"I do not understand."
"Why is everyone talking about Konoha being surrounded by enemies in the past? As if from the moment we were founded, Konoha and the Land of Fire have always been coveted by others, destined to suffer misfortune."
"Sixty years ago, the First Hokage distributed the Tailed Beasts, uniting the ninja clans of all nations and beginning the era of ninja villages after the Sengoku period."
"That flourishing scene of a new era is still vivid before my eyes."
"And yet, only sixty years later, have they already forgotten the kindness Konoha once showed them? Now they are gathering the power of the ninja world to carve up the Land of Fire."
"This alone proves that the First Hokage's policy was a complete failure!"
Many people subconsciously held their breath.
Speaking about the merits and faults of past Hokage had never been discussed so openly. Before, the criticism was always directed at the Third Hokage. But now... the Fifth Hokage was directly criticizing the First Hokage?
"Of course, I am not saying that the First Hokage's actions were helping the enemy." Yami's tone softened slightly.
"He was only too naive, trusting in human nature too much. He thought that as long as there was a balance of power, there would be no large-scale wars and that future generations could enjoy peace."
"But the human heart is greedy. It always wants more."
"If the First Hokage had accepted Uchiha Madara's proposal to unify the ninja world, there might still be disputes, but it would never be like now, where every war in the ninja world becomes a fight to the death."
"Think about your ancestors, your parents. How many of them died in the wars?"
"All of this could have been avoided. But it is not too late even now."
Yami raised his hand and declared, "If the enemy can invade, then we can invade too!"
"I will lead you all to open up vast territory for Konoha! So that our descendants will no longer graduate at six years old and go to the battlefield at seven. So that no child will lose their parents early and be forced to grow up in an orphanage."
"You, are you willing?!"
After a brief silence, a thunderous roar erupted.
"For Konoha!"
"For Konoha! Kill those bastards!"
"Why should we only defend? Attack! Attack!"
"Catch the Mizukage and make her the Hokage's wife!"
Hearing this, Yami glanced over. Yes, it was someone from the Inuzuka clan.
Such talent should be reused. This kind of person always has to be considered for a leadership role.
After waiting a while, until everyone's emotions had stabilized a bit, Yami made the final declaration.
"No matter what, even if it's 8,000 against 80,000, the advantage is ours!"
"In the first battle, we will strike the Land of Iron with lightning. How dare a small neutral country dare to step into these muddy waters? They deserve to be destroyed!"
"Everyone, there is no opponent ahead of us. Charge!"
With the command, eight thousand Konoha ninjas shouted in unison, then surged forward like an unstoppable wave.
Naruto rushed at the front, full of excitement, and shouted to Sasuke, "Sasuke, whether we get promoted to Chūnin depends on this fight!"
"As long as we beat a Madara shadow clone, we can be promoted to Chūnin!"
"It's not we; it's you." Sasuke gave his usual provocative smirk, then immediately accelerated to overtake Naruto.
"Damn it! Then stay a Genin for the rest of your life!"
"Chūnin, Jōnin, even Hokage, will all be mine!"
"Sasuke, you're dreaming. I am the man who will become Hokage!"
The argument between the two silenced the nearby Jōnin.
Wait a minute, since when were Konoha's Jōnin this demanding?
Actually, many people still did not know the true strength of Naruto. But Sasuke had been in the spotlight recently.
Especially the feat of destroying Kirigakure with only a few Uchiha. Not just Jōnin, even Elite Jōnin or Kage, very few could achieve that.
And if Naruto was someone Sasuke recognized as a rival, how weak could he be?
If not for their loud quarrel, everyone might have forgotten that these two disciples of the Hokage were anything but ordinary Genin.
Hokage-sama is truly strict with his disciples.
In that moment, Yami's image in the hearts of all the shinobi grew much taller.
Even though their Hokage often skipped work and was frequently absent, even if he was Konoha's biggest playboy…
So what? He was still a good Hokage!
Suddenly, Naruto, who had been grinning, grew serious. Many small chakra arms appeared on his golden body, extending toward the surrounding trees.
In moments, several White Zetsu were dragged out from within the trees.
The ninjas nearby were stunned, quickly going on alert.
"Everyone, stay within three kilometers of Naruto!" Sasuke, who had already been instructed by Yami, immediately began calming the crowd and issued loud commands.
"This is the enemy's reconnaissance method. Even the Byakugan cannot detect it. Only Naruto's ability to sense malice can catch them! Maintain formation and do not attack recklessly!"
Konoha.
After sending off the army, Yami returned home and began arranging the tasks for the women of the household.
This decisive battle concerning the future could not be stopped, even if he wished Tsunade, Izumi, and the others would not participate.
Besides, given their strength, what they should worry about is not themselves but the enemy.
"Izumi, you will be responsible for leading the frontal assault of the main force. Kurenai, Anko, and Yugao will follow your command."
"Hikari, Tsunade, Karin, and Hinata will follow you. Hinata will be in charge of perception. Karin and Tsunade will supply you with chakra."
"Pukura, take Samui, Kurotsuchi, and Temari to Sunagakure."
Temari's face turned pale, almost fainting. Yami helped her up.
"Don't overthink it. Gaara has already figured things out."
As soon as Yami finished speaking, Temari's expression turned to shock. "Really? He agreed?"
"Gaara still has some sense." Yami nodded. "After seeing the Shinobi Alliance cooperate with Uchiha Madara, he realized that participating in those talks was a mistake."
"But he still wants to resist. He's hedging his bets. For your sake, I'll give him this chance."
"Thank you, Yami." Temari hugged Yami tightly, while Kurotsuchi remained silent.
Yami glanced at Kurotsuchi and said nothing.
This is just a matter of position. No one is wrong, but there will always be losers.
"What about me?"
Seeing that all the sisters had been assigned tasks but she had none, Ino almost exploded.
"Who told you not to train properly?"
Yami reached out and rubbed Ino's hair. "You'll stay in Konoha to assist Uncle Inoichi. You'll be responsible for relaying information to everyone."
"Alright."
Although Ino was a bit unhappy that she couldn't go to the battlefield, being assigned as Yami's exclusive liaison made her feel like she could make a contribution. She agreed happily.
Once the tasks were assigned, everyone moved into action quickly.
Yami went to find Konan, who would lead Yami Six Paths to destroy the bases of several other villages.
As for whether the enemy would try a diversion tactic, Yami was not worried at all.
After reaching the Six Paths level, his perception range had greatly expanded, covering half the ninja world. Two countries at once posed no problem.
Perception range determined the maximum distance for Flying Thunder God. As soon as someone triggered a mark he left behind, he could return instantly and blast the enemy to pieces in the very next second.
Finally, there was Kisame, who had just returned to the village today carrying Killer Bee.
Yami placed his palm on Killer Bee's head, and soon Killer Bee woke up from his coma.
"Shimura Yami?!"
Seeing Yami, Killer Bee was so shocked that he forgot to rap.
Wasn't he captured by Akatsuki? Why had he been brought to Yami? Killer Bee turned around in panic, spotting Konoha's buildings.
No, this was really Konoha!
"Killer Bee, it has been more than ten years since we last met."
Yami smiled at the perfect Jinchūriki. "I still remember when I last saw you in Kumo. At the time, I was very wary of you, the perfect Jinchūriki."
"All in all, you are probably the first and only person in the ninja world who has forced me to retreat. I, Yami, am willing to call you the strongest."
"Just kidding."
"So Konoha and Akatsuki are working together." Killer Bee ignored Yami's teasing and said in a deep voice, "Konoha is really playing a big game, but you won't succeed. My big brother and the other Kage will stop you."
"Hahaha!"
Yami couldn't help but laugh. "It seems you've been too absorbed in your own world and have no idea of the current situation."
"You think Akatsuki and Konoha are one, but you still rely on the Four Kage to stop us? You're going to be disappointed."
"If they are our only enemies, I will be disappointed."
After laughing, Yami sighed with some regret. "It's a pity you won't live to see that day."
Several purple chains emerged from his stomach, wrapping around Killer Bee and starting to pull out the chakra from his body.
"Rinnegan? No, this is… the Ten Tails!"
The roar of the Eight Tails, Gyūki, came from within Killer Bee's body as its massive form was forcibly pulled out.
"Ugh!"
Killer Bee struggled to resist but was completely suppressed by the Rinnegan. He could only watch as Gyūki was dragged out and absorbed into Yami's body.
In the end, Gyūki wanted to leave behind a tentacle to save Killer Bee's life, but Yami directly pulled the tentacle out, giving Killer Bee no chance to survive.
The seal was broken, and Killer Bee's vitality rapidly drained away. He died staring wide-eyed at Yami and Kisame.
[Ding, Host and Killer Bee establish a never-ending bond. Reward: Chakra +40 cards, bond points +10.]
[Ding, Host and Eight Tails Gyūki's fear bond has reached stage three. Reward: Eight Tails Chakra (100%).]
Yami looked down at Killer Bee's lifeless body, expressionless.
That's right, in the original timeline, Killer Bee was Naruto's partner. The two of them had fought side by side against the Ten Tails for a long time.
But so what?
Who said that in this world, these important supporting characters, or even the main characters, cannot die?
They were enemies. There was no need to consider feelings. Whoever stands in the way will be killed. It's that simple.
"Your strength has grown again." Kisame didn't mind at all and gave a sincere compliment.
"Akatsuki really is a good way to temper people."
Yami patted Kisame on the shoulder and said, "You're an honest person, but you sure know how to flatter. That's good."
"I never flatter anyone. I only speak the truth."
"Well said. You have good taste."
"Where do you want to go next?" Yami asked. "There's no shortage of people on the front lines. If you'd like, you can go with Konan and the others to destroy the other villages. Think of it as Akatsuki team-building."
"Sir, I want to follow you."
Kisame smiled and explained, "If I stay with you, I'll definitely meet Obito. And when Obito's identity is revealed, I want to see how Kakashi reacts."
"Tsk, you really are addicted to entertainment."
Yami laughed and shook his head.
Kisame had changed after understanding everything. Watching these dramas had become his favorite pastime, especially seeing how the final act played out.
"Then follow me." Yami didn't even glance at Killer Bee's body. He grabbed Kisame and used Flying Thunder God to catch up with the main army.
The Land of Iron was one of the strongest of the small countries. It had no ninja villages, and the entire country was ruled by the daimyo.
The samurai forces here suppressed the shinobi, but that didn't mean there were no ninjas. Many samurai used chakra to enhance their strength.
Even though a large number of their elite troops had been sent to join the Shinobi Alliance, the country still had considerable armed forces.
However, they were powerless against Konoha's main army.
Yami stood on the city's high wall, watching the Konoha shinobi destroy the daimyo's mansion and drive all the samurai and shinobi into a square before him, blocking their movements.
When everything was ready, he spoke softly, yet his voice clearly reached every ear.
"Everyone, I believe you already know who I am. But I will still introduce myself."
"I am Shinura Yami, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, and the one who will unify the ninja world in the future. This is our first meeting, and it will also be our last."
"In war, it is normal for everyone to serve their own lord. But your leader, Mifune, and your daimyo chose the wrong side."
"If you must blame someone, then blame your leaders."
"To make an example, I can only ask you all to go on your way. But rest assured, Mifune and his warriors will join you shortly."
After Yami finished speaking, a blazing Scorch Release fireball formed in his hand, quickly growing larger.
The fireball flew forward and instantly became a sea of flames.
As the notification sound continued to echo in his mind, all of the Land of Iron's armed forces were annihilated.
At the same time, thanks to Naruto's ability to sense malice and Yami's reconnaissance, the Shinobi Alliance still had no idea that Konoha had already taken the Land of Iron and crossed the sea.
They were heading straight for them.
After several days of preparation, the 80,000-strong Shinobi Alliance finally gathered.
Looking at the allied army below the cliff, Commander-in-Chief Raikage was full of passion as he began his final mobilization speech...
(To be continued.)
***
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