"So tell me, what do you suggest we do?" Shamon glared at Mu, exasperated. If nothing would work, why were they even discussing it? Better to just go back and study the Tailed Beasts in their villages.
"To deal with Mochizuki Hui, perhaps only a specialised approach will work," Mu replied, casting a glance at Shamon.
He had previously thought about how to handle Mochizuki Hui and concluded that conventional tactics wouldn't be effective.
"A special approach?" The others pondered, shifting their attention to Mu.
"Yes, a special approach. Something like a unique jutsu or a rare ninja tool—anything that can take him by surprise and deliver a fatal blow in one strike." Mu finished, scanning the group.
They fell into silence, minds turning over what sort of rare jutsu or unique ninja tool could achieve such an outcome.
Meanwhile, the Second Raikage, Ai, had an idea. Two individuals in his village came to mind: Kinkaku and Ginkaku, known as the "Gold and Silver Brothers."
These two were elite Jonin, and with their Nine-Tails chakra, they were unquestionably at the Kage level.
Of course, if they were just two regular Kage-level ninjas, they wouldn't be enough to take down Mochizuki Hui.
But these two were special—they had inherited the blood of the Sage of Six Paths and could wield the Sage's Six Paths ninja tools.
These tools had unique abilities. For anyone unaware of their full power, going up against Kinkaku and Ginkaku would mean stepping into a trap.
Ai's mind raced, yet he kept his thoughts to himself, still appearing lost in thought.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku were Cloud Village's trump cards, after all, and he had no intention of revealing them unless absolutely necessary.
Even if he did bring them into play, he would expect some benefit in return.
With Ai staying silent, the other Kage leaders were also at a loss.
They pondered their villages' unique jutsu and tools, but none could guarantee they'd be able to take down Mochizuki Hui.
The group remained in tense silence, no one willing to speak.
"At this stage, there's no point in holding back. If Hui continues to grow unchecked, all of our villages will face destruction! Just as the previous God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju, brought an end to the Warring States period and established the village system, Mochizuki Hui, once he reaches that level, will bring the village era to an end and start a new era dominated by Konoha. We will all become relics of a bygone age, swept into the dust of history!" Mu finally spoke, his piercing gaze shifting from one Kage to the next. He didn't believe they had no options.
Moved by Mu's words, they sighed inwardly.
Reluctantly abandoning his hope for compensation, the Second Raikage Ai finally spoke up. "Our Cloud Village has Kinkaku and Ginkaku. They may be able to do it."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Kinkaku and Ginkaku possess the Sage of Six Paths' ninja tools, which have highly specialized abilities. If Mochizuki Hui is unaware of their powers, the chance of success is quite high," Ai explained.
"The Sage's ninja tools?!" The Kage leaders were stunned. They hadn't known that the Cloud possessed such treasures.
"How confident are you?" Mu asked, looking at Ai.
"If Mochizuki Hui isn't familiar with the specifics of the Six Paths tools, we have at least an 80% chance," Ai replied.
Eighty percent. A high probability indeed.
If these tools could give them an 80% chance against Mochizuki Hui, that probability would be even higher if used against any of them.
The thought unsettled the Kage leaders, as they themselves had no knowledge of the tools' exact functions. If Kinkaku and Ginkaku turned on them...
They made mental notes to be on guard against the pair and their Six Paths ninja tools.
Seeing their reactions, the Second Raikage Ai sighed inwardly.
He had expected that revealing information about Kinkaku and Ginkaku and the Six Paths tools would make the other villages wary, possibly even take countermeasures. In effect, the Cloud had lost a major ace. Not entirely, of course, but a considerable edge.
Still, with Mochizuki Hui's potential threat looming, Ai couldn't stand by and watch a new "God of Shinobi" rise and reshape the shinobi world. That is, unless he rose from the Cloud.
"But Hui is also a mysterious figure. I can't guarantee that Kinkaku and Ginkaku will definitely succeed," Ai admitted. Based on his intelligence, Hui had shown a constant flow of unique techniques, many of which were self-created.
Even after fighting him for over a year and a half, they still hadn't grasped the full range of his jutsu. Now, a year and a half later, his arsenal of techniques would likely be even more formidable.
After all, Mochizuki Hui was a jutsu master on par with the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju. For them, creating new techniques was no big deal…
And these techniques were often terrifying.
In particular, Tobirama's techniques—Shadow Clone Jutsu, Flying Thunder God, Impure World Reincarnation, Spirit Transformation, Tandem Explosive Tags… all were absurdly powerful.
Thus, Ai couldn't guarantee that Kinkaku and Ginkaku would succeed against Mochizuki Hui. No one could be certain that Hui hadn't devised some strange new techniques over the last year and a half.
"What if Kinkaku and Ginkaku fail... what then?" Shamon asked, his voice weighted with caution. As a Kage, he knew the importance of contingency plans for both success and failure.
"If that happens, we go to war!" Gengetsu Hozuki argued. "If we agree that Mochizuki Hui could become the next God of Shinobi, we can't let him keep growing. If this attempt fails, our next chance will be even harder.
"He'll be entrenched in Konoha under their layers of protection, growing in strength. At that point, war will be the only option. If Kinkaku and Ginkaku fail, we form an alliance and go to war with Konoha! Better to risk everything than face certain doom."
The word "war" cast a heavy shadow over the group.
Yet, if Kinkaku and Ginkaku failed, war would indeed be their only option.
"Alright, if they fail, we form an alliance and wage war on Konoha. We won't stop until Mochizuki Hui is dead!" Shamon voiced his agreement.
Their land was barren, with few resources. If they didn't act now, the gap between their village and the others would only grow. They might as well launch a war, seize territory and resources, and hope for revival.
"Then we go to war. If Kinkaku and Ginkaku fail, the Second Great Ninja War begins!" Second Raikage Ai agreed. He had harbored ambitions against Konoha for a while. The Cloud's loss in the last war left him bitter.
"If it comes to that, war will be our only choice," Mu agreed.
"Then let's start planning how to lure Mochizuki Hui out of Konoha."
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