"Man..."
Tobirama Senju looked at his big brother, then at Kazan, and finally let out a helpless sigh.
He still disagreed with treating the Uchiha like an ordinary Shinobi Clan.
The clan was like an Explosive Tag that could detonate at any moment, harming others and themselves alike.
He could not bring himself to accept them. He simply could not.
But...
His big brother and Kazan could afford such open-mindedness because they could handle whatever trouble arose. They had nothing to fear from the Uchiha.
Even Madara Uchiha had ultimately been defeated by his big brother and escaped only by faking his death. Perhaps Jing Uchiha would prove no different.
"Tell me about the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan," Tobirama Senju said, giving in. "What do you intend to do?"
"Konoha already held a Five Kage Summit to warn the other Shinobi Villages about the crisis. We planned to form the Allied Shinobi Forces."
The Allied Shinobi Forces?!
At the sound of that, Big Pillar's eyes lit up with innocent, almost foolish hope.
All the Shinobi Villages would work together through hardship. It was a chance to understand one another. Perhaps this crisis could even bring peace...
"The other villages won't agree." Tobirama Senju glanced at his big brother, mercilessly cutting short his fantasy.
"Tobirama, don't assume the worst of everyone—"
"Uh, they really didn't agree."
"..."
Kazan's ill-timed addition froze Big Pillar's expression. He stood rigid atop the Wooden Golem's head, like a gray-white stone.
A long while passed before he spread his hands with all the dignity of a "king" and asked, baffled, "Why?!"
"When a village loses someone or something important, tradition says its Ninja must recover it quietly, using only their own strength. That's how a great nation conducts itself."
For one thing, they did not want to