White Zetsu's strange tone made some people with short tempers and little patience really want to beat him up!
"Don't be nervous. He is indeed alone."
"What message do you want to deliver? A declaration of war?" Kageyama Kogetsu asked calmly.
"Ah... yes. If Lord Hokage doesn't hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, then the Fourth Great Ninja War will have to begin."
"A Great Ninja War, oh my. Many, many people will die."
White Zetsu spoke in a strange tone, dancing and shaking his head.
Veins popped on the Fourth Raikage A's forehead, and he clenched his fists.
Kageyama Kogetsu smiled faintly. "I certainly won't hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Being a ninja is a profession that dances on the edge of life and death. If there's to be a war, then so be it."
"Speaking of which, the Masked Man isn't here, and Madara isn't here. They sent a low-level creature like you. Are they afraid?"
White Zetsu giggled. "I'm not a low-level creature. I'm a high-level creature. I can move freely without eating or excreting."
"By the way, can any of you tell me what it feels like to poop?"
The Fourth Raikage A couldn't take it anymore. He flashed to the center of the room, grabbed White Zetsu by the back of his neck, and crushed it, killing him on the spot.
Kageyama Kogetsu raised his hand and grabbed at the void. Air currents surged in his palm, and a cluster of spores as fine as dust gathered there.
"What is this? White Zetsu's jutsu? They look like plant spores?"
Orochimaru, sitting next to Kageyama Kogetsu, asked with interest, firing off three questions in a row.
"Probably. If you're interested, you can research these things along with White Zetsu's corpse."
"Senior Orochimaru is not only a powerful ninja but also a top scientist in the ninja world."
"If there are any results, for the sake of victory in the war, we won't hide them."
The Kage nodded and didn't dwell on it. Everyone continued the meeting.
The general direction was set, but there were still many specific matters. War was never simple, even if wars between ninja were simplified.
They discussed until evening. Both lunch and dinner were eaten in the meeting room.
The Land of Iron was relatively poor. Even with the super-standard reception, the food was honestly average.
Others ate with relish, but Kageyama Kogetsu barely managed to finish. Although he was picky, one or two meals didn't matter.
After the meeting ended, Mifune said seriously, "It's getting late. Everyone, please rest here for the night. Leaving now might be dangerous."
Ōnoki said with a rather grave expression, "Leaving at any time is dangerous. The enemy has likely prepared in secret for another attack."
"I'm fine. With a warning, I can use the Ultralight-Weight Rock Technique on myself, Kurotsuchi, and Kitsuchi to fly into the sky."
"As long as we shake off White Zetsu's surveillance, it won't be easy to find our tracks again."
"The other guards can stay here with Lord Mifune and be brought along when the troops assemble."
"Those of you who can't fly will have a harder time."
Gaara suggested expressionlessly, "We might be able to use the Clone Technique to confuse the enemy. As long as there are enough clones, their surveillance won't be accurate."
"My Sand Clone is a physical clone, so it should work. But for the others..." Gaara was unsure.
Terumī Mei nodded. "That's an idea, but can ordinary Clone Techniques fool White Zetsu's surveillance?"
"The enemy can't stop me, but my subordinates..." The Fourth Raikage A frowned, having a headache.
Except for space-time ninjutsu and Kageyama Kogetsu, the Fourth Raikage A was basically the fastest in the ninja world.
The Kurama Chakra Mode could keep up with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but once the Fourth Raikage A deeply activated his body, his speed was still a bit slower.
"Does Lord Hokage have any ideas?"
"You are the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces. You won't leave us alone, right?"
Seeing Kageyama Kogetsu sitting calmly, Terumī Mei's heart stirred. She leaned forward, her eyes shifting, looking quite sexy and charming.
Kageyama Kogetsu glanced at her cleavage as a sign of respect and chuckled, "I'll take care of it, as long as you're not afraid of losing face."
"Is face more important than the lives of oneself and one's subordinates?"
"Besides, Lord Hokage is our superior. Is it losing face for a subordinate to ask a superior for help?"
Terumī Mei leaned forward a bit more, her smile becoming brighter, her voice more mature and alluring.
"Subordinate?"
"I wouldn't dare say that. Although my position is slightly higher, it's not to the extent of superior and subordinate."
Kageyama Kogetsu glanced again as a sign of respect, adding with a beaming smile.
"Well... except when the war officially starts. Once the explosive tags go off, the whole army must listen to me!"
The Fourth Raikage A said in a deep voice, "Lord Hokage, just tell us your method directly."
He didn't care about himself, but he had to consider his subordinates. Dying on the battlefield was one thing, but dying at the hands of disgusting reanimated corpses was too sickening.
"Alright."
"The people from Sunagakure and Kirigakure will come with me and Senior Orochimaru. With numbers on our side, we won't be afraid."
"For Iwagakure and Kumogakure, who aren't going the same way, I'll use flying summoning beasts to send you back."
"After dropping you off, the flying summoning beasts will come back to meet me, and then I'll send Sunagakure and Kirigakure back."
"As Lord Tsuchikage said, the seriously injured will stay here with Lord Mifune. All expenses can be reimbursed by the Allied Forces Headquarters later."
"In that case, my two flying summoning beasts should be enough."
Terumī Mei covered her mouth and laughed charmingly. "Good idea. As expected of Lord Hokage."
The others also nodded in agreement. It was hard to determine tracks in the sky, and there were too many flight paths to choose from.
"Lord Hokage, forget about reimbursement. Although the Land of Iron isn't rich, we can still afford the medical expenses for our comrades," Mifune said with a smile.
What a stand-up guy!
The Kage expressed their gratitude to Mifune one after another, but insisted on bearing the medical expenses themselves, not wanting to let a stand-up guy suffer a loss.
Even Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage A, who usually liked to take advantage of things, did the same.
After some back and forth...
Kageyama Kogetsu, impatient with the tug-of-war, made the final decision. The respective ninja village, the Land of Iron, and the Allied Forces Headquarters would each bear one-third of the cost.
With the matter settled, everyone left overnight under the farewell of Mifune and others.
Kageyama Kogetsu summoned the Golden Eagle and the monstrous bird to send the people from Kumogakure and Iwagakure away. He himself adopted the long-lost ninja travel method of jumping and running.
Outside, wind and snow mixed together. A bright, full moon hung in the sky, its silver light reflecting a faint white glow on the snow.
Even so, it was quite dark at night, but no one present was afraid of the dark wilderness.
Truth be told, using the conventional ninja travel method after so long felt quite interesting.
Especially with a mature, beautiful, well-figured, and high-status older sister by his side, the waves were surging even in the heavy snow.
"I heard Lord Hokage has several girlfriends?"
"Mm."
"Logically speaking, you should have been married long ago, right?"
"The ninja world is full of troubles. I'm not in the mood for now. I'll wait until the ninja world is peaceful."
"Besides, it's just a ceremony. It's no different from being married now."
"Giggle... but that ceremony is very important to women."
"Yes, so I'll make up for it later. Lord Mizukage doesn't seem to be married?"
"I don't even have a boyfriend."
"Understandable. You're too outstanding. The men in your village can't help but be intimidated."
"And you, because you're outstanding, your standards are high. Ordinary men can't catch your eye."
"Giggle... Lord Hokage really understands women."
"I wouldn't say I understand, just know a little."
"Hmm... Lord Mizukage, how about you join me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around pricked up their ears, trying hard to filter out the wind noise...
<><><><><
Read Advaned Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Every 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]