"Another unification of the ninja world?" Mufasa stared at the gathered Kage, utterly speechless.
"Everyone," he said, spreading his hands in exasperation. "Do you really think that is my goal? I have been building bridges, paving roads, developing economies, and improving the standard of living for everyone. How does that translate to 'conquering the ninja world'? usually, conquest involves weakening your enemies, not making them rich!"
Mū, the bandaged Second Tsuchikage, did not falter. His voice was muffled but sharp. "Everything you have done, including your so-called aid, is part of a carefully constructed conspiracy."
Mufasa blinked, genuinely confused. "What conspiracy? Please, enlighten me."
Mū pointed a finger at him. "I will expose your plot now. You are hiding evil intentions behind the mask of prosperity. You are corrupting the very soul of the shinobi!"
Mufasa stared at him blankly. 'Corrupting the soul? By giving them steady jobs? What malicious intent is that?'
Ishikawa, the First Tsuchikage, stepped forward, his expression grave. "A ninja should live by the mission. They should risk their lives, hone their ninjutsu, and strive for self-improvement through hardship. But you? You tempt them with cars, television, video games, and money! You make them lose focus on their training to chase profits in business!"
The old man shook his head in profound disappointment.
Onoki chimed in, his voice trembling with indignation. "He speaks the truth! Many promising academy students in Iwagakure are dropping out to become merchants or inventors instead of shinobi. It is absolutely heinous!"
Mufasa rubbed his temples. "Everyone has the freedom to choose their own path. If they don't want to be ninjas, that's their right. There is nothing wrong with that."
Ishikawa slammed his foot down, cracking the platform. "That is nonsense! If the most talented youth refuse to become shinobi, how can a village have a future? How can it protect itself?!"
Like every old man since the dawn of time, Ishikawa began to reminisce about the 'good old days' of misery.
"In our era—the chaotic Warring States Period—there was no freedom of choice! You did what the clan needed, or you died! If everyone did whatever they wanted, the village would have been destroyed in a day! Kazekage, your crimes against the ninja way are unforgivable!"
Mufasa's eyes widened slightly. 'So this is their logic? I ruined the youth by giving them options other than dying in a ditch for their clan? Truly, a heinous crime.'
Mū wasn't finished. "That is not even the most treacherous part of your plan!"
Mufasa picked his ear with his pinky finger, looking bored. "Go on. I'm listening."
"You claim to strengthen shinobi with new equipment," Mū accused. "But in reality, you are empowering ordinary civilians! If commoners can defend themselves with your technology, they won't need to hire ninjas anymore. Over time, missions will dry up, and the Hidden Villages will starve!"
Mufasa retorted immediately. "What kind of logic is that? You have mountains of mineral wealth! Mining and refining ore won't make you starve; it will make you rich! You don't need to rely on killing people for money!"
Ishikawa glared at him. "This only confirms your first crime! You want ninjas to stop being warriors and become miners and merchants!"
"If a ninja does not take missions, they are not a ninja," Ishikawa declared. "And a ninja who loses their fighting spirit cannot protect the village."
Mufasa shrugged, his patience wearing thin. "Gentlemen, the Hidden Village system is less than a hundred years old. Is it really so sacred? The world changes. 'Empires wax and wane; states cleave asunder and coalesce.' Back then, we formed villages to survive. Now, maybe we can disband them for a better life. Become conglomerates. Corporations. Whatever works."
Ishikawa, Mū, and Onoki all snorted in unison.
"Hmph! Your ambition is finally exposed!"
"You admit it! You want to disband the villages so you can rule over the ashes!"
Mufasa groaned, massaging his forehead. "Do you even hear yourselves? I'm saying you don't have to be a military dictatorship called a 'Hidden Village.' You can be a corporation! Look at Sunagakure—we basically operate like a conglomerate now, and my people are living their best lives!"
"Silence, traitor of the Sand!"
A shout erupted from below the platform. Suddenly, three figures burst from the Tsuchikage's guard detail and leaped onto the stage.
Mufasa froze.
Standing before him were four familiar faces—faces he saw every day in the Kazekage Memorial Hall.
Reto, the First Kazekage. Shamon, the Second Kazekage. The Third Kazekage. And Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage.
Dead Tsuchikages. Dead Kazekages. And all of them were looking at him like he was the devil incarnate.
Even a fool could see this was a massive, targeted conspiracy. Someone had resurrected the past leaders specifically to take him down. But who?
Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, wasted no time launching a scathing critique.
"Hmph. I knew you were trouble from the start," Rasa spat, crossing his arms. "I never expected you to be this hypocritical. You deliberately allowed Orochimaru to kill me just to seize the Kazekage seat!"
"And afterwards," Rasa continued, "you wantonly destroyed the ancestral traditions of Sunagakure! You have made the village unrecognizable!"
Reto, the First Kazekage, stepped forward. "I swore an oath to the Daimyo of the Wind to protect and support the royal family! But you? The moment you came to power, you abolished the Daimyo's position entirely! You have no honor!"
Shamon, the Second Kazekage, glared at him with bald-headed intensity. "And what have you done to my puppetry arts?! I hear that even ordinary civilians can manipulate puppets now with your machines! You have stripped the puppeteers of their dignity!"
Mufasa looked at the Third Kazekage, waiting for his turn.
The Third rubbed his messy, lion-like hair, looking a bit bored. "Hmph. Your Magnet Release is... messy. It lacks elegance. You tarnish the reputation of our bloodline."
Mufasa's eyebrow twitched. 'If you have nothing real to complain about, just shut up!'
Realizing the situation was about to explode, Mu Feng secretly transmitted his voice to Nagato via chakra.
'Nagato, I need a favor.'
'What is it?' Nagato replied, his mental voice calm.
'You need to immediately send your Six Paths of Pain to arrest all my men.'
Nagato paused. '...What?'
'It seems we have no choice but to fight today,' Mufasa explained rapidly. 'Seven Kage-level opponents are targeting me. In a battle of this scale, my ordinary shinobi will just be collateral damage. Rather than letting them die in vain, have the Rain capture them. At least that way, their lives are protected.'
'They want me, not you,' Mufasa continued. 'Your Rain Village is still "neutral" in their eyes. Capture my men, maybe even hit me a few times to show you're breaking ties with me.'
Nagato hesitated. 'But...'
'Listen,' Mufasa urged. 'I know you are a kind person who yearns for peace. Everything I told you about a better world—it's true. It's as real as the sun in the sky. I want peace too.'
'Even if our methods differ, I know you don't want the world these dusty old relics represent. They want a world of perpetual war and child soldiers. Help me survive this, Nagato.'
There was a pause, then Nagato nodded solemnly.
'So, you chuunibyou kids... go save the world!'
Nagato: '...' (Internal sigh)
On the platform, Pain suddenly stepped forward and shouted, his voice booming across the plaza.
"The Amegakure Ninja Army will immediately detain the Sunagakure forces!"
The Six Paths of Pain mobilized instantly, surrounding the confused Sand shinobi. Having received the secret order from Mufasa, the Sand troops offered only token resistance before allowing themselves to be captured and disarmed by the Rain.
The seven resurrected Kage looked at Pain with approval.
"Young man," Ishikawa nodded sagely. "You have a bright future."
"You have good judgment," Onoki agreed. "Mufasa is a traitor to the ninja world. He deserves to be executed by a coalition of the righteous!"