Even the Five Great Shinobi Villages could hardly bear losses like these. They temporarily halted further military operations and instead adopted a watchful stance, remaining on high alert.
The absence of Hanzō the "Demigod" only pushed their unease to its peak. Amegakure was now entirely under the Akatsuki's control, so why had Hanzō, who had once struck fear throughout the Shinobi World, still not appeared? Could he really have already... If even Hanzō could not withstand them, just how powerful was Pain, the Akatsuki's leader who possessed the "Sage Eye"?
The leaders of each village urgently convened secret meetings. The atmosphere was grim.
"The Sage Eye... If a second pair of Rinnegan really exists, it will completely shatter the balance of the Shinobi World!" The Raikage's roar shook Kumogakure's meeting room.
The Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, furrowed his brow. "We cannot allow power like this to develop unchecked. Once war reaches Amegakure, the entire Shinobi World will feel its effects."
The Mizukage, Mei Terumi, looked worriedly toward Konoha on the map. "Konoha's Jiraiya went to Amegakure. What did he see? If this power is Madara Uchiha's legacy, will Konoha become the next target?"
Kazekage Rasa's voice carried a hint of coldness. "Rather than sit and wait for death, we should strike first. But before that, we must determine who the real threat is. Is it Pain, who calls himself a 'god,' or the mysterious figure hiding in the shadows with the 'second pair of Sage Eyes'?"
In the end, the meetings produced a startling conclusion: once the threat of the "Sage Eye" was confirmed, the balance of power in the Shinobi World would change completely. They began seriously considering two extreme yet increasingly urgent strategies:
Either the Five Great Shinobi Villages would join forces to pressure Konoha in advance, even making it