The Third Raikage spoke, "Have the Kage from the other villages agreed as well?"
Hearing this, the Raikage paused, slightly taken aback. It seemed that besides himself, the leaders of the other major villages had reached the same conclusion. It appeared the constant pressure from Konoha had fostered considerable discontent among them all.
Perhaps the current generation of Kage, influenced by the Fourth Shinobi World War and the hope for peace it brought, along with their varying degrees of connection to Naruto, saw him as trustworthy.
But for the Kage summoned from the past, they possessed a deeper understanding of human nature.
Peace! An ideal impossible to achieve the moment more than two people were involved.
Humanity! As long as two individuals existed, so-called peace could never truly be realized. The price of peace often demanded greater sacrifices, and because no one wished to sacrifice their own interests, the shinobi world had erupted into war time and time again. If everyone were willing to sacrifice for the greater good, peace would have been achieved long ago.
To these bygone Kage, the peace pursued by the current generation was nothing more than a laughable, foolish dream. Rather than contemplating world peace, it was more practical to focus on strengthening one's own village, one's own nation, making it formidable enough that none would dare provoke it. Peace, they believed, was only ever guaranteed within the reach of one's blade.
"If the other villages have also decided to act against Konoha!" the Third Raikage declared, his gaze fixed on the Kara operative before him, "Then I believe we might actually have a chance to defeat them!"
A smile touched the operative's face; he clearly shared the sentiment. Things were progressing much more smoothly than anticipated. It seemed Konoha hadn't left a particularly favorable impression on the Kage from the past. Ultimately, this stemmed from the decades during which Konoha's influence had suppressed the other four great shinobi villages. It was like a frog slowly boiled in lukewarm water – unnoticeable at first, but the realization dawned only after the process was well underway. Unconsciously, Konoha had squeezed far too many benefits from the other villages. This, perhaps, was the unavoidable price of the peace they maintained.
"I have an idea now!" the Third Raikage suddenly announced, looking towards Konoha's direction. "Perhaps you could relay this to the other Kage and see if they agree. I believe it's time we demanded the return of the Tailed Beasts that belong to our villages!"
"This..."
Koji Kashin hesitated for a fraction of a second before understanding dawned. So that was it! The Raikage intended to force an open confrontation with Konoha. Doing so would immediately halt Konoha's exploitation of Kumogakure—no, of all four major villages—and simultaneously grant them the moral high ground.
The Tailed Beasts originally belonged to the other villages; Konoha's current hold over them was indefensible. Even if it led to war, the shinobi within the four villages would likely support their own Kage. After all, reclaiming what rightfully belonged to them wasn't wrong.
Furthermore, this demand might sow discord within Konoha itself. One faction might favor compromise, willing to return the Tailed Beasts to maintain the current status quo of pressure on other nations. Another faction would surely oppose giving up such power. Thus, internal conflict could erupt within Konoha, its severity depending on the circumstances.
Regardless of whether Konoha agreed or not, the other villages had to demand the return of their Tailed Beasts. To demand them was to assert their sovereignty; to remain silent was to tacitly accept Konoha's claim as legitimate. So, demanding their return was the necessary course of action.
Koji Kashin studied the Third Raikage – the legendary 'Strongest Spear' and 'Strongest Shield'. He was known as a man of conflict, yet Koji hadn't expected him to possess such strategic thinking.
"I will convey your proposal to the other villages," Koji confirmed.
The Third Raikage nodded. "You mentioned earlier offering assistance with Scientific Ninja Tools."
"Indeed," Koji smiled. "If Lord Third Raikage confirms his need, we will promptly dispatch specialized scientists to Kumogakure to assist you with modifications."
"Hmm." The Third Raikage acknowledged, then glanced at the other Kumogakure shinobi present. "If the results are promising, how about we create an entire army of modified shinobi!"
Koji was impressed by the Raikage's boldness – aiming to build an army enhanced by scientific ninja tools. This development was highly advantageous for Kara; strengthening the four villages to counter Konoha was exactly what they desired.
The other villages should probably also create scientific shinobi armies to confront Konoha... their current strength is far from sufficient, Koji thought. "I will inform the other Kage and suggest they consider it."
He hadn't anticipated the operation proceeding so flawlessly. The Third Raikage was willing to undergo modification. Once he accepted Amado's enhancements, while direct control might be difficult, influencing him to some degree would be relatively easy. Moreover, replicating the Raikage's physical data and creating clones identical to him wouldn't be a challenge for Amado, especially with the subject's cooperation. It might even be possible to copy his ninjutsu.
Kara's power could surge dramatically. If the other Kage also agreed, Kara's strength would increase explosively. Their odds against Konoha, and against that man, would improve significantly.
Sasuke Uchiha! A name frequently mentioned by that esteemed one as a target. Back during the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke had nearly killed Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Though the current Sasuke seemed to have missed decades of time, he remained an extremely formidable opponent. If not for those missing decades, confronting the present-day Sasuke might well be an impossible dream. Given Sasuke's rate of growth, with several decades more, he could have potentially ascended to godhood.
Meanwhile, the Sasuke in question had already returned to Konoha, bringing the Sage of Six Paths with him.
Naruto had also recovered. Possessing the power of the Tailed Beasts, his regeneration was remarkably fast. Additionally, bolstered by his Wood Release Kekkei Genkai cells, even near-fatal injuries weren't truly a major issue. As long as it wasn't an instantly fatal blow, Naruto's life force allowed him to recover with just a short rest.
"...Hamura!"
The Sage of Six Paths finally saw his younger brother, Ōtsutsuki Hamura, as he had wished. Seeing Hamura sealed away, a wry, helpless smile touched Hagoromo's lips. He glanced back at Sasuke.
Sasuke promptly released the seal on Hamura. Though filled with pent-up frustration, upon seeing his elder brother, Hamura didn't immediately lash out. Instead, he inquired about the Sage of Six Paths' condition.
"Brother!"
The two brothers, reunited after so long, had much to say to each other.
Sasuke left them to their reunion and went to find Naruto. He needed to inform him about the situation concerning Indra and Madara. He hadn't expected those two to have gone rogue again.
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