Chapter 296: The Raikage Takes Command
Raikage A's muscles, comparable to a giant bear's, suddenly tensed. He stomped forward, causing the entire floor of the cold, stone conference hall to tremble violently beneath the Lightning Release chakra emanating from him.
"This strength of mine," A roared, his voice a bellow, "is the sharpest blade to tear apart any enemy! It is proof of command!"
"And you, old man?"
A made no effort to hide his contempt, his posture aggressively challenging.
"What can you do besides hiding behind and playing some petty, complicated schemes that can't even see the light of day? Schemes that always rely on others' strength?"
"Let you be the supreme commander? I'm afraid before you even see Uchiha Akira, you'll already be thinking about how to preserve your own strength and let us Kumogakure be the first wave of cannon fodder!"
"You selfish old fox! You are not fit to lead us!"
"What did you say, you muscle-brained fool!"
Ōnoki trembled with sheer, furious rage, his chin and beard twitching incessantly. He levitated higher in mid-air, confronting A face-to-face.
"This old man is thinking about the bigger picture! Unlike you, a single-celled organism, who can only see what's directly in front of his oversized fists!"
Ōnoki pressed his palms together, the gesture precise and deadly. Between them, a dazzling white light began to gather rapidly. A terrifying, disintegrating aura instantly spread through the room.
"Brute!" Ōnoki's voice became incredibly grim, tight with warning. "Do you want to taste this old man's Dust Release (Jinton) right here?!"
[Inorin's Note: Dust Release (Jinton) is a devastating combined nature transformation (Kekkei Tōta) used by Ōnoki. It allows the user to reduce targets to molecular dust.]
A saw the nascent white light and the contempt on his face grew even deeper, fueled by his pride in his speed.
The Lightning Release Chakra on his body crackled violently, and he instantly activated his signature Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
"Hmph, your Dust Release?"
A roared in defiance! His figure flickered slightly, a lightning-fast burst of movement, leaving behind an almost imperceptible afterimage of pure electricity.
"If you can't even touch my shadow, if you can't hit me, what good is your fancy Jutsu?"
The representatives of the smaller Shinobi Villages were forced to retreat repeatedly by the oppressive, conflicting aura emanating from the two confronting Kage. The cold, tense standoff was paralyzing the meeting.
"Stop with the nonsense, old man!"
A clenched his fist, staring directly at Ōnoki, not giving an inch of ground.
"The Ninja World, in the end, is about strength! About decisive power!"
"Whoever has the harder, faster fist... is the one who gets to be the boss!"
"Old man, if you're not convinced, let's go outside and spar right now! Let's see if your old bones are harder, or if my fists are harder!"
"Spar then! I'm not afraid of you, brute!" Ōnoki, driven by pride, also refused to back down, the white light intensifying between his palms.
It looked terrifyingly likely that the two Kage-level powerhouses were about to come to blows, destroying the tenuous Shinobi Alliance before it even officially began!
Just at this tense, explosive moment.
"Both of you, please stop."
Clang!
A crisp, sharp sword clang clearly reached everyone's ears, cutting through the crackling tension.
General Mifune of the Land of Iron stood perfectly still, his sheathed sword held horizontally, positioned precisely between Raikage A and Tsuchikage Ōnoki.
Ōnoki coldly looked at the samurai who had suddenly intervened, his tone very displeased, containing a sharp hint of warning.
"Lord Mifune. This is a matter between us Ninja. You should not interfere."
"No, Lord Tsuchikage."
Mifune shook his head slowly, his expression utterly respectful yet firm. "From the moment the Land of Iron joined your Shinobi Alliance, everything discussed and decided here concerns me. This squabbling is weakness."
Click.
Mifune sheathed his sword, his movements swift and decisive. He looked at the two leaders.
"I understand the concerns of both Kage, and both of your strengths are necessary."
He turned to A. "Lord Raikage, you possess a strength and speed that are unmatched in the Ninja World. Your physique is supreme, and your energy is abundant."
"On the battlefield, the supreme commander of the Shinobi Allied Forces indeed needs such raw courage and devastating power to boost morale and decisively lead the charge."
A's expression visibly softened upon hearing this, his chest puffing out slightly. He liked hearing the facts stated correctly. It resonated deeply with his core belief system.
Then, Mifune turned to Ōnoki, who was still floating stubbornly in the air.
"And Lord Tsuchikage, you are a venerable senior who has experienced several Great Ninja Wars, rich in strategic experience and possessing unparalleled foresight."
"Facing a common enemy like Uchiha Akira, the Shinobi Alliance needs your wisdom and subtle strategy to avoid falling into traps and to make the most correct, long-term judgments."
After hearing this, Ōnoki let out a heavy, satisfied snort, the gathering white light dissipating. He tacitly agreed with Mifune's balanced assessment.
He had to admit that the brute's combat power was indeed impressive for leading a charge. When it came to frontline devastation, he still had to rely on A.
Seeing that neither Kage was still actively throwing destructive jutsu, Mifune then put forward his suggestion, his voice clear and concise.
"Therefore, I have a proposal that honors both of your necessary roles."
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Mifune, awaiting the verdict.
"The supreme commander of this Shinobi Allied Forces will be taken by the younger, more energetic Fourth Raikage."
As his words fell.
A's eyes instantly lit up, a fierce, triumphant grin splitting his face.
Ōnoki's expression, however, instantly became incredibly grim, his face tightening in fury at the perceived slight.
"However," Mifune's tone shifted, his gaze turning respectfully to Ōnoki.
"The Shinobi Alliance also needs to establish a Vice-Commander."
"This crucial position will be held by the venerable and experienced Lord Tsuchikage."
Mifune outlined the roles precisely. "The Commander (Lord Raikage) will handle external affairs, responsible for all command on the front lines and morale."
"The Vice-Commander (Lord Tsuchikage) will handle internal affairs, responsible for rear logistics, intelligence analysis, long-term strategic planning, and overall deployment doctrine."
He looked at both of them separately, waiting. "This way, it can both utilize Lord Raikage's necessary strength for action and fully leverage Lord Tsuchikage's invaluable wisdom for survival."
Mifune bowed slightly. "What do you two think of this balance?"
After Mifune finished speaking, he stood calmly, awaiting their replies.
This proposal was, indeed, the only workable solution at the moment. It satisfied Raikage A's ego and desire for direct command while giving Ōnoki significant, hidden power over the Shinobi Alliance's intelligence and logistics—the true levers of war.
Raikage A grinned, revealing a hint of a triumphant smile. He glanced mockingly at Ōnoki.
[Although it's annoying, as long as the final decision-making power—the charge—is in my hands, it's not entirely unacceptable. Listening to this old fox's logistics advice might also prevent me from accidentally falling into one of Akira's traps.]
Thinking this, A was the first to express his stance.
"Hmph. Since Lord Mifune has laid out the structure."
"I have no objections. The Raikage accepts the command."
Instantly, everyone's gaze focused anxiously on Ōnoki, who was floating, utterly silent.
Ōnoki floated in the air, his expression shifting rapidly between cold anger and calculating acceptance. It was clearly an intense internal struggle.
[Damn it! To be subservient to that brute! This old man is a hundred times unwilling!]
[But... Mifune's proposal is indeed the best solution right now. Vice-Commander is better than being excluded. And the true power—the planning, the intelligence analysis, the long-term strategic decisions—that power is now firmly in my hands.]
Ōnoki's eyes flickered, realizing the potential for manipulation.
[That brute only knows how to fight and kill. When it comes to strategizing the movement of six thousand troops, won't he still have to listen to this old man's advice? At that point, it's not certain who will truly be in charge!]
He let out a heavy snort, which served as his final answer.
"Since it's to oppose Konoha, this old man will temporarily not bother with you, you muscle-brained brute!"
Seeing both great figures nod in grim agreement, the atmosphere in the conference hall finally, cautiously eased.
All the representatives of the smaller Ninja Villages unconsciously let out a collective sigh of immense relief.
Mifune bowed slightly to the two of them, his voice now solemn and grave, marking the historical moment.
"Then, the Shinobi Alliance is hereby established."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]