Chapter 291: The Ten-Nation Coalition
Orochimaru.
The name left everyone in the room a little stunned.
Ever since he'd allied with the Fourth Raikage three years ago to launch that assault on Konoha in the Land of Frost, Orochimaru had effectively vanished off the map. No one knew where he'd gone, or what he'd been doing in the years since.
"Do you have a way to reach Orochimaru?"
Ōnoki looked at Killer Bee.
"Three years ago, my brother traded Kumo's technology for Orochimaru's help. Since then, he's taken what we gave him and holed up somewhere in the Land of Frost, researching."
"No one knows exactly what he's working on."
Killer Bee's words drew a flicker of something across Konan's face.
Not only that — Akatsuki had also once traded Sasori's puppet techniques and remnants of the Fourth Raikage's body for Orochimaru's help rescuing Deidara and Sasori from Tobirama. Only through an ironic twist of fate, Sasori's attempt to save Deidara had gone sideways — Sasori alone was rescued, while Deidara ended up captured by Konoha, and the Hokage had traded him back to Iwagakure in exchange for one of their secret techniques.
Konan hadn't expected to hear Orochimaru's name come up again here, of all places.
"Would Orochimaru actually help us?"
Temari frowned, thinking it over.
"Orochimaru's research burns through money fast. And as it happens, the wealthiest people in the shinobi world are the nobility."
"They won't miss a little of that spare wealth."
Killer Bee's answer drew nods around the room.
If money alone could buy someone with Orochimaru's combat power, that was, without question, a good trade.
As for what he was actually researching?
No one particularly cared.
—
Land of Frost
Site of the old Fire-Lightning battlefield
A black-haired man in a white padded coat walked across the snow-covered ground, footprints alternating deep and shallow behind him.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's assistant, followed close behind.
"It's snowing."
Orochimaru held out a hand, and a snowflake settled on his palm, melting into a droplet beneath his golden serpent eyes.
Kabuto watched him, puzzled.
The Land of Frost saw snow year-round, and they'd been stationed here a long time now — snowfall was hardly unusual.
"And... the wind's changed too."
Orochimaru felt the wind against his skin, different from usual, his snake eyes calm.
Kabuto said nothing, not entirely sure what Orochimaru meant by that.
"Heh. Well, it hardly matters now."
"Kabuto. We have company."
Orochimaru glanced back at Kabuto with a faint smile, then turned his gaze toward the distance.
Two tall figures approached.
Their dark skin stood out sharply against the snow, and despite the biting cold, both were dressed lightly, unbothered — an unsettling sight in itself.
Powerful.
Kabuto's eyes narrowed faintly behind his glasses.
"Orochimaru."
The voice arrived before the man himself.
Orochimaru watched the newcomer approach, a faint smile on his lips.
"As I recall, the previous ceasefire terms forbade you from leaving the Land of Lightning."
Orochimaru said, looking at Killer Bee with genuine interest.
"Just a scrap of paper."
Killer Bee had no particular regard for whatever treaty Orochimaru was referring to.
"I've come looking for you because I need something."
"If there weren't something, I wouldn't have bothered."
Orochimaru's words carried a faint sting, and Killer Bee paused briefly before continuing.
"We need your strength."
"Konoha's Hokage is far too powerful. This time, the entire shinobi world is uniting against her — a rare opportunity."
"We intend to use it to eliminate her."
A faint edge of killing intent slipped into Killer Bee's voice, then dissolved again into the falling snow.
"You're that confident I'll help you?"
Orochimaru regarded the man before him, calm.
"Because you don't have a choice. If the Hokage crushes this coalition, you'll have nowhere left to run — not after openly slaughtering Konoha shinobi on that battlefield three years ago."
"And besides..."
"And besides what?"
"If you refuse — I'll kill you right here."
Killer Bee's eyes, hidden behind dark glasses, stayed fixed and serious on the man before him.
That drew a visible reaction from Kabuto, standing behind Orochimaru.
This is the Fifth Raikage. The Eight-Tails' Perfect Jinchūriki.
"Oh, how terrifying."
Orochimaru's expression stayed as unbothered and mild as ever, entirely unmoved by the threat.
Plenty of people had wanted him dead over the years. None of them had ever managed it.
Even if the Fifth Hokage herself showed up in person, he was confident he could escape her grasp.
And besides — he'd already thoroughly extracted everything useful from Kumo's technology. Kumo had nothing left to interest him.
He had no patience left for this kind of tangled political nonsense. All he wanted was somewhere quiet to keep researching immortality.
But in the next instant, Killer Bee's words made his expression shift entirely.
"Five billion. For your full commitment to this."
"Kabuto. Show our esteemed guests back to base. Bring tea."
Orochimaru's expression changed so fast that Darui, trailing behind Killer Bee, was caught completely off guard.
Orochimaru's face lit up with unrestrained delight, every trace of his earlier detached cool gone entirely.
No helping it. Killer Bee had offered far more than he'd expected.
And research, of course, was extraordinarily expensive. As long as Orochimaru kept researching, he'd never fully escape the pull of money.
And five billion — what did that even represent?
An entire year's military budget for all of Konoha.
There was no version of this where Orochimaru said no.
—
Konoha — Hokage Building conference room
Aside from the Hokage herself, the room was packed, every seat filled.
Tobirama Senju, Tsunade, Shikaku Nara, Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Hiashi Hyūga, Asuma Sarutobi, Inoichi Yamanaka, Chōza Akimichi, Shiranui Genma — nearly the entire senior jōnin roster of Konoha had gathered here.
"I'll give the current situation report now."
Shikaku Nara rose, glanced briefly at the Hokage, seated as though half-dozing, then turned to address the room, papers of gathered intelligence in hand.
"As of now, the nations currently mobilizing military action against us are: the Land of Wind, the Land of Rain, the Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, the Land of Earth, the Land of Snow, the Land of Rice Paddies, the Land of Bears, and the Land of Waterfall. Nine nations in total — effectively, we're at war with the entire shinobi world."
At that, the room stirred a little, but there wasn't much real alarm.
Konoha, after all, had won all four previous Great Ninja Wars, and had defeated each of the four Great Villages individually before. The smaller nations barely registered as a concern at all.
And Konoha currently boasted not only a nearly unbeatable Fifth Hokage, but also a brilliant, resourceful Second Hokage — two Hokage, one from beyond death itself, standing shoulder to shoulder today.
A mere nine-nation coalition? Hardly worth losing sleep over.
Let them come. Konoha would handle it.
Shikaku paused briefly, then continued.
"So far, the smaller nations bordering the Land of Fire have only begun rapidly mobilizing their forces — no active operations yet. They're clearly waiting for the four Great Nations' forces — Wind, Lightning, Earth, Water — to arrive before launching a coordinated assault from all directions at once."
"On the Hokage's orders, we've already begun pre-positioning our forces along the border."
"But given how long our national borders are, we're currently stretched thin in terms of manpower."
"Our current force stands at twenty-two thousand shinobi. The coalition's numbers are estimated to exceed seventy thousand."
"Twenty-two thousand against seventy thousand. The numbers favor them."
The moment Shikaku finished, someone spoke up from the floor.
"We should strike the smaller border nations before Wind, Lightning, Water, and Earth's forces arrive."
It was Kakashi.
"Correct. Lord Hokage has already dispatched a team ahead of this meeting to begin exactly that."
Shikaku nodded — that had been his thinking as well. Rather than sitting back and letting the smaller nations wait comfortably for reinforcements, better to strike first, crush them individually, and both boost morale and thin the enemy's numbers in one move.
And clearly, the Hokage had already set that plan in motion before this meeting even began.
At that moment, the lights in the conference room dimmed, and an overhead projector activated, casting a map of the shinobi world across the room.
Shikaku pointed to the two nations closest to the Land of Fire's borders — Takigakure and the Land of Rice Paddies — and continued.
"Before this meeting began, Lord Hokage ordered Naruto Uzumaki to lead a two-hundred-shinobi strike force against the Land of Waterfall."
"At the same time, the Two-Tails jinchūriki Yuki was ordered to lead five hundred shinobi against the Land of Rice Paddies."
That drew visible reactions from several people in the room.
Deploying the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, this early?
And wait — wasn't that Two-Tails jinchūriki a prisoner from Kumo?
And with such a small force, was that even enough?
Opening the war by deploying two jinchūriki at once — especially with Yuki being a full Perfect Jinchūriki — was a striking choice. In past wars, jinchūriki had always been held back as a last resort, a trump card the four Great Nations reserved for desperate, game-changing moments.
Konoha, notably, had never once put its own Nine-Tails jinchūriki on an actual battlefield before.
This was, genuinely, unprecedented for Konoha.
"No need to worry, everyone. Konoha has a resource called chakra armor, which can boost a chūnin's fighting strength up to Special Jōnin, even jōnin level."
"Naruto took two hundred sets of chakra armor with him. Yuki took three hundred."
"If everything goes smoothly, both nations' military forces could be crushed within a single day."
"Wouldn't be surprising if they're both back in the Land of Fire by tomorrow morning."
Shikaku said, with a light laugh, signaling there was no need for concern.
He genuinely felt confident about this.
Five hundred sets of chakra armor was, admittedly, a modest number by raw count.
But that represented five hundred jōnin-level fighters.
Five hundred jōnin — did anyone here appreciate what that actually meant? Shikaku himself had never had the luxury of commanding a force this well-equipped in his entire career.
Even if the Raikage himself showed up personally, Shikaku was confident he could coordinate five hundred jōnin well enough to take him alive.
Hearing this, the room's mood settled, impressed by the chakra armor's capabilities even as they absorbed the scale of it.
A jinchūriki, backed by that many jōnin-level fighters. Forget the smaller nations — that force alone could grind Kirigakure itself into dust and scatter the remains to the wind.
"Though the chakra armor's effect is significant, testing showed it has limited benefit for shinobi already at jōnin level."
Shikaku continued, and a flicker of disappointment crossed several faces at that.
Just as he was about to continue, a knock interrupted the meeting.
"Come in."
At Shikaku's word, Anzu stepped in, visibly nervous — though the sight of the Hokage, sitting there as though half-asleep, quickly eased her tension somewhat.
"Lord Hokage. Lord Tobirama."
"Latest word from intelligence — the Land of Iron has declared war on us as well."
Anzu's report drew no particular reaction from the room. Shikaku simply waved her off.
"Well. Looks like the nine-nation coalition just became a ten-nation coalition."
Shikaku's expression didn't shift, and neither did anyone else's.
Nine nations, ten nations — what real difference did it make at this point?
"So much for that supposedly 'permanently neutral' country. Guess they've decided which side of the fence they're on."
Tsunade said, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed.
"Doesn't matter. Let's continue."
Shikaku pressed on.
"Among the smaller nations, the Land of Rain poses the greatest threat."
"It also happens to connect directly to the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, and our own Land of Fire's territories."
"And with Akatsuki based there, the Land of Rain arguably poses a greater threat than even the Land of Earth or the Land of Lightning."
"It's genuinely our most formidable adversary."
At the mention of Akatsuki, the room's mood turned notably grimmer.
"Given the Land of Rain's geography, the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth may well bypass the Land of Grass and the Land of Rivers entirely, choosing to march through the Land of Rain's territory into ours instead."
"That would avoid the risk of being defeated piecemeal, and let them consolidate forces with the Land of Rain directly."
"Worse still, that scenario raises the real possibility that Wind, Earth, and Rain's strongest fighters could all converge on a single battlefield at once."
"Especially given Akatsuki's roster of missing-nin — Kisame Hoshigaki, Sasori of the Red Sand, Obito Uchiha — and, per earlier intelligence from Kakashi's team, a woman skilled in large-scale explosive tags who's also capable of flight."
"On top of that — Akatsuki's leader already crossed blades with Lord Hokage directly. Though he lost to her, he still managed to escape unharmed."
At this, the room's mood turned heavier still. Escaping the Fifth Hokage's hands unscathed — whoever this Akatsuki leader was, commanding this many S-rank missing-nin, he was clearly no ordinary threat.
"The Land of Rain front will almost certainly require Lord Hokage's personal involvement, leading forces there directly."
"And beyond the Rain front, the Land of Frost — sitting between the Fire and Lightning territories — is another critical battlefield."
"Combined with the news about the Land of Iron, the Land of Lightning's forces will likely consolidate with Iron's in the Land of Frost."
"And with the Raikage himself being the Eight-Tails' Perfect Jinchūriki, the pressure on that front will be severe as well."
"I'll go."
Before Shikaku could finish, someone spoke up from the floor.
It was Guy.
"Guy..."
Kakashi looked at his friend, blinking, momentarily caught off guard.
"Patience."
Shikaku held up a hand, stopping Guy, and continued.
"The battlefield shifts constantly. Guy, if you're heading there, you'll need someone capable of overseeing the bigger picture alongside you."
His gaze landed on Kakashi, the implication unmistakable.
"I'll go with Guy."
Kakashi said, voice steady.
"On top of that — the Land of Bears sits along the Land of Fire's coastline, right across the water from the Land of Water."
"If the Land of Bears' Hoshigakure sends forces by sea to link up with the Land of Water's fleet, landing in the Land of Frost—"
"Then the Frost front would face not just the Land of Lightning and the Land of Iron, but the Land of Water and the Land of Bears as well."
"If they move that way, the pressure on the Frost front could easily rival, or exceed, the Rain front."
"Kakashi and Guy alone won't be enough for that."
Shikaku's grasp of the overall strategic picture was sharp and clear.
The Rain front pitted them against Wind, Earth, and Rain. The Frost front, potentially, against Lightning, Water, Iron, and Bears.
Losing either front meant enemy forces pouring straight into the Land of Fire — a loss on a scale almost too costly to contemplate.
"What about me?"
Tsunade, unable to stay quiet any longer, slammed a hand down on the table and stood.
"Lady Tsunade, as our leading medical shinobi, you should hold the rear and stabilize morale."
Shikaku answered, calm, looking at her.
"Send Naruto."
At that, the Hokage — seated at the head of the room — finally spoke.
"I'll personally take the Land of Rain front, alongside Yuki."
Clearly, she'd already decided on her approach before the meeting even began.
"Keep Tobirama in Konoha. Hikaru of the Uchiha clan stays here with him as well, guarding against any internal threats while serving as a reserve force."
The Hokage's tone was calm, and left no room for debate.
"Lord Hokage..."
Shikaku still had something to say.
Was the Hokage really planning to single-handedly face down the combined powerhouses of Wind, Earth, and Rain all on her own?
(End of chapter.)
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