XX-level Hokage

"The Hyuga clan and the Uchiha clan have a long history together, so it's quite possible that such a legend has been passed down." Obito didn't doubt anything; on the contrary, he felt it was perfectly reasonable.

Despite Madara Uchiha's explanation and Mashiro's endorsement, the others still found it hard to believe. "Aren't there a maximum of nine tailed beasts?" Jiraiya asked, as it was common knowledge in the ninja world that there were nine tailed beasts.

"I said it was a collection of all the tailed beasts. Shukaku, Gaara's tailed beast, is the One-Tailed Beast;"

The two-tailed beast of Yugito Nii;

The previous Mizukage, Yagura, had a three-tailed beast; Roshi, who used Lava Release, had a four-tailed beast.

The tailed beast of Han from Iwagakure is the Five-Tails; the tailed beast of Utakata from the rogue ninja clan is the Six-Tails; the tailed beast of Kaede from Takigakure is the Seven-Tails.

Killer Bee, the Raikage's younger brother, has the Eight-Tails; Naruto Uzumaki, the Konoha ninja, has the Nine-Tails.

"The tailed beasts from One-Tail to Nine-Tail are all products of the Ten-Tail's chakra dispersing, and the dispersal of these nine tailed beasts was the work of the Sage of Six Paths," Obito explained.

"This is an annoying way of steer the conversation. Is it because of this that Akatsuki is collecting the Tailed Beasts?" Kankuro said softly.

Ignoring Kankuro's words, Obito continued, "In order to protect the world from the Ten-Tails, the Sage of Six Paths invented a certain ninjutsu, which is still being secretly inherited today. It is the sealing technique system of Jinchuriki."

Could it be…? Onoki suddenly realized something.

"Yes, the Sage of Six Paths was the Jinchūriki of the Ten-Tails. He sealed the Ten-Tails within his body to suppress it, thus saving people from the suffering caused by the Ten-Tails."

"Sages are worshipped as gods, but the Ten-Tails' chakra is too powerful and evil. They fear that after their own death, the seal will break and it will wreak havoc again. Out of fear of this, the Sage of Six Paths, with his last strength, divided the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine parts and scattered them across different lands. The Ten-Tails' main body, having lost its chakra, was sealed and sent to the heavens, beyond his reach—to the moon," Obito slowly narrated.

"This is too grand a topic. Can humans really do these things?" Darui expressed his doubt, not believing in such power. "The Sage of Six Paths, who became the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki, is already a superhuman being," Obito explained softly to Darui's question.

"You want to collect the nine portions of the Ten-Tails' chakra that are scattered throughout the entire Tailed Beasts, and obtain superhuman power. I know you want that power, but what do you want to do with it after you get it?" Mifune grasped the key point and asked.

“I will revive the Ten-Tails, and then I will become its jinchūriki. I will use that power to strengthen my own eye power, and then unleash some kind of ninjutsu,” Obito replied.

"Some kind of ninjutsu? What is that? What do you want to do?" Amanoki asked seriously.

“I will project my eyes onto the moon in a grand illusion, Infinite Tsukuyomi, casting an illusion on everyone on Earth. I will control everyone within the illusion, making the world one, without separation or controversy, a peaceful world without war, where everything merges with me, achieving complete unity. This is my Eye of the Moon Plan,” Obito said calmly.

“What a joke, I won’t entrust the world to someone like you,” Ai said angrily.

“Illusory peace is just a lie; peace only has meaning when it is achieved in the real world,” Gaara said softly. He did not believe that so-called illusions could bring true peace.

“What’s the point of living there? Without dreams, it’s just escapism,” Terumi Momo said.

"Unify the world, huh? I remember many people have said that. Your plan is less about unifying the world and more about creating a world that belongs only to you," Onoki said sternly.

“Truly, utterly foolish,” Mashiro mocked, and this time she was genuinely laughing.

She was both mocking Obito for trying to persuade the Five Kage with this plan and for believing in it.

"So what have you Five Kage contributed? You should have realized long ago that there is no hope. Hope is the same as giving up; hope is the most perfunctory lie. Hand over the remaining Nine-Tails and assist my plan, otherwise, there will only be war." Obito said coldly.

"War?" Gaara muttered to himself upon hearing this.

"The Nine-Tails? Sorry, I'm his elder, so it's impossible for me to hand it over. If you're so capable, you can come and get it yourself," Mashiro said softly. "Naruto Uzumaki won't give it to you," Gaara said seriously.

“I think so too,” Terumi said softly. “Me too, Raikage, what about you?” Onoki asked. “Of course I do too,” A said.

“Although I have no power, I possess the power of all the tailed beasts I have collected so far. You have no chance of winning,” Obito continued.

“I told you, you can try to get it yourself,” Mashiro chuckled. “We won’t give up hope,” Gaara said.

“Alright, I hereby declare the Fourth Shinobi World War officially open,” Obito said.

The Fourth Shinobi World War? Are you serious? "Onoki asked, having experienced three Shinobi World Wars, he knew all too well the terror of a Shinobi World War.

Chapter 163: Command

"See you on the battlefield next time." With that, Obito activated his right eye's Kamui, his body transforming into a vortex and vanishing from the spot. Before disappearing, Obito...

He gave Kakashi a deep look.

Kakashi watched Obito's disappearing figure, feeling inexplicably dazed. From the moment Obito appeared, the two of them had never exchanged any glances or words, but the look in Obito's eyes at the moment of his disappearance gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Is it just my imagination?" Kakashi scratched his head.

"So, what should we do next?" Mashiro asked softly.

“The only way is to form an allied ninja force; only then can we contend with the power of the eight tailed beasts,” Gaara said. “The Tsuchikage-sama was against it just now,” Mei Terumi interjected.

“Now that Madara has already appeared, I can no longer be arrogant. Besides, I don’t want to be led by the nose by Akatsuki anymore. It’s better to form an allied ninja army and settle things once and for all,” Onoki said seriously.

“Then let’s stick to the original proposal, with the Hokage in command of the Allied Shinobi Forces,” A said, glancing at Mashiro.

"The Hokage once defeated Madara and knows information about the Ten-Tails and Madara. Furthermore, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is also a Konoha ninja. The position of Hokage is undoubtedly rightful for him," Mifune added.

This time, there was no opposition.

"To stop Madara's Eye of the Moon plan, the Nine-Tails absolutely cannot fall into Akatsuki's hands. Therefore, our allied forces must protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and it would be best to hide him away," Mei Terumi said softly.

“Yes, if the Ten-Tails or something really comes back to life, then it will be dangerous.” Chojuro interjected as soon as Mei Terumi finished speaking.

“No, the power of the eight tailed beasts that Madara has collected is already unimaginably strong, and they may also possess techniques that allow them to use the tailed beasts’ power, or other killer techniques,” Amano said.

“Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so arrogant,” Akatsuchi chimed in. “That guy is very confident in himself,” Kurotsuchi added.

"From the perspective of the Allied Shinobi Forces, it would be best if we also considered the Nine-Tails as a fighting force," Onoki stated his opinion.

"This won't do. This is a war to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Madara's reason for launching the war using the eight tailed beasts is probably because the weakened Madara and the remaining Akatsuki members cannot successfully capture the Nine-Tails under the protection of Konoha. Even if they could, there would be great risks. Akatsuki would never release a ninjutsu like the one that destroyed Kumogakure again. Perhaps Madara wants to lure out the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki through the war."

In short, having the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki participate in the war is not a good idea. Gaara analyzed. "I think so too." Mei Terumi agreed with Gaara's thinking.

“I also agree with the Kazekage’s opinion. The reason why the Akatsuki leader destroyed the Hidden Cloud Village was probably to lure out Bee. Madara may want to use this war to repeat the same trick,” A said.

"So, Hokage, what do you think?" Onoki turned to Mashiro and asked.

“I think both of your opinions are very good. We can first protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and then enhance his control over the Tailed Beast. If the battle goes against us, we can send him out to participate in the war. After all, the power of the Tailed Beast has a great advantage in changing the course of the battle.”

Knowing that we can stop Madara and the leader of Akatsuki, the other members of Akatsuki have almost no way to deal with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. In this situation, sending the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the battlefield is the best opportunity.

"What do you all think?" Mashiro said softly.

“I agree with the Hokage’s opinion.” Onoki’s gaze towards Mashiro softened. “I agree too,” A said.

“If it’s on the premise of ensuring Naruto’s safety, I have no objection,” Gaara said.

"In that case, I understand. Let's first place the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki under protective confinement, and at the same time guide him to learn how to control the power of the Tailed Beast as quickly as possible." Mei Terumi nodded and said.

“No problem. I will provide information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the four ninja villages of Kumo, Sagara, Iwa, and Mizu. If there’s nothing else, let’s conclude the Five Kage Summit here,” Mashiro said softly.

"Um, can I say something?" Just then, Chojuro said somewhat nervously.

Mashiro looked at Chojuro, signaling him to continue.

"Yes, um, um..." Chojuro was still a little nervous. "Speak quickly!" Ai said somewhat impatiently.

"Among the Akatsuki members, there's a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist named Kisame Hoshigaki, just like me. He possesses chakra levels comparable to Jinchuriki, and he also has the most troublesome blade among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, [Hada]. If he fuses with the blade, although he's still an ordinary person, he can unleash power similar to a Jinchuriki. The seniors call him the Tailed Beast without a Tail, saying he's a very special existence and shouldn't be underestimated." Chojuro hurriedly said after being startled by A.

"You mean that guy who looks like a shark?" Ai asked. "Yes!" Chojuro replied nervously.

"That guy has already been dealt with by the Hokage," A said.

"Oh, I see. Well, hey, hey, he's already been taken care of?!" Chojuro looked at Mashiro in utter surprise, then quickly looked away.

In his eyes, Kisame was a near-legendary figure, someone even the Mizukage would find difficult to defeat. He never expected that Kisame would be taken down so quietly.

Upon hearing this, Miki gave Mashiro a deep look.

"It was just a coincidence. My ability happens to counter him. I've already sent someone to bring him back to Konoha. I hope I can get some useful information out of him." Mashiro smiled and said nonchalantly.

"It seems this new Hokage is quite cunning and keeps his true abilities hidden," Onoki thought to himself.

It was already known that the Akatsuki members, through their intelligence networks in various villages, already had a general understanding of their strength.

"Is there anything else? If not, let's adjourn the meeting and inform the village and daimyo about the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces. We'll discuss the specifics together tomorrow," Mashiro said softly.

As soon as Mashiro finished speaking, Mifune raised his hand and said, "We samurai will also participate in this war."

“You are very welcome. You can inquire with some other smaller, more friendly ninja villages. The more resources you have, the greater your chance of stopping Madara’s plan,” Mashiro said softly.

The other four shadows nodded in agreement.

On the other side, where Sasuke fought the Raikage, Suigetsu and Jugo crawled out of the ruins.

“They all seem to have gone up there. I wonder if Yukikaze has reunited with Sasuke,” Suigetsu said. “Should we go up and check?” Suigetsu asked, turning to Jugo.

“The enemy is on high alert right now. Without Yukikaze, we’ll be easily discovered,” Jugo said. “Well then, I have a good idea,” Suigetsu said with a smile.

"Do you want to face the Hokage?" Jugo asked, a question that came from the depths of his soul.

"Ahem, why don't we wait for Sasuke outside? With that masked man around, Sasuke and Yukikaze should be fine." Suigetsu's expression changed immediately, and she said somewhat awkwardly.

After the Five Kage Summit concluded, Mashiro sent Jiraiya and Kakashi back to the guesthouse first, then took Yukikaze to a nearby street where they enjoyed some local specialties from the Land of Iron.

When Mashiro returned to her room, a female warrior from the Land of Iron was waiting there.

"Lord Hokage, this is an invitation someone asked me to give you." The female samurai said respectfully. Mashiro accepted it; there were two in total.

One letter was from Zhao Meimo. The other was from Heitu.

Chapter 164: Four Different Kinds of Snow

"Oh dear, this is quite unexpected." Mashiro muttered to herself after glancing at the contents of the letter.

Kurotsuchi's letter to Mashiro was not unexpected, after all, Mashiro had left a very deep impression on Kurotsuchi.

As for Mei Terumi, Mashiro hadn't actually intended to pursue the new Mizukage, but unexpectedly, she delivered herself to his doorstep. "Looks like I'll have to prepare properly tomorrow," Mashiro murmured.

Mashiro wrote a reply and entrusted a female samurai who came to deliver the letter to him.

Mashiro doesn't plan to keep the appointment tonight; she's going to see someone else.

In the guesthouse of Kumogakure, in the room of the Fourth Raikage, A, A is staring blankly at a photo of himself and Killer Bee.

Killer Bee is dead. This is a fact that A has never wanted to believe. Back in Kumogakure, he could numb himself with the heavy workload of rebuilding Kumogakure, but now, especially after just meeting the Akatsuki members, the grief of losing his brother has surged into A's heart again.

"Lord Raikage, Lord Hokage has come to visit." A samurai from the Land of Iron knocked on the door and said, "Please come in quickly." Ai put away the photo, returned to his normal appearance, and said.

"Is there something you need for Naruto's sudden visit?" Ai poured Mashiro a cup of tea and asked.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to thank Lord Raikage for his support during the Five Kage Summit." Mashiro took the teacup, placed it on the table, and said softly.

“This is what I should do. You are a hero of the entire Cloud Village. Even if you asked me to give my life, I would do it willingly, let alone support at a mere meeting,” Ai said earnestly.

Mashiro smiled, satisfied with Ai's answer, and continued, "Also, I have some news for you: Killer Bee might still be alive." "Really?!" Ai exclaimed excitedly upon hearing Mashiro's words.

Although Killer Bee is not his biological brother, the bond between them transcends that of ordinary brothers. They are not only the best partners but also the closest family members.

"Remember that Akatsuki spy I asked you to deal with? This is the information I got from him. But because Killer Bee is a perfect Jinchuriki, he didn't die immediately after the Tailed Beast was extracted. Akatsuki imprisoned him in a special prison, seemingly wanting to get the perfect method for controlling the Tailed Beast from him." Mashiro said softly.

“Those damned bastards! I’ll send men immediately to find Xiao’s whereabouts and begin the plan to rescue Killer Bee.” Ai clenched his fists and said coldly. “Don’t make a big fuss. If we’re discovered, they might just kill Killer Bee to silence him, which would be troublesome. Leave this to me. Wait until I’m out of the undercover…”