----
Before speaking, Kurama fell into deep thought.
Hadn't he once said that if he ever fought for control of the body again, he would be a dog?
Shaking off the strange thought, he blamed it on borrowing this brat's body clearly, Naruto's chaotic thinking was starting to rub off on him.
Kurama exhaled and finally spoke.
"As the Fourth Hokage said, we Tailed Beasts were created by the Sage of Six Paths. However, we were not created out of thin air we originate from the Ten-Tails. That thing possesses the power to destroy the world."
Onoki, the old schemer, narrowed his eyes. "Why are you telling us this? Just because you have a good relationship with your Jinchuriki? Don't you hold any resentment toward humans, who have used you for so long?"
Kurama snorted. "Even now, there are only a handful of humans I acknowledge." He jabbed a claw in Minato's direction.
"If it weren't for this guy choosing to trust you, I wouldn't waste my breath talking to you at all. Besides, if the Ten-Tails is resurrected, we Tailed Beasts will all die. Before that happens, there's still a chance to save the ones who've already been captured. At least on that front, I'm on the same side as you."
The Tsuchikage and Raikage frowned, deep in thought. Kurama's reasoning seemed sound, but could they really base their decisions solely on the word of a Tailed Beast?
Seeing their hesitation, Minato turned to the others. "Mizukage, Kazekage you are both Jinchuriki as well. Do you believe this?"
Yagura placed a hand over his sealed stomach. "I choose to believe it. Isobu told me it's true, and he's never lied to me before."
Inside the seal, Isobu swayed his tails lazily, clearly in a good mood.
Gaara added, "Shukaku also confirmed it. And while that guy has a rotten personality and a foul mouth, he wouldn't stoop to lying."
Shukaku immediately jumped in anger. "Oi, you damn brat! Say that again—who's got a rotten personality and a foul mouth?!"
"We're in the middle of a meeting. Don't cause a scene."
"Argh! Then I demand more time outside!"
"Do whatever you want."
…
Minato nodded in satisfaction and gestured for Naruto to return upstairs. Then he turned back to the Raikage. "If I recall correctly, your brother, Killer B, is a perfect Jinchuriki. Has he never mentioned any of this to you?"
At the mention of his missing brother, Raikage clenched his fists. After a moment of silence, he finally admitted, "No. Ever since our father died, I've been keeping B in the village for his safety. Our conversations have become… fewer over the years."
But "keeping him in the village" was just a kinder way of saying he had practically confined B to the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, forcing him to train the Tailed Beast Bomb. He was only allowed to engage enemies from a distance. Even their signature Double Lariat technique had been abandoned.
Because of this, Raikage hardly understood his own brother.
At this moment, he remembered something Minato had once told him during their past battle:
"you have a great brother. The next time we meet, I hope it will be as Kage, fighting as equals."
"But you need to realize what's most precious to your brother. If you don't, he will no longer be a Jinchuriki. He won't even be human anymore."
Now, Raikage finally understood the answer.
But was it too late?
Watching Minato work tirelessly to unite the Five Great Villages, Raikage suddenly had a strange thought perhaps, in every way that mattered, he had already lost.
He had lost as a ninja, and he had lost as a Kage.
Then…
Raikage's expression shifted. "Fine. I will try trusting you. What's our next move?"
"You…?" Onoki was stunned. He hadn't expected the Raikage to change his stance so quickly.
"With all due respect, Tsuchikage," Gaara interjected, "your refusal to believe this is simply due to your own experiences. Yes, your knowledge surpasses all of ours. But that knowledge has also become your limitation.
Even if this contradicts what we've always known, the logic behind it is sound. What knowledge and experience do you take pride in? That, too, was built on generations of people challenging and overturning the old ways.
If even I, someone far younger, can understand this, why are you so unwilling to admit it?"
"You sure talk big for a brat."
Onoki leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn't refute the point.
The logic was one thing, but the reality was another. Some ideas, no matter how rational, would always be dismissed as madness at first just like the early proponents of heliocentrism who were burned at the stake.
For Raikage, who had personal experience with a perfect Jinchuriki, it was easier to accept. But Onoki's relationship with his own village's Jinchuriki was far more distant.
Aside from their usefulness in battle, he knew little about them. It wasn't so simple to change his perspective.
Still, with four of the Five Kage already aligned, he had no choice but to compromise for now.
"Fine," Onoki relented. "I'll play along. So, Akatsuki's goal is to revive the Ten-Tails… for what? To control the world? Destroy it?"
Minato shook his head. "No. Their goal is to create a world without war. But before that can happen, they believe the world must first experience true pain. Only by understanding suffering will people learn to cherish peace.
And that 'pain' comes at the cost of countless lives."
That logic was utterly deranged.
"I kill your family and friends for your own good?"
Everyone in the room struggled to comprehend Nagato's twisted ideology.
Peace was valuable precisely because people wanted to protect their loved ones. If they were all taken away first, what was the point of peace?
Raikage slammed his fists on the table. "Are you kidding me?! You destroyed our villages for that ridiculous excuse?!"
It was bad enough to lose to an overwhelming enemy. But losing to someone with a completely irrational worldview? That was infuriating.
From the upper balcony, Fuu, who had been leaning against the railing, turned to Naruto with wide eyes.
"Hey, Naruto… is that Nagato guy a good person or a bad person?"
Naruto rubbed his temples. "Hmm… it's kinda hard to explain to someone like you."
Fuu pouted. "What do you mean, 'someone like me'? Are you calling me dumb?"
Naruto sighed. "Alright, let's put it this way what he's doing is like killing everyone who stops you from leaving the village. Then he tells you, 'If you want to marry Naru, just marry Naru. If you want to do something, just do it.'
So, what do you think? Is he a good guy?"
Fuu shook her head like a rattledrum. "Bad guy!"
…
Once everyone had digested the information, Minato continued.
"And if they fail? They have a backup plan.
They will use the Ten-Tails to cast the ultimate genjutsu Infinite Tsukuyomi. It will trap everyone in a dream where all their desires are fulfilled, creating an illusion of peace."
"This plan," he concluded, "is called the Eye of the Moon Plan."
----
Don't forget to drop some Power Stones!
For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon.
P@treon/iamxeno
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!