An alliance? What a joke.
Tsunade smiled bitterly. Although Konoha did not receive official offers of alliance, the spy network reported on the intentions of other villages. At first, they thought about it themselves: gather all their forces and launch a preemptive strike before Uchiha Yue gained full power.
But as soon as Iwagakure's plans leaked out, the fragile idea of unity crumbled to dust. The foundation of trust has been destroyed. Now, not only the other villages, but Konoha herself was eager to deal with Uchiha Yue first. What kind of alliance could we be talking about?
Well, it looks like Konoha is not going to see senjutsu. And, strangely enough, Tsunade felt relieved. Sharing such equipment with other villages would be even worse than not getting it at all. After all, Konoha has long—standing ties with Mount Myoboku - if not now, then later, but the opportunity will come. The loss is not that great.
Therefore, she bluntly explained to Fukasaka and Sage Shiken the true state of affairs in the Shinobi world.
After listening to her, the two sages were stunned. They did not expect that in just a month the world had descended into such an abyss of mutual distrust.
"This... this."..
They looked at each other, speechless for a moment. How could these people be so... Short-sighted?
Who inspired them with this blind confidence that they would be able to defeat Uchiha Yue? What is his weakness? They can't even get close to him right now! Had their minds left them?
Several long moments passed. Tsunade had already decided that the sages would abandon their idea, but...
"Anyway,— Fukasaku sighed, shaking off his stupor, "we have to try. The senjutsu needs to be handed over. Perhaps this is the only chance to save the world from destruction.
Seeing his adamancy, Tsunade only sighed inwardly. She had no choice but to write letters.
Soon, the heads of the great Shinobi villages received messages from Konoha. The first lines mentioning the "alliance" only provoked a grin: "Konoha is scared and is looking for help." It's a useless idea. However, after reading to the end, they abruptly changed their minds.
Senjutsu!
The wise men of Mount Myoboku are ready to share their legendary art. An invaluable technique capable of raising the power of the village to unprecedented heights. And who knows, maybe she will be the key to Uchiha Yue's weakness.
"An alliance?" The fourth Raikage put down the letter and laughed hoarsely. — An alliance is great... Well, we have to go. And comply with its terms? This is a completely different story.
—Jiraiya, what are you doing?"
In Konoha, the two toad sages were furious. Jiraiya, like a naughty child, stood aside in confusion. Even though his character has hardened, he has never seen the anger of his mentors like this.
— Sage Fukasaku, Sage Shiken... You are not a Shinobi. You don't realize that some techniques are inherently dangerous. They should not be distributed indiscriminately! If everyone gets access to them, the Shinobi world will plunge into chaos. Especially an art like senjutsu! For the sake of the village, for the sake of the Will of Fire, for the sake of the whole world... we must select those types of it that are not suitable for everyone...
—...and seal them in a scroll,— Nara Shikaku finished for him, stepping forward.
— Yes, sages, it's all for the sake of peace! And for the sake of Mount Myoboku too! If dangerous senjutsu falls into the hands of villains, it may threaten you in the future! Jiraiya chimed in.
Tsunade, who was standing next to them, had already opened her mouth to support them.
But the next moment, she was interrupted by a thunderous voice.
—That's enough!!! Fukasaku thundered, and there was no trace of senility in his voice. "How selfish you can be!" This is Mount Myoboku senjutsu, not yours! We don't need your permission to decide his fate! What kind of "for the sake of peace"?! I only see "for Konoha's sake"!
"And you, Jiraiya... How could you get to this point? Sage Shiken hissed, glaring at everyone. — The world is on the verge of destruction, and you're haggling over little things! Are you out of your mind?! Do you seriously think that without you, without Konoha, we won't be able to spread senjutsu? We just wanted to make it easier! Do you really think Mount Myoboku needs you so much?
Konoha's plan failed miserably. Tsunade was seething with annoyance, but what could she do? Senjutsu did not belong to the village, and Mount Myoboku was not its vassal. Tell these toads about the Will of Fire— they'll think you're crazy.
The day after receiving the letters, a Council of Five Kages was held.
On paper, it was the Council of the Five Kages. In fact, it's a gathering of all the Shinobi villages. Unlike the great powers, the small villages sincerely believed in the idea of the union and vied with each other to make their proposals. However, they soon realized that their ideas about the "union council" were too naive.
The Five Great Villages have indeed formed an alliance. Formally. And the wise toad, standing right on the table, told them about the world on the verge of destruction.
But all Kage's attention was focused on senjutsu. They knew about the crisis, of course, but they weren't going to share technology and information.
They were all secretly conducting their own research. "Share your best practices? So that you can use my data to get ahead of me and find a way to defeat Yue first?" The idea was absurd.
It was like an arms race between warring countries. Whoever creates the ultimate weapon first will dictate the terms in the future. In such a situation, only a madman would share technology.
They drove away thoughts of possible failure. It's funny! Only ten days have passed since the beginning of the research. There's still plenty of time.
And if someone's luck changes, it will be none other than Konoha who will be the first to be hit. The rest can still quietly watch from the sidelines.