I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

Thus, although the storm seemed to have subsided on the surface, the turmoil in everyone's hearts continued to churn.

Then, with the arrival of Mifune, the master of this place, the meeting of the Four Shadows, who came from the Land of Water, Earth, Wind, Thunder and the host, the Land of Iron, finally began in a way that was completely beyond expectations.

......

"Welcome, Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Mizukage, Lord Raikage, and Lord Kazekage, to the Land of Iron for this crucial meeting concerning the order and peace of the ninja world..."

As the host of the Four Shadows Conference, Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron and the leader of the samurai, began by giving opening remarks, hoping to bring the somewhat gloomy atmosphere back to normal.

Logically, as the leader of a neutral country, knowing that the purpose of the meeting was to deal with the Land of Fire, he shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess.

Just as in the original story, when faced with the threat of Akatsuki threatening to overthrow the entire ninja world, the entire Land of Iron, led by Mifune, chose to join the war.

The same is true today.

It is now clear that the Land of Fire's ambitions are not only aimed at the four great nations, but also at the entire ninja world.

Furthermore, due to the continuous recruitment policies issued by the neighboring Land of Fire over the years, many warriors from the Land of Iron have chosen to join the Land of Fire's military due to the superior conditions, resulting in a large loss of warriors within the Land of Iron.

Having felt a strong threat both now and in the future, Mifune chose to take a desperate gamble.

He hoped to preserve the last vestiges of the samurai nation's reputation.

For this reason, they were willing to fight the Land of Fire.

However, although he and the Land of Iron had made preparations, it seemed that the main force had not yet achieved unity of purpose.

The conflict that just happened was merely the trigger.

The real reason lies in the impact of the four great powers' decades-long warfare against each other.

Despite the enormous threat posed by the Land of Fire, everyone was able to stand rationally on the front lines.

But actually putting together a powerful punch is fraught with difficulties.

Such a disunited alliance often results in more harm than good.

Mifune, who was not only the leader of the samurai but also the military commander, was well aware of this.

Similarly, shrewd and experienced Ohnoki, the initiator of the Four Shadows Conference, was also aware of this.

After Mifune finished his opening remarks, and after a period of silence with no one speaking, Onoki finally stepped forward and began to speak:

“I know that there is deep hatred between the people present. Let’s not talk about the old grudges between the Second Tsuchikage and the Second Mizukage. Just take the recent death of the Third Raikage, which I orchestrated and ultimately killed.”

Upon hearing this, everyone present was startled and instinctively looked at the Fourth Raikage, A.

The latter's eyebrows twitched slightly.

As the son of the Third Raikage, in the past, given his personality, he would have already been furious and killed Onoki, the man who killed his father.

But things are different now.

Having experienced the greatest defeat in the history of Kumogakure and endured five incredibly difficult years, the Fourth Raikage, A, has matured considerably, having been tempered by reality.

At this moment, he looked at Onoki, his face carrying a faint murderous intent, but his tone remained calm as he said, "I've wanted to kill you, Onoki, for a long time. But the timing isn't right now. Let's wait until later. Sooner or later, I'll settle this score with you."

“I’m waiting for that moment to come,” Onoki said calmly, nodding to Ai.

Then, seeing the crowd, he said, "Lord Raikage's timing was wrong, and everyone should understand what that means."

"The impending Fourth Shinobi World War!"

At this point, Onoki raised his voice and said, "Unlike the previous three times, this Shinobi World War is completely different in nature! Everyone should be aware of the Fourth Hokage's new Will of Fire. Among them, the idea of ​​unification is no longer concealed."

"Especially after the Fourth Hokage took control of the entire Land of Fire, which multiplied Konoha's military strength and gave it the ability to achieve unification, Konoha's overall strength is now far greater than it was during Hashirama Senju's time. It's no longer something we can fight individually!"

Before the reforms, Konoha was able to single-handedly defeat all four major nations during the three Shinobi World Wars, maintaining its status as the strongest shinobi in the world.

Currently, with the support of the Land of Fire, whose vast national power far surpasses that of the remote countries of Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightning combined, Konoha's military strength is rapidly increasing at a pace that terrifies outsiders.

In contrast, although Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure have received more support from the Daimyo's government in recent years, they are still a step behind Konoha in terms of both size and strength.

"The best course of action now is clear to everyone: unite. Only in this way can our villages—Iwagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure—be preserved by our ancestors."

At this point, Onoki, his eyes filled with complex emotions, revealed the essence of the upcoming battle.

"This is because the Fourth Shinobi World War was no longer a struggle for supremacy as before. Instead, it was a war of annihilation that ended with the complete destruction of one side."

A war that annihilates a nation!

Upon hearing these four words, Ai, Terumi Mei, Rasa, and the guards, though they already had their suspicions, couldn't help but change color when the bloody truth was revealed.

To be honest, if Konoha hadn't adopted such a desperate stance and had maintained the balance of power among the five great nations, it would have been difficult for the four great nations to unite, given their deep-seated grudges.

Who would have thought that Konoha, the birthplace of a single village and a single nation, would later establish the Tailed Beast Distribution System and set the stage for the Five Great Nations? They would be the first to launch an attack, overthrowing all the systems established by the First Hokage, and waging a war of unification with ambition and real strength.

"For the sake of our village's survival, Mizukage, Raikage, and Kazekage, we must now set aside our past grievances and unite sincerely. Only then can we have a chance to win the battle ahead!"

Known as the "Two Scales" (a metaphor for two opposing forces), Onoki, who was always selfish and exploitative, now looked at his fellow Kage with utmost sincerity, and finally said...

"For the village!"

For the sake of the village...

Just as the Konoha ninjas did not want to see their village destroyed, the Iwa, Kirigakure, Kumo, and Suna ninjas also did not want to see their beloved village destroyed.

Even if it is remote, even if it is poor.

Upon hearing Onoki's words, Mei Terumi, Rasa, and the others, who had previously harbored some resentment, sighed softly, and their displeasure and conflict gradually dissipated.

For the sake of the village, they must unite no matter what.

Just then, the Fourth Raikage, A, spoke up: "For the sake of the village, I shouldn't have agreed to attack Konoha now."

Unlike the other three major powers, which ceased hostilities early on to recuperate and rebuild their strength.

Having suffered a crushing defeat in the battle against Konoha, and having not only failed to recover in the past five years but has actually deteriorated further, Kumogakure is certainly not a good time to make a move.

"but!"

At this point, the Fourth Raikage, A, finally couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his hammer down on the table, creating a large hole as he shouted,

"I am well aware that the longer this drags on, the more advantageous it is for Konoha, and for that reason, the Cloud Ninja are willing to make another sacrifice. Even if the only outcome is dying sooner or later, the Cloud Ninja will choose to die standing up, not kneeling and waiting to die! So what about you? Mist Ninja, Iwa Ninja, and Sand Ninja! Will you choose to be cowards, or will you fight to the death?"

"Of course we should have a fight! I don't want the Hidden Stone Village, which I've poured my heart and soul into, to be destroyed in my hands!" Onoki slammed his fist on the table, his voice trembling with excitement.

“Although the environment in Sunagakure is harsh, we’ve gotten used to it and have no intention of moving,” Rasa said with his arms crossed in front of him, his tone full of determination.

"The same goes for Kirigakure. Although Konoha has many handsome men, if they want to take everything from us, I wouldn't mind melting them all down." Mei Terumi, having regained her former composure, smiled alluringly yet dangerously.

"In that case, let's form an alliance in the name of the four Kage to jointly attack Konoha, which is destroying the peace of the ninja world!" Seeing this, Mifune, as the host, put forward the formal topic.

then......

“Iwagakure agrees!” said the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.

"Kumakuya Village agrees!" said the Fourth Raikage, Ai.

"Kigakure agrees!" said the Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei.

“Sunagakure agrees!” said the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.

From this point on, the four-nation alliance against Konoha was officially established!

Chapter 221 Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces

The Four Nations Alliance not only includes the four great nations of Earth, Water, Wind, and Thunder, but also the newly joined Iron Nation.

"And what about the Land of Waterfalls? As the sixth country outside the Five Kingdoms, what is the attitude of the ninja from the Land of Waterfalls who possess the Seven-Tails?"

After the alliance was formed, when the four Kage and Mifune, who were now truly on the same side, were discussing the next battle plan, Mei Terumi asked in the middle of the discussion.

When Hashirama Senju convened the Five Kage Summit, although Takigakure was not among the Five Great Nations, its strength was still not as great as that of the underrated Takigakure. After the Sand Village gave up its Tailed Beasts in exchange for resources, it also obtained a Tailed Beast slot.

While the strength of a Jinchuriki might not be much to a very few powerful ninjas, those with massive tailed beast chakra and destructive power can play a much greater role on the battlefield.

One Tailed Beast Ball attack is enough to wipe out a large number of ninjas.

Therefore, the Shikoku Alliance undoubtedly wanted to win over Takigakure, a village that possessed the Seven-Tails but had rarely been active in the ninja world in recent years.

But sometimes things don't go as planned.

Upon hearing this, Onoki shook his head and said, "I previously sent an envoy to Takigakure to invite them to form an alliance, but Takigakure refused."

Hidden in a massive waterfall, Takigakure is surrounded by four countries, but its unique geographical location has prevented it from ever being invaded by any other nation.

Compared to the former Yugakure Village, the title of "village that has forgotten war" is more fitting for Takigakure Village.

It was precisely because of the long period of peace that Takigakure, whose military preparedness had long since become lax, rejected Onoki's proposal to join forces against Konoha without a second thought.

Although he was aware of Konoha's ambitions, the former believed that the combined strength of the four countries was sufficient to deal with Konoha.

Furthermore, given the painful losses suffered by the participating countries in the previous three Shinobi World Wars, they knew that if Takigakure were to join the war, they would likely be the first to collapse before Konoha was destroyed.

The leader of Takigakure Village naturally refused.

Many other countries share this view.

The ninja world is dominated by the Five Great Nations, but there are dozens of smaller countries scattered throughout.

Although they were well aware of the dangers posed by the unfamiliar Konoha under the reforms, they were even more afraid of being used as cannon fodder by the four great powers. They also secretly hoped that the four great powers and Konoha would fight to the death, so that they could have a replacement. Although they verbally expressed their support, they actually maintained neutrality.

It can be said that in the current situation of the ninja world, all parties have their own agendas.

For Onoki, who had already suffered a setback in the Land of Grass, the reaction from the Land of Waterfall was not particularly surprising.

The addition of tens of thousands of samurai from the Iron Kingdom, which could completely offset the losses of the smaller nations, was already an unexpected surprise for the four-nation alliance.

The only regret now is that the jinchūriki of our own Four-Tails and Five-Tails have been captured and cannot participate in the upcoming war.

Thinking of this, Onoki felt an intense hatred for the culprit named "Akatsuki".

Especially recently, the other party seems to have disappeared without a trace, and no matter how hard Ren Yanren searches, he can't find a single clue.

......

The Four Shadows Conference is still ongoing.

Now that the strategy of declaring war on Konoha as soon as possible has been decided, the four Kage are discussing more about the specific timing of their deployment, the direction of the attack, intelligence sharing, and so on.

Of course, the most important and indispensable point is who will serve as the commander-in-chief of the four-nation alliance.

Since it is an alliance, it is natural to elect a commander-in-chief of the allied forces so that they can legitimately coordinate and command everything.

Who wouldn't want to be the commander-in-chief of this unprecedented four-nation coalition?