Chapter 278 – The Jinchūriki Enter the Battlefield
"Kisame… is this the choice you made?"
A lone figure watched everything unfold from afar.
That person was Itachi.
After transplanting Shisui's Sharingan, Itachi now possessed only a single Sharingan of his own. His other eye belonged to Kakashi—an eye that, on Hatake Yusuke's suggestion, Kakashi had used to locate the organization Kara before handing it over to him.
Sadness filled Itachi's face. Perhaps this was what people called the tragedy of Itachi.
Yet none of the people present at the scene were aware of his existence.
"Truly unexpected. He actually chose suicide," Yamato said quietly.
"Hoshigaki Kisame…" Might Guy etched that name firmly into his memory this time.
"So this is what it means to be a ninja…" A fleeting pain passed through Naruto's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by firm resolve. He was already prepared to make sacrifices.
Elsewhere, the war had fallen into a stalemate. White Zetsu's ability to shapeshift had dealt an overwhelming blow to the Allied Shinobi Forces.
It made cooperation even harder for shinobi from different villages—who had only just begun to adjust to one another in the first place.
This situation left the Kage of each village busy and deeply troubled. On top of that, there was another matter that demanded their full attention: Naruto and Killer B had escaped from their sealing location. And yet, this war itself had been started to protect those two. How could that not make everyone anxious?
"Damn it! Those two really never let anyone feel at ease, even at a time like this!" the Raikage cursed, his temper flaring.
"This situation must be stopped, Raikage," Ōnoki said sternly. "Naruto and Killer B must be protected at all costs. Otherwise, we will truly lose this war."
"Hokage-sama, what do you think?" Mei Terumi asked, turning her gaze toward Tsunade, who remained calm. "Uzumaki Naruto is Konoha's Jinchūriki, after all."
"Let them be," Tsunade said with a faint smile.
"But, Hokage—" Ōnoki was about to say more.
"We must trust Naruto, Tsuchikage-sama," Gaara interjected.
"Trust?" the Raikage replied darkly. "Kazekage, don't be naïve. This is war, not a children's game. We must prioritize the bigger picture."
"Raikage-sama, in this matter, I believe the Kazekage is right," Shikaku Nara said. "This war is extremely difficult for us. In terms of manpower, we are not at an advantage. Meanwhile, Jinchūriki possess a decisive edge on the battlefield. There's no reason for us to weaken our own forces like this."
Though Shikaku's combat strength wasn't particularly outstanding, he had repeatedly led the alliance out of danger with his intelligence. Because of that, no one objected to his opinion.
"That's right," Kakashi said at that moment. "Raikage-sama, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time. Do you truly understand the strength of your younger brother?"
As one of the strongest fighters present, Kakashi's words carried even more weight than Gaara's.
"How could I not know him?" the Raikage replied in a low voice.
"In my opinion, Killer B's current strength may have already surpassed yours," Kakashi said calmly. "There are some things I didn't really want to talk about. But as a younger brother, sometimes I also want to fight alongside my older brother. Even though his strength is something I'll never be able to reach, all I can do is train hard when he's not looking, hoping that one day I can stand beside him and fight."
"I'm not saying this with any ulterior motive," Kakashi continued. "I just want to say that sometimes, you should try trusting Killer B. I understand your responsibilities as his older brother and as a village's Kage. But every once in a while, try standing in his shoes and thinking from his perspective."
As he said this, it felt as though Kakashi was also comforting himself. He, too, wanted to fight alongside Yusuke, yet he lacked the qualifications to do so. They had graduated from the Ninja Academy at the same time, but from that moment onward, the gap between him and Yusuke had only continued to widen.
With Yusuke's protection, Kakashi's life path could be considered relatively smooth. He had a father when he was young, and as an adult, he had an older brother to rely on.
Sometimes, he thought that one day he wanted to be the one shielding them from the wind and rain. But he couldn't. His dazzling older brother was someone he could never catch up to. Because of that, he understood Killer B's feelings better than anyone.
Hearing those words, the Raikage's expression grew complicated. In his mind, he recalled the time he and Killer B had used Liger Bomb together. From the very moment he met Killer B, the two of them had bound themselves as brothers.
"From today on, we're brothers. I'm counting on you, B."
The young Raikage had crouched down, looking at Killer B, who at the time wasn't even tall enough to reach his waist.
After hesitating for a long while, Killer B slowly extended his fist and tapped it against the Raikage's massive one. At that moment, Killer B smiled—because the two of them had gained a brother they could trust to watch each other's backs.
"OK, Bro."
From that memory, the Raikage recalled once more the battle he and Killer B had fought against Hoshigaki Kisame.
"Liger Bomb."
At the time, the Raikage hadn't held back at all, and the technique had been executed in perfect cooperation with Killer B. This move demanded flawless coordination. In the past, the Raikage had adjusted himself to Killer B's strength. Now, it was Killer B who adjusted himself to the Raikage.
"That's right… he's become stronger. He's my brother. When did I stop trusting him?" the Raikage said quietly.
After the Third Raikage fell, and after losing the people closest to him, he had sworn never to let anyone around him be sacrificed again. From that point on, he stopped trusting others and took all dangerous battles upon himself—without realizing how much Killer B had grown.
After coming to this realization, the Raikage calmed himself and slowly sat back down in his seat.
"Raikage," Ōnoki said with a frown.
"Let them enter the battlefield," the Raikage declared.
"Raikage, do you even know what you're doing?" the Tsuchikage snapped.
"I do," the Raikage replied with a faint smile. "I trust B."
"If something can't be avoided anymore, then why hesitate?" he continued. "The Hidden Cloud Village fears no one."
"Hmph. Don't regret this later," the Tsuchikage scoffed.
"Tsuchikage-sama, and everyone present," Gaara said as he looked seriously at them all. "I'd like to ask you one question."
"Go on. As your senior, I'll answer," the Tsuchikage replied.
"Since when did you all begin abandoning yourselves?"
After saying that, Gaara spoke no further. He closed his eyes and began to meditate.
Hearing those words, Ōnoki felt as though he'd been struck by lightning. He froze in place, memories flooding back—his youthful dreams, the Will of Stone he had inherited, and everything he had done over the many years since. He realized that he had strayed farther and farther away from who he once was.
"Hahahahaha!" Ōnoki burst into loud laughter.
"Grandfather!" Kurotsuchi looked at Ōnoki anxiously, then shot a sharp glare at Gaara.
"(Wakatta) I see now… So that's how it is," Ōnoki said as he laughed. "It seems I abandoned myself without even realizing it. Thank you, kid. All these years… I was the one in the wrong."
Hearing that, everyone was shocked. No one had expected this stubborn old man to openly admit his mistake.
Despite their surprise, they all knew that Ōnoki had finally rediscovered his lost self. And that realization would only bring the Allied Shinobi Forces closer together than ever before.
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