HTP: Ch. 77

[The missing-nin is rampant, bringing chaos to the Five Great Nations. He assassinates shadows and slaughters civilians, his crimes pollute the lands. Now, we, the Five Kage, convene here to unite against this villain!]

The allied forces of the Five Nations stretch for kilometers, completely blocking all external exits from Ame.

The encampment was set up with precision, calculated by each nation's sealing units, just beyond the reach of the Rain Tiger at Will Technique. This created a strange and dramatic sight, like a screen split in two. On the allied side: clear skies and bright sunlight; on Ame's side: thick clouds and torrential rain.

The two armies were extremely close by ninja standards.

From inside the allied camp, one could look up and see the steam-powered cyberpunk architecture of Ame through the rain curtain. When visibility was good, they could occasionally see Ame ninjas perched high, secretly observing the coalition forces, with panic written all over their faces. They were likely terrified, wondering what Ame could possibly have done to provoke a joint invasion from all five great powers.

Inside the main command tent of the central army, an LED screen displayed the structural layout of the entire Ame.

The short figure of Ōnoki hovered at the tent entrance, followed by his bodyguard, Kitsuchi.

"Just a tiny village, and it's stirred up such a storm. Made this old man come all this way," he grumbled.

"Well, what can you do? Even Kumo was defeated, everyone's scared they'll be next," Kurotsuchi said casually, her hands resting behind her head. "Even our jinchūriki have been taken out. We had no choice but to come. And Deidara joined that evil organization. What are we supposed to do about that…"

Since it was her grandfather, she spoke without reservation.

Ōnoki caught a glimpse of his granddaughter from the corner of his eye, so naive and carefree.

You really don't get it. It's because our jinchūriki were all captured that we don't want to come.

The Eight-Tails and the One-Tail and Nine-Tails are still perfectly fine.

But this wasn't something he could say out loud. He just sighed inwardly and said, "Let's go in. They're all waiting for us."

Inside, Hiruzen sat at the head of the table, the Hokage hat obscuring half his face. Only the glowing embers of his pipe flickered faintly. Beside him stood Jiraiya and a jonin wearing a crow mask.

To his left, sitting at the foremost seat, was Mei with her legs crossed. Beside her, Killer B's sunglasses gleamed with reflected light.

To the right, Chiyo polished a puppet in her hands. The seat of honor beside her was empty.

Ōnoki glanced across at Hiruzen. They were from the same generation and had clashed many times in their youth on the battlefield. Now he himself was growing weak, while Hiruzen seemed to radiate power. If Hiruzen's physical strength had truly returned to its prime... that would be far from good news.

He remained hovering and did not take a seat. He snorted coldly and said, "I didn't realize you had already been appointed leader of the alliance."

Typical Ōnoki, always vocal about his discontent with Konoha.

Before Hiruzen could respond, Mei gently patted the table and said softly, "This campaign was initiated by Konoha. It's only natural that he should act as commander."

Hmph, don't think I don't know, Kiri has long since been sweet-talked into submission by Konoha's honeyed words.

Then Killer B stood up and gave a formal bow toward the high seat, saying earnestly, "Kumo suffered greatly, and it was thanks to Konoha that we were rescued from the brink. In this campaign, I will follow Hiruzen's lead without question."

Suddenly, he drew the long sword from the table, pointing its tip at Ōnoki and shouted, "If anyone shows disrespect to him, I might forgive them, but my sword won't!"

Seriously? You're from Kumo, why do you sound like some loyal Konoha retainer?

Beside him, Kurotsuchi immediately assumed a defensive stance, sweat dripping down her forehead. Aren't we supposed to be an alliance? Why does it feel like a fight's about to break out?

Ōnoki subtly waved his hand, signaling her to stand down. They won't fight here.

This Eight-Tails jinchūriki… has he seriously lost his mind? Did the destruction of his village push him over the edge?

He stared intently at Killer B, thinking, I'll definitely find a chance to blast him once. Let him see that in the face of Dust Release, even a tailed beast is nothing.

Then, Chiyo stood and said, "Back in the chaotic Warring States period, it was the Hashirama and Tobirama who pacified the lands. Hiruzen is a direct disciple of those two. All nations owe a debt to the Hokage's line. I have no objections to him serving as our commander."

That's it. Wind, Water, and Lightning have all been won over by Hiruzen. Even if it came to a vote, we'd lose.

Now, Iwa was in the minority.

Ōnoki could only pose one final demand, "If he is to serve as commander, then Konoha must take full responsibility for the coalition's logistics."

That was his way of backing down.

At the head of the table, Hiruzen gently tapped his pipe and said, "Naturally. Please, take your seat."

With Ōnoki finally seated, the joint coalition for the Ame campaign was officially formed.

Hiruzen pressed a button, and the LED screen zoomed in.

The map of Ame disappeared, replaced with the devastated remains of Kumo after the Shinra Tensei, alongside a detailed report.

He spoke in a deep voice, "This alliance is not born of any ambition by Konoha to dominate. Rather, the power of Akatsuki is simply beyond the capacity of any single nation or village to resist. If we do not unite, the tragedy that struck Kumo may soon befall you as well."

Konoha's intel was far more complete than what Ōnoki had received. As he looked at the nearly leveled Kumo, his pupils contracted in shock, and he exclaimed, "Impossible! Are there really still people like this in the shinobi world?"

He had assumed the reports were exaggerated. After the deaths of Hashirama and Madara, no such super-powered figures had appeared in the shinobi world. And yet now, another one had emerged.

Dark memories of Madara echoed in his mind. His face darkened as he said, "You're right. Akatsuki are far too dangerous."

With power like that, Ame became an enormous threat… it could very well upset the entire balance of the Five Great Nations.

Mei was visibly stunned. She had known from reports that Akatsuki were dangerous, but she hadn't expected this level of threat.

Taking Konoha's money now feels like holding something scorching hot…

Unable to help herself, she turned to look at Ao. Their eyes met, both full of troubled thoughts.

Chiyo remained silent with her eyes closed. As the village with the closest ties to Konoha, she had been among the first to receive the full intelligence briefing.

Bang!

Killer B slammed the table so hard it shattered.

"Give the order! I'll take Kumo's elite and charge into the Land of Rain right now!" The ruins of Kumo on the screen had stirred up his painful memories, and tears spilled from his eyes as he roared, "Ame must pay for blood with blood! They need to feel the same pain!"

Seeing Killer B losing control, Hiruzen had no choice but to calm him down. "We need a thorough plan."

He then operated the screen again. The display changed to show profiles of the Akatsuki members and their objective: the collection of the tailed beasts.