Hyūga Shigeo stood calmly atop the reef, not anxious, not angry—just watching the countless armies before him with cold eyes.
All this questioning, all this so-called "righteous inquiry," was nothing but a performance. They needed justification, a reason to call this invasion "justice." How else could five great nations justify bullying one small country?
Fine, then. Since they all decided to come, he might as well make things clear today. Justice lay in the hearts of the people; no matter how persuasive those Kage tried to be, some would still see the truth.
Once, Shigeo had never cared about being slandered. But this time, it wasn't just about him—behind him stood the lives of more than a hundred thousand people of Minamo Nation.
If it were up to him, he would have already started fighting.
But Jinshi had been right during their meeting—if the enemy started a war of words, they had to respond in kind. It was part of the battlefield's unwritten rules.
Of course, not everyone followed such "rules."
Ultimately, the victor defined justice.
"Hyūga Shigeo," the Third Hokage's voice boomed across the waves, "did you not command the Sky Country—now calling itself Minamo Nation—to attack the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"
Before Shigeo could open his mouth, Jinshi stepped forward, his tone sharp:
"That was the doing of the Priestess of the Ghost Country and Shennong. It has nothing to do with our lord!
Besides, weren't all of you there at that battle? You know better than we do that he saved your lives!
And don't forget—the agreement you signed back then is still in our hands! Would you dare deny it?"
The audience of allied shinobi began to murmur among themselves.
Many who had once surrounded Wuwang Castle eight years ago still lived. They knew the truth—Shigeo had saved them back then. If not for his intervention, the Priestess and Shennong would have unleashed the Zero-Tails upon one of their villages.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened. Jinshi's words struck true; he was left speechless, his complexion turning ashen.
Then, another voice shouted from the side.
"Hyūga Shigeo! When you were five, you attacked Iwagakure and kidnapped our Jinchūriki—did you not!?" It was Ōnoki, the aged Tsuchikage, glaring furiously.
Shigeo didn't answer, but Jinshi smiled coldly.
"You mean Roshi, the Four-Tails' host? Wasn't it you who tried to kill him first?
My lord merely helped his sworn brother. What crime is there in that?
As for the 'Jinchūriki you claim he stole'—you mean Han, the Five-Tails? Isn't he standing right there in your army right now? If he's alive and well, what theft are you talking about?"
Ōnoki's face twitched; his beard trembled with anger.
"Y-You're twisting words!"
"Twisting words? Please," Jinshi shot back, "you should ask yourself why Roshi left your village in the first place. You know better than anyone."
The old Tsuchikage fell silent.
He remembered all too well—Roshi had known too much. He'd witnessed the darker side of Iwagakure: ambushes on merchants, theft of food from civilians, executions in the name of rooting out spies.
They had done whatever was "necessary" for victory—but those things could never be spoken aloud.
Now that they were dragging up old sins, they couldn't pretend to be pure.
Another booming voice echoed over the sea.
"Hyūga Shigeo! You stormed Kumogakure, injured over a dozen of our shinobi, destroyed several buildings, and nearly killed me—do you deny it!?"
It was A, the Fourth Raikage, his voice like rolling thunder.
Jinshi turned toward him with a mocking smile.
"Our lord only went to attend Killer Bee's concert. You and your people tried to capture him—was he supposed to just stand there and take it?
So it's fine for you to set villages ablaze, but we're not allowed to light a candle?
You come to destroy us, yet if we defend ourselves, you call it rebellion? What kind of logic is that?"
The Raikage's face twisted with fury, but before he could retort, the Third Hokage cut in again.
"Then what about the declaration of war you sent the Five Great Villages years ago? Will you deny that as well?"
Jinshi smirked, pulling out a small leather notebook.
"This is our lord's handwriting. Compare it to your so-called declaration. Anyone with half a brain can tell—it's a forgery. But I suppose reason doesn't matter when you've already decided to attack."
All around them, murmurs spread through the allied ranks.
Among the Five Villages' leaders, only the Mist's envoy, One-Eyed Ao, remained quiet, simply watching.
The other Kage continued pressing, hoping to force some confession that would justify their war.
Meanwhile, hidden among the cliffs, the Akatsuki had arrived.
White Zetsu listened intently, memorizing every piece of information about the tailed beasts mentioned in the accusations. If they couldn't capture Shigeo here, they would have to hunt the beasts across the world instead.
Further back, Black Zetsu waited impatiently.
After watching the "trial" drag on endlessly, he muttered, "What a bunch of talkers," then hurled a handful of explosive tags into the coalition's rear ranks.
BOOM!
The sudden blast tore through the sea breeze, igniting chaos.
The time for words had ended.
The alliance's thin veil of righteousness was shredded in an instant.
The war had begun.
Thousands of shinobi surged forward, assaulting the first barrier.
Within moments, explosions and jutsu filled the air.
Shigeo's forces held the second barrier—every man and woman ready to fight.
Outside the third layer, Shigeo unleashed a wave of chakra that flattened an entire platoon in an instant.
At the same time, one of his clones launched itself toward the rear, where the Akatsuki had revealed themselves. When Black Zetsu threw his explosive tags, Shigeo's clone had already leapt into combat.
The alliance's combined assault battered all three layers of Minamo's defenses.
The first barrier fell, and the enemy crashed into the second.
Against the might of five nations and their smaller allies, Minamo's few hundred ninja and six thousand guards were hopelessly outnumbered.
Even with Shigeo's many Wood Clones defending each flank, they were only a drop in the ocean.
Inside Minamo City, non-chakra guards lined the walls, holding spears and rifles, faces pale but resolute.
The roars of battle and crashing waves echoed endlessly across the sea, shaking the very air.
The Great Ninja War against Minamo had officially begun.
(End of Chapter)
[50 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews = 5 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]