"Ladies and gentlemen, we all know why we are gathered here today..."
Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of The Hidden Rock Village, looked around at everyone and said solemnly:
"Konoha's actions and conduct have become intolerable. The smoke from the Second Ninja World War has barely cleared, and Konoha is already plotting to spy on The Hidden Sand Village's Jinchuriki!"
"For the peace of the Ninja World, we must unite..."
"Shut your mouth, shorty!"
The Third Raikage waved his hand, his deep voice abruptly interrupting Onoki's long speech: "Everyone here is a Village Leader; we don't have time to listen to the nonsense meant for Genin!"
"You all wanted to invade Konoha but now lack the courage? Say what you mean and let it out!"
"You uncouth brute, what are you saying!" Onoki was provoked instantly, rising into the air and glaring angrily at the Third Raikage.
"Are your ears deaf? Can't you hear what I'm saying?!"
The Third Raikage remained unyielding, sneering, "Well, how about we fight against our Hidden Cloud first?"
"Konoha said about you guys rightly so; you've raised so many Ninjas but can't feed them. You're eager to send them to the battlefield to die, right?"
The Third Raikage was confident, his words sharply mocking his old enemy; within the various Hidden Villages, only the Hidden Cloud remained problem-free and was running smoothly.
Hidden Cloud and Hidden Rock were rivals for decades, fighting whenever they met.
Onoki's face was dark: "Sending them to die? Don't joke around!"
"Against brutes like you, our Hidden Rock Ninjas could join forces to eliminate you without any difficulty!"
The Third Raikage smirked coldly, "Oh, then give it a try?"
As the leaders of these major villages were quarreling, Mishima, the leader of the Land of Iron, could only sit to the side, watching the scene with a bitter smile.
Though the Land of Iron was a neutral country, it was merely a declaration.
For instance, now, the meeting was entirely out of his control, with content centered on launching war against Konoha. But Mishima could only play the part of an observer, appeasing these war fanatics before erasing everything from his mind afterward...
If he could, Mishima would prefer not to have this meeting in the Land of Iron, but he had no right to refuse.
"Gentlemen, please calm down."
The Third Kazekage spoke to soothe Onoki and the Third Raikage, and said gravely: "The theme of our meeting this time is to strike Konoha; let's not disrupt our plans."
"We are all Village Leaders, so we should maintain basic decorum, yet it's best to minimize useless platitudes."
The Third Kazekage took on the role of a mediator.
Faced with the imminent collapse of the village's economy, relations between The Hidden Sand Village and the Land of Wind grew increasingly tense. Unable to secure sufficient financial aid from the Land of Wind's Daimyo, the Third Kazekage could only rely on the reshuffling brought by war.
It's not only for economic reasons; the Hidden Sand's internal desire for war was also rising fiercely.
The Hidden Sand Village's senior advisors Chiyo, Ebizo, and Chiyo's grandson, the genius Puppet Master Sasori, kept reminding this Third Kazekage never to forget the enmity with Konoha and to retaliate with war...
And among the strong successors for the next Kazekage, Rasa and Pakura, they were also continuing their internal struggle, hoping to determine superiority through future wars.
In the Third Kazekage's view, the initiation of war by Hidden Sand was inevitable; the only thing left was to pull in other allies to strike Konoha, allowing Hidden Sand to prosper while minimizing damage.
"Kazekage, are you in a hurry?"
Salamander Hanzo spoke coldly:
"It seems Konoha's intelligence on The Hidden Sand Village is accurate; your domestic economy has already deteriorated beyond repair, eager to drag others along to attack Konoha, huh?"
"That's right, your Sand Village's poor location leaves you with options of fighting either Konoha or The Hidden Rock Village; what can you do otherwise?"
"Don't pretend to be objective here; no one will act as your pawns for the Hidden Sand."
Salamander Hanzo's eyes gleamed with hatred.
In the Second Ninja World War, The Hidden Sand and The Hidden Rain were locked in fierce battles, with Chiyo even cracking the poison of Salamander, causing enormous losses to Hanzo and The Hidden Rain Village.
In Hanzo's view, had The Hidden Sand Village not interfered, The Hidden Rain Village might have successfully defeated Konoha; not to mention acquiring fertile land, it might as well have elevated to one of the six major Hidden Villages, granting him the title of "Kage"...
The Third Kazekage narrowed his eyes: "Hanzo, Konoha's evaluation of you is quite fair!"
"What are you? You've never owned the title of 'Kage,' yet here you are interfering, how laughable. Do you really think of yourself as the Demigod of the Ninja World?"
Salamander Hanzo snorted coldly: "And what are you? You're a Kage not even favored by your own Daimyo; you are indeed unique in the Ninja World..."
The Third Mizukage silently watched the scene, shaking his head in exhaustion.
Within The Hidden Mist Village, the Bloodline Clan refused to comply with him; even ninjas who paid lip service to him openly defied. Meanwhile, members of the Kaguya Clan who controlled the Dead Bone Pulse were about to incite armed rebellion...
And outside The Hidden Mist Village, whenever the Kages of the various Hidden Villages met, disputes would erupt.
Indeed, in this Ninja World, unity seemed fundamentally impossible... The Third Mizukage sincerely lamented in his heart, yet a second later was bombarded.
"Why are you shaking your head, Mizukage..."
Onoki sharply captured this action, pulling up old grievances: "If it weren't for the madness of your Second Mizukage in the First Ninja World War attacking our Mu, the Konoha problem might have been resolved long ago!"