Down With Konoha Hegemony

"What?! You're saying the Kage of the Three Kingdoms Alliance invited our Amegakure to join them? Konan, I know you've been under a lot of pressure lately, but you can't drink like this!"

Who in the Ninja World doesn't know that the three kingdoms formed an alliance to attack the Land of Rain? Inviting the Land of Rain into the group under these circumstances is practically a joke!

"Chief, could this be an enemy plot? After all, decapitation plans like this are commonplace in the Ninja World." Hmph, clumsy tricks. I, Kakuzu, have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice. When I launched my decapitation plan against Senju Hashirama, you guys probably hadn't even been reincarnated yet.

"A decapitation plan? It shouldn't be that serious, but it doesn't matter anyway. In my current state, why would I be afraid of them beheading me?" Nagato looked at the cracks covering his body and said with a hint of self-deprecation.

"That's true, but just in case, let me accompany the leader. After all, even the Impure World Reincarnation technique can be countered by Sealing Jutsu. When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, the three kingdoms of Wind, Earth, and Lightning plundered a lot of good stuff."

Sigh~ As the saying goes, "He who takes another's money is bound to him, and he who eats another's food is bound to him." I've used one of Nagato's hearts, so it's time to show my worth. Although I, Kakuzu, am stingy and greedy, I'm still honest and trustworthy, okay? I'll use your heart to do your bidding.

"Hmm... alright. With Kakuzu's current strength, even if the enemy uses a decent Sealing Jutsu, they won't be able to stop us. Konan, you guys stay home and keep an eye on the base. Kakuzu going to see what the enemy is up to."

How much worse can the situation get? Perhaps this meeting will bring a turning point. After all, who would be so foolish as to become someone else's pawn if they can avoid war?

The next day~

The border of the Land of Rain, the Sunny River...

The meeting place of the two sides~

"So you're the current leader of Amegakure? No wonder you're the man who can replace Hanzo. No wonder those two Roshi and Han, fell into your hands. Truly, a new generation replaces the old; the younger generation is indeed formidable!"

Hiss~ This Chakra is already comparable to that of Madara Uchiha back in the day. Damn it, has this guy really become this strong? Luckily, I had the foresight not to fight Amegakure, otherwise we would probably have suffered heavy losses.

"You flatter me, Third Tsuchikage. My strength is barely enough to survive against Konoha. Did you all not consider your own fate after this invasion of the Land of Rain?"

Judging from Ōnoki's attitude, this battle might turn around. Let's try to shift the enemy's target. It would be best if I could avoid being a pawn. Anyway, I'm in the Impure World Reincarnation state now, so I don't have a lifespan limit. If I can survive this crisis, I can lie low and develop for another 30 to 50 years, and then decide on my next steps based on the situation in the Ninja World.

"Hmph, kid, I'll let you off this time, but I'll settle the score with you for the grudge against Yugito sooner or later." No wonder Bi didn't even have a chance to escape; this aura... it's already surpassed his own father's, hasn't it? Damn it, I'll let him go for now~

"I wonder what brings you gentlemen here today? I don't think our relationship is close enough for us to sit down and chat." Let me go this time? According to the intelligence, Eight-Tails Killer B is their brother. They're letting me go like this? These guys must have big ambitions. But it doesn't matter. At least judging from the Fourth Raikage's attitude towards me, their target isn't the Land of Rain.

But... if they can put aside even this hatred and conflict of interest, it seems these people need something from me? Hehe, brilliant!

"Ahem~ Raikage, shut up. Leave the negotiations to me. You can stay out of the way." What a pig brain! He's already revealed his true colors before we've even started talking. This is probably going to be difficult. Hopefully, this leader of the Land of Rain is a political idiot too.

"Ōnoki, what do you mean? As one of the leaders of the alliance, I don't even have a say? Do you think this operation is led by you?"

The strength of this guy from the Land of Rain has far exceeded expectations. The situation is now very clear: the leader of the alliance will most likely be someone who values strength, but this newcomer from the Land of Rain certainly won't have the support of the Wind, Earth, and Lightning factions. Of the remaining three, Ōnoki, that old geezer, is the most likely to become the leader of the alliance, followed by myself, with Rasa, that useless bystander, at the very bottom. (At the moment, Ōnoki isn't suffering from a herniated disc like he did in the Fourth Great Ninja War.)

If I don't offer something now to increase the Land of Rain's leverage, then when faced with pressure from the Land of Rain, I and Rasa will have no choice but to follow Ōnoki's arrangements. In that case, Ōnoki will definitely seize power and become the leader of the alliance.

Given this old man's cunning and shrewdness, even if we win this battle, Ōnoki will find a way to inflict heavy losses on me. Therefore, even if I give the leadership of the alliance to Rasa, I can't let Ōnoki take it. Besides, there are benefits to releasing this information now. Who would be wary of a muscle-bound guy?

"Raikage, I think Tsuchikage makes a good point. Let the professionals handle the professional matters. After all, Tsuchikage's experience is something we can't match." Sigh~ What kind of teammates are these? We haven't even started yet, and you've already put aside your brother's murder? Isn't this just blatantly telling everyone that I need their help? With a talent like the Fourth Raikage, this alliance is probably going to capsize. Looks like I need to make plans early.

"Gentlemen, please speak frankly. If there's nothing important, I need to return and make some pre-battle plans. After all, even Konoha, the strongest Ninja World, cannot underestimate the invasion of the three great nations."

In the current situation, there are not many things that can make the Fourth Raikage put aside his interests and hatred. Given the battlefield layout of the three major powers, they don't seem to have any intention of disbanding or withdrawing their troops. Since they don't withdraw their troops and don't plan to attack their own Land of Rain, then based on the past behavior of these countries, the victim this time is already obvious.

Heh, a bunch of clueless bastards. With your meager strength, you think you can invade Konoha? You're just asking for trouble. But it's fine, as long as these guys don't fight to the death with us, everything will be alright.

"That's true, Chief. We invited you here to discuss matters related to overthrowing the Konoha Village's hegemony. What are your thoughts, Chief?"

This guy from Amegakure is indeed terrifyingly strong, but if we can use him to attack Konoha... then his strength would actually be an asset to our side.

"To overthrow Konoha's hegemony? That sounds tempting. The Land of Rain, a country that weeps for years, certainly needs a suitable land to live on. However, with Konoha's strength, it's probably not so easy to take it over. The Land of Rain is poor and sparsely populated, and we really dare not provoke such a great enemy as Konoha. You should find someone else to help you."

Are you kidding me? You want me to fight Konoha? The Uchiha Gen and his gang are not a force that can be defeated by sheer numbers.