Within the borders of the Land of Birds—
In the central war tent of the Iwagakure army, a sudden roar of rage burst out from Ōnoki.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
Ōnoki glared at the kneeling Iwa chūnin before him, his face filled with disbelief.
Under the immense pressure of the Tsuchikage's fury, the chūnin's face went pale as he repeated the report: "The Third Raikage is currently leading the Kumogakure army in a surprise assault on Iwagakure. Our stationed shinobi are doing their best to intercept them!"
"And Hanzō of Amegakure is also leading a coalition of shinobi from Amegakure, Takigakure, and Kusagakure toward our position!"
Inside the tent, elite Iwagakure jōnin were visibly shocked.
"Why?!"
"This operation was supposed to be about rescuing the Third Raikage—so why is he attacking us now?"
Kitsuchi, like everyone else, was completely baffled.
It made no sense at all!
"Enough! Whatever the reason—we need to beat these bastards back first!"
Ōnoki ground his teeth and cursed furiously.
Fortunately, the village still had Han, the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails.
He should be able to hold off the Third Raikage for a while.
As for Rōshi, the jinchūriki of the Four-Tails…
No one had any idea where his wandering had taken him.
"Report!"
Suddenly, another Iwa shinobi appeared in a flicker of movement. As soon as he landed, he shouted in panic: "Tsuchikage-sama! From the direction of the Land of Wind, a large number of Suna shinobi are approaching—using flying puppets!"
The tent fell completely silent.
A heavy mood descended upon all those present.
Now they were being ambushed on three fronts?
But the same question remained—
Why did Kumogakure and Amegakure seem to be cooperating with Sunagakure?
As for Kusagakure and Takigakure… they weren't worth mentioning.
"Kitsuchi! Take 4,000 shinobi and hold off the Sunagakure forces. Defend our rear!"
"Since they've come out into the open, we don't have to worry about those explosive tags hidden in the sand anymore!"
"The rest of you will come with me. We'll crush the coalition from Amegakure, Takigakure, and Kusagakure—
Let them see exactly why the Five Great Shinobi Villages are called the Five Great Shinobi Villages!"
Ōnoki flew into the air, a surge of overwhelming chakra radiating from him.
Each word he spoke rang out with steel-like strength, instantly calming the unease spreading through the troops.
"That's right. Even if Hanzō is leading them, they're still just a bunch of minor shinobi villages. Their so-called jōnin would barely qualify as chūnin here."
Gari sneered with a crooked smile.
"Exactly. These small-time villages that usually bow and scrape before us—
Now they dare to provoke us first? Then we'll make sure this time turns into a proper massacre."
A jonin spoke in a deep voice, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.
Soon enough—
The atmosphere in the command tent rallied again.
No one was worried about the encirclement anymore—after all, their enemies were merely from the small villages.
And with the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, present…
None of them believed he would lose to Hanzō.
"Alright—everyone pull yourselves together! This time, Iwagakure will crush Kumogakure, Sunagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure, and Kusagakure in one sweeping strike!"
Ōnoki's thunderous voice reignited morale across the board.
"Yes, sir!!!"
They all responded in unison before vanishing in a flurry of motion, darting out of the command tent like shadows.
Only once they had all left did Ōnoki slowly descend back to the ground.
The stern, fearless expression he had worn just moments ago was gone—
Now his face was marked with deep concern.
Ōnoki knew better than anyone how difficult this battle would be.
Even putting aside their chances of victory—
Even if they won, Iwagakure would suffer devastating casualties.
And honestly… the odds didn't look good.
"Hmph. Iwagakure will not fall—not while I still draw breath. Even if it costs this old life of mine, I'll drag them back alive!"
Ōnoki clenched both fists and stared determinedly in the direction of Iwagakure.
"Han… I'm counting on you. You must hold out.
And Rōshi, you bastard—
Even if you can't stand me, now would be the time to come back. The village is in real danger."
...
That same night—
While the Third Raikage launched a surprise attack on Iwagakure,
And while the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and Hanzō of Amegakure carried out a pincer attack against Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki—
Aramaki returned to the Land of Wind's Rōran city leading ten captured shinobi.
These ten were individuals whose abilities had caught his interest.
Among them were members of the Hyūga, Uchiha, Aburame, Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans.
"Lieutenant General Aramaki!"
"Lieutenant General Aramaki!"
As he walked through the streets of Rōran, the patrolling and stationed army soldiers all stood at attention with reverence and saluted loudly.
"Rawawawa~!"
Aramaki thoroughly enjoyed the feeling—immediately letting out a self-satisfied laugh.
"This great lord here infiltrated that so-called Konoha all by himself—
Defeated their alliance of ten thousand shinobi!"
"I even fought that so-called 'God of Shinobi' for three days and nights!
And I brought back these ten important figures from their side!"
"Go—get the CIPHER POL agents. Tell them to take these people away!"
The surrounding soldiers, upon hearing this, looked at him with even more admiration—
Their eyes full of awe and respect.
So much so that Aramaki's mood improved dramatically, and he conveniently chose to ignore the humiliating defeat he had suffered earlier.
Even the way he walked became more arrogant and flamboyant.
He was already imagining how this achievement would surely earn Akainu's praise.
When Aramaki stepped into the grand hall at the top of the central tower—
He was suddenly met with the sight of Akainu standing on the steps before the throne, expressionless, staring straight at him.
To the side, Shiryu was leaning against a stone pillar below the platform, glancing over with a mocking smirk.
"Well, if it isn't the guy who nearly became the second general to die in another world—Green Bull."
"No surprise though—Forest-Forest Fruit user. That regeneration really is something. Anyone else would've needed a cane just to come greet me."
Akainu's mouth… was as ruthless as ever.
"Uhh—"
Aramaki's smile froze.
How the hell did they know? he thought. No one should've been able to observe the scene back then…
Clearly, he had underestimated CIPHER POL's intel capabilities.
"Rawawawa~"
"General Akainu, you're joking, right? Me? I'm not even a general yet! That title was just to show my aspiration to become one!"
"A soldier who doesn't aim to become a general isn't worth a damn. But ambition without discipline—means nothing."
As he spoke, Akainu stepped down the throne stairs, his polished leather boots clacking with each step.
He stared at the grinning Aramaki and asked in a low, stern voice: "Then tell me—does a good soldier disobey orders?"
"Uh…"
Aramaki's face tensed up in panic.
Back in the world of the Titans, Akainu had ordered him to defend Rōran, and only to intervene if attackers approached.
But he had disobeyed—leaving Rōran and following Minato and the others to Konohagakure.
"And wasn't part of your mission also to guard the Queen of Rōran? Now she's been taken by shinobi. Would you call that a success?"
Akainu's aura grew even more terrifying.
An invisible force flooded the hall like a rising tide. Even Shiryu's expression twisted with discomfort.
"What?!"
Aramaki staggered back, waving his hands in panic as he tried to explain: "General Akainu, that—! That can't be pinned on me, can it?!"
"The Queen of Rōran was already taken before I even arrived! It was that guy Namikaze Minato—he used that spatial jutsu of his, Flying Thunder God, and just disappeared with her!"
"And the ones watching her were CIPHER POL agents, but they were all taken out. That's not my fault!"
"Idiot!!"
Akainu stepped up to Aramaki, voice ice-cold, pressure crashing down like a tidal wave.
"When the shinobi began their attack, you had already come through the Star Gate. From that moment on, this territory was your responsibility. Are you seriously claiming you hold no blame?"
"Huh?!"
Aramaki was dumbfounded.
How could they twist it like this?! I'm being set up!
I'm not General Kizaru, dammit…
"Disobeyed orders. Mission failed. Nearly died.
And you let one of their top fighters unlock Haki early… You sure you still want to be a general?"
Akainu leaned in close, his terrifying face inches from Aramaki's, voice low and grating.
"I was actually planning to drag you outside, train you up a little, then file a report and have your general candidacy revoked."
"But you know what I hate more than a fool like you?"
"A pirate becoming a general."
"So here's what's going to happen. You're going to lead a frontline battle brigade back to Konohagakure—and crush them."
Aramaki's eyes lit up.
However—
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly, chuckling.
"But… what about Senju Hashirama? Once he goes into Sage Mode, I… kind of can't beat him…"
"Edo Tensei… Yes, it's troublesome."
Akainu nodded.
"You've fought him before. Tell me your thoughts. If it's truly unmanageable, I'll report it up the chain."
To him, the real issue with Hashirama wasn't raw power—it was the Edo Tensei technique.
"Reporting to General Akainu—I do have some ideas," Aramaki replied thoughtfully.
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