Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged a quiet, meaningful glance. Neither of them needed to say it aloud—without Naruto, they might never have seen each other again.
The Fourth Raikage, A, furrowed his brows in confusion and turned to Naruto.
"Oi, Naruto… why was it that in the illusion just now, I only had one hand?"
Naruto spread his hands casually, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, you could say that's one of the… changes after I came back. In the previous timeline, Lord Raikage, you lost your own hand in a battle—cut it off yourself."
C, standing nearby, frowned deeply.
"In today's shinobi world, who could possibly force Lord Raikage to willingly cut off his own hand?"
The Raikage thought for a moment before letting out a sharp snort.
"Most likely… that Uchiha brat—Sasuke."
Naruto only shrugged in response, silently confirming it.
The Raikage waved a hand dismissively.
"The war is already over. I can't deal with that now. Naruto, just tell me what we're going to do next."
It was clear the Raikage had been rattled by the visions in the genjutsu. He had seen his brother, his comrades, his village—and even himself—completely wiped out.
The thought gnawed at him. That kind of loss… was unbearable. He had to change things. He had to seize whatever chance he had to prevent it.
Terumi Mei's eyes narrowed slightly as she turned toward Naruto.
"Naruto… I have a rather blunt question for you. Since you were reborn with knowledge of the future, why did you allow this war to happen at all? Why didn't you stop it?"
Before Naruto could answer, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, sighed and spoke up.
"That's just the way the shinobi world works. I understand Naruto's thinking. He's trying to unite the entire ninja world by using Madara and Obito as the catalysts—forcing all nations to put aside their differences and fight side by side. Only then can we truly unite against greater threats in the future."
Ōnoki turned to Naruto. Naruto gave him a small nod.
"Lord Tsuchikage is exactly right. When I came back from… rebirth, my strength wasn't what it is now. I hadn't fully developed my abilities yet. And at that time, if I told people the truth, almost no one would have believed me—aside from Gaara and Pervy Sage. So it was better not to say anything at all."
He let his eyes sweep across the room, his tone firm.
"And besides… human nature is like this—you can't truly understand something until you face it yourself. I had to use Madara and Obito to make people feel the pain, to understand it, so they would learn to value peace."
If Jiraiya had heard these words years ago, he might have thought Naruto had been swayed by Nagato's philosophy. But now, after seeing the illusion, he couldn't think that way. In the vision, Naruto had become the Seventh Hokage—radiating the presence and resolve of a true leader. Jiraiya believed, wholeheartedly, that Naruto was doing what was necessary.
He even thought to himself that, if he met Nagato again, he'd want to have a real conversation with him. Nagato's ideals were sound—just carried out in too extreme a way.
Gaara stepped forward.
"Naruto, now everyone here has experienced that pain, understands the value of unity, and the importance of peace. Just tell us what we need to do to prepare."
Naruto nodded.
"First of all, we still have two major forces. The first is the White Zetsu Army. During the war, many weren't destroyed. I had Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Captain Yamato—along with those we managed to rescue—secure and control about 40,000 of them."
His eyes hardened.
"Secondly, I have no intention of releasing the shinobi brought back with the Impure World Reincarnation. As you saw in the vision, the immortal bodies are an essential fighting force. I hope the Five Kage can understand that."
The Raikage's jaw tensed. Initially, he wanted to protest—after all, his own father was among the reincarnated—but the memory of the future battle quickly silenced him. He knew Naruto was right. The immortal bodies had immense combat advantages.
If it came down to it, he would willingly sacrifice himself and allow Naruto to summon him back to fight, if it meant protecting his brother, his men, and his village.
But he also knew Naruto wouldn't approve of such an idea.
Finally, the Raikage spoke.
"I agree with you, Naruto… but I have one request."
"Please, Lord Raikage," Naruto replied.
"There's still some time before that future battle arrives. Everyone here knows the Impure World Reincarnation can be used. I suggest we use the remaining White Zetsu to continue reincarnating capable shinobi—and form a combined strike force to serve as the vanguard in that battle. And… I want you to release my father first. I'd like to take him back to the Hidden Cloud for a visit."
His request seemed to resonate—several of the other Kage had similar thoughts. During the war, many legendary figures from each village had been revived. Now that the fighting was over, there was little risk in letting them return briefly to their homelands.
Temari's gaze immediately went to Gaara. He knew exactly what she was thinking—she wanted to bring their father home. Kankurō looked equally eager.
Gaara himself harbored a quieter wish: if shinobi could be revived through the Impure World Reincarnation, could his mother be brought back? He longed to see her, even once. But as Kazekage, it wasn't something he could easily ask for aloud.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"No problem. In fact, Lord Raikage, I'd been considering that already. The famous shinobi of the past are a valuable part of our combat strategy. And… the Shinobi Alliance will not disband—it will continue to exist."
He looked around at all of them, his voice ringing with conviction.
"The five great villages have already joined forces. The world is under our shared leadership. War between us is no longer an option. Our mission now is to keep training, to strengthen the shinobi of every village, to raise the overall level of our forces—and to prepare for the battle to come."
Ōnoki nodded firmly.
"I agree. You've all seen the Ōtsutsuki clan's power in that illusion—it's overwhelming. We'll need every advantage."
He raised his hand in support. Gaara followed suit, then Terumi Mei, Tsunade, and finally the Raikage.
Mifune smiled at the sight.
"This Five Kage Summit is much more united than the last. As a representative of the Land of Iron, I'll once again serve as a witness and vouch for the joint declaration of this meeting."
One by one, the Kage signed the Five Kage Joint Declaration.
With that, the Shinobi World Military Alliance was officially established.
After the signing, Tsunade sighed with a small smile.
"Since Kakashi will become the Sixth Hokage in the future, I think I'll step aside now. This new era should be led by younger people."
Kakashi immediately waved her off.
"No, Lady Tsunade. You should pass the position directly to Naruto. He's the future Hokage."
Naruto shook his head.
"Kakashi-sensei, I still have other priorities. I'd prefer if you took the seat for now. After all, once the alliance is fully in place, there will be a lot to manage."
Jiraiya stepped up beside them.
"Take it, Kakashi. That way Tsunade and I can relax for a while before the next war."
Kakashi hesitated, then sighed.
"…Alright."
Ōnoki chuckled.
"A fine idea, Lady Tsunade. I should probably pass my position on as well. At my age… who knows if I'll even make it to that battle. But if I do, I'll make sure to unleash my Dust Release one more time before I go."
Kurotsuchi groaned.
"Old man, don't talk like that."
Terumi Mei gave a small, sly smile.
"Yes, I should hand over my duties soon as well—especially since I have a wedding to prepare for."
The Raikage glanced at Darui, and Darui suddenly felt the weight of expectation on his shoulders.
Gaara, being the youngest, had no successor yet. His turn to pass on the mantle would come later.
Seeing the matter settled, Naruto concluded:
"Make sure the power transitions in each village are handled smoothly. The training of the alliance will continue under the current captains, but the methods will change."
Once the others nodded in agreement, Naruto stood.
"I have other matters to attend to."
He left the meeting, vanishing in a flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A buzz of chakra filled the air as he appeared in the courtyard of the Uchiha residence. Sasuke stood there, waiting.
"You were looking for me?" Naruto asked.
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