Let's not forget—Kumogakure also has a Rinnegan.
There's no way Black Zetsu would only target Iwagakure and ignore Kumogakure.
Something must have already been set in motion. There was no doubt about it.
The last thing the Third Raikage wanted was for Iwagakure's troubles to repeat themselves in Kumogakure.
No matter how badly Takuya and Kushina had humiliated A, that was just a matter of pride.
And pride meant nothing compared to the safety of the village.
Whether A held a grudge or not, he would have to swallow it.
Even the Third Raikage himself would personally step in if necessary.
So what choice did A have?
The night passed uneventfully.
By the next morning, Iwagakure's attendants were already waiting outside.
With Takuya's approval, they brought over an extravagant breakfast, ensuring they received VIP treatment.
After eating, Takuya took Kushina and Pakura to the Tsuchikage's office.
The same meeting room as yesterday.
After finally getting a full night's rest, Onoki looked significantly better.
When Takuya and his group arrived, Onoki even managed a rare smile, nodding at them in greeting.
Great. Once again, they were the last ones to show up.
Glancing around the room, Takuya took a seat beside Yagura, with Kushina and Pakura standing behind him.
Kushina had no interest in meetings. If it were up to her, she'd be out shopping, picking up gifts or souvenirs.
But Takuya didn't feel comfortable letting her wander around alone.
Shopping would have to wait until the meeting was over.
Once everyone had arrived, Onoki got straight to the point.
His secretary distributed documents to everyone, and Takuya flipped through his copy.
Rasa, having finished reading first, spoke up.
"Tsuchikage, forming a special task force to deal with Uchiha Madara sounds good in theory, but it won't be easy.
Setting aside the issue of selecting members, the real challenge is leadership and coordination."
Pooling shinobi from multiple villages to fight an enemy they hadn't even seen yet?
That wasn't realistic.
Madara hadn't officially revealed himself.
Onoki had come up with this idea after much deliberation—he wanted all five villages to form a joint task force.
Each village would contribute a handful of elite shinobi to the team, tasked specifically with countering Madara.
The idea itself wasn't bad.
Gathering a squad like this wouldn't be too difficult.
Each village only needed to contribute a few people.
But the real issue—who would be in charge?
A special task force like this needed strong leadership.
They would need someone powerful, capable, and, most importantly, someone who wouldn't let personal biases interfere.
"That's true," Onoki admitted.
"But I believe we can work out a solution."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Takuya.
None of the Kage could personally join the task force.
They would have to select capable individuals from their respective villages.
But when shinobi from different villages were put together, who would they follow?
It was inevitable that conflicts over leadership would arise.
Onoki had just started thinking this over when a clear answer emerged.
Takuya.
Sure, he had his own personal motives. But he was strong.
Who would dare challenge him?
Even among the strongest shinobi of the five villages, no one could stand against him.
Even A, someone with overwhelming talent, couldn't do anything in front of him.
There was no better candidate.
Rasa hesitated for a moment, following Onoki's gaze.
The words he had been about to say got stuck in his throat.
The team members weren't finalized yet, but if Takuya was the leader, Rasa had no objections.
Not that he would dare voice any even if he did.
Yagura simply shrugged, showing no resistance.
Konoha knew more about Madara than any other village.
And Takuya was strong enough that no one would dare argue.
Even A, who usually butted heads with Takuya at every opportunity, nodded in agreement.
For once, there was no infighting during a five-village meeting.
It might have been the first time in history.
But Takuya was having none of it.
"Hold on—what exactly are you trying to pull here?
Go ahead and form your task force, I don't care. But why are you dragging me into this?"
"Not happening. No way."
What kind of joke was this?
Why would he waste his time running around the world chasing Madara?
Sure, he'd have authority, but did he care about that?
Not at all.
Other people would kill for this kind of position.
Takuya shoved it away like garbage, rejecting it outright.
The entire room fell into silence.
Other people would beg for this chance.
And here he was, turning it down?
A opened his mouth as if to speak but hesitated and swallowed his words.
If it were him, he'd accept in a heartbeat.
Rasa's expression twitched. He couldn't comprehend why Takuya would refuse.
Yagura, on the other hand, understood.
He knew exactly why Takuya had no interest.
But saying it out loud would be too much of a slap in the face.
"Ahem."
Onoki cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to the discussion.
"Takuya, this task force is crucial. It needs to be led by someone with both strength and leadership, or else there will be constant infighting.
And since Konoha has the most intelligence on Madara, you are the most suitable leader.
I doubt anyone here would disagree."
"No."
Takuya refused again.
"Konoha will share all relevant information—we won't hold anything back.
And we support the formation of this task force.
But me leading it? Not happening.
I can recommend someone, but I'm not joining."
"There are plenty of qualified candidates. It doesn't have to be me."
"Instead of discussing leadership, let's focus on the team members first.
Which shinobi from each village will be participating?"
"Just to be clear—weaklings shouldn't be considered.
This isn't a place for dead weight."
Might as well put that out there right away.
Takuya wasn't worried about Konoha.
They had plenty of qualified candidates.
Iwagakure and Kumogakure were in a similar position—they had strong shinobi to spare.
The real problem was Kirigakure and Sunagakure.
Both villages had lost too many elites.
Finding suitable candidates would be a headache for Rasa and Yagura.
And since Onoki was the one who had come up with the idea, it was only fair that he went first.
Everyone turned to look at Onoki.
Onoki had already anticipated this and answered without hesitation.
"Iwagakure will contribute three elite jonin to the task force.
Kitsuchi will lead them."
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read the rest of the Chapter at Patreon com/ Emik01.
DO NOT FORGET POWER STONE AND CHATTING