Chapter 169 - Chapter 169: Commander Morkel! Boss of the Ninja Alliance! Rinne Tensei Technique!

Morkel spread his hands and said calmly, "I'm not going to do it, no matter what."Tsunade, already frustrated, gave up trying to persuade him and said weakly, "Look at me… I'm so injured I can barely speak, let alone manage the affairs of Konoha.""It's alright. I'll heal your injuries right away," Morkel said with a laugh."The Second Unit was nearly wiped out. Thanks to your treatment, the three of us are much better now," Tsunade added. "Go and see if anyone else in the unit can still be saved."Unexpectedly, Tsunade pushed away Morkel's outstretched hand and sighed."I will go rescue them—just not immediately," Morkel replied."What do you mean by later? This is a matter of life and death!" Tsunade snapped, her voice rising in urgency. "Are you really planning to wait until they're all dead and then use some resurrection technique to bring them back one by one?!"Morkel shook his head with a faint smile. "It's not that complicated."As he spoke, he raised his head. Unbeknownst to everyone, his eyes had already turned into a pair of purple Rinnegan.The four Kage present were stunned."Morkel—your eyes?!" one of them exclaimed in disbelief."Calm down," Morkel said, pressing one hand downward as if to settle their nerves. "This is the power of my Eight Banners Doctor Technique.""Anyone struck by Hachiman's arrow loses their abilities to me. These Rinnegan once belonged to Uchiha Madara. But since he awakened them through Edo Tensei, their power won't last long."Hearing this, the Raikage frowned in confusion. "Hachiman? Absorbing abilities? I've never heard of these terms."Mizukage added suspiciously, "Even if it's temporary, Rinnegan is dangerous in the wrong hands."Morkel nodded. "Indeed. But the Rinnegan has many abilities. Let me demonstrate."With that, he began forming hand seals."Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!""Huff… huff…"The ground suddenly trembled as the head of the King of Hell emerged, bizarre and enormous.Its grotesque mouth opened wide—"Oink oink. Oink oink!"Green, ghostly souls started flooding from the King of Hell's mouth, drifting toward the corpses of fallen shinobi.Then, miraculously, as each soul returned to its body, the once-dead members of the Second Unit on the battlefield of the Iron Kingdom began to stir.They were being resurrected!One by one, the previously lifeless shinobi stood up again, some with tears in their eyes, others stunned beyond belief.Morkel watched the scene unfold with a satisfied smile."It's a pity these Rinnegan are temporary," he muttered. "And I'm only a clone… If it were the real me, the scale of this resurrection could've been much greater. I could've saved even more people."Tsuchikage, standing nearby, exclaimed in shock, "Wait a second… You're just a clone?!"The realization stunned the others."A clone can perform such a high-level resurrection technique?! Unbelievable!"Mizukage sighed, "I'm honestly tired of praising Morkel…"Tsunade looked at him, her expression softening. "To use such a powerful resurrection technique… You must've paid a steep price."Morkel nodded without hesitation. "Yes. This technique trades my life to bring back theirs."He smiled warmly. "Now that they've returned… it's time for me to leave."With those final words, the clone dissolved with a loud Bang! and collapsed into a block of wood.The shinobi of the Second Unit, now alive and reunited, broke into tears of joy. They embraced one another, their spirits renewed by the miracle."I remember getting pierced straight through the heart by the Second Tsuchikage's Dust Release—how am I still alive?""Yeah, I was split in half by the Third Raikage!""Who brought us back?""Was it one of the Kage?""I don't know… but whatever it was, it felt divine…"Tsunade, now mostly healed, stood atop a large boulder and raised her voice to the cheering troops."Listen up!"Everyone turned their attention toward her."It was Morkel who pulled your souls back from the underworld and gave you all a second chance at life!""He is the Sixth Hokage of Konoha!"Raikage quickly joined her atop the boulder and added, "And not only that! He is now the Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces!"Tsunade turned to him, surprised. "What are you saying? You're not going to be the commander anymore?"Raikage explained, "Morkel cannot join the battle himself. I will still command the army, but I will do so as his acting commander. Declaring him as the supreme leader will inspire morale across the battlefield."Meanwhile, at the Allied Shinobi Forces Headquarters..."In accordance with Raikage-sama's orders," said a shinobi from the Communications Department, "announce that Morkel is now the Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces and the Sixth Hokage of Konoha!"Nara Shikaku received the message and immediately relayed the command.Elsewhere, on the Rain Country battlefield, at the position of the Third Unit...Kakashi stood silent for a moment after receiving the news from the communications team."A sixteen-year-old Hokage… and now commander of the entire Allied Force?" he murmured.The surrounding shinobi were thrilled by the news. They all turned to Kakashi and bowed in respect."Incredible, Kakashi-senpai!""I heard Morkel used to be your subordinate!""You must be proud to have mentored someone like him!"Kakashi lowered his head, guilt creeping in. In truth, he had never guided Morkel much."He earned this through his own efforts," Kakashi said modestly. "I'm just an ordinary ninja."The Edo Tensei shinobi they were battling nearby called out sarcastically, "Hey, we're still fighting here!""Do you even take us seriously?!"Meanwhile, with the First Unit...Ino received the announcement and burst into tears."Mi-mi-miraculous... That's so like Morkel…"The Fourth Unit was rushing across the battlefield.Gaara, Shikamaru, Chōji, and others were part of this unit.As a devoted admirer of Morkel, Gaara didn't hesitate to spread the news."Morkel has defeated Uchiha Madara—the very man who once fought the First Hokage!""Not only that—he brought the entire Second Unit back to life!""He's our true hero!""Appointing him as commander-in-chief is the right decision!"The troops roared in agreement, "Commander Morkel! You truly live up to your name!"Elsewhere, in the Akatsuki's hidden base...Kabuto, still reeling from the shock, gasped for breath."So powerful... and yet it was only a clone…"He clutched his head in frustration."Even the body I meticulously crafted for Uchiha Madara was taken from me…""I'll need a stronger piece on the board."Determination flashed in Kabuto's eyes. His gaze turned to Mitarashi Anko, who was bound in a corner of the room."Why are you coming closer? What are you planning to do?" Anko demanded, struggling against her restraints.Kabuto smirked coldly. "You may not know this, but to achieve true immortality, Lord Orochimaru embedded a part of his soul within every curse mark.""That's why I kept you alive.""I plan to extract his soul from the curse seal in your body... then merge it with his preserved cells.""Using his secret method, I'll bring him back to life!"Anko stared in disbelief. "Why would you bring him back?!"Kabuto's eyes gleamed. "There are things only Orochimaru-sama can accomplish. You'll see soon enough."Back near Turtle Island...The real Morkel, sitting beside Naruto, suddenly opened his eyes."It's done," he said.Naruto nodded. He wasn't surprised by the outcome.After all, Morkel had only used one-fifth of his chakra. That alone was terrifying.Killer Bee soon arrived, carrying an urgent message from the Allied Headquarters."Morkel, word is out. You've officially been declared commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces.""My brother, the Raikage, has stepped aside and appointed you in his place—he'll serve as your acting commander."Morkel blinked. "What?!"Naruto echoed the shock. "What?!"Then he looked at Morkel and grinned. "So that means... you're the official boss of the Ninja Alliance now?!""This, this, this… hissss~!"Naruto had always believed in Morkel's strength. With him as commander, victory seemed inevitable.Still, the news hit like a bolt from the blue!