Anyone who believed that a single attack by the Akatsuki was enough to make the Five Great Nations cast aside generations of hostility was a fool.
Even in the original timeline, with Naruto, the Child of Prophecy and master of Talk-no-Jutsu, creating an unprecedented period of peace, the Hidden Cloud still secretly developed the Chakra Cannon.
That weapon was powerful enough to destroy a meteor with a single shot and even strike the moon. If it could hit the moon from the surface of Earth, then every nation in the shinobi world was well within its range.
What did that mean?
It was the equivalent of saying that as long as the Eight Tails remained in Kumogakure, the village could launch a Tailed Beast Ball at any other hidden village whenever it wished.
It was a battlefield-wide trump card.
If another war broke out, the Raikage would only have to stand back and give a single order.
"Fire!"
Trusting a village that possessed such a weapon would be nothing more than a joke.
That was also why Hayashi had never believed in Jiraiya's ideals of mutual understanding. In his view, only a Dōjutsu like Kotoamatsukami could truly unite the shinobi world by force. Otherwise, endless conflicts would continue to arise.
Of course, those thoughts could never be spoken aloud.
Smiling calmly, Hayashi said, "I believe Kumogakure has no malicious intentions. As for whether you choose to hide Killer Bee, or where you hide him, that is your own concern."
"I still believe Kushina is safest by my side."
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes.
"So, Hokage, are you planning to send the Nine Tails' Jinchūriki to the battlefield?"
Hayashi shook his head.
"Whether Kushina joins the war is not for you to decide, nor for me. Only Kushina herself has the right to make that decision. I respect her choice."
"I also believe she possesses the strength to protect herself, and I have complete confidence in my own ability to protect her as well."
"So there is no need for anyone here to worry about Kushina."
In reality, Hayashi wanted to say something entirely different.
Even if everyone in this room died, Kushina would still survive.
To him, everyone present was insignificant.
They were talking about protecting Kushina?
If anything, Kushina would probably end up protecting them.
Hearing Hayashi's confidence, Killer Bee's eyes lit up.
He spoke sincerely.
"Big Brother, I have the strength to protect myself now. I want to fight on the battlefield too."
The Fourth Raikage immediately roared,
"No, you cannot!"
Killer Bee met his brother's gaze without backing down.
"You can't stop me. If I could escape Turtle Island once, I can escape it again."
"You..."
A slammed his fist onto the Earth Release conference table, shattering it into pieces.
Even so, Killer Bee refused to change his mind.
After a long silence, A finally sighed and sat back down.
"If you've already made up your mind... then do as you wish."
"Yeah! My foolish brother finally believes in me!"
Killer Bee immediately broke into one of his improvised raps.
A's face darkened with frustration.
Although Ōnoki still had reservations about allowing the Jinchūriki onto the battlefield, both Hayashi and A had already agreed, so he chose not to object.
"Since we've reached a consensus on that matter," Ōnoki said, "there is still one final issue to settle."
"The position of Supreme Commander."
The commander-in-chief would not personally direct every battle, but this was the first time the Five Great Nations had established the Shinobi Allied Forces.
The prestige that came with such a position was beyond measure.
For someone already standing at the peak of the shinobi world, it would only elevate their reputation even further.
"I support the Fourth Hokage."
Rasa spoke first without hesitation.
He would have liked to nominate himself, but he understood his own limitations.
Rather than embarrass himself, it was far wiser to strengthen his relationship with Konoha.
"I second that."
The Fifth Mizukage quickly voiced her support.
"I agree as well."
Ōnoki nodded calmly.
His age had long since dulled any interest in titles or authority.
A looked around the room.
No one had nominated him.
He had briefly considered recommending himself, but remembering how thoroughly Pain had defeated him, he quietly gave up the idea.
"I also support the Hokage."
Hayashi rose to his feet and placed both hands on the conference table.
"Then it is decided."
"The Shinobi Allied Forces are officially established."
"The Fourth Great Ninja War begins now."
"Everyone, I have something to add."
Now that the Five Kage had reached an agreement, Mifune finally stepped forward once more.
"The Land of Iron has always remained neutral and has never participated in conflicts between the hidden villages."
"However, this war concerns the future of the entire shinobi world."
"For that reason, I have decided that the samurai of the Land of Iron will join the Shinobi Allied Forces."
His expression was solemn.
True neutrality had never existed.
The Land of Iron maintained its position only because of the balance between the Five Great Nations and its unique geography.
Now that war threatened the entire world, Mifune understood it was time to choose a side.
It was a political gamble.
Sometimes, preserving peace required standing with the winning side.
He believed the Five Great Nations would ultimately prevail.
If they won, the Land of Iron would strengthen its political standing and preserve its neutrality for years to come.
If they lost...
Then even the combined might of the Five Great Nations would have failed.
In that case, the Land of Iron could never hope to remain untouched.
No matter how he looked at it, joining the alliance was the most reasonable decision.
With the Land of Iron's participation, the Shinobi Allied Forces were officially complete, numbering tens of thousands of shinobi.
The summit concluded, and each Kage departed for their respective villages.
Soon afterward, news of the Five Kage Summit spread across the entire shinobi world.
As expected, the summit had once again chosen war.
This time, however, the enemy was not another Great Nation.
It was Amegakure.
The coming Fourth Great Ninja War could just as easily be called the War Against Amegakure.
Countless shinobi wondered what exactly Amegakure had done to provoke all Five Great Nations into declaring war simultaneously.
Was it really that powerful?
Before long, the Five Kage released their joint statement.
The declaration was straightforward.
After presenting themselves in the best possible light, they accused Amegakure of attacking the Five Kage Summit, secretly nurturing a terrorist organization, and capturing Tailed Beasts through attacks on the Five Great Nations.
Each accusation shocked the shinobi world.
If all of it were true, then Amegakure had concealed its true strength far better than anyone had imagined.
The entire world buzzed with speculation.
None of it concerned Hayashi.
As soon as the summit ended, he returned to Konoha using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Immediately upon arriving, he ordered every shinobi currently outside the village to abandon their missions and return at once.
That order naturally included Tsunade Hime, who was still traveling.
In truth, this war was fundamentally different from every previous Shinobi World War.
It was far simpler.
Although tens of thousands of shinobi from different villages would be fighting together for the first time, creating countless logistical challenges on paper, from supplies to coordination and battlefield deployment, Hayashi knew better.
In the original timeline, Obito had prepared numerous contingency plans, Yakushi Kabuto had deployed the Edo Tensei, and yet the entire Fourth Great Ninja War had lasted only two days.
Even including Naruto and Sasuke's final battle at the Valley of the End, everything concluded within three days.
Three days.
Even a funeral often lasted that long.
That was the original timeline.
This time, Uchiha Fugaku was even less prepared.
Hayashi suspected the entire war might begin in the morning and end before sunset.
Under those circumstances, elaborate logistics hardly mattered.
After returning to Konoha, Hayashi handed all administrative affairs over to Minato and the others.
As for himself, he headed directly to find Uncle Snake.
It was time to awaken the Rinnegan.