"More like what?" Kai's gaze sharpened.
"More like a dictator?"
"I didn't say that."
"But that's what you're thinking."
Kai stood up and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window, turning his back to the two of them.
"Teacher Jiraiya, Granny Tsunade, do you know what I saw during my trip to the Land of Water?"
Neither of them answered.
They waited for him to continue.
"I saw a village scarred beyond recognition by the Bloody Mist policies."
"I saw countless shinobi die because of meaningless hatred."
"I saw a place that could have been beautiful, ruined beyond recognition by foolish political games."
Kai turned around.
A burning light flickered within his eyes.
"You call me a dictator, but at least under my rule there will be no more pointless wars."
"No more slaughter between villages."
"No more children losing their parents because of the ambitions of adults."
"But that kind of peace is built upon fear!"
Tsunade shot back.
"What kind of peace is it if there's no freedom?"
"Freedom?"
Kai laughed lightly.
"Granny Tsunade, do you think the current shinobi world has true freedom?"
"Do ordinary people have the freedom to choose whether war affects them?"
"Do children have the freedom to choose not to become shinobi?"
"Do shinobi have the freedom to refuse missions?"
The string of questions immediately left Tsunade speechless.
Indeed, in this world, freedom had always been a luxury.
"I won't deny that my methods are rather extreme."
Kai returned to his seat.
"But sometimes gentle reform isn't enough."
"Someone has to stand up and shatter the old order."
"Even if that person must bear everyone's hatred and condemnation."
Jiraiya remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Have you ever considered what will happen if one day you die?"
"Or disappear?"
"What will become of an order built entirely upon your personal power?"
The question clearly struck at something important.
Kai's eyes became deeper.
"That's why I need to perfect this system as much as possible while I still have time."
"So that even if I'm gone, it can continue functioning."
"You're preparing for death?"
Tsunade immediately caught the implication in his words.
"No."
Kai shook his head.
"I'm preparing for something greater."
"For a bigger challenge."
"There are threats in this world that neither of you know about."
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged a glance.
Both saw the same confusion in the other's eyes.
"A bigger threat?"
Jiraiya frowned.
"Kai, what exactly do you mean?"
Kai didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stood and walked toward the giant world map hanging on the wall.
His finger lightly traced across its surface.
"Teacher Jiraiya."
"You've spent years traveling the world."
"Have you ever noticed anything... unusual?"
"Unusual?"
Jiraiya thought for a moment.
"What kind of unusual?"
"Strange chakra fluctuations."
"Creatures that shouldn't exist."
"Or voices coming from ancient ruins."
As soon as he heard those examples, Jiraiya's expression grew serious.
He had encountered such phenomena several times during his travels.
Each time, however, he had dismissed them as isolated incidents.
"What do you know?"
Kai turned around.
His eyes seemed unfathomably deep.
"Has the Great Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku ever spoken to you about any prophecies?"
Jiraiya's entire body shook.
The Great Toad Sage's prophecies were among Mount Myōboku's greatest secrets.
Aside from himself, virtually nobody should know about them.
"H-How do you know that?"
"Because I've met beings even older than the Great Toad Sage."
Kai's tone remained calm.
Yet his words sent chills down both their spines.
"They told me that this world... this planet... is not the only place in the universe where life exists."
Silence.
Deathly silence filled the office.
Tsunade was the first to break it.
"You mean... aliens?"
"Not exactly."
Kai shook his head.
"To be precise, the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
"They treat entire planets as orchards."
"They harvest the Chakra Fruits growing upon them."
"And our world happens to be one of their targets."
"T-That's impossible."
Tsunade's voice trembled slightly.
"If such beings really existed, why have we never—"
"Because they haven't arrived yet."
Kai interrupted her.
"But according to the information I possess, their advance forces will reach this world soon."
Jiraiya stared deeply at Kai.
"So collecting the jinchūriki."
"Establishing the Divine Court."
"All of it is to prepare for these... Ōtsutsuki?"
"That's part of the reason."
Kai nodded.
"When the chakra of all nine tailed beasts is gathered together, it creates a special resonance."
"That resonance is one of the keys to opposing the Ōtsutsuki."
"Then why didn't you simply tell everyone?"
Tsunade's anger resurfaced.
"If such a threat really exists, the villages would understand your actions—"
"Would they?"
Kai interrupted with a question.
"Granny Tsunade, if I walked up to the Kage and said, 'Aliens are coming to invade us, so please hand over all your jinchūriki,' do you think they'd believe me?"
Tsunade opened her mouth.
But no rebuttal came.
Because she knew the answer.
Without undeniable proof, not a single Kage would believe such a story.
And even fewer would surrender their village's greatest strategic asset.
"And even if they believed me, then what?"
Kai continued.
"Every village has its own agenda."
"They scheme against each other constantly."
"Even with a common enemy, they'd spend half their time arguing about distribution of resources and authority."
"By the time they finished arguing, it would already be too late."
"So you chose unification through force?"
Jiraiya's tone carried bitterness.
"It's the most efficient method."
Kai made no attempt to deny it.
"Forced unification isn't pleasant."
"But at least it guarantees that when the real crisis arrives, the entire shinobi world will move as one."
Jiraiya fell silent for a long time.
Finally, he spoke.
"Then what do you need us to do?"
The question surprised Kai.
He had expected Jiraiya to continue challenging his methods.
Instead, the man had accepted reality much faster than expected.
"Teacher Jiraiya..."
"I'm not saying I approve of your methods."
Jiraiya waved his hand.
"I'm simply considering the situation."
"If everything you've said is true, then arguing about this now is meaningless."
"What matters is preparing for the threat that's coming."
Tsunade nodded as well.
"I still think your methods are too extreme."
"But if enemies of that level really exist... then concentrating all available strength may indeed be necessary."
Kai looked at the two of them.
A trace of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.
"I need your help with several things."
"What things?"
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