Mifune sighed helplessly. To put it nicely, the Iron Country is the only neutral country in the ninja world, but in fact, it is just the product of compromise between the five major countries.
The strength of samurai is not weak, but compared with shinobi, it is only a numerical advantage. Except for a few individuals who can fight against powerful shinobi, most samurai can only rely on their numbers when encountering Jōnin-level shinobi.
The so-called meeting between the Five Kage and the notary is actually just the Five Kage playing their own game and finding someone to witness the results. If one were to ask what Mifune could truly contribute, the room for manoeuvre was limited.
"Let me tell you, everyone, you are here to discuss matters. There is not much point in arguing like this, right?"
Mifune said helplessly. Based on the rhythm of the Five Kage, who knows when this meeting will end. If they do not eat, he still has to eat.
"What Mifune-dono said makes sense. There is no point in debating who is at fault at this moment. Let us discuss how to deal with the Akatsuki organization. According to the information shared by Uchiha,
the Akatsuki organization's target is the Tailed Beasts in our villages, and they are destined to attack us.
Moreover, the outbreak of war between Iwagakure shinobi and Kumogakure shinobi also involved their manipulations.
My opinion is that they aim to weaken the strength of our five major countries, making their subsequent actions easier."
Terumi Mei crossed her hands, resting her chin on them, and spoke loudly. She had not been in the position of Mizukage for long and lacked much experience in negotiations. She simply wanted to end this confrontation quickly.
"It seems that when we face certain problems in the future, we need to think more carefully. It is very likely the Akatsuki organization's doing. This is dangerous for all of us."
The Third Tsuchikage Onoki also spoke, not wanting to waste time shifting blame.
There was no choice; when it came to the Akatsuki organization, Konoha carried too much responsibility. He was entirely the targeted party, with one voice against four others!
"Hmph! There is no need to overthink it in the future. No matter how strong the Akatsuki organization is, they are just an organization. Facing the Five Great Shinobi Villages, how can they hope to change the world? In my opinion, we should directly form a coalition and crush Amegakure in one fell swoop!"
The Fourth Raikage, Ay, slammed the table. So what if they had the Rinnegan? If the five major shinobi villages attacked simultaneously, they would annihilate them completely.
"Raikage, can you please stop being so reckless? If the Akatsuki organization were really that easy to deal with, then Konoha wouldn't have failed to contain Uchiha Obito during the Nine-Tails' attack. And as for your Kumogakure shinobi, how many of them returned from testing Amegakure?"
Even though Onoki mocked Ay, he also took the opportunity to criticize Konoha.
Sarutobi Hiruzen's lips twitched, but he said nothing. After all, it was true that Konoha had failed to stop Obito, though having it pointed out like this left a bitter taste.
"Obito possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan.
His abilities are very unique.
He can make his body intangible to avoid both ninjutsu and taijutsu attacks.
It is speculated to be a form of space-time dojutsu."
"In other words, he can appear in any place at any time.
He can leave one place at will, and he has also mastered Wood Release.
If there are individuals with such abilities in the Akatsuki organization, I think even if our five villages unite, it will require significant effort."
Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly voiced his opinion, at least to defend Konoha's reputation; otherwise, the others would think Konoha was truly weak.
"Scorpion was a puppet genius of our village. If he has obtained the body of the Third Kazekage, then he can effectively fight as two Kage-level opponents. Moreover, puppet masters never fight alone. In attacking the Akatsuki organization, we must be prepared to face an army of puppets."
Rasa relayed the information he knew, and Terumi Mei followed by discussing the strength of Loquat Juzo.
Together with Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin, and Kakuzu, who had once fought the First Hokage in Takigakure, the Five Kage realized that all members of the Akatsuki organization possessed Kage-level strength.
Additionally, there were two surviving members of the trio who originally founded the Akatsuki organization. If they could maintain a foothold in such an organization, there was no doubt about their strength. Moreover, one of them had the Rinnegan!
At first, they thought the Akatsuki organization was merely a rogue ninja group. However, after sharing all the information, it became clear that the high-level combat power of the Akatsuki organization was unparalleled, making it impossible for any single village to match them.
Even with Konoha's Uchiha clan, they might barely compare. Kumogakure could just hold its own. Iwagakure was scraping by, while Kirigakure and Sunagakure were severely lacking.
The Akatsuki organization's target was the Tailed Beasts in each village. In this matter, Jinchūriki combat power was essentially nullified.
After all, Obito could perfectly control the Jinchūriki. If they appeared on the battlefield, it would be like sending lambs to the slaughter.
Although Amegakure was a small village, it had stood toe-to-toe with Konoha in the past. The Sannins themselves emerged during their battles with the "God of Amegakure," Hanzō.
Rain Shinobi Village was not particularly weak, either.
"It is necessary to form a coalition, but before that, we need to gather as much information about the organization as possible. We also need to consider how many shinobi each village will send and who will lead the forces. Most importantly, we must discuss the distribution of interests after the war."
The Third Hokage glanced at Onoki and began to speak.
Forming a coalition was not difficult; the real challenge was deciding the aftermath. After all, there was only one pair of Rinnegan, and all five villages coveted it. Determining ownership would be a significant problem.
"Hokage-sama is thinking far ahead. You must understand that the Akatsuki organization we are facing is no ordinary village! If we cannot defeat them, retreat is always an option. Isn't it too early to discuss the division of interests now?"
Terumi Mei said angrily. Based on the Third Hokage's negotiation style, the alliance would dissolve before it was even established. No wonder the results of the Five Kage meetings were often not realized.
The negotiator had no intention of adhering to the outcomes of the meeting.
"The ownership of the Rinnegan will depend on merit! Besides, our primary goal is to crush the Akatsuki organization's Infinite Tsukuyomi plan and protect our respective Tailed Beasts. Let's focus on defeating the Akatsuki organization first. What do you think?"
The Fourth Raikage glanced at Onoki. He could not help being wary; the old Tsuchikage had backstabbed the coalition before. Caution was necessary.
"So be it! No matter how we resolve things later, our current goal is the same: the Akatsuki organization must not continue to grow!"
Rasa agreed. The Jinchūriki of his village was his son. Although he treated Gaara indifferently, Rasa was still his father. He could not entirely neglect his son.
With no objections, the Kage agreed on the number of shinobi to be sent, and the Five Kage Summit concluded.
Each Kage returned to their village, mobilized the relevant combat forces, and prepared to jointly confront Amegakure.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion