At that moment, Minato seemed to grasp the outline of what Rasa was hinting at, though the exact intent still eluded him. Rather than waste time puzzling it out, he chose to be direct.
"Kazekage, please speak plainly."
Everyone in the room turned their attention to them, the air tightening with curiosity. Rasa didn't hesitate and got straight to the point.
"Before I continue, I'd like to ask all of you a question. What do you believe is the role of Genin on the battlefield?"
His question caused the room to fall into an awkward silence. The Kage exchanged looks, uncertain of what Rasa was getting at, and no one offered a response.
Seeing this, Rasa continued without waiting.
"Since no one wants to answer, I'll be blunt. In my view, Genin are practically useless in battle, except for dying."
His words sent a ripple of shock through the room, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.
"Let me put it another way. The shinobi era is very different from the days of the samurai. In the time of the samurai, no matter how powerful a warrior was, he couldn't take on a hundred alone. But for shinobi, the rules are different. Against a Jōnin, a Genin might as well be a statistic. So then, why are we sending Genin to die?"
Ōnoki frowned, his voice firm as he responded.
"That may be true, but wars aren't determined solely by a few Jōnin. And Jōnin are incredibly rare and valuable."
"Indeed."
The Mizukage agreed, his tone thoughtful.
"In any shinobi army, Jōnin and even Chūnin function at the level of squad leaders at minimum. Using them for trivial duties isn't practical."
Growing impatient, the Third Raikage barked out sharply.
"Enough with the riddles, Kazekage! Say what you really mean."
"Very well."
Rasa gave a slight nod and swept his gaze across the table.
"My idea is simple. The most straightforward way to balance the military strength between the five great nations is for all of us to come to an agreement that limits the number of active shinobi in our villages. It's the most effective solution."
"Limit the number of shinobi?!"
Everyone reacted at once, their shock visible. None of them had anticipated that the Kazekage would suggest such a radical idea.
"Kazekage, are you serious? That's impossible! Who could ever enforce such a thing?"
The Third Raikage shouted, his voice echoing through the chamber.
"Please calm down, Raikage. Let's at least hear the Kazekage out."
Minato interjected gently, causing the Raikage to sit back with a reluctant huff.
Rasa resumed, his tone steady.
"There's no need to treat this suggestion as a threat. First of all, limiting the number of shinobi won't truly weaken a village's actual strength. Let's be honest, none of you can deny this fact, only Jōnin really represent a village's true military power. Even at your village's strongest, the number of Jōnin never exceeded a thousand. Am I wrong?"
The other Kage fell into quiet contemplation. No one could deny the truth in his words.
In fact, Rasa was being generous with that figure. Realistically, only Konohagakure at its absolute peak had ever come close to half that number. The requirements to become a Jōnin demanded a level of talent so rare it was said to appear once in a million.
Take Sunagakure, for example, even after years of sustained rebuilding and training, their number of Jōnin had only just surpassed one hundred.
"As for Chūnin, the total likely doesn't exceed five thousand. So, fellow Kage, limiting the number of shinobi won't diminish the true strength of your villages. What it will do is spare the lives of Genin, those newly promoted children who shouldn't be thrown into war in the first place."
At this point, a sharp glint appeared in Ōnoki's eyes. He was the first to respond, his tone contemplative.
"So then, Kazekage, what number do you believe would be appropriate?"
"Judging from the current war, I believe we've all gained a sense of each other's military strength. Even Kumogakure, which has aggressively expanded its forces in recent years, maintains shinobi numbers roughly within this range. Am I wrong, Raikage-dono?"
The Raikage let out a cold snort and remained silent, but the silence only confirmed the truth in Rasa's estimate. In reality, including Konohagakure and Iwagakure, the three largest villages all hovered around that number.
"Of course, that figure was before the war. Now, I'm sure most of us have sustained losses. So, my proposal is to use that number as a maximum limit for the total shinobi forces in each village. It won't hinder future growth, but it will help slow down or prevent an arms race."
The four other Kage paused to consider his words. Truthfully, it wasn't a small number. For smaller villages like Kirigakure and Sunagakure, it might even exceed their current capacities.
"Then how do we decide the ratio of Jōnin to Chūnin to Genin?"
Minato asked, his tone practical.
"We don't," Rasa replied simply. "It's impossible to stop shinobi from advancing in rank, isn't it?"
He looked around at them all.
"The essence of this idea isn't about suppressing development. It's about protecting Genin and encouraging each of our villages to prioritize nurturing our younger generations."
Everyone slowly nodded, clearly agreeing with the direction of his proposal. But just then, the Third Raikage broke the silence, his voice suspicious.
"Then how do we ensure that everyone actually honors the agreement? Shinobi data is top-secret in every village."
"That's the most critical issue."
Rasa acknowledged calmly. Then, after a brief pause, he turned to them again.
"First of all, I'm sure none of your spies planted in other villages are just there to enjoy the scenery."
At once, the expressions of everyone present stiffened. No one needed to say anything, the truth was obvious.
"Second, I have another suggestion. I believe the time has come for us shinobi to unite."
"Unite?"
That sudden declaration threw the room into another wave of surprise.
"Yes. Right now, it's just us, the five great villages, in this room. So let me speak plainly. Ask yourselves: why do wars keep breaking out between the five of us? After all the destruction, what do we really gain, whether we win or lose? Who are we even fighting for? For our own villages? Or for the daimyō behind them?"
The chamber fell into utter silence. Everyone's brows furrowed. These weren't easy questions, and none of them were naïve. Rasa's bluntness left no room for misunderstanding.
"As the Raikage said earlier, if we don't address the root of this issue, even if we manage to cap our military growth and stop the arms race, peace will be nothing but a temporary illusion. Because even if we don't want to fight, the daimyō might still force us to draw our blades."
As he spoke, Rasa's eyes turned sharp and unwavering as they swept across the others.
"So I'll ask this: deep down, what matters more to each of you, the lives of the shinobi in your village, or completing missions? What does it truly mean to be a shinobi?"
Silence fell again, even heavier than before. Rasa's words were nearly heretical. None of them had an answer. Especially not now, when the five daimyō were resting less than five kilometers away.
Then, as if struck by realization, Minato's eyes shifted. After a brief moment of thought, he steadied himself and asked,
"Then, Kazekage, do you have a concrete proposal?"
"Of course I do~!"
Rasa replied without hesitation.
"In fact, what we're doing right now, this summit, is already the perfect starting point. Let the five great shinobi villages take the lead and unite the smaller nations across the shinobi world. Together, we can form a Shinobi Allied Council. A neutral body where we supervise one another, communicate openly, and resolve disputes before they ignite into war."