"Let's make this clear from the beginning. No matter how much it costs, Sunagakure must obtain the environmental modification machine." Rasa looked at those present and said slowly: "Anyone who opposes will be considered an enemy of our village."
"Hehe, Suna boy, you seem to take yourself very seriously." Onoki sneered. "So what if I become your enemy?"
"Kirigakure suggests destroying the environmental alteration device. This kind of unknown power should not exist in our world." Mei added.
"Do you want to face me?" Rasa narrowed his eyes, emanating a murderous aura.
"Hehe." Onoki and Mei snorted in disdain, challenging him with their gazes.
On the other hand, Yugito didn't say anything. She is the only Kage who does not know the truth about how Rasa and Mei acquired their titles, so she still feels intimidated by them.
The atmosphere in the room was charged with tension.
The Kages never showed weakness. Rasa exuded a murderous aura, Mei narrowed her eyes and looked at them coldly, while Onoki stood proudly...
The Raikage, on the other hand, was the most afraid.
'Kumogakure's strength is really pitiful.' Behind Yugito, Darui and Mabui exchanging glances full of bitterness.
Although Yugito was not lacking in ability, Natsuo had probably let her out to fill the scene, after the meeting, she would most likely have to return to Natsuo's hands...
The Kages argued for a while longer.
Then, finally, Konoha's representatives arrived.
"Sorry, I'm late." Tsunade said with a slight apology. "Well, since we're all here, let's start the Five Kage Summit!"
"Oh, I almost forgot, my Kage Guard is still outside." As she spoke, she suddenly clapped her hands.
Several figures walked in from the door and stood silently behind Tsunade.
Everyone's expressions changed instantly, and their pupils shrank.
Because...
Behind Tsunade were...
Nagato, Konan, Yahiko and Itachi.
They were all members of Akatsuki! And not only that, they were wearing Akatsuki's unique uniforms.
After a long silence, it was Onoki who finally broke that sepulchral atmosphere.
"Tsunade, what does this mean?" Onoki's tone turned cold. "Has Konoha joined Akatsuki?"
"It's not Akatsuki, it's New Akatsuki." Tsunade emphasized, and then smiled. "Speaking of which, I haven't told you the purpose of this Five Kage Summit."
Rasa spoke bitterly. "Wasn't it about the environmental alteration device?"
"Of course not." Tsunade shook his head.
"It's about peace!" She smiled through half-lidded eyes, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze.
However, everyone in the room felt a chill, as if they were naked in the middle of a frozen and snowy landscape.
"Peace? How does Konoha plan to achieve peace?" Onoki frowned, her face darkening. "Is killing us how they want to achieve peace?"
The other Kages also had gloomy expressions. Although they knew that Konoha did not come with good intentions, Konoha's direct approach to the topic made them feel cold inside.
"Doesn't your peace involve waiting for us to be eliminated, then destroying our villages, and finally allowing Konoha to rule the shinobi world in peace?" Onoki continued in a serious voice, his personal guard also adopting an alert posture.
"What we seek is true peace." Tsunade shook his head slightly. "Why do you think the shinobi world has not been able to achieve peace until now?"
Without waiting for everyone to answer, she said directly: "Because of interests!"
"Let's not talk about that, let's just talk about the shinobi... the shinobi wars that break out every decade or so, why are the intervals so similar?"
"Because in those ten years, each village can train a new generation of shinobi, significantly increasing their numbers, but the missions available to them are limited and cannot meet the demand."
"If the villages do not expand, then each shinobi in the village will not be able to earn a proper living."
"That's why every once in a while, we unleash a big war."
"Even if we can't get something for our villages, we can at least reduce the number of shinobi and thus ensure that the remaining ones receive enough missions..."
Tsunade's words were crude, but the four Kages showed no change in their expressions.
As leaders of the most powerful shinobi villages in the world, they were already well aware of this.
Of course, the situation Tsunade mentioned about 'shinobi can't earn a living' was an exaggeration.
Although there is a great economic disparity among shinobi, being a shinobi is a well-paying profession. Economic scarcity is only found among ordinary civilians, not shinobi, who at most can stop training to reduce consumption of food, medicine, and tools. But that would mean stopping getting stronger or even weakening, which is unacceptable for most shinobi...
Therefore the cause of the shinobi wars is not exaggerated at all.
"Tsunade, we all know these things, so how do you want to achieve peace?" Onoki sneered. "Limiting the number of admissions to big village shinobi schools?"
That's impossible!
If someone waited patiently for over a decade and then suddenly exploded, it could swallow up the truly restricted shinobi villages.
After so many years of fighting, who would trust the enemy?
"Of course not." Tsunade shook his head. "Our peace plan in the New Akatsuki Organization is to seek external benefits."
"When I say external, I don't mean the shinobi villages outside the Five Great Shinobi Villages, but a whole new continent!"
"We want the great shinobi villages to unite, stopping hostilities, collaborating together and heading to colonize the new continent in unity."
Then, she explained the New Akatsuki's plan.
Because the territories of the countries cannot be changed without the approval of the different Daimyos and each village cannot expand at will. Each village will move population and military forces to conquer the new continent, with a common enemy internal conflicts will be reduced, as will the village's dependence on the whims of the Daimyos to continue functioning.
The Kages were not totally ignorant about the existence of another continent. Although there are few people who came to the shinobi continent from the other continent, they are not non-existent, and although they did not know many details, they had a rough understanding of the other continent.
That's why they shook their heads one after another. "Tsunade, your plan is absurd, how could scarce resources..."
"We have developed ships that can reach the new continent without problems." Tsunade distributed the information obtained without hesitation.
The information mentioned that the western continent was larger than the shinobi continent, and that the part that has been in contact with them is a remote part and isolated from the rest of the continent by a large mountain range.
The way to gain strength on that continent was also mentioned. One way is to become a Warlock, but this requires a rare gift that is almost considered a myth. Another way is to follow the Knights' Path, which is open to anyone who is willing to work hard....
"If you don't believe me, we can invite you to witness the return of our first exploration ship!" Tsunade said confidently. "Before attempting to stabilize the shinobi world, we have sent shinobi to infiltrate and capture some merchants to confirm this information."
Was she being serious? The people were stunned, but faced with so much evidence, they could not refute it.
'No wonder they took this initiative suddenly. They are already sufficiently prepared!' They thought in silence.
Then everyone fell silent.
"Hey, Tsunade." Onoki suddenly raised his head. "Your peace plan doesn't seem to require other villages to bow their heads, right?"
"Anyway, we have no intention of attacking Konoha. Why are we being forced to join this plan?" Onoki frowned. "And what about banning wars and working together to colonize the new continent?"
"Couldn't you do it yourselves?"
Although the plan for peace sounded good, wasn't it essentially a way to unify the shinobi world?
"No, the cost and military forces required are too high even for Konoha." Tsunade shook his head. "So far, we have only established an outpost in the isolated part of the western continent. We need to connect that part with the rest of the continent, to really gain benefits, and it would take a massive investment to achieve this."
Colonization requires a considerable investment not only in money, but also in population and armed forces.
In fact, the current plan is only viable thanks to the generous financial backing of the Uchiha clan. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten this far.
The exploitation of minerals, the construction of settlements, the transportation of supplies, as well as the project to create a passage that crosses the mountain range that isolates that part of the new continent... That is an astronomical expense even for the Uchiha clan.
Even with Konoha uniting they couldn't sustain it.
"Then how about we are willing to provide some support in exchange for a share of the colonization benefits?" Rasa proposed a new approach. "We only need a small part, and we are willing to offer sufficient resources."
"No, friction cannot be allowed to continue to exist in the shinobi world." Tsunade shook his head without hesitation. "If we cannot completely unify the resources of the shinobi world, the Colonization Plan will remain unattainable."
"Furthermore, what we seek is peace, not only the peace of Konoha, but the peace of the shinobi world..."
"On this point, we cannot compromise!"
What the New Akatsuki wants is total peace in the world!
A world without hunger, without wars, a world of peace in which everyone works together...
The Five Kages fell silent once again, their expressions grim.
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