Reaching a Consensus
"Hmph, it's too early to say that. I have high hopes for the Rinnegan brat's strength, and don't forget what the old man said. This time, he might actually succeed."
After all, this kid has the same eyes as the old man. Just for those eyes alone, it's worth a try. How can a group of prisoners who haven't enjoyed freedom for many years understand the wonderful life I, Grandpa Isobu, used to have?
"Although I don't know what the old man you mentioned left behind, I think you can try to trust me. After all, the strength of my faction is not without a chance of defeating the three great powers. Of course, with you joining me, my chances of success are even greater."
The old man's words? Forget it, let's deal with the three great powers first. Now is not the time to worry about these things. Even if we deal with the three great powers, there's still that Uchiha Gen waiting for us. Damn it, even if my entire Akatsuki went all in, we probably wouldn't be a match for those guys.
Or... return the Tailed Beast and unite the three great nations to take down Uchiha Gen? Hmm, forget it. At my level of strength, numbers don't really matter anymore, especially since there are quite a few stronger than me in Uchiha Gen's camp...
I, Nagato Uzumaki, choose to stand on the side of justice!
The Land of Rivers - The Base of the Three Kingdoms' Ninja Army!
"What? A last-minute change of plans? Ōnoki, are you senile? We agreed on this at the Five Kage Summit, how can you change your mind so easily? Are you treating us like fools?"
Looking at the lewd old man in front of him, the irritable Fourth Raikage suppressed the urge to throw a punch and questioned him.
"Raikage, calm down. Since the Third Tsuchikage said that, there must be a reason. Let's hear what he has to say."
What exactly is that old Ōnoki plotting? Why is he changing his plans now? Could it be that something unexpected has happened? Oh well, if the sky falls, the Rai and Tochi kingdoms will take care of it.
"Fourth Raikage, you really need to learn a lot from the Kazekage about composure. Look how calm he is. I also thought about changing the plan for a long time before making the decision. During the Five Kage Summit, we were all blinded by the interests of the Land of Rain and the Tailed Beast, and we didn't pay attention to the situation we would have to face afterwards."
Looking at Ai, whose body was crackling with lightning, Ōnoki remained calm and instead became somewhat distracted with a serious expression.
"The situation? Didn't we already discuss the division of profits afterward? Do you, old man, have other plans?" This is something you should keep to yourself; does this old Ōnoki really want to bring it up in public?
"Heh, the division of profits? Raikage, haven't you grasped the situation yet? At the Five Kage Summit, Konoha and Kirigakure walked out and abandoned this plan." Facing the Fourth Raikage's questioning, Ōnoki directly pointed out the crux of the matter.
"Hmph, so that's all? Wouldn't it be better if they didn't join? Wouldn't it be better to have two fewer people sharing the spoils? If you, old man, find the spoils too hot to handle, we in Kumogakure can help you take your share." After all, he's getting old, and Ōnoki has started to act hesitantly.
"Fool, can't you see there's something wrong here? You're all talk about profits, but you'd better be alive to actually take them. Be careful you don't end up doing all the work for someone else."
What a muscle-bound brute! But it's all for the best. With the Fourth Raikage's vision and perspective, these brutes from Kumogakure won't pose a threat for the next twenty years.
"Does the Third Tsuchikage mean... that Konoha and Kirigakure will come and reap the benefits later?"
Rasa already had a backup plan for this situation. Even if Konoha didn't intervene, he would proactively request to join forces with Konoha to share more of the spoils in order to protect Sunagakure's post-war interests.
Given the enormous profits involved, Konoha would have no reason to refuse their invitation. It's not impossible that Sunagakure would follow Konoha in cutting off the profits of the Lightning and Earth Kingdoms.
"Heh, so that's what it's about Ōnoki, you're really getting old. You're actually hesitating over such a small matter. Isn't it normal for Konoha to get involved after the war with Kirigakure? If it were me, I would also try to reap the rewards after the war. The question is, do they have the strength? What is Kirigakure? Reap the rewards? They don't even deserve it. Besides, they've even lost their Tailed Beast. The newly appointed Fifth Mizukage is still a young girl. Does she think she's Lady Tsunade?"
Ai Terumi Mei Fifth Mizukage, in a rather low opinion of her. After all, Terumi Mei wasn't very famous at the moment. Although she had participated in the Third Great Ninja War, to be honest, this Fifth Mizukage didn't have any particularly impressive achievements. Her record as an elite Jonin was enough, but it was really not enough for the Kage of a village.
"Hmph, let's Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure for now, since Kirigakure's strength isn't that great. But didn't you witness Konoha's strength during the Third Great Ninja War? Besides, it won't just be Konoha and Kirigakure then. There are quite a few Kage villages across the Ninja World that want to bring us down. Let's not even talk about the old-school Takigakure, Yugakure, and Hoshigakure. The newly emerging Snow Hidden shouldn't be underestimated. You probably know the strength of the Land of Snow Daimyo. If we fight those Amegakure guys to a draw, Konoha might just gather a bunch of its allies and attack us all at once."
Given the ambiguous relationship between Konoha and Hidden Snow Village, it's a foregone conclusion that the two villages will unite. Our alliance, consisting of the Wind, Earth, and Lightning factions, will then face a massive force centered around Konoha, Snow Hidden, and Kirigakure, with a large number of other villages in the Ninja World cheering on them. Just thinking about this lineup is terrifying.
"This..."
What Ōnoki said makes some sense, but it's a real shame to let such a great opportunity slip by, especially since the Eight-Tails and the Two-Tails are still in the hands of those guys from Amegakure.
"Of course, if Lord Raikage is confident in resolving the above crisis, then consider my previous words as mere idle chatter."
Seeing the cowardly look on the Fourth Raikage's face, Ōnoki teased him with a mocking expression.
"Hmph, then tell me what we should do now? The army has already assembled. If we stop the plan now, forget about the Tailed Beast division we mentioned before, we'll also lose money on the cost of the army's deployment. But that's not the main point. The main point is that after this, our three kingdoms will definitely be the laughing stock of the Ninja World for the next ten years. You, Ōnoki, may not care about your reputation, but I, the Raikage, do."
Damn it, if it were just Konoha and Kirigakure, it would be fine, but to face a fully victorious Konoha along with other forces in the entire Ninja World with an exhausted army, even if my father were alive, he couldn't withstand it.