Chapter 129 (Patreon)

“No. I refuse.”

Nerona Mihawk’s decisive voice echoed through the hall.

He shook his head, rejecting Tsunade’s proposal without the slightest hesitation.

“If this were an assassination mission, a support mission, or even a deployment to the front lines, I would accept it. But becoming one of the commanders of the Allied Shinobi Forces? I refuse.”

Tsunade frowned.

“Why?”

“I have no experience commanding troops, and I am not suited to leading others.”

Mihawk was not belittling himself. He was merely stating the truth.

Across both his lives, he had always kept himself isolated to an almost absurd degree.

His indifference toward others ran deep. Aside from Hinata and Hanabi, there was almost nothing he truly cared about. Even among the Konoha 12, Shikamaru and Shino were perhaps the only one he might choose to help.

If any of the others died right in front of him, Mihawk doubted he would feel even the slightest grief.

He was not the kind of person who would go out of his way to save those fighting beside him, either.

Someone like him could never take responsibility for an entire division of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

This was the first time Tsunade had ever seen Mihawk reject one of her requests, and his resolve was firmer than ever.

For a moment, she did not know how to respond.

With Mihawk’s strength, he was more than qualified to command one of the divisions. His mere presence on the battlefield would greatly raise the morale of those under him.

However, assigning someone of his caliber as an ordinary combatant would be a terrible waste.

“Let it go, Hokage,” Ōnoki said from beside her. “Everyone has different strengths and is suited to a different role. The boy has made his position clear, so there is no point in forcing him.”

“Fine...”

Tsunade sighed and waved Mihawk away.

“Mihawk, go and prepare.”

“Yes.”

Mihawk nodded before turning and leaving the hall.

His refusal amounted to no more than a brief interruption. The Five Kage quickly resumed their discussion.

“Before the remaining troops arrive, we need to divide all eighty thousand shinobi according to their specialties. Every assignment must be finalized by October 8.”

Tsunade turned toward Shikaku Nara.

“I’ll leave that task to you, Shikaku.”

“Understood, Lady Hokage.”

“Over the next few days, remain in constant contact with the advance reconnaissance unit. Tell them to locate Akatsuki’s headquarters and Uchiha Madara as quickly as possible. Once they do, the Surprise Attack Division will take the initiative and strike first.”

...

————

Time passed, and October 7 arrived.

The shinobi of the Five Great Shinobi Countries and the samurai of the Land of Iron had all gathered.

Since October 1, tents had steadily spread across the foot of the towering mountains. Shinobi from every nation moved throughout the camp. Some cautiously interacted with one another, while others regarded each other with undisguised hostility.

Although they had united behind a common purpose and formed the Allied Shinobi Forces to oppose Uchiha Madara, that did not mean their old grudges had disappeared.

The Land of Iron had always maintained its neutrality, but the hatred between the five great nations had accumulated over countless years.

The appearance of a single organization could not erase generations of bloodshed or make former enemies suddenly shake hands and forget everything that had happened between them.

To truly unite this army, someone needed to deliver a speech that resonated with them and stirred their blood—a speech powerful enough to make them set aside their hatred and fight together.

The war was almost upon them.

Mihawk could already feel it in the air.

Naruto Uzumaki’s birthday was only three days away.

Although Mihawk no longer remembered every detail of the Fourth Shinobi World War, he had never forgotten certain events involving Itachi Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, the previous Hokage, and the night the Ten-Tails appeared.

During the more than a week he had spent in Kumogakure waiting for the war to begin, Mihawk had not neglected his training.

Neither had Hinata.

Mihawk improved with each passing day. Training with the Breath of All Things and deepening his synchronization with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception constantly pushed his mind to exhaustion.

Hinata, meanwhile, trained her control over gravity and repulsion using stones.

She would crush a stone with repulsive force, suspend it in the air with gravity, and continue grinding it down until it became powder too fine for the naked eye to see.

Once she finished, she would repeat the entire process, gradually increasing the number of stones she controlled at once.

At dawn on October 9, Shizune suddenly summoned everyone.

The leaders from the other villages brought their respective shinobi to a vast, barren plain beneath a towering mountain.

All eighty thousand members of the Allied Shinobi Forces had gathered there.

Seen from above, their sheer numbers formed an enormous dark mass across the barren earth.

Shizune and Shikamaru Nara began assigning everyone to their respective divisions.

Although the Allied Shinobi Forces would be divided into five main divisions, this was no longer an occasion where shinobi could gather only with those from their own villages.

The Five Great Shinobi Countries had to stand together as one.

Accordingly, shinobi who specialized in the same forms of combat were assigned to the same division, regardless of which village they came from.

The First Division was the Mid-Range Battle Division, composed primarily of shinobi skilled in using ninja tools and other weapons.

The Second Division was the Close-Range Battle Division. Also known as the front-line assault force, its members were responsible for engaging the enemy directly.

The Third Division was the Short-to-Mid-Range Battle Division. It was intended for prolonged engagements, so only shinobi possessing both sufficient endurance and speed could join it.

The Fourth Division was the Long-Range Battle Division, primarily responsible for supporting both the front lines and the forces stationed in the rear.

The Fifth Division was the Special Battle Division, composed of samurai and shinobi who possessed specialized ninjutsu or excelled at unconventional tactics.

Mihawk possessed more than enough strength to command the First, Second, or Fourth Division.

Those were the same positions Tsunade had offered him.

However, he had rejected them all.

Deciding which division should receive him became a difficult matter.

Neither Shizune nor Shikamaru dared to make the decision themselves. Even Tsunade and the other Kage refrained from choosing for him. In the end, Shizune and Shikamaru were told to ask Mihawk which division he wished to join.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mihawk chose the Second Division.

First, the Second Division was responsible for fighting on the front lines.

Second, Hinata had also been assigned to that division.

Although Hinata had awakened the Tenseigan and her strength had risen dramatically, Mihawk still could not completely set his worries aside. He wanted to remain close in case something unexpected happened to her.

More importantly, Hinata’s sudden increase in strength meant that she could finally fight beside him.

Their familiarity with one another gave them an almost perfect understanding of each other’s movements. If they fought together, their combined combat power would undoubtedly rise to an entirely different level.

After Mihawk made his decision, Shizune and Shikamaru assigned him to the Second Division.

Once all eighty thousand members had been assigned, the Allied Shinobi Forces arranged themselves into five enormous formations.

Every shinobi turned toward the raised platform before them.

Five figures slowly stepped forward.

They were the commanders of the five main battle divisions.

Commander of the First Division: Darui.

Commander of the Second Division: Kitsuchi.

Commander of the Third Division: Kakashi Hatake.

Commander of the Fourth Division: Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage.

Commander of the Fifth Division: General Mifune of the Land of Iron.