In an instant, tension filled the conference room. The Fourth Raikage clenched his fists and glared fiercely at Xia Le.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and tapped his pipe against the table. "Let's not make the atmosphere so tense!"
"Xia Le, I believe none of the other Kage here, myself included, want this war to continue."
"And we all want to know what the Land of Rain's ultimate objective really is."
"So far, through warfare, you have seized the Land of Birds, the Land of Rivers, the Land of Grass, the Hidden Waterfall Village, the Land of Fields, the Land of Iron, and other territories."
"These countries used to serve as buffer zones between the Five Great Nations!"
"Connected together, they now form a territory every bit as large as those of the Five Great Nations."
Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath and spoke again, his voice grave.
"So, do you intend to keep waging war? To continue annexing the other small countries in this world?"
"Do you truly intend to unify the entire Ninja World?"
"Even if that means declaring war on the Five Great Nations? On the whole world?"
His voice echoed through the conference room, shaking everyone who heard it and leaving them tense.
The other four Kage's expressions turned intensely serious, their gazes sharp.
Without question, the Land of Rain had annexed several neighboring countries and begun fighting the great nations. But so far, it had not launched an all-out war.
Most of the fighting had been localized, with every side deliberately keeping the conflict contained within certain areas.
Objectively speaking, no one wanted war.
Seconds ticked by as Xia Le fell silent, his right index finger tapping lightly against the tabletop.
After a while, his finger stopped, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"The Land of