: The Talks End

With Fengtian gone, the meeting place fell into a deathly silence as everyone processed what had just happened.

After a while, Yagura finally broke the silence, his voice tinged with uncertainty, and asked:

"Everyone, what's our next step?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi gently rubbed his temples, seemingly still pondering Fengtian's words and their predicament.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice firm and powerful:

"We have no choice but to prepare for war..."

"Now that Fengtian has declared war, we cannot sit idly by and wait to be killed!"

"We must contact other ninja villages as soon as possible to discuss countermeasures and formulate a comprehensive defense plan."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Raikage scoffed dismissively. As an enthusiastic warmonger, he showed no fear whatsoever of the impending war.

"Fight then! Are you saying we're afraid?!"

"The Third Shinobi World War just ended not long ago, isn't it a bit too hasty to start the Fourth...?"

Onoki also expressed his own thoughts, which differed from those of the Fourth Raikage.

Having just experienced the Third Shinobi World War, Iwagakure also needs some time to catch its breath.

"Oonoki, I understand your concerns..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded in understanding, his gaze sweeping over everyone present:

"But as Fengtian said, we had no choice..."

"If the power of the Tailed Beasts is abused, it will bring enormous disaster to this world..."

"We must stop the Twilight organization's plans."

"But, Hokage, how can we stop them?"

Mizukage Yagura raised a key question:

"Judging from the apparent strength of the Twilight organization, do we really have a chance of winning?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath, his gaze resolute:

"Although we face a powerful enemy, we cannot give up easily..."

"We need to unite all forces that can be united to fight against the Twilight organization."

"joint?"

The Fourth Raikage frowned slightly:

"You mean, you want to form an alliance with other ninja villages?"

"That's right."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded:

"Only by uniting can we hope to defeat the Twilight organization..."

"Furthermore, I believe that other ninja villages will not stand idly by while the so-called 'Eye of the Moon' plan is implemented."

"But this will take time..."

Onoki reminded him:

Whether other ninja villages are willing to form an alliance with us remains to be seen.

"Furthermore, those smaller villages are far weaker than our five major villages. Is it really necessary to drag them into the war as well?"

"Time is indeed tight, but we cannot give up because of that."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up, his eyes blazing:

"I will personally travel to other ninja villages to seek their support..."

"At the same time, we must also strengthen our own defenses and prepare for war."

"The Hokage is right."

Yagura also stood up:

"We cannot sit idly by and wait to die. I will immediately gather the elite ninjas of Mizugakure to strengthen the village's defenses."

"I will also gather the ninjas of Kumogakure."

The Fourth Raikage was not to be outdone:

"Although I don't like forming alliances, if it's to prevent disaster from happening, I'm willing to fight alongside other ninja villages."

"Then, I will also gather the ninjas of Iwagakure."

Although Onoki was unwilling, he knew that this was the best option at the moment.

"Our Hidden Stone Village will fully support this battle."

Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's leadership, the leaders of the four great ninja villages finally reached a consensus.

They decided to unite and fight against the Twilight organization to protect the peace and security of the world.

In the days that followed, the four great ninja villages began to prepare for war in earnest.

They intensified ninja training, upgraded defenses, gathered intelligence, and made contact with other ninja villages to gain their support.

.....

Beneath Konoha Village

"By the mandate of Heaven..."

"War is imminent, when should we act...?"

Madara Uchiha asked with an arrogant expression. On his face, there was no fear of war, only a desire and madness for it!

"Lord Madara, I understand your desire for war, but we must proceed with caution."

Fengtian's tone was firm, his gaze profound:

"While the number of White Zetsu is increasing rapidly, it has not yet reached our expectations..."

"Furthermore, the strength of Konoha and the other ninja villages should not be underestimated..."

"If we act rashly, we are likely to suffer significant losses."

Madara Uchiha frowned slightly, but he also understood that what Fengtian said was true.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down:

"So, what do you suggest we do?"

"We need to wait for the best opportunity."

Fengtian slowly said:

"Now, the four great ninja villages have begun to join forces to prepare to fight against us..."

"They are very vigilant; this is not a good time for us to launch an attack."

"However, their vigilance may gradually decrease over time."

"When we wait until then, we can launch an attack and achieve the greatest victory with the least cost."

Shisui, Obito, Sasori, and Kakuzu listened silently to the conversation between Fengtian and Uchiha Madara.

Although they have very different personalities, they all share a common goal—to fight to achieve their respective ideals.

At this moment, they chose to remain silent because they knew that in this war, their mission was to carry out orders and contribute their strength to the final victory.

"Alright, since you put it that way, I'll wait a bit longer."

Madara Uchiha finally gave in, but his eyes still gleamed with an indomitable spirit:

"However, Fengtian, you must remember, our time is running out."

"If it drags on for too long, it may cause other unnecessary troubles."

"I understand, Lord Madara."

Fengtian nodded slightly:

"I will closely monitor the movements of the four great ninja villages, and we will launch an attack as soon as the right opportunity arises."

Before he could finish speaking, Fengtian suddenly turned his head, his sharp eyes sweeping over Zhishui and the others. A faint [power of cause and effect] quietly spread out, making everyone's hearts tremble.

He then spoke, his voice steady and powerful:

"Before the final battle, let me lend you a hand and help you improve your strength..."