"The First Division is composed of ninja skilled in mid-range combat, the Second Division specializes in close-quarters combat, the Third Division is a mid-short range support unit..."
On the border of the Land of Lightning, the Ninja Allied Forces were gathering.
With the combined armies of the ninja world, this time, a total of eighty thousand ninjas assembled together.
After the five Kage gathered, each of them stood solemnly on a high peak, looking down at the dark, densely-packed Allied Forces, divided into five divisions.
"Who would have thought that the ninja from our five great villages would one day join forces,"
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, showed a sly smile, clearly plotting something in his mind.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Raikage, A, put on an impulsive act, coldly snorting,
"I must avenge Killer Bee! After we defeat Akatsuki, the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails must be returned to Kumogakure!"
No one would have guessed that this supposedly hot-headed Raikage was already secretly plotting. Everything at this moment was just an act.
"Ara~, the Allied Shinobi Forces, huh? I think this will be quite interesting."
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, spoke with a charming laugh, glancing at Tsunade as if to say, 'See? We're all acting here.'
The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, kept a cold, unreadable expression.
Only the commander of this Allied Force, the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, snorted coldly,
"Everyone should keep their ninja in line. Before we even fight Akatsuki, let's not have internal strife among ourselves."
Tsunade bluntly called out the tension within the Allied Forces. Though divided into five divisions, the ninja below all looked at each other with suspicion and dislike.
There was just too much hatred between the villages.
Once again, Onoki tried to smooth things over with a chuckle,
"Akatsuki may have their supposed 100,000 White Zetsu and reanimated powerful ninja from the past, but I believe the Hokage's Wood Release will once again bring the ninja world under control."
Onoki was testing Tsunade's confidence.
But this time, Tsunade faced everyone and, with a grave expression, said coldly,
"There's an extremely important piece of intel I need to share. During our research into the Edo Tensei over in Konoha, we found that we can no longer summon the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and several other powerful ninjas.
The nature of this forbidden jutsu is to summon the souls of the dead. I think you all know what I mean."
As Tsunade's words echoed, the faces of the other Kage changed.
She was saying that Akatsuki had already dug up the graves of their dead.
For this forbidden jutsu, whoever uses it first, owns it.
But how much of what they showed was genuine shock and how much was an act—only the Kage themselves knew.
Meanwhile, among the densely-packed Allied Forces below, resentment and division simmered under the surface.
"Is it okay to let a kid from Sunagakure lead a division?"
"Exactly, even if he's Kazekage, he's so young—it's hard not to worry."
Among the Iwagakure and Kumogakure ninja, there was plenty of mockery and dissatisfaction. The Allied Force was divided into five divisions.
The Fourth Division, the long-range support, worked with intelligence and supported the front lines. Its captain was the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara.
Gaara's rank was high enough, but his youth and lack of reputation compared to the other Kage made him the subject of the most doubt.
Even the Fifth Mizukage, from the Bloody Mist, wasn't questioned—anyone who could rise to power in that environment, woman or not, had to be a killer.
"Shut up! Gaara-sama isn't a kid!"
The ninjas from various villages were already mixed together. In the Fourth Division, there were ninjas from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.
Hearing these comments about his Kage, a Sand ninja glared at the others.
"You don't know anything, so stop talking nonsense!"
"Don't get cocky! Wasn't it your Konoha rogue ninja who attacked Killer Bee and disrupted the Five Kage Summit?!"
Ninjas from the five villages started quarreling. The Allied Forces looked united, but their hearts were not.
Only under overwhelming external pressure would they truly unite.
Most of the ninjas had only heard of Akatsuki's strength through intelligence, not through firsthand experience.
But this time, the Gaara who saw the commotion below was not the original, who would have believed in Naruto's talk-no-jutsu and the utopia of peace through trust.
This Fifth Kazekage Gaara was from another world. After the Chunin Exams Collapse, he'd stayed in Konoha, teamed up with Uchiha Sasuke and Namikaze Naruto, and been steeped in the Will of Fire.
"Gaara!"
As the other division commanders looked over, wanting to see how the youngest Kage would handle this, Gaara suddenly snorted coldly.
"Oh no!"
"Damn, what is this?!"
Amid the Fourth Division's chaos, yellow sand suddenly surged underfoot, and the sky filled with a roaring sandstorm.
Gaara's display of power shocked even seasoned Jonin.
"What terrifying chakra!"
"Kazekage has such a terrifying amount of chakra!"
Gaara, exuding an overwhelming chakra pressure, walked forward coldly and barked,
"Ninja should put the mission first! If anyone in the Fourth Division causes any more disorder or internal strife, you'll be executed as traitors! Right now, your identity is Allied Shinobi Forces, and I am your captain!"
The killing intent was so real that even the elite Jonin broke out in a cold sweat—this Gaara wasn't bluffing.
The Fourth Raikage, A, seeing this, glared in anger. What was Gaara trying to do?
"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Otherwise, we'll fall apart before even facing Akatsuki."
Onoki, seeing this, smiled shrewdly, then signaled his aide, Kurotsuchi, to send orders to all Iwagakure ninja: obey the Allied Forces, or be executed as traitors.
Other villages followed suit, and resentment was finally suppressed, bringing peace to the ranks.
"So that's how you do it. I have to admit, it's effective,"
Kakashi, the Third Division captain, scratched his white hair and joked lazily.
First Division captain Darui simply nodded quietly.
"Move out! Prepare to face Akatsuki!"
The Five Kage moved to the front and called out, and the Allied Forces erupted in a deafening roar.
Perhaps the Allied Forces' response was more for their own Kage.
As the Five Kage smiled at the tsunami of voices, a figure appeared before Onoki.
"Third Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi has returned."
"Mm."
Onoki's expression didn't change, just nodded slightly.
Beside him, the Fourth Raikage, A, quietly took his place, lips unmoving, but the two began to communicate.
"Onoki, let's join forces. Otherwise, the ninja world will fall to Akatsuki or Konoha, and we'll have no chance."
"Heh heh, Raikage, do you think just the two of us can win? With Tsunade's Wood Release, we have no chance."
"Hmph! What's there to fear? We still have Sunagakure. If the three great villages join forces, I don't believe Akatsuki and Konoha can both walk away unscathed."
In private, Onoki and A seemed to reach an agreement to join forces.
Afterward, when the Allied Forces set out, Onoki met Kurotsuchi alone on a rocky outcrop.
"Kurotsuchi, did you find anything in the other world?"
Unlike the sly and composed Onoki from before, now he looked anxious seeing his granddaughter.
Things were out of control. The two opposing sides were too powerful. Raikage A wanted to let both sides fight and then reign over the Land of Lightning, but Onoki had no interest in such naïveté.
He'd lived through the era of Hashirama and Madara when two giants pressed down on the entire ninja world.
"Grandpa!"
Kurotsuchi looked helpless, and to Onoki's shock, another Kurotsuchi appeared from behind a rock.
"Hey, old man, don't stare. We're both Kurotsuchi."
Two Kurotsuchi!
Onoki's eyes widened—another world existed, otherwise this would be impossible.
He also noticed changes in his granddaughter's clothes—she wore more refined garments and had a curse mark on her neck.
"Grandpa, everything you said is true. The other side of the Dragon Vein is a ninja world just like ours, with five great villages, but after the Second War..."
As Kurotsuchi explained, with the other Kurotsuchi chiming in, Onoki's worldview was completely overturned.
"So, you're the Fourth Tsuchikage over there!"
It took him a long time to recover. He stared at his other-world granddaughter—she was already Fourth Tsuchikage.
The new Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi glared and sneered, then released a terrifying pressure that made Onoki's face change color.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. There's a barrier here—no one outside can sense us. Now do you believe me? If you resist, I'll say it straight: Iwagakure will be destroyed..."
"Grandpa, Lord Shirou is truly powerful—really, he's like a god..."
At the mention of Uchiha Shirou, Kurotsuchi's eyes showed fanatical devotion, especially the curse mark on her neck.
Within the barrier, Onoki talked with his two granddaughters for a long time. Finally, he sighed and nodded.
"Looks like I'm old, out of touch with the times. But I have one condition: Iwagakure will support Uchiha Shirou unconditionally, but my granddaughter Kurotsuchi must be the Fourth Tsuchikage, just like you!"
Onoki was decisive in major matters.
…
While Onoki learned about the other world, the Fourth Raikage was quietly approaching the Kazekage Gaara.
"Kazekage, now we face an enemy so strong that our five great villages must join forces..."
The Fourth Raikage A, though frustrated, had to admit—they did need to unite.
He tried to win over Gaara, feeling they were comrades in misfortune, but he misunderstood one thing.
Even if this Gaara was from this world, he still firmly believed in Uzumaki Naruto's philosophy.
"Join forces?"
The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, looked coldly at the Raikage, a flash of killing intent in his eyes. But thinking of Lord Shirou's plan, he restrained himself.
"That's right, old man Onoki has already agreed to join me."
"When did I ever agree to team up with you, Raikage?" Suddenly, a teasing voice—it was Onoki.
"Onoki, you—!"
Raikage glared. This old guy was ruining his pitch.
But Onoki just smiled slyly, glancing at Gaara,
"But a three-village alliance wouldn't be impossible. None of us wants a god over the ninja world."
Seeing the Raikage's smile, Onoki couldn't help but feel contempt.
Raikage, you still don't see the situation. You're still thinking about your interests.
Faced with such powerful forces, you can only pick a side—not play both.
If you can't see your position, you'll be dealt with by whichever side wins.
If you hedge your bets, you have a fifty-fifty chance. But if your ambitions are too big, both sides will get rid of you first.
"Konoha's already been taken by the Uchiha and Senju clans, even Kirigakure may have been propped up by Konoha. Mei Terumi absolutely can't be brought in—at least not before the final battle."
The Raikage was resolute. With their three villages allied, he thought they could survive.
As for the Mizukage, he suspected she was just a Konoha puppet.
"All right, I agree to the alliance. But Raikage, you should at least explain the plan. After all, it's three great villages, not just us three."
Onoki put away his usual sly smile and grew serious.
But inside, he was helpless—of the three in this alliance, two were already Shirou's people. How could the Raikage hope to win?
Onoki also felt a little lucky.
Having seen divine power firsthand, he wouldn't have the Fourth Raikage's naïve courage.