"As for Tsunade? She's indeed very strong. But from cross-checking our intelligence just now, it's already certain she's not someone with much strategic skill. Everything she's achieved up to today, every single event, was entirely due to Shin's planning and effort behind the scenes."
"Yet before he defeated the Raikage's guards, had we ever even heard of the name 'Shin'? Or cared about this man at all?"
"If not for the Kazekage's student being so perceptive, piecing together intelligence from multiple sources and making a reasonable deduction, we might still not consider Shin as anything significant."
"Do you think that if he truly cared about fame or coveted the position of Hokage, he would stay so low-key?"
Once Hanzō finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
But they all found it strange.
Could there really be someone in this world who sought no fame, no profit, no power?
It could only be said, mad scientists at heart were simply a different species from normal people. Naturally, ordinary folk couldn't comprehend their way of thinking.
"If a man carries a deadly weapon, the desire to kill naturally arises. Not everyone is like Hashirama, willing to push for peace through genuine action," the Third Raikage's deep, resonant voice rang out.
"And now, Konoha stands alone as the dominant power. There's no guarantee they won't have other ambitions. When that time comes, none of our ninja villages can face them alone."
"So, do we have a countermeasure?"
Hearing his words, everyone once again fell silent, beginning to think seriously.
They had already discussed earlier the idea of forming a united front to declare war on Konoha, using military action to check their growth.
But the Third Kazekage and Hanzō had both clearly stated they would not get involved.
Although Ame had reaped quite a few benefits from the recent attack on the Land of Iron, it still wasn't enough to make up for the losses they suffered in this war.
Against Konoha, the casualty ratio had been a staggering 10 to 1.
Just thinking about going to war with them again, and facing Shin, a man who could single-handedly intimidate an entire village, made Hanzō's back go cold.
That man was simply too terrifying.
The Third Kazekage had completely lost even the courage to challenge Konoha.
In this war, Suna's elite forces had been wiped out, making them unworthy of being called one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. On top of that, internal conflicts were erupting frequently, leaving him at his wits' end.
What's more, a kind of "Konoha phobia" had taken root inside Suna, if he even dared to bring up the idea of war, his position as Kazekage would be over.
Without two allies to join in, or rather, without two other targets to draw Konoha's attention, the remaining three villages naturally didn't want to be the first to stick their necks out.
They had also heard that at Tsunade's inauguration ceremony, Ashina from Uzushio had attended, publicly declaring that Uzushio and Konoha had reconciled and restored their steadfast alliance of old.
So Konoha was not without allies.
Especially considering the new battle tactics Konoha had demonstrated in the Second Great Ninja War, just the thought of it made their scalps tingle.
Thus, the idea of weakening Konoha through war... well, they lacked the courage. To kill a thousand enemies while suffering unknown losses themselves? They might be the ones who collapsed first, before Konoha even took serious damage.
Ōnoki frowned and said, "I do have some ideas."
"Konoha is strong today for two main reasons: first, the existence of Shin, a sensory ninja who has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique. In war, he can predict enemy moves in advance, making him almost unbeatable."
"Second, the existence of Orochimaru, whose presence has rapidly advanced their technology, greatly increasing their advantage in warfare."
"As long as those two are gone, Konoha will no longer be so fearsome."
"Do you think we don't already know this?" the Third Mizukage said. "But do you think those two are so easy to get rid of?"
"And if a plot were to fail and we ended up angering Konoha, who would bear the consequences?"
Ōnoki sighed and said, "We have to at least try. Right now, we can't do anything about Konoha. If we let them develop for a few more years, the gap between us will only grow wider."
"Do none of you feel the least bit uneasy watching the situation move in that direction?"
The Third Raikage thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's worth a try."
"Even you're getting swept along with this?" The Third Mizukage frowned.
"I'm not following the crowd, I genuinely think this could work," the Third Raikage explained. "After all, Konoha has just finished a major war."
"Although their losses weren't great and they preserved their elite forces, they're definitely not ready to fight another large-scale war in the short term. All of us here are Kage, you should easily understand that."
"As long as they don't know who sent the assassin, even if we fail, the outcome won't be too disastrous."
"So if we fail, it will only make them angry, it won't trigger a war."
"But if we succeed, then just as Ōnoki said, Konoha will no longer be so fearsome, and they won't have the courage to go to war with us."
"I think so too," the Third Kazekage agreed.
Hanzō added.
Although he didn't believe assassinating Shin would succeed, he still felt unwilling to let the chance pass without trying. After all, he currently harbored ambitions of pushing Suna out of the Five Great Ninja Villages and taking their place. He wasn't about to tolerate having a "retired" label looming over him.
"However, considering that this plan does indeed have a chance of failing," Ōnoki continued, "we must also come up with measures in other areas."
"Go ahead."
"My thinking is this: First, our alliance must remain solid. With a powerful enemy before us, we must not waste our strength on internal squabbles."
Seeing everyone nod in agreement, he went on: "Second, we must all seriously think about how to break Konoha's new battle tactics."
"Once Konoha loses the advantage of their new tactics, that's already a form of weakening them."
"Third, we must begin concentrating our strength on large-scale research and development, to see if technological means can improve our own strength."
"In this war, we've all seen the power of technology. We can't keep clinging to old ways, it's time to change our thinking."
The other Kage nodded at his words and began discussing Ōnoki's three points.
And this time, unlike in past meetings where conflicts always erupted, the Kage were surprisingly harmonious.
Under tremendous external pressure, or in the face of a common enemy or challenge, it became easier to spark group unity, making people more aware of their shared identity and strengthening collective cohesion.
These factors also helped bind personal interests closely to collective interests, greatly reducing internal strife and conflict.
What Shin didn't know was that, thanks to him and Orochimaru, the shinobi world was on the verge of its first industrial revolution. The long-misshapen "technology tree" was showing signs of being set straight.
The development of technology was also giving the great ninja villages the concept of an arms race.
But even if Shin knew this, he wouldn't care.
They were already years ahead. If not for wanting to lull potential enemies into complacency, this last war would have been even more spectacular.
With him and Orochimaru in the picture, what could the scientists of other villages possibly do to catch up?
In fact, he had long since made plans to "poach" talent: the moment anyone in the shinobi world showed outstanding research ability, both they and their work would end up bearing the Uchiha name.