Iwagakure.
Ōnoki stared at the intelligence report in his hands, his brow furrowed tightly without relief.
He tossed the report onto the table.
"Everyone, speak up. What should we do?"
Konoha had produced a new powerhouse.
White Fang, Hatake Sakumo.
That slash capable of cleaving a mountain range indeed bore some resemblance to Senju Hashirama.
However, the fact that he had been severely injured afterward proved that Konoha had not birthed a new "God of Shinobi."
A God of Shinobi wouldn't exhaust their strength after cutting down a single mountain range.
Yet, Konoha had still produced an exceptional talent.
Ōnoki looked around the conference table at the meager lineup of Iwagakure's elites and felt a headache coming on.
Why couldn't Iwagakure produce such a genius?
Now, they were barely holding on through sheer numbers.
If even one person with half of White Fang's talent appeared, he would nurture them with everything he had.
"White Fang's strength will disrupt the balance."
"If White Fang appears on our battlefield, our losses will be catastrophic."
"We must find a way to restrain him."
The elite jōnin at the meeting debated fervently, yet not a single one offered a concrete solution.
Ōnoki's temples throbbed. He slammed his palm on the table, cutting off the discussion.
"Enough."
"I asked for solutions, not for you to lament White Fang's threat."
Listening to these people was giving him a migraine.
The worst part was that these were Iwagakure's key combatants.
No strength, no brains.
Without him, this village would fall apart sooner or later.
"If White Fang appears on the battlefield, Iwagakure forces are permitted to abandon their mission and retreat."
Rubbing his temples, Ōnoki issued the order.
That mountain-splitting slash was indeed intimidating, but if he went all out, he could achieve something similar.
So he wasn't afraid of White Fang.
A shinobi's worth wasn't measured by destructive power alone—it was measured by lethality.
Since that slash hadn't killed a single Sunagakure shinobi, he didn't need to worry too much.
Without facing that slash firsthand, Ōnoki couldn't truly grasp its danger.
But damn it all.
Aside from him, Iwagakure had no one capable of standing against White Fang.
The silver lining was that the Kazekage had been the first to intervene. If Ōnoki entered the battlefield now, it wouldn't be seen as excessive.
But if he stepped in, Sarutobi Hiruzen would undoubtedly appear.
Though Hiruzen's strength paled in comparison to Konoha's previous Hokage, he was still on par with Ōnoki.
Add that scheming old fox Shimura Danzō to the mix, and if the two joined forces, Ōnoki would be outmatched.
Now, with White Fang in the equation, Iwagakure was thoroughly cornered.
If not for Sunagakure sharing the burden, he would have already called for a retreat.
"But this will deal a heavy blow to our reputation."
Other shinobi were reluctant to openly display fear of White Fang, as it would greatly damage Iwagakure's standing.
Ōnoki shot a glare at the speaker.
It was his son, Tsuchi.
…Fine.
He'd deal with him at home.
"Can any of you defeat White Fang? No, forget defeating him—can you even restrain him?"
Ōnoki's question was merciless.
The others exchanged glances.
It seemed no one could.
Unless they deployed the two Jinchūriki, but their instability made them a double-edged sword. If they lost control on the battlefield, they'd attack friend and foe alike.
"Still, you needn't worry too much about White Fang."
Seeing their silence, Ōnoki reluctantly offered reassurance.
When their eyes turned to him, he smirked.
"White Fang's strength isn't our biggest concern. The one who should be losing sleep over him is that monkey, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He's not so old yet."
As an old rival, Ōnoki knew exactly how Hiruzen thought.
White Fang's current strength surpassed even his own.
That meant White Fang now had the power to contend for the title of Hokage.
And from what Ōnoki knew, Hiruzen wasn't the type to relinquish his position willingly.
He would inevitably suppress White Fang.
"Even if we disregard White Fang, Konoha's current strength is alarming. Moreover, powerful shinobi continue to emerge as time passes."
A shinobi's reminder plunged the others into contemplation.
In the Land of Rain, Orochimaru had pushed their forces to the brink. Even with Sunagakure's support, they were barely holding on.
On another front, Jiraiya had stalemated their advance without allowing a single breakthrough.
Worse, as time passed, breaking through seemed increasingly impossible.
It was as if every Konoha shinobi on the battlefield was growing stronger at an unnatural pace.
"An alliance. If we fight Konoha while also dealing with other villages, we'll lose."
Ōnoki considered the proposal.
There was no denying that Konoha had placed immense pressure on them—and this was with Sunagakure sharing the burden.
Soon, he reached a decision.
"Form an alliance with Sunagakure and Amegakure. Seek support from Kumogakure and Kirigakure."
"Amegakure?" The others stared at Ōnoki in disbelief.
What right did a minor village have to ally with them?
Seeing their disdain, Ōnoki rebuked them sharply.
"Cast aside your arrogance."
"Amegakure is no small force."
"More importantly, they've produced a troublesome figure."
A shinobi who had repelled the combined forces of three villages multiple times.
A man whispered to bear the title of "Demigod."
"Hanzo of the Salamander."
Kumogakure.
"White Fang."
The Third Raikage, A, studied the intelligence report before him.
"Hahaha! Seems like a worthy opponent has appeared."
"Raikage-sama, shall we join the war?" his blond secretary asked.
A pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"Entering now won't yield significant gains."
What a shame to miss such an opponent.
If one were to rank the weakest village at present, Kumogakure would take the top spot.
The sacrifices from the First Shinobi World War had been too great, and they were only now recovering.
Only he and B were holding the fort, and B's instability left A as the sole pillar.
The previous generation of Kumo shinobi had been lost in the war, the current generation was still being trained, and the next was only just emerging.
Joining a large-scale conflict now could jeopardize Kumogakure's future.
Every other village could field at least two or three elite fighters—Konoha had the most.
Kumogakure, at best, had only himself.
"Tch."
"We'll wait."
A's deep-set eyes gazed through the window at the clouds beyond.
Kumogakure still needed time to rebuild its strength.
Kirigakure.
In the Mizukage's office, the Third Mizukage sat beneath his hat and robe, reviewing documents.
Behind him, in the shadows, a pair of crimson Sharingan gleamed faintly.
A wrinkled old man stepped forward leisurely, plucking a Konoha-related file from the Mizukage's desk as if no one were present.
The Mizukage paid him no mind, as though the man didn't exist.
"White Fang?"
If any of Ōnoki's generation were to see this old man, they would recognize him instantly.
This was the lurking "Ghost of the Uchiha," the one who had vanished from the world's stage.
Uchiha Madara.
...
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(End of Chapter)