Akihara Kagura has departed.
The entire pentagonal conference room fell into silence.
The Five Kage present remained speechless for a long time, and even the ninja there had nothing to say, they could only bow their heads and stand still.
"Immediately form the Ninja Alliance."
Tsunade gazed at the Kage present and spoke solemnly: "That guy wants to become the enemy of the entire ninja world, so let's fulfill his wish and proclaim his war declaration to the entire ninja world!"
No one present raised any objections.
Even though they knew darkness lay ahead, they couldn't help but follow the plan devised by Akihara Kagura, as his strength was formidable and he commanded a large army.
No matter what...
No one can escape this war.
The Five Kage swiftly passed the resolution to form the Ninja Alliance, and they didn't even need to report to the Daimyo, already beginning to arrange matters concerning the alliance.
Besides the ninjas from the Five Great Countries, there were many ninjas from smaller nations joining in, with Salamander Hanzo being one of their representatives.
This meeting quickly allocated all positions.
The only troublesome matter was…
The position of Supreme Commander of the Ninja Alliance.
The Five Kage present were no match for Akihara Kagura, none had the face to take a position opposed to him, as the Fourth Raikage, Third Tsuchikage, Fifth Kazekage, and Fifth Mizukage were all swiftly defeated by Akihara Kagura...
Comparatively…
Tsunade, the Hokage, stood out.
Because Tsunade hadn't made a move against Akihara Kagura, this Hokage didn't lose to him, and her status was also rather suitable.
After all…
In terms of relationship…
Tsunade is the Hokage of Konoha.
Akihara Kagura is merely the Hokage Assistant of Konoha.
"The Hokage is the most suitable candidate."
Salamander Hanzo took the initiative to propose and provided plenty of rationale: "You were once Akihara Kagura's supervisor, only a Hokage sitting in this position can boost the morale of the Ninja Alliance. Strategically speaking, it's merely a war against a Konoha traitorous ninja, and as the target is just a mere traitor, everyone will have absolute confidence in victory…"
"Of course."
Upon finishing, Salamander Hanzo added one more point: "This does have a downside, potentially causing participating ninjas to become overconfident, or those joining the war might decrease, thinking it's just a Konoha affair…"
"But overall…"
"This war is ultimately led by the Five Great Countries, with their ninjas forming the main force against this world-ending battle, so having the Hokage as Supreme Commander brings more advantages than disadvantages…"
"..."
Tsunade's eyes filled with a trace of gratitude.
At least Salamander Hanzo was willing to stand by her side and articulate these appropriate reasons, making it unnecessary for her to propose it herself, avoiding any perception of trying to seize power within the Ninja Alliance.
Truth be told.
Tsunade wanted this position.
Because she clearly understood the current situation, knowing the war urgently needed Uchiha Madara's involvement. She couldn't deploy Madara, but could only use the supreme commander's authority to coordinate ninjas to collaborate in battle with him...
"This…"
The Kage present all appeared cautious.
Fearful of saying anything perceived as a struggle for power, just as Akihara Kagura had recently accused them of, especially wary of being forced into such a position.
"Lord Hanzo has a valid point."
Fifth Kazekage Gaara expressed his agreement, quickly raising his doubts: "I believe that what Lord Hanzo said about appointing the Hokage as Supreme Commander does boost morale, but the downsides greatly outweigh the benefits…"
"This war involves the survival of the ninja world. No matter how careful the ninjas participating in this war may be, it it's not excessive, as they at least need to understand the formidable enemy they face. What we need to do now is find ways to gather more forces…"
"Of course."
"I'm not trying to vie for this position."
Fifth Kazekage Gaara stabilized his demeanor, his gaze sweeping across everyone present: "I'm just worried that this could lead many ninjas to believe it's merely a Konoha affair and reluctant to get involved. Over the years, Konoha has been suppressing the Hidden Sand Village, and the villagers harbor dissatisfaction towards Konoha, yet I must find a way to persuade them to join this war…"
"The Hidden Mist Village… also isn't inclined to agree."
Fifth Mizukage Terumi Mei hesitated to voice her opposition: "Just as Lord Hanzo and Lord Kazekage said, many people might not want to join the war for this reason. The Hidden Mist Village indeed has animosity towards Akihara Kagura, but more ninjas resent Konoha which has suppressed the Hidden Mist…"
"Initially, on the very first day when the Fifth Hokage took office, she launched a war against the Hidden Mist Village, even ordering her Hokage Assistant to capture the village in a single day…"
"Currently, that Hokage Assistant has defected. Even if his aim is to destroy the ninja world, many would still believe that the Fifth Hokage formed the Ninja Alliance to eliminate her fugitive subordinate. Before attending this conference, people tried to stop me…"
"To put it bluntly…"
Terumi Mei sighed, sharing her difficulties: "Once they learn that Konoha's Fifth Hokage is the Ninja Alliance's commander, I will have no choice but to enforce orders to compel the village's ninjas to participate in this war…"