The Fourth Raikage felt incredibly helpless. It seemed Uchiha Ryōsuke was about to lay his cards on the table. The establishment of the Shinobi Alliance, the unification of the shinobi world, and the creation of a new order—it was all happening today.
Thinking about it, he knew something like this was bound to happen today.
Otherwise, why else would the Kage of every ninja village in the shinobi world be gathered here?
He glanced at the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. This old man was here too, and he would definitely submit as well. So what if he was the most veteran Kage?
Faced with Uchiha Ryōsuke, submission was the only option. Realizing this made the Raikage feel much better.
A smile couldn't help but creep onto his face.
Not to mention, the Mizukage and Kazekage were also present.
They would definitely be joining too.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, noticed the Fourth Raikage's gaze.
*'Why is this guy smiling?'*
The Raikage wiped the smile off his face and said coldly,
"It's nothing."
Ōnoki didn't believe him for a second. *'Does this brat know the inside story too?'*
*'But he definitely couldn't know that Uchiha Ryōsuke and I are already on the same side.'*
*'I will definitely have a seat of power in the upcoming alliance.'*
Before long, Ryōsuke slowly pushed the door open and walked in with Tsunade.
The conference room immediately grew restless.
They all knew exactly who the young man beside Tsunade was.
He was much younger than they had imagined.
To be so young yet so formidable—he was even more terrifying than the legendary Namikaze Minato, whose name had once echoed throughout the shinobi world.
Come to think of it, the shinobi world had never produced a figure like him. Reaching the pinnacle of the ninja world at such a young age, perhaps even becoming the strongest in all of history.
His battle record was incredibly glorious, rivaling even that of the Sage of Six Paths.
Of course, the Sage of Six Paths was long dead, so there was no way to verify that.
This was likely the reason why the Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages had obediently come to attend this meeting.
Seeing Tsunade following behind him didn't evoke much of a reaction from them.
Under normal circumstances, a village's Kage was its strongest shinobi and its ultimate ruler.
But right now, Uchiha Ryōsuke wasn't the one holding the title of Hokage in the Leaf Village.
It was probably because he had no interest in the position of Kage.
After all, as the absolute strongest, it was perfectly normal for him to be indifferent to power and status.
Ryōsuke took his seat at the head of the conference table.
"It seems everyone here already knows who I am, so I won't beat around the bush. I invited you all here today to announce something."
"And that is my desire to end the turmoil in the shinobi world. I intend to establish the Shinobi Alliance and create a new order. Who among you is willing to join?"
The moment these words were spoken, everyone present was shocked.
The Kage of the minor ninja villages had never heard of such a plan. A few of them quickly snapped out of their daze.
"We are willing to join."
For them, this was a fantastic opportunity.
The living conditions in their minor villages were extremely harsh.
Now that they had a chance to cling to such a powerful backer, what was there to hesitate about?
The person speaking right now was the strongest man in the shinobi world.
Joining would guarantee them protection, which would in turn improve their villages' circumstances.
Nagato of the Rain Village and the Takigage of the Waterfall Village also spoke up, expressing their willingness to join.
This was also Nagato's first time seeing the God King's true face. He was even younger than Nagato himself, yet so unfathomably powerful. Perhaps he was the true chosen one.
However, some minor ninja villages were less inclined to agree, feeling that joining the alliance would only serve to restrict them.
After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch. Their villages were currently in excellent condition, so there was absolutely no need to go out of their way to find themselves a supreme boss.
Yet, none of them dared to rashly voice their refusal.
Who was the man sitting before them?
They weren't even remotely on equal footing with him. It was better to observe the others' reactions first.
Besides, the four Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages had yet to declare their positions.
Ryōsuke was quite surprised to see so many people willing to join.
In truth, what he cared about most was the participation of the four great ninja villages. With them, the alliance's influence would radiate across the entire shinobi world, forming the very foundation of his new order.
As for the minor ninja villages, Ryōsuke was perfectly fine with allowing them to exist independently.
If some villages didn't want to join, so be it. He wouldn't force them.
After all, their inclusion wouldn't be of much use anyway.
The Mizukage, Terumī Mei, gazed at the man she hadn't seen in so long. He was just as handsome as ever. With a smile on her face, she was the first of the major Kage to declare her stance.
"On behalf of the Mist Village, I am willing to join."
Ōnoki looked at the newly appointed Fourth Mizukage in surprise. *'Could she have been threatened by the God King as well?'*
*'Otherwise, why would she be so eager? Joining the alliance means losing the village's autonomy.'*
*'Whatever. I need to declare my stance too.'*
"On behalf of the Stone Village, I am willing to join."
The Raikage was taken aback. He had expected Ōnoki to be filled with frustration.
*'I only chose to join because I suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Uchiha Ryōsuke. Does this old bastard Ōnoki also know how unfathomably powerful this man is?'*
*'Did he deduce it from the intelligence gathered over the past few days, or did this lord pay him a visit as well?'*
*'Forget it. Whatever the case, I need to declare my stance too.'*
"I am also willing to join."
Now it was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who was shocked.
The other Kage of the Five Great Ninja Villages were joining one after another.
Almost none of them hesitated, and the Mizukage even seemed impatient to agree. It was exactly as Uchiha Ryōsuke had said—these people had already agreed. In that case, he had to express his stance as well.
"I am also willing to join."
Tsunade watched as these heavyweights joined the fold. Sure enough, Ryōsuke had already made all the necessary arrangements. With this, the formation of the alliance could proceed smoothly.
Ryōsuke was overjoyed to see them nodding in agreement.
The prototype of the Shinobi Alliance had been finalized.
He smiled and said,
"For those who haven't declared their positions yet, please do so quickly. Joining the alliance is entirely voluntary. If you don't want to join, you don't have to."
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was speechless. If it weren't for what had happened previously, he might have actually believed those words.
The minor ninja villages might still have a choice, but the major ones had absolutely no say in the matter.
The Third Tsuchikage and the Fourth Raikage wore identical expressions of helplessness.
In truth, if they hadn't been coerced, they would have preferred not to join.
Joining meant losing their autonomy.
The Shinobi Alliance might offer many benefits, but as Kage, they had to be cautious. They should have only joined after seeing tangible advantages. Now, however, they had no choice at all.