The photograph had been taken during the First Raikage's era.
At first, people assumed it was a mistake. Maybe dust had settled on the telescope, or perhaps it was just a "ghost image" from the exposure. That sort of thing wasn't uncommon.
But as the records accumulated day after day, more and more accounts of similar alien activity appeared.
Kumogakure had no choice but to face the question head-on—
"There really is a life-form on the moon. They're standing above our heads, watching us."
Killer B said, "The moon is barren. Every generation of Raikage has believed that sooner or later, the monsters hiding up there will come down and wage war on humanity."
"Humanity needs the power to fight back."
That was why Kumogakure kept expanding its military.
The shinobi and ninjutsu of today couldn't truly stand against enemies on a cosmic scale. They needed even greater power.
That was also why Kumogakure drilled the idea of "death before surrender" into its shinobi, from top to bottom.
Their hypothetical enemy wasn't shinobi from other villages, much less other humans. It was the aliens on the moon.
When two different species clashed, the side that surrendered would become livestock.
Sasuke cupped the photograph in both hands. "But why didn't Kumogakure try to spread this message? You could have brought more people into your plan."
The secretary, Mabui, answered:
"Because of self-interest."
The resources available to strengthen the military were limited.
If they told the whole world, the result would be a global arms race. The nations would compete with one another, and that would escalate into war, or even...
"We can't rule out someone hunting down those who resist for the sake of profit, power, or even so-called peace, then siding with the aliens and becoming a 'human traitor.'"
Sasuke