
Right now, capturing the Nine-Tails is like catching a big cat!
The nine-tailed beasts are just like nine cats. And, in fact, I've even got a real cat at home.
I heard it's getting so fat lately that it's almost turning into a ball.
But why should I let you people have it easy?
Several people remained silent.
Indeed, Obito is incredibly strong!
An uncertain number of White Zetsu, plus nine-tailed beasts.
Even if the Eight-Tails can't be used, or some other tailed beasts can't be mobilized, the forces he has available are still incredibly overwhelming.
No single village stands a chance against him.
Including the Fire Hidden Village established by Uchiha Itsuki!
"Fine, an alliance!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"Hm!"
After these brief words, all eyes turned to the silent Hokage.
The Fifth Hokage—Hatake Kakashi!
This time, he didn't bring Jiraiya.
Even Might Guy was left outside.
He entered the meeting hall accompanied only by two Anbu members.
He quietly entered while there was a dispute earlier.
It was as if he had been invisible, offering no opinions, giving no assessments; even during the earlier fight, he stayed quietly in the corner.
Not participating!
Not commenting!
Everyone just ignored me!
However, at this moment, staying silent wasn't an option.
"Hokage!"
The Tsuchikage said coldly, "You've been quiet from the start. Tell us, what exactly is your position?"
Kakashi raised his head, his gaze briefly sliding over Itsuki.
"Konoha has no objections; we agree to the alliance!"
"In that case, let's all be transparent and lay out how many shinobi are in each village."
Itsuki smiled and said, "Also, I will take the role of the supreme commander, leading all the ninja forces. Any objections?"
The other Kage fell silent.
The Tsuchikage and Raikage exchanged glances and reluctantly nodded.
They couldn't beat him!
They were left with no choice.
Although the supreme commander doesn't necessarily have to be the strongest, when the level gap is this big, do you really feel comfortable ordering that person around?
Besides!
They all knew what kind of person Uchiha Itsuki was.
The strongest village!
The most powerful subordinates!
He controlled the Akatsuki organization!
His power was the greatest in the ninja world!
Most importantly, he was the type to flip the table at the slightest disagreement!
The Raikage and Tsuchikage were sure that if Uchiha Itsuki wasn't the commander-in-chief, the ninja world would inevitably split in two.
With Mist, Sand, and Fire Hidden Villages on one side.
And Stone and Cloud on the other.
Konoha's stance was unclear.
Even though Konoha's current situation was largely due to Uchiha Itsuki, they had no clue what Kakashi thought.
Politics!
What's politics, really?
Is it still politics if everything is normal?
So Kakashi supporting Uchiha Itsuki—that's the proper political choice!
Given that, they had no option but to choose Itsuki.
It was an unavoidable decision.
Even if they hated it!
Especially the Raikage, who always felt a strange sensation, as if Uchiha Itsuki had stolen something important from him.
Mifune felt speechless.
If everyone had already made their choice, then why bother having this meeting?
What was the point of him even being here?
To get beaten up?
Mifune was full of grievances.
After showing up, he had gotten nothing out of it, barely spoke a few words, and ended up almost losing his life.
Not once, but twice!
Earlier, he'd been ambushed by White Zetsu.
Their sneak attack had caught him off guard, and it took a lot of effort to escape.
For what?
"Very well!"
Itsuki nodded and said, "Since everyone acknowledges my role as the supreme commander, I will do my utmost to serve ninja world."
With that, he looked around and then, to everyone's shock, plopped himself down on the table.
"As the supreme commander, I can't just sit on the same chairs as everyone else. Sitting on the table makes much more sense, right?"
"..."
This guy…
Kurotsuchi looked curiously at Uchiha Itsuki, a twinkle in her eyes.
So, this was the Uchiha Itsuki who gave her grandpa so many headaches?
Apparently, he wasn't much older than her.
Yet, he had already become the first Kage of his village!
The strongest shinobi in the ninja world, who also forged the strongest hidden village.
How shocking!
His behavior was certainly unconventional, enough to make Grandpa's beard stand on end.
Pretty frustrating.
Weirdly satisfying, though!
"Ahem, ahem!"
Ōnoki noticed his granddaughter's gaze and quickly coughed a few times.
What are you looking at?
Don't look!
This guy is a notorious rogue in the ninja world, a womanizer who's already ensnared multiple Kage.
My granddaughter is off-limits.
Not only is she my granddaughter, but also the future Tsuchikage of Iwagakure. She must not be led astray by Uchiha Itsuki.
Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes.
Grandpa had been warning her since they left the village.
Honestly, do those warnings even work?
If I'm unwilling, nobody can force me. And if I am willing, no one can stop me either.
"Everyone, my first order is to gather all the ninjas and resources in each village!"
Itsuki's gaze swept across the room, his smile fading. "The role of the commander is pretty clear to all of us. I just want to say that, for the sake of your lives, cooperate fully. If anyone doesn't comply…"
His eyes suddenly turned cold.
"Then the others will jointly attack, regardless of the situation—even if we're fighting Obito at that moment. At the very least, I will order Fire Hidden Village to strike with full force until the non-compliant side is completely destroyed."
"Don't think there's any room for negotiation!"
"That's a pretty crazy order!"
Ōnoki laughed. "I agree. During wartime, that's how things have to be!"
At such a critical moment, if the villages were still thinking about preserving their strength, they were as good as dead.
The other Kage nodded in agreement with this order.
"The second order!"
Itsuki raised a second finger. "Mobilize the entire ninja world; every shinobi must participate, without exception."
He turned his gaze to Mifune, smiling. "That includes the samurai. We must gather all the strength we have."
"Of course!"
Mifune straightened up and said firmly, "I have long been prepared for this. Given what's at stake for the ninja world, all lives within it are involved."
"With that understanding, things will be fine!"
Itsuki nodded. "The third order: Deploy all sensory ninja to locate Uchiha Obito's whereabouts. I don't care how many White Zetsu there are; I refuse to believe we can't find them."
"Alright!"
The Kage nodded.
These orders were reasonable, and they could follow them.
They all understood that being the commander wasn't necessarily hard work.
It was just a title.
If the other Kage refused to listen, what could you really do?
Of course, with Itsuki, it was different. He would simply eliminate any dissenters!
That was why no one objected to him becoming the supreme commander.
...
"Is it really over just like that?"
Konan seemed a bit stunned.
Something that shook the whole ninja world decided by just a few words?
"What do you think?"
Itsuki rolled his eyes. "You know this affects the entire ninja world; who has the luxury of sitting around debating for days?"
"As for internal conflicts or power struggles…forget about that. With me here, there is no other candidate for commander."
In the original story, Mifune was doing this and that.
At this moment, nothing more needs to be said. As Uchiha Itsuki stood there, everything fell into place.
The other ninja villages were also well aware of what was happening.
"But..."
Konan still found it hard to accept.
"The thoughts of those at the top—people at lower levels should never try to guess them, because you simply can't."
Itsuki spoke calmly: "Perhaps, in your minds, you have all kinds of fantasies, thinking that our talks would involve conflict, threats, or schemes..."
"The truth is, when we want to get something done, it can be resolved with just a few words."
"We all understand each other's boundaries. As long as we don't cross them, we can cooperate well. Understand?"
Konan nodded blankly. "Then, the Hidden Rain Village..."
"Follow the Hidden Fire Village's lead!"
Itsuki spoke bluntly: "Besides that, what else do you want to do? With the number of people in your village, do you think you could withstand even one Tailed Beast Bomb?"
Konan gave him a sidelong glance and said coldly, "I have a hundred billion explosive tags!"
Itsuki fell silent.
...
After a brief discussion.
The various Kage returned to their respective villages.
And then, the entire ninja world began operating at high speed.
All sensory ninja were sent out to locate Uchiha Obito and White Zetsu.
Everyone was confident about finding Obito.
As long as they worked together, no one in the entire ninja world could escape.
The real fear was people working against each other.
Then!
The resources of each village began to be mobilized.
Ninjas were assigned numbers and began organizing into ninja armies.
Itsuki very straightforwardly handed over this task to Nara Shikaku.
If you don't use the strongest brain in the ninja world at a time like this, then when would you?
In the original story, the ninja army took shape in a short time, thanks in large part to Nara Shikaku.
Although in the end, Itsuki found it increasingly inexplicable.
It seemed like the group divisions didn't really help!
At least—
The effect on the war wasn't all that significant!
The temporary headquarters, with the help of the Iwagakure ninja, was completed in no time.
Konoha!
Or rather, close to the Hidden Leaf Village!
This was the core area of the ninja world, close to all the surrounding ninja villages, allowing them to set out for anywhere at any time, at the fastest speed possible.
The Kage, along with their aides, gathered here again.
Itsuki's long-awaited mature lady, Mabui.
She finally appeared before Itsuki.
The dark-skinned beauty had arrived, but where was the fair-skinned one?
Where was Samui?
Itsuki turned and looked seriously at the Raikage, speaking in a deep voice: "Raikage, I think you haven't revealed all of Kumogakure's power."
"What?"
The Raikage was stunned, his face darkening. "Mokukage, I don't know what you're talking about. Almost all of Kumogakure's power is openly displayed, except for some children."
"Is that so?"
Itsuki asked skeptically, "I've heard there's a fair-skinned lady named Samui in your village. Why haven't I seen her?"
"....."
I want to kill you so badly!
This thought crossed everyone's mind at the same time.
Including Mabui!
She had long heard of the Mokukage's style, and today it lived up to its reputation.
At the same time, she felt a vague sense of crisis.
Since she arrived, Itsuki had kept looking at her from time to time.
Could it be...
This jerk had his eye on her?
No way!
Absolutely not!
"Phew!"
The Raikage swallowed his anger several times before managing to suppress it, gritting his teeth. "There is indeed a Samui in Kumogakure, but she's a combat ninja and will soon be deployed to the front lines."
"I see!"
Itsuki looked a little disappointed. "Forget it then!"
"..."
Can someone like this really lead us to victory?
"By the way!"
Itsuki suddenly asked, "Any news about Orochimaru?"
"No!"
Yamanaka Inoichi stepped forward and said, "All sensory ninja are out, but there's been no sign of Orochimaru."
"Sigh!"
Itsuki sighed deeply. "Great, another big headache."
"Headache?"
"Edo Tensei!"
Itsuki said helplessly, "Congratulations, everyone—you'll be fighting against the previous Kage."
"Edo Tensei?"
Everyone's expression changed.
Onoki gritted his teeth and said, "That bastard Tobirama should never have invented such a jutsu."
"What's done is done. We've used it before, so there's no point in dwelling on it. Let's all think carefully about how to handle sealing ninja."
Itsuki shook his head calmly, "In this battle, don't hold anything back. Go all out!"
Whoosh!
He lightly shook his arm, and a few kunai flew out, caught by the Kage.
"These kunai have my Flying Raijin mark on them!"
Itsuki explained, "Keep them—you might find them useful!"
The Kage nodded, deep in thought.
With these kunai, they could count on Itsuki's support at any time.
This was crucial.
Itsuki had proven more than once that he could take on an entire village on his own.
Although this battle was all-in, there were many people they could not afford to lose...
In such cases, Itsuki's Flying Raijin would be of great help.
"Commander!"
At this moment, Yamanaka Inoichi said excitedly, "We have a lead—White Zetsu! Sensory ninja detected a large number of White Zetsu in one location."
"Oh, that was fast—nice!"
Itsuki smiled, walking over to the map. "Looks like they're out of hiding. Everyone, prepare to attack!"
The Kage present all bared their teeth in anticipation.
Even though the ninja army was still organizing, once the enemy was found, an attack would be launched.
Ready or not, it made no difference!