"Tsunade," a stern voice interrupted, as the doors to the Hokage's office swung open. In walked Konoha's two senior advisors, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, their expressions serious.
"What is it?" Tsunade's face darkened immediately at the sight of them. The two advisors were often a source of tension.
"The envoy from Amegakure has left."
"He just left," Tsunade replied curtly.
"Why did you let him leave? Amegakure is challenging the entire ninja world, and the Fire Daimyo has already sent word. He wants Konoha to take immediate action against them. This time, it's not just Konoha—all the other major villages are planning to move as well," Koharu stated, as she relayed the Fire Daimyo's orders.
The actions of the Nation of Akatsuki were seen as a direct threat to the political and military foundation of the entire ninja world. If it were just a dispute between villages, the daimyo might have watched from the sidelines, happy to see the villages weaken each other. After all, when the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara were alive, the Five Great Nations hadn't even wanted ninja villages to exist. But due to the overwhelming strength of the two, the nations had no choice but to allow them to be formed. Once Konoha was established, the other four great nations had to follow suit or risk falling behind.
The creation of the five major villages had ended the Warring States Period, and with it, the age of the samurai. The Land of Iron remained as the last bastion of the samurai's glory.
The daimyo of the Five Great Nations were far from fools. Anyone who managed to rise to the level of ruling a country had survived countless internal power struggles, which were sometimes more deadly than battles between ninjas. The downfall of the Chinoike Clan, for instance, was due to infighting among the wives of the Raikage's court. The same could be said about the monarchs of the Warring States period. While they seemed to live luxurious, carefree lives, each one had fought bitterly to reach their positions.
In some ways, intelligent strategists and warriors could lose out to such political manipulators. Just as Han Fei had been outmaneuvered by Han Yu, and Changping Jun had lost the throne of Chu to the current king, despite being one of the most formidable figures in Qin's Moon.
Upon learning about the rise of the Nation of Akatsuki, the Five Great Daimyo convened an urgent video conference. Yes, even the ninja world had video conferencing technology, though it was reserved for the daimyo and the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
In the meeting, the daimyo quickly reached a consensus. They would pressure their respective villages to work together to eliminate the Nation of Akatsuki. Ironically, Daniel had achieved something remarkable—he had succeeded in uniting the Five Great Shinobi Villages against a common enemy for the first time.
"You should release Danzo. His forces in Root will be useful at a time like this," Koharu continued, suggesting Tsunade free Danzo from his confinement.
After Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, she had placed Danzo under house arrest and disbanded Root. The reasoning was simple—Daniel had successfully pinned the blame for many of Hiruzen's misdeeds on Danzo, claiming that the Third Hokage had been deceived by his old friend. This not only curtailed Danzo's power but also provided the village's clans with a scapegoat.
"I understand," Tsunade said, her irritation evident. She disliked the idea but knew that now wasn't the time to keep Danzo locked away.
"Shikaku, start preparing. This is going to be a huge problem," Tsunade ordered, glancing at her strategist. She had read through Daniel's pamphlets and, to her dismay, found much of it reasonable. However, as Hokage, she couldn't act based solely on her personal views. Besides, Konoha was the legacy of the First Hokage, and Tsunade would never let it fall under her watch.
"I understand, Lady Tsunade," Shikaku Nara replied calmly.
Boom!
In the Raikage's office, a loud crash echoed as the Fourth Raikage, A, smashed his fist through a large glass window. His rage-filled roar followed soon after.
"Your village must be looking for death, Amegakure!" Unlike Tsunade, who had let the envoy leave, Raikage A almost killed the messenger from the Nation of Akatsuki on the spot. Fortunately, his rational side took over at the last second, and he diverted his fist, sending it crashing into the office window instead.
The Raikage's office, perched on the highest cliff in Kumogakure, featured a massive window that overlooked the entire village. However, due to Raikage A's temper, the glass often needed replacing, much like Tsunade's ever-changing desks in Konoha.
"Get out of here! I want to see how long your village survives," Raikage A growled. Though he was enraged, he refrained from attacking the envoy.
"Lord Raikage, a message has arrived from the daimyo," Mabui, his assistant, announced as she quickly entered the room after the envoy had left.
"I see," Raikage A muttered, his anger simmering beneath the surface.
Of the five envoys sent to the major villages, only the one to Kumogakure had encountered a dangerous situation. The others had been received without incident. The Tsuchikage and Mizukage had accepted their invitations, though they hadn't given a clear response on whether they would attend the celebration in the Nation of Akatsuki.
The only delay came from Sunagakure. The village was in turmoil, as the Fourth Kazekage had been killed, and the council of elders had yet to select a new Kazekage. The elders, notorious for their internal bickering, had been dragging out the process. In the end, it was Gaara who stepped up, taking on the role of acting Kazekage. Though the elders resisted, they realized that without a leader, Sunagakure would become a laughingstock at the upcoming Five Kage Summit.
Had it not been for the summit, the selection of a Kazekage might have been delayed indefinitely.
"I didn't expect to see you all again under these circumstances," the Tsuchikage, Onoki, remarked as the Five Kage gathered for their video conference. Onoki's gaze fell upon Gaara and the newly appointed Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi.
"Why didn't Kirigakure inform us about the new Mizukage? Are we not worth your time?" Raikage A demanded, glaring at Mei.
"You misunderstand, Raikage. Kirigakure has been busy with internal affairs and simply hasn't had the opportunity to make formal announcements," Mei replied with a seductive smile, unfazed by A's outburst.
"I had thought that Akatsuki's base was in Kirigakure. Now I hear it's in Amegakure. Are you sure you're not involved with this so-called Nation of Akatsuki?" Raikage A continued, his suspicion evident.
With Akatsuki's exposure, their operations were now out in the open. Daniel had made sure of that, revealing the organization's existence to the world. Upon learning that the Nation of Akatsuki had been formed by S-rank rogue ninjas, most of the ninja world immediately assumed the worst.
"Raikage, you're jumping to conclusions," Mei replied smoothly.
"You're accusing Kirigakure of being in league with Akatsuki, but what about you? There are rogue ninjas from your village in Akatsuki too," Mei retorted, her voice calm yet firm.
"Enough!" Onoki's voice cut through the argument, his expression unchanged. "We're not here to squabble. Let's focus on the issue at hand."
Raikage A grumbled but fell silent.
"Let's stop wasting time with pointless accusations," Onoki continued. "We all know why we're here. Let's talk about how we're going to handle the Nation of Akatsuki."
"What's there to discuss? We go in and wipe them out. Or are you suggesting that some of you are hesitant to act because of ties to Akatsuki?" Raikage A challenged, his eyes darting from Mei to Onoki.
"Young people always act too impulsively," Onoki replied calmly. "The Rinnegan is no ordinary power."
"So, you're saying we should probe them first?" Tsunade interjected.
"Exactly. The Nation of Akatsuki needs to be destroyed, but we should do it carefully. Rushing in without a plan could be disastrous," Onoki nodded.
"But we don't have much time. I'm sure you've all received orders from your respective daimyo. The leader of the Nation of Akatsuki is no fool—he knows how to stir things up. He's already disrupted the stability of our villages," Mei added, her tone serious.
The room fell into a heavy silence. As Kage, they all understood the consequences of war. They also knew they couldn't simply ignore the orders of their daimyo.
This time, the daimyo had even promised increased funding for the villages' military operations—a rare concession that underscored the gravity of the situation.
"Do you really think Akatsuki has the strength to stand against all five villages?" Raikage A scoffed. "According to my plan, we
send a group of elite ninjas from each village. That should be enough to crush them."
Just then, a figure appeared behind each of the Five Kage, whispering something into their ears. Moments later, all five nodded in agreement. The video conference now included a sixth participant.
"Greetings, everyone," said the new participant, a white-haired man clad in armor. It was none other than Mifune, the leader of the samurai of the Land of Iron.
"It's Mifune. Are you joining us for this operation?" Onoki greeted him with a cordial smile.
"The Land of Iron usually stays out of ninja affairs, but this time is different. We have been hired by the Five Daimyo to participate in this mission," Mifune explained.
The Five Kage exchanged glances. The Land of Iron had strong ties to the Five Great Nations, and their involvement added a new layer of complexity to the situation.
"How do you plan to proceed?" Mifune asked.
The Five Kage remained silent for a moment. The Land of Iron wasn't as powerful as it had been during the era of the First Hokage, but in the current age, it was still a force to be reckoned with. Their participation in this operation could tip the scales.
"We're still discussing our approach. Since you're here, why don't you join us in our deliberations?" Tsunade offered.
---
In the southern base of Orochimaru, the snake Sannin was watching the chaos caused by the Nation of Akatsuki with keen interest. He had quickly deduced that Daniel was behind the radical changes in Akatsuki's philosophy.
"This is your doing, isn't it? I should have known the moment I heard about these new ideologies. No one from this era could come up with such advanced concepts," Orochimaru mused, shaking his head in amusement.
"Indeed, it's my work. What do you think? It suits the future of the ninja world, doesn't it?" Daniel responded with a grin.
"It's certainly impressive, but don't you think it's a bit too radical? The Five Great Nations won't let the Nation of Akatsuki exist. They'll crush it as soon as they can. I'm sure the Five Kage are already planning their attack," Orochimaru said, his tone laced with intrigue.
"Do you really think I haven't considered the Five Kage?" Daniel asked, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"What are you planning? Are you going to use those 'nuclear weapons' you mentioned? If so, it would be a quick way to deal with the Five Great Nations," Orochimaru suggested, his curiosity piqued.
"That's not something to be used so carelessly," Daniel replied. He wasn't surprised that Orochimaru knew about nuclear weapons. The knowledge Daniel had given him included references to such technologies.
"Why not? It would solve your problem instantly," Orochimaru said, his voice dripping with temptation.
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