The Fourth Raikage quieted down as well. If not for Ohnoki stepping in just now, he would've been in trouble. He had experienced Shigeo's Ranton (Storm Release) before. No matter how fast he was, no matter how powerful—nothing could outpace the speed of a laser.
The six of them sat down again. Mei smiled slightly.
"What the Fifth Hokage said is true. Since we've already decided to unite against Akatsuki, we should select a leader. With one person guiding everyone, we won't fall into chaos. Otherwise Akatsuki will simply drag us around by the nose."
Over the past year, they had been far too passive. From now on, they needed to gather their strength and take initiative.
"I vote for Shigeo," Tsunade said immediately.
Gaara raised his hand.
"I also vote for Shigeo. In my opinion, he's the only one in the entire shinobi world who can truly fight Akatsuki."
"I vote for myself…"
The Fourth Raikage was all fire and temper—stubborn, fierce, and absolutely unwilling to take orders from anyone else.
Ohnoki glanced around. There were six of them. Two votes already went to Shigeo. If he split the votes any further, Shigeo would truly become the commander of the Six Kage.
Thinking quickly, Ohnoki spoke:
"I also vote for the Fourth Raikage! Though the Hokage is indeed powerful, Konoha has suffered heavy losses. As for the Ink Village, Shigeo may be strong, but his subordinates are few. If we're talking about overall military strength, I believe the Hidden Cloud surpasses both Konoha and the Ink Village."
Only Shigeo and Mei had not voted yet.
Mifune of the Iron Country asked,
"First Ink Shadow, what is your decision?"
"I… haven't decided yet."
Shigeo frowned slightly, looking indifferent. Being the supreme commander was troublesome. If he could avoid it, he would. He'd rather put that energy toward protecting the Nanmo Country.
"You want to abstain? Then get out. The Six Kage Summit doesn't need you!"
The Fourth Raikage barked.
Shigeo was just about to speak when Mei suddenly rose to her feet.
"I vote for Shigeo. I believe only he can take on this responsibility."
With that, the outcome was clear at a glance.
Had the Raikage not taunted Shigeo earlier, things might have gone differently. But he had spoken harshly, and Mei had cut off Shigeo's route of retreat. Now only Shigeo's vote remained to settle things.
"Then I vote for Tsunade."
Shigeo shrugged. If he had to choose a name, he'd simply pick someone he liked.
"Then it's settled," Mifune announced.
"Shigeo is hereby appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. From this moment on, all villages follow his command against Akatsuki."
At that moment, the air rippled. A cold laugh echoed through the chamber.
Obito—disguised as Uchiha Madara—appeared on the upper platform, looking down at them.
"Hahahaha… Everyone is here. I'll give you two choices.
First: hand over the Nine-Tails and the Eight-Tails.
Second: hand over Shigeo.
Now choose."
His gaze passed through the mask, locking onto Itachi and Kakuzu standing behind Shigeo. Killing intent seeped through the hall.
"We won't hand over anyone!" Gaara stepped forward.
No one hated Akatsuki more than he did. He had faced them personally and lost. But if another chance to fight them arose—he would never lose again.
"We won't hand anyone over either. Give up," Tsunade said coldly.
"We stand united. We will never surrender."
Even though the Raikage and Ohnoki had been hostile to Shigeo earlier, at this moment they stood with the rest. Whether for their own tailed beasts or for Shigeo, they were together on the same side.
Shigeo couldn't help feeling a hint of gratitude.
Obito laughed.
"Very well. Then prepare for war! Shigeo, you think your strength is impressive? Let me tell you… before us, you have no chance of victory."
The air distorted before him.
"Next time… we meet on the battlefield."
Obito vanished. Silence filled the hall.
"Does this mean the Fourth War is about to begin?" Chojuro scratched his head as he asked.
Everyone turned, their eyes settling on Shigeo. Since he had already been chosen as Supreme Commander, it was up to him to lead.
"Shigeo?" Tsunade asked. "What should we do next? We still don't know their full strength. And where will the war be fought? What if they launch a surprise attack?"
Shigeo shook his head slightly.
"From what I know of Akatsuki—they excel at ambushes. But right now, they barely have any capable members left. A surprise attack is unlikely. Their goal is the tailed beasts. As long as we gather the jinchuuriki in one place, we can essentially determine where the battlefield will be."
He paused.
"But they also have the White Zetsu army. So we need to prepare on all fronts. All Kage—give the order. Assemble a united ninja force. We fight Uchiha Madara head-on!"
At those words, everyone accepted the command.
Even Ohnoki, despite his dissatisfaction, didn't dare object. If the Hidden Stone were removed from the alliance, they would face even greater danger.
Only by uniting could they stand against Uchiha Madara.
The Six Kage Summit ended. Everyone returned to their villages to begin full-scale preparations.
The battlefield was tentatively designated in the northern region. This followed the original flow of events from the Hokage timeline. But the southern nations—the Water Country and the Nanmo Country—also needed full defensive reinforcement, since Obito had not specified where the war would begin. There was always a risk of a surprise attack.
During this time, Shigeo remained in the eastern Iron Country, coordinating with representatives of the Five Great Nations and overseeing all war preparations.
That day, an ANBU messenger arrived with urgent news:
Orochimaru had been killed.
Uchiha Sasuke, after killing Orochimaru, had left the hideout… heading south.
Shigeo rose from his seat.
He was going to look for Itachi.
Since Shigeo had taken on the role of Supreme Commander, he delegated authority over the Ink Village to Itachi. Itachi was responsible for guarding the entire Nanmo Country and the village. And this fact wasn't secret. As long as Sasuke investigated even lightly, he could learn of it.
Itachi versus Uchiha Sasuke?
(End of Chapter)
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