Three days later, hit Konoha together

"The battle between the Four Shadows and Uchiha Itachi has ended.

The warring sides have laid down their arms and joined forces officially.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the distance, a group of shadow guards and Iron Land warriors have arrived beside the Four Shadows.

Beside Uchiha Itachi, a swirling, twisted space opened up, and Uchiha Madara emerged from within, looking at the Four Shadows with a faint smile.

"From now on, we are all on the same side."

The Four Shadows:..."

The newly arrived ninjas were also quite uneasy at these words. Though they understood rationally that this was the best choice, cooperating with the rogue ninjas they had been opposing for so long still felt awkward.

But they had no choice but to accept it when they were outmatched.

Danzo shook his head, suppressing any reservations he had in his mind, and turned his gaze to Uchiha Madara, the formidable figure with the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Indeed, you are one of us now. So, can you tell us your true identity, Uchiha... Madara, is that your name?"

"Indeed."

After his encounter with Konoha, there was no need for Uchiha Madara to hide his identity anymore.

As for his old acquaintances from Konoha, especially Kakashi, he couldn't care less about their reactions now.

"Uchiha Madara... I always thought that name sounded familiar. Now I remember."

At this point, Onoki looked at Madara with a surprised expression.

"If I recall correctly, during the Third Great Ninja War, in the battle of the Valley of the End that led to Iwagakure's defeat, aside from Hashirama Senju, there was also you, Uchiha Madara, among the heroes of Konoha."

The battle of the Valley of the End...

For most people, this term had become a distant memory.

But for Madara, the memories were still vivid.

In that memory, he could feel Rin crying for him.

At the same time, another person with fresh memories was Mu.

As the former front-line commander of Iwagakure, he had always held a grudge over the battle at the Valley of the End.

He didn't expect that one of Konoha's heroes from back then would appear before him in this manner.

Indeed, the world was full of unexpected twists and turns.

Looking at Madara, Mu shook his head with complex emotions.

The fact that he, as the Tsuchikage, still remembered the name of someone who had been seemingly insignificant under the dazzling presence of Hashirama Senju in the past surprised Madara, but he didn't pay much attention to it.

"Indeed, it's me. However, the former hero of Konoha is now an enemy of Konoha. My transformation alone proves how corrupt Konoha has become. Especially under the misguided reforms of Yuki Senju, the current Hokage, the entire ninja world is hostile towards them. With our alliance, the Four Nations believe we can overthrow Konoha, restore order to the Fire Land, and bring the entire ninja world back on the right path."

"Then we'll take your word for it."

Although they were aware that many things must have happened to lead to Uchiha Madara's transformation from a Konoha hero to its enemy, they didn't ask for more details. At least, having a master of the Mangekyou Sharingan on their side was a welcome addition.

However, the strength of the Akatsuki organization led by Uchiha Itachi and the others was beyond their expectations.

It seemed that in the upcoming war, they would have to find a way to use their "allies" and expend their strength wisely.

Betrayal was something Onoki, who had lived for so many years, was very familiar with.

In the following time, with the new addition of the Akatsuki force, the Four Shadows, Mifune, and Uchiha Itachi resumed their meeting to modify and expand their battle plans.

Although the Four Shadows meeting venue had been destroyed, it was no problem for ninjas who were used to roughing it.

The group found a suitable place and reconvened, and the Four Shadows meeting was held once again, with some significant changes from the beginning.

During the discussion with the overall commander of the alliance, Uchiha Madara suddenly spoke up.

"The overall commander of the alliance not only needs exceptional leadership skills but also needs to command the respect of everyone through personal strength, especially with Yuki Senju as the leader of Konoha. We need someone on the same level to show the world the confidence of the Four Nations Alliance."

"So, I recommend Uchiha Itachi as the overall commander of the alliance."

"Impossible!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Uchiha Itachi cannot lead the Iron Land's warrior legion!"

..."

As soon as Madara finished speaking, both the Four Shadows and Mifune vehemently opposed the idea, and even their followers glared at him.

Madara's strength was unquestionable, but he was still an individual and far from being on the same level as the traditional Four Great Shinobi Villages. Moreover, he was originally from Konoha, which made him an enemy in the eyes of the tens of thousands of ninjas and warriors from the Four Nations.

Even though Itachi and the others had been formidable, Madara had underestimated the opposition.

He had underestimated the determination of others when it came to their own interests.

So, when Itachi withdrew, the Four Shadows and Mifune still chose the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, as the overall commander of the alliance.

Thus, with the formal addition of the Iron Land, the Five Nations Shinobi World's future would undoubtedly see the Fire Land's division if they defeated Konoha, forming a new structure with the Earth, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Iron Nations.

With this addition, the redefined Five Nations Alliance was officially established.

With preparations already in place for war materials and personnel, the Alliance reached a unanimous decision.

In three days, they would collectively attack Konoha!

...

Whoo~ Whoo~

The cold and fierce wind howled.

The Four Shadows each returned to their respective places and began to act according to the plan.

Madara and Itachi didn't linger either; they used this brief period to prepare.

"Have all the members of the Akatsuki arrived?" Madara asked calmly.

"Except for Yahiko, who was killed by Konan, the remaining members, Nagato and Konan, are both here," Itachi replied, a hint of regret in his voice.

Honestly, the Akatsuki had lost half of its members.

But after Orochimaru and Konan left, it was down to just a few of them.

And the deaths of Konan, Sasori, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Kisame weren't that shameful either.

Konan had been killed by Konan, one of the top ninja from Konoha, and the rest had fallen mainly due to their abilities being exposed.

The Akatsuki's decline had been quite unfortunate.

It made Itachi regretful.

At its peak, there had been ten members, and with their diverse abilities, they could have operated in various ways and captured the Jinchuriki more effectively. However, they crumbled into a few stray cats before they could unleash their full potential.

Itachi shook his head and asked, "How should we arrange these two? Will we need them in the upcoming battle?"

"Never mind. In the upcoming Great Ninja War on an unprecedented scale, these two won't make much of a difference. We'll save them for when we capture the Tailed Beasts."

Madara responded with disinterest. "Itachi, tell them that if they prove to be useless in the upcoming battles, they won't have a place in the new world. I don't keep dead weight in my organization."

"Madara, aren't you going?" Itachi asked with confusion.

"During this time, I'll create some White Zetsu troops," Madara said indifferently. "After all, whether it's facing our enemies or our allies, we need to be prepared."