Of course, Hanzo's threat before his death was not entirely empty.
At the very least, the demigod's assessment of the international repercussions of Konoha stabbing the Rain Ninja in the back still held some reference value.
—The shinobi world might be rife with betrayal and conspiracy, but for leaders focused on building a new future order, earning the trust of others and maintaining a strong diplomatic reputation were equally indispensable and precious resources.
After all, unless they were idiots like Uchiha Madara who blindly believed in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, any group that wanted to achieve true unification in the Shinobi World could not avoid issues such as united fronts, alliances, and political negotiation...
A ruler like Ōnoki, who betrayed his allies at the drop of a hat, could generously be called "two-faced," but without Dust Release to back him up, most people would probably rather call him a "fence-sitter"!
And such a person could never become a point of compromise among the various interest groups and social classes, much less qualify to lead an alliance.
—The Five Kage Summit before the Fourth Shinobi War in the original story illustrated this issue from another angle.
The young Kazekage Gaara and the newly appointed Mei Terumi lacked prestige and public trust, making it difficult for them to command support. Though the crafty old Ōnoki and the "barbarian" A possessed formidable strength, neither could win their allies' trust, so neither was the best candidate to serve as commander-in-chief of the allied forces.
If Danzo had not cleverly tried to use Shisui's Kotoamatsukami to manipulate things in secret—or if he had done it more skillfully and not exposed himself before Ao, who possessed the Byakugan—then that meeting should have been the closest he had ever come to realizing his ambitions!
Unfortunately, the acting Hokage's