It turns out that not everyone can use words to stir hearts.
Not everyone can start out from a bar and conquer the world just with their mouth.
Raikage A is simply not cut out for that.
He can lead by example and rush to the front lines, but to inspire others with words is far too difficult for him.
After just a few sentences, Raikage A was stuck, and Ōnoki stepped forward helplessly to take over.
"Everyone, I know that there are seemingly irreconcilable conflicts between the villages."
"It is indeed difficult to make those of you who once hated me put aside that hatred and work with your former enemies in such a short time."
"But we share the same pain!"
Ōnoki was so emotional that his face turned red. "Kirigakure! Your village was humiliated by Uchiha in every possible way, and the respected elder Yuanshi was executed in front of you!"
"Kumogakure! Shimura used despicable methods to divert a Tailed Beast Bomb, causing immeasurable damage!"
"Suna…"
At this point, Ōnoki got stuck. He realized that there was not much deep hatred between Konoha and Suna. In fact, even the Kazekage had been rescued by Konoha. He could only force out an excuse:
"Scorch Release user Pakura betrayed the village and became Konoha's lackey!"
"And Iwagakure has already paid a price of 3,000 lives, and is still oppressed by Konoha!"
"I do not expect you to put aside your prejudices just because of my words, but at least you should try to trust your teammates, because the enemy we face is the extremely powerful Konoha and the most evil Hokage in the ninja world, Shimura Yami!"
Ōnoki's passionate words did move many, and many in the alliance began to look at shinobi from other villages with softer eyes.
Finally, it was not all in vain.
Just as Ōnoki was pleased and about to further inspire the coalition, a burst of inappropriate laughter suddenly broke out, and the sound grew louder and louder.
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
The ninja coalition suddenly went silent, following the sound to find out who was so brazen to laugh during a speech.
"There!"
A sharp-eyed ninja spotted the person. But when they saw the figure clearly, their pupils shrank sharply.
"Fifth Hokage?!"
"What?!"
"Impossible! How could he be here? Are you mistaken?"
"It's him, no doubt. I saw him clearly the last time he invaded Iwagakure!" A Rock ninja gritted his teeth, wishing he could rush forward and bite.
Hearing this wild laughter, everyone turned around.
Behind the platform they were standing on was an even taller boulder. Yami was sitting there in a casual and unrestrained posture. He did not look like a demon bringing chaos to the ninja world, but like a noble.
The loose training suit was slightly open at the chest, revealing his muscular torso.
However, it was this ease that made Ōnoki and the others feel like they were facing a great enemy.
"Shimura Yami!"
Terumi Mei opened her mouth in surprise, making her red lips even more alluring.
They had not expected that such a huge event like the Ninja Alliance could be kept secret from Konoha, and even publicized to create psychological pressure.
But no one expected Yami to come to their oath-taking ceremony alone.
There were 80,000 ninjas here.
Was he not afraid?
"I can hear you clearly. Keep your voices down."
Yami picked at his ear and looked down at the Four Kage and the coalition from above.
The densely packed crowd was like ants, making him want to step on them.
And when they spotted him and confirmed his identity, the system's notification sounds began to ring frantically. Although noisy, Yami's lips curled into a smile.
All the elite ninjas of the world were here. Even though many had never met him, after all these years of hard work, Yami had already offended the entire ninja world.
When they saw him now, he could imagine how many people cursed him in their hearts.
Bond points and rewards came in waves, and his massive chakra surged.
Excellent.
After all this work, all these years acting in front of clowns, was it not all for this day?
Whoosh!
There was a sudden strong gust of wind behind him, and the masked man appeared behind Yami, chakra surging in his legs as he kicked at Yami's head.
Yami did not even move, and a thick tree root burst out of the ground.
The masked man's leg passed through several of them without resistance, a trace of pride flashing in his single eye. But in the next moment.
"Puff!"
Sharp thorns emerged from the tree roots and pierced his calf. The intense pain made him stop, and he phased into intangibility and backed away.
The entire time, Yami did not even turn his head.
"So many years, and you are still using the same moves. Haven't you made any progress?"
"It is rare to find an Uchiha this dumb."
Obito became furious and extended his right hand.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A powerful repulsive force suddenly erupted, blowing away the boulder and Yami together.
Yami stretched out his body midair like a bird. In a flash, everyone lost track of him.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out.
Mifune looked at the hand that pierced his heart as it slowly withdrew. He wanted to say something but could only make gurgling sounds before falling powerlessly to the ground.
[Host and Mifune form a heartfelt bond, reward: Swordsmanship Talent +1]
"Shimura, you are looking for death!"
Raikage roared and activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, charging forward like a tiger, with his hand shaped into a spear with two extended fingers.
Hell Stab: Two-Finger Nukite!
This was the Third Raikage's famous jutsu. The fewer the fingers, the stronger the piercing power, with one finger being the strongest spear.
Compared to the Third Raikage's peak, the Fourth Raikage was still a little behind. Two fingers was already his limit due to anger.
In front of so many people, Mifune had been killed!
This was a huge blow to the morale of the freshly formed alliance.
Yami slowly pulled back his arm, seemingly unaware of Raikage's rapid charge. But as the two passed by, he shifted his body slightly and stretched out a leg.
The Hell Stab had great attack power, but its weakness was that it could only move in a straight line.
Of course, for other ninjas, the thrust was so fast that there was no chance to dodge anyway.
But this small hook of the leg.
The Raikage, who was as fierce as a tiger, instantly turned into a clumsy bear. Tripped, his huge momentum made him roll like a ball, straight off the platform and into the ranks of the coalition, causing chaos.
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"
"Lava Release Technique!"
The white barrier and highly corrosive lava rained down. Yami waved his hand impatiently. A violent wind blew away the lava, and the Dust Release light strangely disappeared in his palm.
"Quiet. I am just here to watch the ceremony. I do not want to start the decisive battle yet."
Yami slowly floated up, reaching a height where it was hard to attack him.
"This is truly unique. In order to fight Konoha, a group of shinobi who have the hatred of blood feuds have joined together."
"What does this show? It shows that the ninja world has the potential for unification."
"If you can cooperate today to deal with Konoha, then you can obey tomorrow to survive. I am very pleased, really very pleased."
Countless people were furious at his words. Ōnoki responded, his voice shaking.
"Shimura, since you say you are not here to fight, why did you sneak attack and kill Mifune? As a Kage, do you not think this is despicable?"
The boy looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Old man, do you hear yourself? When has being a ninja ever been a legitimate profession?"
Ōnoki's face turned red. He realized the flaw in his own words.
Fortunately, Yami did not pursue it further, but kindly answered another question.
"As for why I killed Mifune, the reason is very simple."
"The Land of Iron has been destroyed."
Amid everyone's shock, Yami spoke calmly.
"Isn't Mifune the one who advocates the spirit of Bushido most strongly? Since his lord is dead, as a loyal samurai, he cannot live alone. Should he commit seppuku? That would be too painful."
"This way is easier."
Yami took one last look at the deathly silent alliance and turned into leaves, scattering through the air.
His final declaration still echoed.
"The Fourth Ninja World War begins!"
"Shimura!"
Ōnoki was furious, almost collapsing to the ground, and looked at the masked man.
"Where are the reinforcements you promised? Call them out now! And Uchiha Madara, did he not say he would intercept Shimura? He has shown himself already, so where is he?"
Obito ignored Ōnoki's rudeness. He just spoke coldly and disappeared into his space-time technique.
After a brief commotion, the army regained composure.
The command center quickly analyzed the direction of the Konoha forces, splitting half the troops to invade the Land of Fire as planned and sending the other half to block the strait near the Land of Iron to prevent Konoha from overtaking.
The army moved quickly, and Obito on the other side contacted Uchiha Madara.
"Shimura has launched the first strike near the Land of Iron."
"Find him. Summon me."
The cold reply came before the connection was cut off.
In the Land of Iron, after harvesting a large amount of bond points, Yami ordered the army to advance.
Eight thousand troops were split into three groups, keeping a distance of fifty kilometers apart.
In large-scale combat, crowding together was not necessarily an advantage. On the contrary, because of ninjutsu range and mobility, appropriate spacing allowed ninjas to perform at their best.
The first group was a fast-moving force led by Kakashi and Naruto. They were responsible for close-range combat with the coalition. Most were skilled at close combat, with overall strength at a moderate level.
The second group was a mid-range support force, led by Yuichi and Yushi. They excelled in combined ninjutsu. Most were from the Sarutobi clan and other ninjutsu-based clans of Konoha.
Originally, Danzō planned for the Shimura clan to take this role, but Yuichi begged him relentlessly. Annoyed, he finally agreed.
Of course, he would never admit that he wanted to see Uchiha lead the Sarutobi clan.
The third group consisted of clan-based specialists, including the Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Aburame, and Kurama clans. Their methods were unique but required precise coordination to be effective, making them unsuitable to work with others.
These three groups coordinated with each other. Under the planning of the Konoha command, they pinned down the coalition, containing them in a set area to slowly wear them down.
This also made it convenient for Yami to harvest bond points.
Each unit was supported by two or more Mangekyō Uchiha as elite forces to handle enemy powerhouses, ensuring minimal casualties.
Could Yami resolve everything alone?
Of course.
But necessary casualties were unavoidable.
He was not here to protect Konoha alone, but to strengthen Konoha as a whole, which would then strengthen him.
If he had to do everything himself, what was the point of the village?
Besides, his enemies were Uchiha Madara, Kaguya, and even…
He had to conserve some strength.
When Yami sensed that the alliance forces had divided, he frowned slightly.
The disadvantage of smaller numbers was clear. If he divided his troops to stop them, the gap in numbers would widen, worsening the situation.
"Hikari."
Yami turned to the petite girl beside him. "Take those people to the main battlefield."
"No problem."
Hikari agreed nonchalantly, as if facing 30,000 ninjas was nothing more than 3.
Soon, Hikari led Tsunade and Temari away. To be safe, Yami also asked Izumi to follow them.
He did not leave immediately but went to the daimyo's mansion.
"System, strengthen the Ōtsutsuki bloodline."
Although the system was still upgrading, it was fully functional. The bond points contributed by the 80,000 coalition just now were immense. Combined with the original reserves, they had surpassed 100,000 points.
Enough to exchange for the next stage of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
(To be continued.)