Time flew by swiftly; in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
Over these years, the shinobi world entered a state resembling an arms race.
The major villages spared no expense in building their Sky Castles, their funds almost completely exhausted. Even the supporting Daimyo found it difficult to sustain, which was why it took five full years to construct what were essentially castle-sized Sky Castles.
It was now the 53rd year of Konoha's founding.
Calculating by the original timeline, five years had passed since the Nine-Tails Rampage, and the young generation were each five years old.
Of course, due to Ryuji being a significant butterfly effect, many things had changed.
The Nine-Tails hadn't rampaged five years ago; Minato and Kushina were still alive.
The Third Hokage hadn't resigned in disgrace for forcibly ending the war with Iwagakure without conditions.
Ultimately, reality was reality, and fiction was fiction.
The manga's contents were unchanging, while reality could develop in different directions due to people's different choices.
…
Konoha's Sky Castle.
Currently, the Sky Castle was heading towards the Land of Rain. According to their agreement, the four Sky Castles would rendezvous here, then issue a declaration of war, assign their respective combat tasks, and attack Sunagakure.
Yes, only four.
Although Black Zetsu had united the entire Shinobi World, only the other four of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had the capability to build a Sky Castle within five years.
Although the Land of Sky's Sky Castle was only the size of a large castle, these other villages didn't have that many puppeteers skilled in architecture. Construction relied more on ordinary craftsmen, with Shinobi merely serving as auxiliary labor.
"Years of suppressed hatred finally have a chance for release."
Standing at the edge, watching the passing clouds beneath his feet, Hiruzen felt myriad emotions.
Although he personally advocated for peaceful development, the damage Ryuji inflicted on Konoha five years ago was too great. Even after five years, the village's hatred for him hadn't diminished in the slightest.
Even he, as Hokage, couldn't stop the villagers' desire for revenge… this was public will; he couldn't stop it.
Even if he could, he wouldn't.
Although the one currently in office was still him, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen,
But the traces of time were increasingly apparent. The strain of handling various affairs made his body increasingly frail. His Chakra, strength, and speed had greatly declined… although he barely maintained a level at the peak of Kage rank, this decline made him feel the urgency of his limited time.
Before that time came, he had to eliminate the final hidden danger for Konoha.
—Senki Ryuji!
Although the current enemy was the entire Sunagakure, he understood that the one who had developed Sunagakure into an entity rivaling the entire Shinobi World within just a few years was Ryuji.
Senki Ryuji… this person's existence had broken the Shinobi World's balance.
If they didn't take this opportunity to eliminate him, the Shinobi World's situation would inevitably become one of Sunagakure's dominance until other villages produced a similar genius.
And such a genius, in the entire history of the Shinobi World, only the First Hokage could rival it!
Hiruzen didn't believe a similar individual would appear again in the short term, and even if one did, it wasn't necessarily for their side.
'While my strength hasn't declined to the point of immobility yet, using this opportunity, I must stake my life to eliminate this threat!'
…
Using the villagers' hatred for mobilization, at this moment, the entire village's combat strength, except for Genin and a few Chunin left in Konoha to protect the villagers, had all come onto the Sky Castle.
In Hiruzen's younger days, he had never imagined a day when Shinobi combat would take place from the sky.
But before that, there was one key arrangement.
"Orochimaru, have you completed the task I assigned you?" Hiruzen looked back at his disciple.
Orochimaru extended his tongue, licking his lips, his eyes flashing with an unusual light. "Yes, Sarutobi-sensei. Both the First and Second Hokage-sama have been successfully reanimated by Impure World Reincarnation. With Zetsu's assistance, the Impure World Reincarnation has been greatly perfected!"
As he spoke, the door was slammed open.
Hashirama and Tobirama, their bodies and faces marked with cracks, walked in.
Hashirama's face still held lingering curiosity and excitement.
"To think the Shinobi of this era are actually riding on this thing."
"This is the Sky Castle of the Land of Sky. I went through great trouble to capture it back then. I never expected Saru to actually build this thing."
Exchanging words, the two came before Hiruzen.
The First Hokage recognized Hiruzen at a glance and waved. "If it isn't little Saru! I never thought you'd be so aged and doddering. Looking at your age, you're probably older than me!"
"First Hokage-sama, Second Hokage-sama!"
Hiruzen couldn't help but wryly smile.
He was of advanced age and was the Hokage, yet these two treated him like a child, leaving him somewhat speechless.
Tobirama noticed Hiruzen's awkwardness and criticized sternly, "Brother, mind your words. Saru is the Hokage now. Acting like this will make him lose authority in front of his subordinates."
"Is that so?" Hashirama looked at Hiruzen, then at the speechless Orochimaru, and scratched the back of his head, letting out an awkward laugh.
"It's alright. In front of you two, I am indeed a child."
"Times have changed. You… forget it, let's not talk about this." Tobirama originally wanted to say more but found it too troublesome. Since it didn't concern him much as a dead person, he simply changed the topic. "We've heard the details from your student. You needn't feel any burden in your heart. I created Impure World Reincarnation precisely for a day like this."
Hearing this, the Third Hokage nodded.
When they decided to perfect the Impure World Reincarnation, Tsunade had strongly opposed, unwilling for her deceased grandfather to be disturbed.
Ultimately, it took a great deal of persuasion, reasons ranging from Konoha's survival to the future safety of the Shinobi World, to barely get her to accept.
But ever since Orochimaru began research to perfect Impure World Reincarnation, Tsunade had never spoken to them again.
Now that they had the First and Second's understanding, Tsunade could finally be appeased.
The Third Hokage looked up into the distance. In the blue sky, three small black dots enlarged into distinct shapes… they were the other three villages' Sky Castles.
Although all were Sky Castles, their architectural styles were clearly different, reflecting their respective villages' characteristics.
The Third Hokage's expression turned serious. "Regarding the issue of command authority for this war, I'll still need your assistance, First Hokage-sama!"
"No problem."
Although the First Hokage usually had a demeanor that could be described, in less-than-dignified terms, as somewhat playful, he could still grasp the key points at critical moments.
The four Sky Castles converged in the air, stopping at a distance of about ten-plus meters from each other.
Stone bridges extended from their entrances, forming a simple platform in the middle. The Kage of each village, accompanied by two guards, emerged from their castles and walked onto the platform.
The Fourth Raikage, Third Tsuchikage, Third Hokage, Fourth Mizukage, Black Zetsu, and the leaders and guards of various medium and small villages… over thirty people in total.
They examined each other, their gazes finally settling on the four Kage.
"Our combined forces of Chunin and above amount to roughly 60,000. Even with Sunagakure's autonomous puppets, we far surpass them. But what demands caution is their Chakra Cannon!" The Fourth Raikage stated.
The Fourth Raikage had full confidence in their numbers, but thinking of the stolen Chakra Cannon left him uneasy.
After all, a weapon capable of blasting the moon apart wasn't easy to resist.
"This isn't a problem." The Third Hokage said. "Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan have been generations-long friends. Therefore, we received their sealing and barrier techniques as gifts. Their techniques are inherited from the Sage of Six Paths. Even a weapon capable of blasting the moon can be blocked."
Then, he added, "Of course, provided there is sufficient Chakra."
"With the entire Shinobi World, except Sunagakure, united, besides the One-Tail and the Six-Tail whose rebirth location is unknown, we have seven other Tailed Beasts' Chakra we can utilize. Chakra shouldn't be a problem, right?" Yagura said.
"Having the five Jinchuriki supply Chakra will be enough."
"Since the threat of the Chakra Cannon is resolved, let's discuss the next key point!" Zetsu said. "What an Allied Force most fears is internal discord, each fighting their own battle, or even stabbing each other in the back…"
Here, Black Zetsu glanced at Onoki, then continued before the Raikage could erupt, "Therefore, for this operation, we must select a leader capable of unified command, to avoid repeating past mistakes."
"That's natural."
"If there isn't a leader everyone trusts, probably no one will feel at ease with each other, right?"
"Absolutely correct. Without a leader, the alliance's advantage cannot be utilized."
The importance of command authority was self-evident. Black Zetsu's words received agreement from everyone.
"Since everyone agrees, then I'll shamelessly volunteer myself!" Onoki was the first to speak after the wave of agreement subsided. "After all, I am a few years older than everyone here present, possessing more experience to lead everyone to victory this time."
As soon as he finished, the Raikage stepped forward to oppose. "If you become the leader, then Kumogakure withdraws from this operation."
"What does the Raikage mean?"
"Playing dumb, old man?" Yagura mocked. "Your reputation is well-known even in overseas Kirigakure. I don't trust you either."
"You…" Onoki was enraged.
But he was well aware of his past deeds, knowing the others spoke the truth and he couldn't refute.
However, recalling how he had recently backstabbed Kumogakure, he still shamelessly said, "Times have changed. Facing Sunagakure, which threatens the entire Shinobi World, I wouldn't do something that would be bringing about my own destruction."
Facing Sunagakure, which could easily defeat another of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, backstabbing during the war would inevitably lead to a posture of total collapse.
Even if they could barely win, betraying the entire Shinobi World's alliance meant the others wouldn't let him off afterward.
However,
Although everyone understood this perfectly, Onoki's past conduct still couldn't command everyone's respect.
After a round of arguments, the point of conflict concentrated on the Raikage and Tsuchikage.
Onoki stated he could refrain from being leader, but the Raikage couldn't be leader either.
Having previously backstabbed Kumogakure, he worried that if the Raikage became the operational leader, he'd use Iwagakure's Shinobi as cannon fodder.
If the Raikage were the leader, he would withdraw Iwagakure.
At that point, Black Zetsu said, "In that case, let the Hokage assume command for this operation!"
Hearing this, everyone looked at him in surprise.
Black Zetsu let out a chuckle and continued, "Whether it's the Raikage or the Tsuchikage, if one of you becomes leader, the other will withdraw, and the alliance collapses. So, we can only have both of you step aside."
Hearing this, everyone slightly nodded.
"The Fourth Mizukage may have quelled Kirigakure's internal strife and led the village into a new era, but when it comes down to it, not only did you lose to Sunagakure on the main battlefield in the Land of Whirlpools, but you also later lost to Senki Ryuji within Kirigakure. Everyone would doubt whether you have the ability to lead us to victory."
Hearing this, Yagura's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, but he couldn't refute.
"But the Hokage is different." Black Zetsu continued. "Although Konoha also lost to Sunagakure six years ago, that was due to a surprise attack. No one anticipated a weapon like the Floating Continent. In a situation of few against many, the Hokage still defeated their leader, Senki Ryuji, and ultimately protected the village. His strength and prestige are both sufficient to serve as this operation's leader."
"That's correct. When it comes to character, prestige, strength, how can Onoki compare to the Hokage?"
"I support the Hokage as the leader of this operation."
"I also agree."
"I have no objection!"
"Me too!"
As soon as Black Zetsu finished speaking, everyone voiced agreement one after another. Even the Raikage and Yagura acknowledged it.
Although Onoki's expression was somewhat unpleasant, he also had to admit that Hiruzen was the most suitable person for the role.
"Since everyone has such high regard for me, then I can only shamelessly overreach myself this once." Hiruzen gently stroked his mustache, a slight smile on his face.
Although he had initially coveted this position and even set a goal of must obtain it, being handed it voluntarily without even having to fight for it was an unexpected development that truly delighted him.
He felt particularly deeply grateful towards Black Zetsu for proposing him as leader.
'As expected of someone inheriting the Akatsuki's ideals. To achieve balance of power in the Shinobi World and maintain the First Hokage's ideal of peaceful development, he didn't hesitate to produce a trump card like the Sky Castle blueprints and showed no interest in power. Such a person must not be treated poorly.'
The thought flashed through his mind. Hiruzen smiled and said, "Since everyone has had various grudges in the past, to avoid internal conflict, I ask Zetsu to serve as the Peace Ambassador, responsible for mediating conflicts between the villages."
'Peace Ambassador!?'
Black Zetsu was stunned, an expression of disbelief on his face.
For so many years, he had constantly hidden in the shadows, sowing discord, causing chaos in the Shinobi World. Yet now, the leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces appointed him 'Peace Ambassador'.
This was truly surreal.