"You ungrateful brat!" The Third Raikage was so angry his beard and hair seemed to stand on end, his face turning crimson. Lightning Release Chakra materialized into substantial armor on his body. "Today, your father will show you what true Lightning Release Chakra Mode is!"
A's body also flickered with lightning, "My Lightning Release Chakra Mode is not without its merits either!"
Just as the father and son were about to come to blows, Dodai quickly led the other Jonin forward to intervene.
After the farce subsided, the Third Raikage said reluctantly, "Fine, I'll continue being the Raikage."
The Third Raikage calmed down, sat back in his chair, took the tea offered by Dodai, took a sip, and continued, "That bastard Onoki isn't wrong. A 14-year-old God of Ninja... even Senju Hashirama at that age wasn't as strong as him. If we don't curb him now, by the time he reaches Hashirama's peak level, I'm afraid he truly will be invincible in the world."
A young Jonin couldn't help but exclaim, "You mean he hasn't even reached Senju Hashirama's full power yet?"
The Third Raikage's expression suddenly became extremely serious, "You didn't live through that era, so of course you don't understand Senju Hashirama's terror. If he willed it, he could make Sunagakure vanish from the map in twenty seconds, let alone twenty minutes. If he hadn't insisted on his philosophy of peaceful coexistence back then, the world would only hear Konoha's voice by now."
Dodai added appropriately, "Judging from how Chiaki Setsuna destroyed Sunagakure but deliberately left them a sliver of hope, his personality seems more like a combination of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. While he isn't as extreme as Uchiha Madara, he doesn't shy away from using violent means either. Once he truly grows to Hashirama's level, I'm afraid he won't be as willing as the First Hokage to sit down for equal dialogue."
"You see things clearly. Use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send a reply to Iwagakure. Tell them we agree to the alliance." The Third Raikage made the decision, then added, "Also, prioritize the Chakra Cannon research to the highest level."
Dodai was very energized, "Raikage-sama, you've finally made up your mind?"
The Third Raikage punched the wall, creating a hole. "We must possess a deterrent of similar magnitude! If Konoha dares to send Chiaki Setsuna to destroy Kumogakure, we will use the Chakra Cannon to sink Konoha! We'll perish together if we must! Let's see who is more ruthless!"
Many Jonin looked at each other, 'Chakra Cannon? What was that?'
Although they didn't know the details, it wasn't hard to infer from the Raikage and Dodai's conversation that it was a terrifying weapon, perhaps capable of deterring Konoha's ambitions.
Everyone felt encouraged, their confidence growing.
The Third Raikage continued, "Send the letters signed by me and Onoki simultaneously to Kirigakure using the Heavenly Transfer Technique."
Three hours later, in the meeting hall of Kirigakure.
The Third Mizukage sat upright in the main seat, lightly tapping the table with his fingers. He handed two documents stamped with Kage's seals to the Anbu beside him. "Copy the contents of these two letters and distribute them to all Jonin."
When the documents were distributed, the sound of sharp intakes of breath immediately filled the conference room.
"Is this real? Sunagakure destroyed? God of Ninja? Is this still the era of Ninja Villages?"
"If it weren't for the personal letters from the Tsuchikage and Raikage, I simply couldn't believe it."
Ignoring their reactions, the Third Mizukage said calmly, "Our Land of Water is an island nation, lacking in resources. Furthermore, we are still suffering from the aftermath of the Second Great Ninja War, forcing us to implement the Bloody Mist policy to pursue an Elite Ninja Path, maintaining our competitiveness in missions among the Five Great Nations. Now, with another great war imminent, it's a perfect opportunity for us to plunder resources."
Suikazan Fuguki spoke with some fear, "But isn't the start of this war a bit too intense? Before the war even officially began, Sunagakure was destroyed. While Kirigakure is indeed remote, that's an advantage in war. If we don't actively participate, the war on the central continent might not reach us."
The Third Mizukage said coldly, "The greater the storm, the more valuable the fish. You were all born by the sea, do I need to explain this principle to you? Every Great Ninja War reshapes the Ninja World's landscape. If we don't participate beforehand, we certainly won't get a share of the spoils afterward."
Kuriarare Kushimaru, with his long, pine-needle-like hair, asked respectfully, "Then, which camp do you intend for us to join?"
The Third Mizukage answered without hesitation, "Of course, we plunder whoever has the most money."
The answer was self-evident. Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Fire was undoubtedly the wealthiest.
Munashi Jinpachi hesitated, "Isn't Konoha too strong? Should we attack the Land of Earth instead? The Second Mizukage and the Second Tsuchikage perished together. We could even use avenging the Second Mizukage as our banner for entering the war."
The Third Mizukage's gaze was icy. "Did you forget that Kurosuki Raiga was also killed by Chiaki Setsuna? Why don't you mention that? Or are you afraid of his God of Ninja title?"
Akebino Jinin, another member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, smiled wryly. "No matter what, he is a terrifying figure who single-handedly destroyed a Ninja Village. The records left by the First Mizukage also mention the terror of the God of Ninja. Even allied with Iwagakure and Kumogakure, can we really defeat such a fearsome enemy?"
"Silence!" The Third Mizukage suddenly erupted in anger, a strange red light flashing in his pupils, "You have no idea how powerful Hashirama… Cough, Senju Hashirama truly is! How dare that brat call himself the God of Ninja? He's a hundred years too early!"
All the Jonin looked in surprise at the suddenly enraged Third Mizukage, feeling astonished, 'Was Mizukage-sama actually an admirer of the First Hokage?'
While it sounded hard to understand for one Kage to admire another village's Kage, if the object of admiration was the First Hokage, it wasn't completely unacceptable.
What they found truly strange was that the Bloody Mist policy implemented by the Third Mizukage was completely at odds with the First Hokage's style.
Although he realized he had lost his composure, the Third Mizukage had no intention of explaining himself. He simply said calmly, "Go. Relay my orders."
Under the high-pressure policy of the Bloody Mist, the Third Mizukage's word was law in Kirigakure. Although many Jonin felt the decision was too rash, they didn't dare disobey and could only accept with bitter expressions.
After all the Jonin had left, the Third Mizukage stood alone by the window. The setting sun's afterglow fell on his pale face, and the red light in his eyes became more pronounced.
He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a strange excitement: "War inevitably brings destruction... Uchiha... let me see what kind of flower you can bloom in despair-"