Soon, it was the eve of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud Village)
Shinobi from the Five Great Nations, along with the samurai of the Land of Iron, had all gathered here.
Inside the Kumogakure conference room, the Five Kage were holding a strategy meeting.
Tsunade looked at the intelligence report Nagi had provided.
"This time, our enemies may not only be Madara and Black Zetsu. According to Nagi's information, I already sent all of you letters about it earlier."
Ōnoki nodded.
"Impure World Reincarnation, huh… what a troublesome jutsu."
Shikaku Nara then spoke.
"I'm sure everyone here has already discovered the grave robberies happening in your respective villages."
The others nodded.
"It seems our enemies will also include the previous Kage of each village."
"I believe everyone here understands just how powerful their predecessors were."
Hearing this, the Five Kage's expressions grew extremely serious.
Reto, Ishikawa, Byakuren, and the First Raikage were figures who competed during the same era as Hashirama Senju.
While they were far from the level of the legendary "Two Heroes of the Ninja World"—Hashirama and Madara—they were still powerful leaders who once dominated their regions.
Then there were the Second Generation Kage:
Gengetsu Hōzuki, Mū, Second Raikage, Shamon, and others.
These were figures who once contended with Tobirama Senju, masters of strategy, forbidden techniques, and unique abilities.
And beyond them were the later Kage and countless other powerful shinobi.
Thinking about this, the Five Kage fell silent.
Seeing the atmosphere grow heavy, Shikaku spoke again.
"However, there is good news."
"According to Nagi's intelligence, the enemy has not obtained the remains of the past Hokage."
"Otherwise…"
"If the First Hokage were revived alongside Madara Uchiha, our chances of victory would be extremely slim."
Outside the Conference Room
Shinobi everywhere were organizing supplies and dividing battlefront assignments.
Chōji looked nervous.
"Sigh… are we really going to fight the dead later? Just thinking about it gives me chills."
Shikamaru replied calmly.
"There's no helping it. The enemy has already revived many powerful figures with Impure World Reincarnation. This war will probably be extremely difficult."
Ino then turned to Sakura beside her.
"Hey, Sakura… Nagi really isn't going to join the war?"
Sakura nodded.
"Yeah. Nagi has an even more troublesome enemy to deal with."
"If he exposes himself now, it could cause serious problems."
"I see…"
Ino sighed.
She had hoped to show off some heroic achievements in front of Nagi.
But it seemed he wouldn't even appear.
"Well, I need to return to the Medical Corps now. Be careful, Ino."
"You too, Sakura."
Sakura said goodbye and headed to the medical unit.
Once she arrived, she noticed a familiar face.
"Um… if I remember correctly, you're Ameno from Sunagakure, right?"
The girl turned around and smiled.
"Yes, Sakura. Long time no see."
"Long time no see. As fellow medical ninja, please take care of me."
"I should be the one saying that."
Battlefield Assignments
Sasuke was assigned to Kakashi's Third Division.
However, he showed little interest in the surrounding shinobi or even the war itself.
Right now, he only wanted one thing—
To wait for Madara to appear.
And then go straight for the leader and defeat him.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Killer B chose a different role.
They would move between the various divisions, providing support and drawing enemy attention.
Of course, they also intended to confront the Masked Man the moment he appeared.
Shizuka, who technically didn't have to participate in the war, volunteered anyway for the sake of peace in the ninja world.
She was assigned to the Second Division.
Kumogakure Conference Room
Just as the meeting continued—
A Konoha ninja entered to report.
"Lady Hokage, someone outside says he wishes to support this war."
"Who?"
"…Kabuto Yakushi."
"Huh?"
Tsunade froze for a moment.
"Kabuto Yakushi? He's here to help? Is this another one of Orochimaru's schemes?"
"Let him in."
"Yes."
Soon, a man wearing a red cloak entered the room and greeted Tsunade.
"It's been a long time, Lady Tsunade."
Tsunade looked at him seriously.
"Kabuto Yakushi. Is this your idea… or Orochimaru's?"
Kabuto shook his head.
"Neither."
"I came under the orders of Lord Nagi, to support you."
"Nagi? Wait—!"
Tsunade suddenly realized something.
"If Nagi sent you…"
"Don't tell me Orochimaru—"
Kabuto smiled slightly.
"Yes."
"Lord Orochimaru is a friend of Lord Nagi. Please don't treat him as an enemy."
Ōnoki then asked:
"If Nagi sent you, then what exactly can you offer us?"
Kabuto smiled.
"With this."
He clapped his hands together.
"Summoning Jutsu — Impure World Reincarnation!"
One coffin after another rose from the floor of the meeting room.
"This—this is Impure World Reincarnation?!"
The Kage were shocked.
They hadn't expected Kabuto to possess such a technique.
Kabuto seemed very satisfied with their reactions.
"If the enemy uses Impure World Reincarnation…"
"Then naturally, we should respond with the same."
Tsunade frowned and was about to speak—
But Kabuto interrupted.
"Please don't worry."
"I'm using White Zetsu bodies as the sacrifices, so no human lives are required."
"And rest assured—the revived shinobi will be able to fight with the same power they possessed in life."
With a massive war looming, this was no time to debate ethics.
Victory was the priority.
The Fourth Raikage nodded.
"If Nagi recommended you, then I agree."
Ōnoki spoke next.
"I agree as well."
Mei Terumi:
"No objections."
Gaara:
"I approve."
Tsunade nodded.
"In that case, I won't oppose it either."
Kabuto smiled.
"Thank you all."
"To avoid confusion between allies and enemies, the shinobi revived by my Impure World Reincarnation will wear Allied Shinobi Forces headbands and clear identifying markers."
"I understand," Tsunade replied. "I'll inform the alliance immediately."
"Very well."
"In that case, I'll take my leave."
As soon as he finished speaking—
Kabuto's figure disappeared.
Mountains' Graveyard
Obito, wearing a white mask, walked out alongside Black Zetsu.
Obito spoke calmly.
"The Fourth Great Ninja War…"
"…begins now."
[The Red Screen Ends]Chat Reactions
[Tsunade: Whew… it's finally over. But I didn't expect Kabuto to be on our side this time.]
[Orochimaru: It can't be helped. This time the number of revived shinobi is even greater than in that world.]
[Ōnoki: Indeed. Just the First Generation Kage alone could completely change the outcome of the war.]
[Mei Terumi: Sigh… we're facing even more powerful opponents this time.]
[Shikaku Nara: But who exactly are Kabuto's revived shinobi? Black Zetsu stole Orochimaru's research materials and robbed many famous ninja graves.]
[Orochimaru: Hehehe… I already have a prediction. After all, there are some corpses whose locations Black Zetsu would never know.]
[Jiraiya: Really? Who are they?]
[Orochimaru: I'll keep that a secret for now.]
[Tsunade: Tch. I hate people who speak in riddles.]
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