Chapter 207 - 207: Even Sunagakure Is Retreating?
With all the arrangements completed, Shamon nodded in satisfaction. He understood very clearly that whether this plan succeeded depended mainly on whether all four great nations could join the alliance. The Land of Wind alone could never pull so many countries into a coalition.
As long as Iwagakure succeeded on their end, everything else would have room to proceed.
Of course, when the final decision had to be made, the leaders of each nation would inevitably need to gather for another meeting. And it would have to be extremely secretive—at the very least, Konoha absolutely could not learn of it.
Otherwise, if that monster Arata discovered the news and simply appeared at the meeting location, the leaders of every nation might be wiped out in one strike.
As for the venue, Shamon had already chosen it: the Land of Claws, located near the center of the shinobi world. It was at a reasonable distance from every country, and with the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Fangs acting as buffers, Konoha's influence would have difficulty reaching that far.
Moreover, the Land of Claws itself was not particularly powerful, meaning it lacked the capability to threaten the assembled leaders. For that reason, it was the ideal location.
Originally, a small island near Kirigakure would have been the safest choice. Far from the continent, Konoha's spies would have had no way of arriving quickly.
But those islands were too close to the Land of Water.
That alone made people uneasy.
After all, Kirigakure had never been known for honesty. If all the leaders gathered near their territory, surrounded by endless ocean, and the Land of Water decided to play tricks, no one might even have a chance to escape.
Even if the possibility was small, Shamon had to consider it. Kirigakure had a long history of underhanded schemes.
He also mentally ranked the strength of the future alliance.
Among the Four Great Nations:
• The Land of Lightning was unquestionably the strongest overall.
• Iwagakure ranked second.
• The Land of Wind and the Land of Water were roughly equal.
Among smaller nations:
• The Land of Waterfalls, Land of Craftsmen, and Land of Iron formed the top tier.
• The mysterious Land of Hot Water was slightly weaker than those three but stronger than the rest.
• The remaining small countries were lower-tier, comparable at best to powerful clans within major nations—their main role would simply be to divide enemy forces.
After calculating each nation's available manpower, Shamon realized something astonishing:
The alliance might truly reach one hundred thousand ninja.
And this was without including the Land of Fire—the country with the largest population and the greatest number of ninja.
Even so, the alliance could still field around one hundred thousand troops.
In comparison, the entire Land of Fire likely had fewer than twenty thousand ninja in total.
The gap was overwhelming.
Even the alliance during the Warring States era had never reached such scale.
After all, the shinobi world had experienced a period of relative peace, and populations had grown. Naturally, the number of ninja now exceeded those of the earlier era.
Seeing that no one objected, Shamon finally said:
"Then pass down the orders—begin an orderly retreat. Leave no openings for Konoha to exploit. Set up the necessary traps to delay pursuit."
Although the alliance plan had largely been settled, they still needed to withdraw immediately.
They were deep inside the Land of Rain. Supply lines were slow, and the risk of Konoha ambushes remained high. Returning to the Land of Wind was the highest priority.
According to Shamon's intelligence, Arata cared deeply about Tsunade, meaning he was almost certainly already on his way to the Land of Rain.
If they delayed and were caught by him, they might not even get the chance to retreat.
Since they were still far from home, their withdrawal had to be cautious. Proper traps and obstacles were essential; otherwise, if Konoha discovered their movement and attacked from behind, chaos would erupt—and casualties would be severe.
The commanders understood this well. They quickly drafted a stable retreat plan, and once Shamon approved it, implementation began immediately.
The meeting itself had already taken considerable time. Every moment lost was dangerous. They needed to move fast if they hoped to leave the Land of Rain before Arata arrived.
...
As the leaders gradually left the tent—including Chiyo and Ebizō—Shamon turned to his son, Saro, and said:
"This alliance is no small matter. Watch carefully and learn how Chiyo handles things. It will help you greatly when you rule in the future."
Shamon had great confidence in his son's strength. Reaching Kage-level peak was only a matter of time.
The problem lay elsewhere.
Saro lacked skill in strategy. He was too direct, too transparent—his thoughts showed plainly on his face. He was not suited to intrigue or political maneuvering.
That was dangerous for a future Kazekage.
A leader could not rely solely on strength. Without sound judgment, he could easily fall into traps laid by other nations.
Worse still, Saro's cold demeanor made people keep their distance. Such a personality was poor for winning hearts.
If left unchecked, he might become like Uchiha Madara of Konoha—a man of overwhelming power who nevertheless failed to connect with others.
Madara's cold arrogance had alienated both villagers and ninja alike, and in the end, unable to integrate into the village, he had chosen to leave.
Fortunately, years of guidance had softened Saro somewhat.
So he replied immediately:
"I understand. I'll study carefully."
In truth, Saro's change had another reason.
He had encountered a monster named Arata.
In the past, Saro had been proud because no one of his generation could rival him.
But Arata's sudden rise had placed an unbearable pressure on him—one that made even someone like Saro feel as though he could barely breathe.