The Future of Ninjas

The Five Kage gathered once again in the Hokage Office.

Over the past two years, the Five Kage Summit had been held more times than in all the previous decades combined.

On one hand, having fought side by side had begun to ease relations between the shinobi villages. On the other, the current political situation forced them to band together for survival.

Outside, Peach Country was setting fires everywhere; inside, the Daimyos were doing everything they could to suppress them. If they continued to act independently, their villages would be finished sooner or later.

The atmosphere in the office was stifling. The Five Kage all seemed to have the same word written across their faces: worry.

As the host, Kakashi sighed helplessly. "There's no need to keep any intelligence hidden anymore. The situation in all five shinobi villages is about the same now."

Ōnoki, who had yet to retire, slapped the table and flung more than a dozen photographs onto it. Pointing at a round-faced, obese man in one of them, he said furiously, "This man is named Chongji. He was originally a shinobi from the Land of Rain and used to be a subordinate of Akatsuki. After Akatsuki was destroyed, he obtained their batch of firearms and began recruiting troops everywhere, forming a mercenary corps of thirty thousand men. The others are all leaders of mercenary corps as well. Together, their mercenary forces number a full three hundred thousand, burning, killing, and pillaging everywhere, throwing the entire world into chaos!"

The Raikage picked up the photographs and examined them, his expression grave. "Kumogakure has been gathering intelligence on these people as well. The Daimyo wants us to deal with these mercenary corps as soon as possible, but nearly every leader is protected by powerful fighters. The decapitation plans have