Chiyu publicly informed the entire ninja world that he required the Kage and high-level leaders of the four other major hidden villages to submit, directly seizing control over all five nations and five hidden villages!
Naturally, not a single Kage or high official chose to surrender. On the contrary, news soon arrived that the four great hidden villages had formed an Anti-Chiyu alliance army, gathering vast numbers of shinobi forces to converge from all directions and attack Konohagakure!
Essentially, this signaled the start of yet another great ninja war!
The Land of Fire, home to Konohagakure, lies at the very center of the ninja world.
Occupying the richest, most fertile, and most expansive territory in all the lands, it has always drawn the covetous attention of every power.
Even the so-called Anti-Chiyu Alliance Army, stirred by the words of "Karatachi Yagura," was enticed by the promise of killing Chiyu and carving up the territory. Apart from simply opposing Chiyu himself, dividing up the Land of Fire's lands and resources became a highly important incentive.
Inside the Hokage's office.
Hatake Kakashi slightly furrowed his brow.
"Hokage-sama, the four great hidden villages have formed this Anti-Chiyu Alliance Army, marching into the Land of Fire from four different fronts, clearly refusing to sit and wait.
"Before this, you gave them an ultimatum; essentially you demanded that those villages' high-level figures submit. But that never included the entire village."
"Right. But they'll never willingly give up their power or risk being labeled cowards who surrendered their villages without a fight.
"They'd naturally rally all their shinobi to destroy the Hokage at any cost.
"Which, of course, was expected."
Uchiha Fugaku gave a cold snort:
"Those four allied villages know perfectly well how strong Hokage-sama is. That's exactly why they've split into four fronts, planning a coordinated assault on the Land of Fire, hoping to divide and overwhelm both you and the village so that we can't attend every front.
"If it were just you alone, no matter how many elite shinobi they threw at you, it wouldn't matter. But now they aim to threaten the rest of the village, forcing our other forces to battle them."
Everyone fell silent at that. They all understood Fugaku's point:
In essence, Hokage-sama is strong, but not necessarily the entire village right now. After all, Konoha, though once a formidable force, remained in its weakest state…
"I understand your concerns, but there's no need to worry.
"No matter how many or what armies they bring, it makes no difference.
"I alone am enough." The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel⦿fire.net
Everyone gasped in alarm.
"Hokage-sama—are you serious?!
"Even you can't single-handedly fend off the combined might of four nations' entire armies!
"Yes, you could use Shadow Clones, but that would disperse your chakra significantly. How can we withstand nearly the entire ninja world's power?"
"Indeed, for an ordinary jōnin, being surrounded by a huge force is a death sentence.
"Even a powerful figure like the Third Raikage, who fought against ten thousand Iwa-nin, ultimately ran out of chakra and died of exhaustion.
"…is that they weren't strong enough.
"Not as strong as I am."
Chiyu saw it clearly: in this world, if one is powerful enough—so powerful as to surpass all norms and logic—then the number of shinobi becomes irrelevant.
In the Fourth Great Ninja War of the original timeline, for example, Edo Tensei Madara slaughtered large swaths of the Allied Shinobi Forces with hardly any effort. Let alone once someone attained Six Paths powers: to ordinary ninja, they might as well be gods.
Chiyu might not actually have Six Paths powers, but in the present ninja world, his strength had already reached near the pinnacle, infinitely close to the very limit!
Hatake Kakashi spoke solemnly:
"Hokage-sama, though we trust in your strength, war is war, and you can't always achieve victory alone…
"Besides, the enemy clearly knows how strong you are, yet they still choose to attack. They must be preparing some trump cards or secret weapons…
"If anything should happen to you, it would mean the downfall of the village."
He was quite blunt—but this represented the fears of most in attendance.
Chiyu shook his head:
"Kakashi, you're mistaken.
"Precisely because Konoha is currently weak, that this is the best path.
"You're right that the Four Great Nations must have a special plan against me. But that's why all of you also need to be ready.
"While I go off on my own to fight all four nations, you must remain on guard."
People wanted to protest, but Chiyu interrupted:
"That's an order from the Hokage."
So they had to remain silent. Then Chiyu began issuing directives:
"You lead the Anbu forces and station yourselves on the eastern front of Konoha, prepared to face the Kirigakure ninja troops at any time!"
"You'll command the Uchiha clan and the Police Force on the western side, to intercept the Suna troops."
"Take the Ino–Shika–Chō formation to engage the Iwa forces."
"Lead the Hyūga clan and face the Kumo ninjas."
Might Guy ordinarily wouldn't qualify for such high-level councils—Sarutobi Hiruzen used to think he lacked the temperament for big decisions. But Chiyu wanted him here, believing that strength is itself a kind of decisiveness.
"You, along with the Inuzuka clan and Aburame clan, stand ready at the center. Wherever reinforcements are needed, you go."
"Leave it to me, Hokage-sama!"
With tasks allocated, everyone grasped Chiyu's determination.
Still, Nara Shikaku, as strategist, spoke candidly:
"My Lord, while we'll all do our utmost, it's worth repeating that we stand alone against four entire great hidden villages. Our forces are truly at a low— I fear this still might not be enough."
Everyone shared his misgivings.
"There's no need to worry.
"After I clash with them…
"Your forces will suffice."
The crowd's eyes widened, slowly realizing what he meant:
As soon as he personally engaged the main armies, he would kill many powerful enemy shinobi, drastically reducing the threat. So that once their numbers were cut down, the rest of the Konoha squads could handle the survivors…
This notion made them both shocked and fervent!
"Haha! Precisely! That's Hokage for you!
"Have no fear, we'll stand by ready—the power of youth shall burn bright!!"
The morale soared. Indeed, they were about to witness an unprecedented one-man war against four nations…
Among the four nations' armies pressing toward the Land of Fire, the first to actually enter was not Kumo—despite their deep hatred—but rather Iwa.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, personally led the Iwa ninja forces across Kusagakure's buffer zones straight into the Land of Fire.
At his sides were his son Kitsuchi and the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han!
Previously, he had tasked Kitsuchi with calling back the two Iwa Jinchūriki.
However, Four-Tails Jinchūriki Rōshi was still wandering who-knows-where, leaving only Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han—who, despite certain disagreements with Ōnoki, eventually joined the war effort.
Aside from them, the Iwa forces included the Explosion Release shinobi Gari, and others. Admittedly, Iwagakure's army had lost significant numbers over the course of the Third Great Ninja War—particularly after that prolonged fight with the Third Raikage—yet they still remained the mightiest overall among the four hidden villages.
Ōnoki led the Iwa army, making rapid progress until they reached the heart of the Land of Fire, around half a day's distance from Konoha.
Ōnoki noticed a solitary figure standing on the plains ahead, beneath the open sky.
His sensor-nin exclaimed:
"Tsuchikage-sama! There's an enemy ahead!
"The man's chakra is unbelievably huge—he must be…
"…the Hokage of Konohagakure, Uchiha Chiyu!"
Ōnoki also felt it; he gave a sneering grin:
"Uchiha Chiyu, as expected, you came to face our Iwa forces first among the four allied nations, so you do recognize that we are indeed the strongest."
Chiyu did not contradict him.
If anyone among the allies was truly the strongest, it was indeed Onoki. After all, he could fly, controlling aerial superiority with advanced Earth Style. More crucially, Dust Release—the Bloodline Selection— possessed devastating offensive power, rivaling Mangekyō's greatest jutsu. Moreover, in the original storyline, Onoki was indisputably the spiritual pillar of the Five Kage's battle against Madara.
Thus, seeing the lone figure of Uchiha Chiyu…
The entire Iwa ninja force was at once rattled and impressed. On one hand, they realized this man might be the era's most formidable fighter; on the other hand, they found it insulting that he dared face them all by himself.
Hence, they were both awestruck and enraged.
Meanwhile, Chiyu gazed calmly at Ōnoki:
"Yes, you're not mistaken, Ōnoki.
"Among the so-called allied forces, you truly are the strongest…
"You will die first."