Surprise Attack

Land of Lightning, Shinobi Allied Forces Headquarters. Some time had passed since the last Five Kage Summit. This time, the Five Kage had gathered once more, no longer to bicker over every little matter or accuse one another, but to fight for their shared interests.

They bore blood-deep grudges that could never be washed away, but at this moment, the imminent threat of Akatsuki was more important.

Once the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages had arrived, the previously chaotic situation improved noticeably.

The Kage of the major shinobi villages were the rightful leaders, after all. The prestige of acting commanders could not compare.

After the major shinobi villages had resolved their internal conflicts, Amegakure's shinobi forces finally arrived.

Reassuringly, although there were many Amegakure shinobi, their military discipline was quite good.

Most of them had originally been combat weapons mass-produced through biotechnology. Such effortless control was precisely the mark of an elite force desired by those in power.

The Fifth Division, composed mostly of samurai from the Land of Iron and supplemented by a small number of secret-technique shinobi, was fairly compatible with the Amegakure shinobi, who integrated quickly.

The only discordant point was that the Amegakure shinobi, their faces all hidden behind thick masks and goggles, had no desire to interact much with shinobi from the other villages. Since it was no great matter so long as it did not affect command, Yanliu, captain of the Fifth Division, did not wish to interfere too much.

In fact, shinobi who silently obeyed orders suited the rigid Yanliu's tastes even better.

These Amegakure shinobi seemed somewhat estranged from their comrades, whose attire was generally uniform. Although some people tried to negotiate with them, Shigure, an elite jonin disguised by Orochimaru, refused on the grounds that unsuitable equipment would affect