After hearing Raikage's speech, Tsunade asked,
"So, where does Raikage-sama plan to place the jinchūriki during the war?"
Raikage replied, "Within the Land of Lightning's borders, there's an island—its body is a massive turtle. It's the perfect place for jinchūriki to train and stay hidden."
Sitting not far away, the Tsuchikage nodded.
"In that case, we'll go along with Raikage-sama's arrangement."
At this moment, Shinju stood up.
"I don't think I need to hide, do I? ⊙_⊙"
Tsunade glanced at him, her eyes clearly telling him to stop talking.
"It's not about what you think—it's about what we think."
Shinju: --003d_--003d
Seeing that the Five Kage had already made up their minds, Shinju said no more.
If they believed the Allied Shinobi Forces could take down Akatsuki, then fine—he could enjoy a bit of peace and quiet for once...
With the Five Great Villages joining forces, that should be more than enough to flatten Akatsuki! ୧⍢⃝୨
Besides, if there's no benefit in it, he couldn't care less.
"So then," Gaara asked, "who should serve as the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces?"
Representing the neutral nation, Mifune spoke up.
"The Tsuchikage is too old, the Kazekage too young..."
"And since the Mizukage commands Kirigakure, which happens to be the birthplace of Akatsuki, having her as commander would be... inappropriate."
"Therefore, the commander should be chosen between the Hokage and the Raikage."
Once Mifune said this, the Tsuchikage, Mizukage, and others nodded in agreement.
Everyone knew it wasn't really a tough choice between the Hokage and Raikage.
After all, behind the Hokage sat that red-haired boy...
But the commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces couldn't be chosen just for their "connections." Their leadership and abilities mattered too.
Tsunade's flaws were well-known—an addiction to gambling in her younger days and a fiery temper...
By comparison, though Raikage's temper wasn't exactly calm either, at least he didn't have any bad habits.
Mifune hesitated between the two. As the representative of a neutral country, he didn't want to offend either side.
"How about we take a vote, then?" he suggested.
Tsunade waved her hand and laughed freely.
"No need. Raikage-sama can take the position of commander. I already get headaches managing my own village's affairs—let alone commanding ninja from every village."
With Tsunade herself yielding, things suddenly became much easier.
Mifune nodded. "Alright, then let's move on to discussing the composition of the alliance's structure and the commanders of each division..."
Hours passed. The Five Kage talked until their throats were dry, but finally, they determined the organizational framework and the heads of each department.
The Supreme Commander would be Raikage A.
Tsunade would serve as Chief Strategist.
Gaara would act as the Allied Forces' overall Field Commander.
Following that came the five main combat divisions:
First Division – Mid-Range Combat. Main forces: ninja skilled in weapons and projectiles.
Captain: Darui, Raikage's bodyguard.
Second Division – Close-Combat. Mainly composed of ninja proficient in hand-to-hand fighting.
Captain: Kitsuchi from Iwagakure.
Third Division – Mid-to-Short-Range Support. Comprised of physically strong and fast ninja.
Captain: Hatake Kakashi from Konoha.
Fourth Division – Long-Range Support.
Captain: Kazekage Gaara.
Fifth Division – Special Operations. Consisting of ninja skilled in secret techniques and samurai from the Land of Iron.
Captain: Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron.
In addition, there were Medical, Intelligence, Sensory, and Ambush Divisions. Leaders: Shizune of Konoha, Yamanaka Inoichi, Ao of Kirigakure, and Kankurō of Sunagakure.
Once the leadership assignments were confirmed, Mifune said,
"Then please, upon returning to your villages, count your available forces. Let's complete the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces as soon as possible."
Mei Terumi stretched lazily.
"Ugh... I'm exhausted. I've never been in such a long meeting before..."
Just as the summit was about to end, Shinju—who had been sitting quietly—suddenly froze. His gaze snapped to the ground beneath everyone's feet!
A moment later—
"Crash!!"
The floor of the meeting hall was torn open as a strange, massive plant burst forth from underground!
The sudden movement startled everyone.
Then, the plant's eerie petals unfolded, revealing a man with ghostly pale skin inside!
Shinju's pupils narrowed.
He recognized that man! (≖╻≖;)
That's... Zetsu?!
But... why only half of him?
Shinju had seen Zetsu before. The man's jutsu was bizarre—he could move freely underground, his body half-black and half-white, definitely not a normal person.
But only today did Shinju realize... that those two halves could actually separate!
After emerging from the ground, White Zetsu shouted cheerfully,
"Hey there, everyone! (๑╹ヮ╹๑)ﾉ"
As soon as he spoke—
"Boom!!"
Raikage vanished from his seat in an instant, leaving only an afterimage. His real body appeared right before White Zetsu and slammed a punch downward!
"Crash!!"
The lightning-infused blow shattered White Zetsu's body into countless pieces!
Just like that, the supposedly shocking intruder was obliterated on the spot!
But Shinju, sensitive to chakra fluctuations, suddenly shouted,
"Something's not right!"
When Raikage had smashed Zetsu's body, Shinju had sensed something spreading outward...
"Shinju, what did you notice?" asked Tsuchikage Ōnoki, turning to him.
Shinju focused, sensing carefully before shaking his head.
"I can't detect it now... but Zetsu wouldn't just show up to die for no reason. Everyone should stay alert for any strange changes in your bodies. If anything happens, come find me immediately."
Everyone nodded—after all, Shinju wasn't just a sensory ninja but also a highly skilled medical shinobi.
Since the appearance of White Zetsu happened near the end of the meeting, and with this sudden turn of events, the summit was concluded early to prevent further Akatsuki interference.
Mifune said, "The Kage may return and rest for now."
But right as he finished speaking—
The space behind him distorted violently!
A moment later, a member of Akatsuki wearing an orange spiral-patterned mask appeared!
The instant Shinju saw him, his hands flashed through hand seals!
"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!!"
"Whoosh!!"
It all happened in an instant!
A cube of pure white light enveloped the masked man and immediately shrank—erasing him completely!
From the moment Shinju moved to when the masked man vanished, not even a full second had passed!
Beside him, Ōnoki froze.ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Wait a minute—
That technique looked awfully familiar!!
He stammered, "Y-you... what jutsu was that just now? (꒪⌓꒪)"
Shinju replied naturally,
"Dust Release, of course. I really have to thank you for teaching me back then, Grandpa Ōnoki. It's super useful! ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)"
Ōnoki: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
Don't you spout nonsense like that!!
When the hell did I ever teach you Dust Release?!
Then suddenly he remembered... that one time Shinju had asked him to demonstrate it!
Wait... he learned it just from seeing it once?! ⊙▽⊙
The realization nearly made Ōnoki drop dead on the spot! (´ཀ`」 ∠)_
He was utterly ashamed of himself.
To think a Konoha ninja had mastered Iwagakure's most secret technique... (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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