(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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The meeting room fell silent.
All those present realized that, until today, they had not seen the true nature of their world.
The Tailed Beasts, the Sage of Six Paths, [Infinite Tsukuyomi].
Each revelation shook their understanding to the core.
After a while, Gaara, being young and adaptable, was the first to return to reality.
"Everyone, the enemy has declared war. Are we just going to sit here and wait for it to happen?"
His words snapped Tsunade back to attention.
"Impossible. Even if the others choose to surrender, Konoha will not hand over Naruto. We will fight to the end!"
The other Kage expressed their opinions one after another.
Whether out of fear of the Akatsuki's ambitions or their personal grudges, no one wanted to see the future the masked man spoke of.
The formation of a "Five Kage" coalition in the ninja world came naturally.
Then, they all faced a problem.
Since the coalition had been established, there must be a unified voice.
It was imperative to elect a leader for the alliance.
Gaara's qualifications were too shallow, and he consciously gave up his eligibility for the election.
The same was true for Terumi Mei.
Although she wasn't too young, Kirigakure had been isolated for years, and little was known about her.
Those with the ability to lead were Tsunade, Onoki, and the Fourth Raikage, A.
"I think the Hokage is the most qualified to be the commander-in-chief of the coalition," Terumi Mei stated first.
Her reasoning was simple: Konoha was the most powerful hidden village and the only one that still retained a Jinchūriki.
"I agree. Hokage-san is very suitable as a leader," Gaara added, his support for Konoha clear given their current relationship.
Onoki snorted, "This old man has been through three ninja wars. My rich experience is beyond anyone's reach."
"Yeah..." Colt said quietly, "Isn't your most famous battle commanding 10,000 Iwagakure ninjas to besiege the Third Raikage?"
"Are you planning to use the same tactic against the Akatsuki this time?"
With one sentence, he hurt two people.
Onoki's face reddened with embarrassment, while the Fourth Raikage glared at him.
"I don't agree with this old man being the commander-in-chief of the coalition. His mind is too devious," the Raikage growled. "Who knows if he'll use this opportunity to wear down the power of our villages!"
The Fourth Raikage pointed to himself, "If I'm the commander-in-chief of the coalition, I'll be accountable to everyone."
"It's a promise as a man!"
Colt whispered again, "Yeah, just like when you invaded the border of the Land of Fire the last time, you took responsibility by surrendering."
The Fourth Raikage was so enraged he could barely contain himself.
How dare this kid keep opening his old wounds!
Terumi Mei's beautiful eyes sparkled with interest.
This young man was really quite amusing, wasn't he?
After Colt's mischief, things became clear.
Tsunade, who received the most support, became the commander-in-chief of the coalition.
She also did her part in accepting the position.
"The main purpose of the Allied Shinobi Forces is to protect the Nine-Tails sealed within Uzumaki Naruto from being acquired by the Akatsuki. If you have any good suggestions, please put them forward."
Tsunade hit the nail on the head, identifying the core issue of the war.
Colt opened his mouth, wanting to say that Naruto would soon become the perfect Jinchūriki, stronger than all of them combined.
They didn't need to work so hard to protect him.
However, this was Tsunade's first meeting as the commander-in-chief, and it wouldn't be appropriate to contradict her openly.
"Send him overseas," the Raikage said. "Beyond the Land of Lightning's strait, there's a mobile turtle island that our village has inherited for generations."
"As long as he's on the Turtle Island, the Akatsuki won't be able to find him."
The other three Kage had no objections.
"That's good," Tsunade nodded.
"In this case, we can also place the battlefield in the Land of Lightning, which will allow us to protect Naruto at any time and prevent damage to our villages."
The Raikage frowned, "I'll have to discuss this with the Daimyō."
Nominally, this was a Five Kage Summit, but the Daimyōs were the rulers of their respective countries.
Colt's mind stirred slightly.
Daimyō?
Through remote communication, the Daimyōs of various countries also agreed to form the ninja coalition.
The battlefield was set in the Land of Lightning, with headquarters established in Kumogakure.
Next, the villages would return to gather their troops, joining forces at Kumogakure ten days later.
Before leaving, Colt stopped Terumi Mei.
"Young handsome guy, what's the matter?" Terumi Mei looked at Colt with interest.
"Are you captivated by my beauty and perhaps want to marry into Kirigakure?"
When she said that as a joke, she was surprised to find that she was also considering it slightly.
Such a handsome and powerful ninja would be her perfect match.
Behind her, Chōjūrō and Ao wore exasperated expressions.
Normally, Terumi Mei was a very qualified Mizukage.
But when would this frustrating character trait of hers change?
Judging by the Fifth Hokage's attitude, Colt was obviously in line to be the next, Sixth Hokage.
How could he possibly come to their Mist Village?
Although Colt had a good impression of Terumi Mei, who was no less beautiful than Tsunade (after all, men were visual creatures, and appearance determines initial favorability), at this moment he was about to say something a little hurtful.
Colt glanced at Ao, who was still smiling bitterly, immediately making the older man feel a chill run down his spine.
"Mizukage-sama, is that right eye of your guard the [Byakugan] of our Konoha?"
Several people's expressions changed slightly.
This [Byakugan] was a windfall at the end of the Third Ninja World War when Kirigakure took advantage of Konoha's unpreparedness in a surprise attack.
It was through this eye that Ao had seen through the Fourth Mizukage's genjutsu, making it a treasure of Kirigakure.
To protect the [Byakugan], Ao had placed countless seals on it.
What did Colt mean by bringing this up now?
"Colt..."
Hinata's eyes were full of complex emotions; she knew what Colt was doing.
Colt squeezed Hinata's hand gently and looked at Ao impassively.
"The [Byakugan] is the bloodline limit of the Hyūga clan, and there's absolutely no reason for it to be outside our village."
"But now is the time for the five hidden villages to fight against a common enemy. I won't pursue this matter for now. When the war is over, you have two choices."
"First, take out the [Byakugan] and return it to the Hyūga family yourself. Second, I'll personally take action to end your life and retrieve the [Byakugan]."
As he spoke, a terrifying chakra emanated from Colt's body.
Ao, Chōjūrō, and Terumi Mei were all shocked to find that their bodies were completely paralyzed.
Finally, Colt gave a meaningful look to Ao, who was now covered in cold sweat.
He then took Hinata's hand and left the room.