Chapter 274: Alliance
A few days after formally completing the power transition with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tonari encountered his first major event as the Fourth Hokage: signing a formal alliance treaty with Iwagakure.
Yes, while Konoha and Iwagakure had reached a temporary understanding, the treaty itself had yet to be officially signed. Originally, this task had been assigned to Danzo. However, before Danzo could finalize the agreement, Tonari had him neutralized.
As a result, the responsibility fell to Hiruzen, but he had barely begun handling it before being forced to step down, which left Tonari in charge.
Technically, when Tonari used the pending alliance as leverage against Hiruzen, the latter could have chosen to abandon the treaty entirely to cling to power. However, he ultimately chose to compromise. This was why Tonari still maintained a certain level of respect for the former Hokage.
Of course, if Hiruzen had truly been willing to let Konoha continue struggling in the war rather than cede his position, Tonari wouldn't have hesitated to escalate things further—even to the point of a full-scale coup.
Thus, it was finally time for Konoha and Iwagakure to formally sign their ceasefire and alliance agreement.
As the newly instated Fourth Hokage, Tonari needed to personally travel to the front lines for the signing and, if possible, bring back some of Konoha's stationed forces from the Land of Waterfalls.
Konoha was engaged in a multi-front war, and if one battlefield could be resolved quickly, it would greatly alleviate pressure on the others.
Understanding the urgency of the situation, Tonari left his remaining administrative work to his Shadow Clones and set off immediately.
Accompanying him were his two students, Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi, as well as a group of Root operatives assigned to guard him from the shadows.
Itachi was only three or four years old. By the time he entered the Ninja Academy and graduated, the war would likely be over.
Tonari felt it was necessary for these young prodigies to witness firsthand the horrors of war so they could truly appreciate the value of peace.
At first, the two boys were excited about the journey, but as they approached the battlefield and caught the first whiff of blood and burnt flesh carried by the wind, their enthusiasm faded.
Tonari didn't coddle them—he let them experience it for themselves.
He trusted that, with their intelligence and resilience, they would adapt quickly.
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Arrival at the Konoha Military Camp
Compared to the cheerful atmosphere in Konoha, the soldiers at the Land of Waterfalls' battlefield were different. Though they had heard the news of Tonari's ascension and were aware of his battlefield achievements, seeing him in person was another matter.
Many of them didn't recognize him at first.
"Uncle Shikashin, you've worked hard."
Tonari entered the command tent, and the first to greet him was Nara Shikashin, the Supreme Commander of Konoha's forces in the Land of Waterfalls.
Unlike other battlefronts, which had been reinforced by Kage-level ninjas, this one had struggled immensely.
Facing a formidable opponent like Onoki, who wielded the Kekkei Tōta Dust Release, Konoha's only countermeasure had been the Ino-Shika-Cho trio of this generation.
Through defensive strategies, they had barely managed to hold the line and prevent Iwagakure from pushing beyond the Land of Waterfalls.
Despite his lack of raw power compared to a Kage-level opponent, Shikashin's strategic brilliance had been instrumental in keeping Konoha's forces afloat.
Since the start of the war, Shikashin hadn't seen Tonari in years.
His last memory of him was when he had first taken Tonari, a ragged stray with a faint trace of a tailed beast's chakra, back to Konoha.
Back then, the scrawny little brat had been stark naked, certain parts of him flapping in the wind.
Now, that same brat was the Fourth Hokage.
When he first received the news, Shikashin had been stunned.
And now, seeing Tonari—now significantly taller, exuding an overwhelming presence, and possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan—his emotions were incredibly complex.
But above all else, he felt pride.
For a while, Tonari had lived in the Nara household. Shikashin had watched him grow, seen him and his son, Nara Shikaku, bicker like brothers.
Though Shikaku had always been a prodigy, he had repeatedly suffered small defeats at Tonari's hands—not in intelligence, but in the ability to win over his mother's affection.
Shikashin had come to view Tonari as half a son of his own.
Now, seeing his adopted stray become Hokage, Shikashin could barely suppress his emotions.
If Tonari had known what was going through Shikashin's mind, he probably would've tattled to Aunt Shikami, claiming he had seen young female ninjas sneaking out of Shikashin's tent at night.
That would definitely result in someone understanding why flowers bloom so red.
Shikashin placed a hand on Tonari's shoulder.
His "adopted son" had grown taller than him.
Looking at Tonari's clearly more handsome face compared to Shikaku's, he sighed.
Even though the next Hokage was no longer from the Sarutobi clan, it seemed that his family's relationship with the Hokage wouldn't change.
"Hokage, huh… It really is something…" Shikashin said with a smile.
Tonari had always been grateful to the Nara family.
They had treated him like one of their own, even when he had been a complete outsider.
Even when he bullied Shikaku, they had simply laughed—sometimes even harder than he did.
They had played a major role in his decision to remain in Konoha.
"I met Aunt Shikami before I left," Tonari smirked. "She told me to check if there were any uninvited guests in your tent."
Shikashin froze.
All his sentimental nostalgia was immediately thrown out the window.
This little brat hadn't changed at all.
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!"
Tonari burst into laughter.
Shikashin's expression was stiff, but Itachi—ever the observant one—noticed something.
The older man's lips twitched just slightly upward, though he quickly forced them down.
---
The Meeting with Onoki
After making arrangements for Shisui and Itachi to tour the battlefield, Tonari and Shikashin discussed strategy.
Onoki and Iwagakure weren't in as strong a position as they appeared.
Reports indicated that Iwagakure's war expenditures were overwhelming.
Furthermore, after their failed raid on the Land of Lightning, which had resulted in the death of the Third Raikage, their forces had suffered massive casualties.
Meanwhile, Kumo had smoothly transitioned to the Fourth Raikage, maintaining stability.
Onoki realized that if he continued fighting Konoha and suddenly had to face Kumo as well, Iwagakure would be in serious danger.
With this information, Tonari had a clear approach for his negotiations.
A few hours later, he arrived at the designated neutral ground where the alliance treaty was to be signed.
The area was a vast plain, with Konoha's forces on one side and Iwagakure's on the other.
In the center stood Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage, floating in the air to maintain eye-level with Tonari.
"So, you're Konoha's Fourth Hokage? The Blue Cat of Konoha?"
Onoki's voice was full of contempt. "Has Konoha fallen so far that they now place little brats in charge?"
Tonari simply smirked.
"And has Iwagakure fallen so far that they still let an old fossil cling to the Tsuchikage's seat?"
Onoki's expression darkened.
The two finally met in the middle of the battlefield.
Onoki squinted, examining Tonari's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"I heard Konoha's new Hokage is from the Senju clan. I also heard you can use Wood Release. You know, I once met a man with similar abilities. Do you happen to know him?"
Tonari raised a brow, pretending to be intrigued.
"Oh? There's another Wood Release user? How interesting. Would you be able to introduce us?"
Onoki couldn't see Tonari's thoughts, but he did sense a hint of something off.
"Introduce?"
"Wait a minute…"
Before Onoki could react, Tonari smiled.
"Why don't we settle this the ninja way, Tsuchikage?"
With that, the Fourth Hokage vs. the Third Tsuchikage battle began.
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