Chapter 279

"Huh? Why?"

Luffy pouted, unable to understand the reasoning.

"Idiot! Do you really want Hinata on the battlefield?!"

Ace smacked Luffy on the head, frustrated.

"Of course not!"

Luffy responded loudly. There was no way he wanted his sister in such a dangerous place, especially after seeing Naruto lying in a hospital bed.

"That's why it's a good thing her father has confined her. This way, she won't have the chance to go to the battlefield, and she'll stay safe," Ace explained, shrugging.

Ace couldn't help but wonder if Luffy would actually learn anything at Pokémon Academy.

"It's more than that. After last time, I doubt the Hyuga clan head would ever let Hinata face such danger again," Sabo added, crossing his arms. He saw the bigger picture.

Last time, Hiashi had clearly recognized the strength of Hinata's new family. If the Hyuga clan wanted to avoid disaster, they couldn't afford for anything to happen to her under their care.

Unlike Zefa, who kept his composure until pushed to the edge, Garp had no such restraint.

If his precious grandchildren were ever harmed, Garp might lose control and intervene directly in shinobi matters, disregarding laws and order.

Of course, now that the Alliance was his governing body, Garp would likely try to restrain himself.

"…Oh."

In truth, Luffy's mind couldn't grasp all these implications. He needed experience to mature.

…

Shinobi World

The first clash between Konoha and Kumo had concluded—or rather, it was abruptly ended.

When Matatabi returned to the battlefield with a missing tail, chaos ensued.

Especially among the Kumo forces, who had no idea what kind of monster could force Matatabi to lose a tail and flee.

With Matatabi retreating frantically, C asked his troops to release smoke bombs and follow her lead.

The Konoha shinobi looked at each other, unsure whether to pursue. Nara Shio couldn't decide either. Chasing them would be a perfect chance to strike the disarrayed Kumo forces, yet he didn't know what had injured Matatabi so severely.

It couldn't possibly have been Arcanine.

After all, Arcanine hadn't shown such strength during the initial skirmish with Matatabi.

The battlefield was unpredictable, and Nara Shio had to make a quick, strategic decision.

Given the Third Hokage and Danzo's orders to slow down the battle pace, he ultimately decided to have the Konoha shinobi retreat.

However, this unexpected withdrawal by Kumo ended up intensifying the war even further.

That night, Yugito and her team relayed their observations of Arcanine to Kumo's high command.

"What?! Those summons really have such power?"

The Fourth Raikage's eyes widened, finding it hard to believe.

Even the great summons from the three legendary regions couldn't challenge Tailed Beasts outright. And even if some could, it was mostly due to their massive bodies and physical strength.

The Fourth Raikage had initially laughed off the reports from Iwa, dismissing them as exaggerations from Onoki.

But now, he couldn't ignore it.

"We can't allow Konoha to delay any longer!"

"Agreed. If even a single Pokémon can rival Tailed Beasts, imagine if the others grew stronger!"

"Another month, and Konoha could unify the entire shinobi world."

At that moment, Kumo's high council reached a consensus.

Previously, they had been divided between attacking Konoha and defending against Iwa. Now, they were united in their resolve to strike Konoha.

"Samui, send a messenger to inform Iwa of this intel. Then, ready the entire army to move to the frontlines," ordered the Fourth Raikage.

"Lord Raikage, we can't ignore Iwa's threat!"

Dodai spoke up, recalling how the Third Raikage had saved him during the Third War.

Though he understood the situation, he knew Onoki was not to be trusted. If Kumo's forces focused solely on Konoha, Iwa might seize the opportunity to attack.

"I'll bring Darui back. You and he will lead a portion of our forces to defend the village. If Iwa attacks, hold them off until we return. I'll lead the main force with Killer B and Yugito to face Konoha head-on."

The Fourth Raikage, as the Third Raikage's son, knew he couldn't fully trust Onoki, so he made sure to leave defenders behind.

"Yes!"

"Is there any more intel?"

"There is… regarding Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Nine-Tails?! Tell me!"

The Fourth Raikage's heart sank. If the Nine-Tails was present on the battlefield, their chances of victory would drop dramatically.

'Why would Konoha send the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to this battle?' he wondered.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is a young, blonde-haired boy. That summon we encountered is his, always protecting him, even standing up to Matatabi to keep him safe."

"Blonde hair…"

The Raikage's eyes gleamed.

A powerful summon protecting a blonde child… it was unmistakable.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had blonde hair, and his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, the previous Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had once been pregnant. Though it was unknown if they had any surviving children, both had perished the night of the Nine-Tails rampage, when the beast vanished.

"The Yellow Flash's child!"

The Fourth Raikage immediately deduced the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's identity. "So, Hiruzen Sarutobi has been hiding this for years. Without this mishap, we might never have known the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was a child."

"What should we do, Lord Raikage?"

"Attack! I refuse to believe a mere child can fully control the Nine-Tails, especially with the beast's grudge against Konoha."

Learning the Jinchuriki's identity didn't deter the Raikage. He doubted a young child could coexist with the Nine-Tails harmoniously.

Not even Killer B could have tamed the Eight-Tails as a child. So, a Konoha brat stood no chance with the Nine-Tails.

Moreover, if the Nine-Tails were unleashed, it was just as likely to attack Konoha as it was Kumo.

The next day, in Iwagakure…

Onoki received the report from Kumo, alongside intelligence from his scouts.

The Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer B, had both left for the frontlines, and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't returned.

This was enough to convince Onoki of Kumo's report.

If it was a lie, there's no way the A-B combo would leave their village undefended.

"So, Konoha's summons really do have that potential?"

Onoki, although surprised, understood the implications.

Initially, Iwa had fabricated the information as a pretense to incite conflict between Kumo and Konoha, intending to drain both villages' strength.

He wasn't against his village's limited talent, but he couldn't accept other villages producing endless geniuses while they faltered.

"If that's the case, I can't continue this dance with Konoha."

Onoki's face turned serious.

Currently, on the battlefield in the Land of Grass, both sides were locked in a sort of diplomatic standoff. On occasions, they'd even exchange nods of acknowledgment on the field.

But that dynamic needed to change.

"Someone, come here."

"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage!"

"Send word: gather the full army and inform Han to prepare for a full assault on Konoha. We can't delay any longer. I will personally lead the charge."

Onoki removed his hat, standing up. "Also, inform Sunagakure that I and Kumo's A-B duo will be joining the frontlines. This will surely leave Konoha's rear wide open."

"Yes, sir!"

With that, the Fourth Shinobi World War truly erupted.

The shinobi world was plunged once more into bloodshed and chaos.

(End of Chapter)

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