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Despite both being commanders of the Allied Forces, the two had been arguing more and more frequently in recent days.
The tension between them remained as thick as ever.
This time, no one stepped forward to mediate.
Both Rasa and Yagura frowned at Ōnoki with clear dissatisfaction.
Konoha had already demonstrated ample sincerity—was Ōnoki still trying to sow discord?
Was this really the time for such schemes?
Did he want the Third Hokage to withdraw from the battlefield and return to the village before he'd be satisfied?
"Ahem, that's not what I meant," Ōnoki coughed awkwardly, unwilling to escalate the argument with A in front of everyone. With that, he dropped the subject.
Neither Kazuki nor the others pressed further.
"Konoha is dispatching two hundred elite shinobi—one hundred of them will be scattered to protect supply lines, as we cannot rule out the possibility of the Akatsuki attacking our logistics units. The remaining hundred, led by our Third Hokage, will join the rest of you in direct combat. Does anyone object to this arrangement?"
"No."
It was a reasonable distribution. No one would oppose it just for the sake of stirring trouble. If Konoha had lacked sincerity before, they were now making up for it in full.
Since no one raised any objections, Konoha's role in the discussion was settled. The next step was to sit back and observe.
As for how the Third Hokage would conduct himself on the battlefield—that was his own business.
Kazuki had no intention of interfering.
He would leave it to the old man to handle things as he saw fit. His own responsibility was limited to the supply units.
"Now, about the assault—should we attack Amegakure together as a united force, or split up?"
Amegakure's geographical layout was far from ideal. Built on open terrain, it could be assaulted from all four directions.
"I suggest dividing into two groups."
Over the past few days, Yagura had grown thoroughly weary of the constant bickering between Ōnoki and A.
Having the two commanders at each other's throats during a critical operation was a recipe for disaster.
To prevent further conflict, it was best to simply separate them.
Yagura had already discussed this idea with Rasa in private and even sought Kazuki's opinion.
Kazuki had simply shrugged—"Do whatever you want. I won't be participating in the fighting anyway."
"In that case, Iwagakure and Sunagakure will form one unit. Kazekage, any objections?"
When it came to choosing allies, Ōnoki didn't hesitate—he immediately picked Rasa.
Sunagakure's shinobi specialized heavily in Wind Release, with Earth Release being their secondary affinity. This made them highly compatible with Iwagakure's forces.
"Agreed." Rasa nodded slightly.
It made no difference to him whether he teamed up with Iwagakure or Kumogakure—it was purely a tactical consideration.
After all, he wasn't the one calling the shots.
"Then Kirigakure will join Kumogakure."
Yagura then glanced at Kazuki.
"As for Konoha's Third Hokage…"
On paper, the combined forces of Iwagakure and Sunagakure appeared stronger.
But Kumogakure and Kirigakure?
Their synergy was… questionable at best.
One village specialized in Lightning Release and brute-force taijutsu, while the other excelled in Water Release and assassination techniques.
In other words, Kumogakure's shinobi were mostly reckless brawlers, while Kirigakure's were stealthy killers.
Pairing brawlers with assassins?
Kirigakure's forces would have to keep their distance—otherwise, they risked getting caught in their own allies' Lightning Release techniques before they could even strike the enemy.
Noticing this, Ōnoki couldn't help but smirk at A with barely concealed amusement.
Lightning Release countered Earth Release—but under certain conditions, it also countered Water Release.
And in the Land of Rain, there was no shortage of water.
A single large-scale Lightning Release technique in such an environment could easily fry Kirigakure's shinobi before they even engaged the enemy.
"Ahem!"
Kazuki coughed, barely suppressing a laugh.
"Given the… compatibility issues between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, the Third Hokage and his forces will join their unit."
"Fine by me." Ōnoki agreed cheerfully.
A's eye twitched, but he chose not to argue further.
And so, the matter was settled.
As for which directions the two commanders would attack from—that would be decided once they reached Amegakure.
---
After leaving the meeting, Kazuki returned to Konoha's camp. Inside his tent, Shikaku gestured for a guard to prepare tea.
"The Allied Forces are clearly fraught with internal strife. Iwagakure and Kumogakure refuse to acknowledge each other's authority. If a major battle breaks out, their conflict could become a serious liability."
"What can we do? They've been rivals for decades. The friction between them never truly fades. It's the same with us and Sunagakure—we can temporarily set aside our differences to cooperate, but expecting them to accept Konoha's leadership is impossible."
Kazuki wasn't particularly concerned.
"Besides, the Third Raikage died precisely because Ōnoki dragged him into a war of attrition in the Land of Earth. The hatred between their villages is carved into their bones. No temporary alliance will erase that."
"As long as it doesn't affect us, there's no need to worry about it."
"..."
Shikaku finally understood—Kazuki had zero interest in this war.
He didn't care whether the Third Hokage participated, nor how the battle would unfold.
Thankfully, one was managing the rear while the other was on the frontlines.
If both had been forced to work side by side, conflicts would have inevitably arisen over time.
With Akatsuki as the common enemy, the tensions between the Five Great Shinobi Villages had been temporarily suppressed.
How long that suppression would last depended entirely on the war's progression.
---
The shinobi forces of the Five Great Villages had all successfully reached the border camps.
Akatsuki had made no move to intercept or ambush them, allowing the Allied Forces to assemble unhindered.
On the surface, two thousand shinobi might not seem like a large army.
But considering these were the elites of each village, their combined strength far surpassed that of a normal force of five or six thousand.
For every village except Konoha, this war was a fight to the death.
After two days of rest and preparation, the offensive finally began.
Once the Five Great Villages jointly declared war, the entire shinobi world was thrown into shock.
"What kind of organization is this Akatsuki, to force the Five Great Villages to unite against them?"
"Haven't you read the proclamation? Akatsuki is a rogue group from Amegakure, specializing in assassinating high-profile figures across nations. Countless important people have fallen to their blades."
"That's terrifying..."
For the first time, Akatsuki—an organization that had long operated in the shadows—was dragged into the light.
The entire shinobi world now knew of their existence.
And all eyes turned to the Land of Rain.