"If Shikamaru's right, then the entire ninja world is probably going to..." Sai said, a hint of worry in his voice.
And indeed, Shikamaru's assessment proved accurate.
At that very moment, the major ninja villages had already begun their clandestine maneuvers.
The Third Raikage of the Hidden Cloud Village, resurrected from the past, surveyed the current state of affairs. Before the Fifth Raikage, Darui, could even return, the Third Raikage directly seized power.
Given that he was the father of the Fourth Raikage, there was little anyone could do to stop him. Moreover, the Third Raikage commanded immense prestige, and his reappearance was hailed as a godsend by the Cloud ninjas.
The Hidden Cloud Village had always adhered to its iron-fisted policies. Now, with the even more formidable Third Raikage at its helm, he naturally became an object of profound reverence for its ninja.
The Third Raikage's first act upon assuming power was to declare that Hidden Cloud Division would revert to its original name: Hidden Cloud Village. This seemingly simple name change was, in effect, a declaration of their departure from the Allied Ninja Forces.
However, the Third Raikage was no fool. He stopped short of explicitly dissolving their ties with the alliance, only changing the name. Outwardly, nothing seemed different, but at the grassroots level, the Cloud ninjas no longer felt any allegiance to the Allied Ninja Forces. Their sole focus now was rebuilding Hidden Cloud Village into a powerful force under the Third Raikage's leadership.
When the Six-Tails manifested in the Land of Lightning, the Third Raikage immediately led the Cloud ninjas to capture it. Darui's attempts to intervene were futile; the Third Raikage dismissed him as weak.
With the Hidden Cloud Village making its move, the other villages were sure to follow suit. Hidden Stone and Hidden Sand also began to take action.
Hidden Stone prepared to capture the Five-Tails and the Three-Tails. Under the guidance of the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, they first launched an operation to secure the Five-Tails. The Three-Tails would not escape their grasp either.
The new generation of Hidden Stone ninjas, alongside the legendary Tsuchikage who pioneered the unique Bloodline Elimination, moved in unison. Their admiration for Mu was even stronger than before.
Kurotsuchi reluctantly joined the tailed beast capture operation, her displeasure evident.
"The Fourth seems quite unwilling to capture the tailed beasts!" Mu observed, noticing Kurotsuchi's reluctance.
Kurotsuchi retorted, looking at Mu, "As the former Tsuchikage, why do you feel the need to do this? This isn't your era anymore!"
"Now is the new era of ninjas, our era! We should be the ones making the decisions!" Mu smiled at Kurotsuchi's words.
"Indeed, I don't belong to your era. Even as the Tsuchikage, I shouldn't be interfering with this one."
"But Fourth," Mu continued, his smile fading, "do you truly believe your current ninja world has achieved this so-called peace?"
"Hasn't it?" Kurotsuchi countered, seemingly missing his point.
Mu sneered. "You think peace is simply the absence of war, don't you?"
"Of course! Isn't the lack of war the very definition of peace? It's certainly better than your era of the five great nations."
"While the five great nations weren't openly at war," Kurotsuchi conceded, "they still engaged in deadly skirmishes during missions and sometimes even fought fiercely."
Hearing this, Mu didn't argue but instead asked, "How many ordinary civilians remain in the current Hidden Stone Village?"
Kurotsuchi hadn't given this question much thought. After all, the village's population had been growing. Why ask how many were left?
"Ignorance!" Mu exclaimed, seeing Kurotsuchi's confused expression. He knew she hadn't grasped the gravity of the situation.
"The original civilian population of the village has increased by less than 100,000 in the past few decades."
"Do you understand what that implies?"
"What does it mean?" Kurotsuchi asked, still puzzled. Wasn't population growth a good thing? Why did Mu see it as a major problem?
"If it were true peace, the original population base of the village should have increased more than tenfold in such a long period!" Mu stated emphatically. "But why has the population growth been so minimal?"
"Because the people who originally belonged to Hidden Stone Village have now become people of the Hidden Leaf Village!"
"Is this the peace you speak of?" Mu sneered again.
"Perhaps it is peace," he continued, his voice hardening, "but in the end, only the Hidden Leaf Village will truly be at peace. And after a few hundred years, Hidden Stone Village will vanish completely!"
"The people of the Land of Earth, the Kingdom of Earth, will become people of the Land of Ash."
"Do you understand, Fourth?!"
"If peace comes at the cost of the destruction of Hidden Stone Village, then let the whole world be buried with it!"
Kurotsuchi froze, stunned by his words. Mu turned away, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Five-Tails. He had to capture the tailed beast as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind him. "Bring a team with me!"
Mu turned his head to see Kurotsuchi.
"The Three-Tails," she said coldly, "leave it to me! The Five-Tails is yours!"
Hearing this, Mu nodded with a smile.
Meanwhile, in Hidden Sand Village, Gaara had long understood this same principle, but he hadn't known how to act upon it. Now, however, the choice was no longer his, as the Third and Fourth Kazekages had made it for him.
The appearance of the Eight-Tails filled both former Kazekages with elation. Such a powerful tailed beast had finally appeared within their Hidden Sand Village.
Once, due to their impoverished state, Hidden Sand Village had only managed to obtain the One-Tail Shukaku. But now, the Eight-Tails, a beast capable of rivaling the Nine-Tails, had manifested in their territory. To not seize this opportunity would be to disregard a blessing from the heavens.
With three Kazekages taking action, capturing a single Eight-Tails should pose no significant challenge. Even with the power of the One-Tail, the Eight-Tails would stand little chance.
However, while their fighting prowess was undeniable, capturing a tailed beast was not an endeavor that could be completed overnight.
Now, all the villages were beginning to mobilize. Only Hidden Mist Village had yet to make a move.
The Sixth Mizukage, Haku, stood firm against the Second, Third, and even the Fourth Mizukage. Three against one! Yet, without yielding an inch, Haku fought all three former Mizukages simultaneously, displaying an extraordinary strength that surprised them all. Hidden Mist Village had indeed produced a remarkably powerful Mizukage. And she was a woman.
"Sixth! This is an opportunity for our Hidden Mist Village to become stronger! Are you certain you want to stand in our way?"
Opportunity? Haku gazed at the three Mizukages before her.
"Now... I am the Mizukage of Hidden Mist Village. While you were once the Mizukages, this era no longer belongs to you!"
"I have the final say in the current Mist Village!"
Despite being a woman, the sheer dominance Haku exuded at that moment astonished all three former Mizukages. The Second, Third, and Fourth – all four Mizukages – had not anticipated such defiance from Haku.
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, observing the scene from the sidelines, felt a sense of helplessness. To be honest, she also agreed with the Third Mizukage's proposal to recapture the strongest tailed beast, the Nine-Tails, to bolster Hidden Mist Village's strength. But she herself had chosen Haku as the Sixth Mizukage. To oppose Haku now would be to contradict her own decision.
Mei Terumi could only watch the unfolding battle. Should either side suffer significant losses, she would be forced to intervene.
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