But eventually, everything would evolve into the scenario that Aomi wanted to see.
Aomi did not hope for a chaotic war among the Hidden Villages; he preferred to lead Konoha to confront four villages by itself, elevating his reputation in Konoha to its peak and gaining shockwaves and gold coins from the entire village, even connecting with the entire Ninja World online!
Since a war must be initiated, then let the excitement run its course…
"I have a suggestion, everyone."
The Third Kazekage spoke in a deep voice, "Konoha's actual state cannot be deduced by our discussion here, we must see it for ourselves."
"I propose that, under the guise of hosting a joint Chunin Exam, we each dispatch our elite ninja to Konoha to observe the new generation of Konoha ninjas' strength firsthand and in-depth perceive Konoha's current capabilities."
The Third Kazekage, as Rasa's mentor, preemptively used his disciple's signature move, using the Chunin Exam as the prelude to war.
The Third Mizukage slowly nodded, "I agree, but I would like to add a little more—"
"To ensure Konoha cannot refuse, we will initiate a peace agreement through all the ninja world, with Konoha as the signing location, combining it with the joint Chunin Exam."
"In this way, if Konoha refuses, they will lose their reputation and people's hearts, and the dovish faction in their village will also be extremely dissatisfied."
Mishima let out a slow sigh.
Just listen to what these Kage have to say, will you?
To them, the peace treaty is like a piece of scrap paper or even less…
Just a tool to achieve their goals, torn apart without any psychological burden.
Mishima couldn't help but wonder: when will this kind of Ninja World ever see peace?
Probably never.
Onoki's eyes brightened, and he immediately slapped the table in support, "Mizukage, what a great idea!"
"We will dispatch corresponding elite teams and leading Jonin, and through the collaboration of the five Hidden Villages, we explore Konoha's current state, we are bound to collect valuable intelligence!"
"The joint Chunin Exam also serves as an early battle test, regardless of Konoha's strength, they will send their best prospects to fight us, and we can pre-compile a list for elimination and remove them promptly in the ensuing war!"
The Third Raikage frowned, "What a despicable concept, yet very practical indeed."
"What are your opinions?"
Salamander Hanzo nodded in agreement, "If it weren't for Konoha's unusually peculiar stance, perhaps everyone here would have launched a war by now."
"According to my intelligence, Hatake Sakumo has not appeared since the previous Hidden Sand incident, and Shimura Danzo is also nowhere to be found in the Ninja World. Konoha should be in a weakened state after an internal conflict."
"As the Tsuchikage mentioned, Konoha might be bluffing us with their intelligence, but as long as we utilize the peace treaty and joint Chunin Exam to our advantage, an on-the-ground investigation will allow us to understand Konoha's real situation…"
After a round of discussions, the four Kage and Salamander Hanzo reached an agreement.
Unlike previous ninja wars, before this war, these Hidden Villages, who previously harbored hatred for each other, held a meeting to express their views, greatly reducing mutual suspicion and making more targeted observations on Konoha.
Shortly thereafter, a statement for the joint Chunin Exam, along with a peace agreement signed by the four Kage, was produced and sent to Konoha Village,
and these Kage, each with their own agendas, left with their Shadow Guards.
Only the leader Mishima of the permanently neutral country remained, gazing at their departing figures and shaking his head helplessly.
Peace Treaty…
Though Mishima doesn't believe any ninja would adhere to such an agreement, this childish attitude makes Mishima feel that it would ruin the last bit of mutual trust between the ninja communities, plunging into a state of unprincipled slaughter.
"I can't help but feel that today's discussions could give birth to demons..." Mishima shook his head, muttering as if prophesying.
Meanwhile, when Onoki and others were meeting in the Land of Iron,
Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo were at the border of the Land of Earth, collecting corpses.
"One, three, seven, and one more still alive..."
Hatake Sakumo hummed a little tune, swiftly cleaning up the battlefield: "Kakuzu, we've completed our first joint mission!"
"Sakumo, are you a Genin? Speaking in such an excited tone over such a simple mission…"
Kakuzu shook his head, carefully sealing the bodies in scrolls.
Ever since he joined the Root, Kakuzu became less interested in money, began using relatively expensive scrolls, and no longer transported bodies in a primitive manner.
Although he criticized Hatake Sakumo, Kakuzu actually had a fondness for his Root partner.
The two of them had too many things in common.
Both had their lives changed by Aomi, and both had been betrayed by the village's high ranking, sharing naturally compatible topics…
And their combat styles were similar too.
During their recent battle against the Hidden Rock's Explosion Release Squad, Kakuzu initiated by blasting through the formation with various Five Element Jutsu, while Hatake Sakumo then maneuvered into the battlefield like a ghost, taking a head with each strike.
With a mage cannon and a semi-healer, plus a high-mobility assassin, let alone the Explosion Release Squad, if they encountered any lone Jinchuriki or Kage, Kakuzu was confident he could take them down with Hatake Sakumo!
Recently, Kakuzu and Hatake Sakumo, the two leaders, have been wreaking havoc everywhere. With the power of two Kage-level individuals, they conducted overwhelming assaults on the Anbu units of various villages, nearly filling the morgue of the Gold Exchange.
With so much money, Kakuzu even just donated a fraction of the recent bounty to the orphanage, causing Yakushi Nonou to nearly faint…
"Hey, Kakuzu, that's not what I meant..."
Hatake Sakumo carried his backpack, lifting a sunny smile, "This is our first mission since joining the Root, the first task Aomi assigned us with, quite a significant moment!"
"When you put it that way, it's indeed reasonable…"
Kakuzu nodded, "Speaking of which, this really was Aomi's first commission to me."
"Let's go, Kakuzu, let me show you around Konoha, you're looking forward to it, right?"
"Sakumo, I have even met the First Hokage, don't make it seem like I'm all that interested!"
The two bickered back and forth, carrying the sole survivor from the Hidden Rock Village with severed vocal cords, heading towards Konoha.
#
Several days later.
Konoha, Hokage Building.
"Aomi, how do you think we should handle this?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked cautiously, frowning.