Ever since the shinobi world adopted the system of one nation, one hidden village and entered the era of mutual deterrence and rivalry among the Five Great Shinobi Villages, there had only ever been two circumstances under which a Five Kage Summit would be convened.
The first was when an existence beyond the established power scale appeared—someone like the First Hokage, capable of effortlessly crushing an entire village single-handedly and completely shattering the balance of power among the Five Great Villages.
The first summit, and now this second one, had both been called for exactly that reason.
As for the second circumstance, it was naturally when the entire world faced invasion from an external enemy and its very survival was at risk. Fortunately, that had never happened—at least not yet.
After losing the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama, decades ago, Konohagakure had now produced a second God of Shinobi: Higashino Makoto.
The other four great villages had no choice but to sound him out and determine how they should respond moving forward.
Back then, after Hashirama's battle with Uchiha Madara, he had died not long afterward. What followed were three successive Shinobi World Wars, each bloodier than the last.
Some people speculated that if another great war broke out, the balance among the Five Great Villages might change completely, with one or two villages being permanently removed from their ranks.
Fortunately, the emergence of a second God of Shinobi had temporarily eliminated that possibility.
Makoto was still very young. In the eyes of the other four Kage, the man likely had many decades left ahead of him.
As long as Makoto remained alive, no one could expand their interests through war.
Since that avenue was closed, the only option left was to sit down and talk—to gauge both Konohagakure's intentions and Higashino Makoto's stance, and find a way to ensure their villages' survival and continuity in an era dominated by a single supreme figure.
Inside a secluded conference room in Konohagakure, everything had already been prepared in advance.
The Five Kage had gathered.
Naturally, Makoto was also present.
Only six people occupied the room.
None of the Kage had brought their bodyguards.
This was Konohagakure, and Makoto was sitting right there.
If he wanted to kill them, bringing a few extra people wouldn't change the outcome.
The atmosphere inside the conference room was solemn and quiet.
As the host, the Hokage spoke first.
"Everyone here has lived through at least one Shinobi World War. Tsuchikage-sama is the most senior among us—he's even experienced all three."
"Each time, we were enemies."
"We fought one another to the death."
"Family members, friends, comrades, subordinates—countless familiar faces disappeared in the flames of war."
"Old hatreds remain unresolved, while new ones continue to accumulate."
"Must shinobi remain trapped in this hellish cycle forever?"
Ōnoki looked displeased.
"What? Are you making fun of me for being an old man, Hokage?"
Minato smiled.
"Not at all. I'm merely seeking guidance from a respected senior."
Ōnoki snorted.
"Hmph. A shinobi village is no different from a shinobi's training. If you don't advance, you fall behind."
"No village wants to watch itself weaken until it disappears."
"If you want to protect yourself, you have to grow stronger."
"If you want to grow stronger, you have to secure benefits."
"War isn't something you can avoid simply because you don't want it."
The Raikage crossed his arms.
"Hokage, just say what you're really getting at. Don't beat around the bush."
The Kazekage nodded.
"Agreed. We didn't come here to listen to a speech."
Minato smiled faintly.
"What do you all think of this joint Chūnin Exam?"
"Perhaps we could make this model permanent—and commercialize it as well."
"Once a year, with each village taking turns hosting."
"It would allow every village to showcase its image to the outside world, increase revenue, strengthen exchanges between shinobi, improve mutual understanding, and reduce hostility."
"But most importantly, competition through the Chūnin Exams could help ease the resentment between villages and prevent tensions from building to the point where war becomes the only solution."
The Mizukage immediately raised her hand.
"I agree."
The Kazekage nodded as well.
"I think it's an excellent idea. Ever since arriving in Konoha, I've been considering the potential of such a system."
The Raikage spoke next.
"I agree too."
"But I think Hokage-sama is being overly optimistic."
Ōnoki chuckled.
"Overly optimistic? That's putting it mildly. It's downright naïve."
"You think war is that easy to prevent?"
Minato remained calm.
"I know it isn't."
"But it's worth trying, isn't it?"
"If we want lasting peace, we have to make an effort."
"Even naïveté is better than doing nothing at all."
Ōnoki nodded.
"I agree with the proposal as well."
"But let me offer a piece of advice, young Hokage."
"Don't cling to overly beautiful illusions."
"In this world, shinobi have always been only a small fraction of the population."
"Ordinary people are the true majority of humanity."
"And sometimes, whether war happens or not has nothing to do with hatred."
"It's determined by the unequal development of nations."
Minato naturally understood that point, so he did not continue the discussion.
The goal of establishing a permanent joint Chūnin Exam had already been achieved.
Now it was time to move on to the next topic—one that would be inconvenient for him to raise personally.
Makoto spoke up.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
"Among all of us, you're the eldest."
"In your opinion, when comparing the shinobi and ordinary people of the Five Great Nations with those of the smaller countries..."
"Are there really significant differences between them in terms of race, language, customs, or culture?"
Ōnoki shook his head.
"Not really. The shinobi world uses a common language and writing system. As for race, the only real difference is that the brutes from the Land of Lightning have darker skin, but that's just the result of their environment. Fundamentally, we're all the same."
"As for customs and culture, every region has its own local characteristics, but they all share the same cultural roots and celebrate the same traditional festivals."
Makoto nodded.
"Then why do we distinguish ourselves from one another? Why do we divide ourselves into different shinobi villages, fight endless wars, drown ourselves in slaughter, and remain trapped in a cycle with no end in sight?"
Ōnoki immediately understood where he was going.
"Young man, that's a very dangerous line of thinking."
The Raikage fixed both Makoto and Minato with a hard stare.
"So that's Konoha's plan?"
"To use force to suppress every shinobi village and unify the entire shinobi world?"
The Kazekage frowned.
"So you really aren't the peaceful sort that the First Hokage was."
Even Terumī Mei was no longer in the mood to admire handsome men.
"Higashino Makoto-sama, I'm just as interested in your intentions as the Raikage is."
Makoto waved a hand dismissively.
"There's no need to worry. In Konoha's name, I can assure all of you that we have no such intention."
"Although, for me personally, it would be entirely possible."
"Today, I'm merely offering everyone a new direction of thought."
"Could shinobi, at the appropriate time, abandon the outdated system of one nation, one village and establish a unified Shinobi Alliance instead?"
Terumī Mei tilted her head.
"You mean without resorting to war? Only if every village agrees voluntarily?"
"Exactly."
Makoto nodded.
"Unification through war would work as well, but it would create far too many complications."
"And I've always hated trouble."
Ōnoki let out a dry chuckle.
"How youthful."
"All I can say is that it's impossible."
"Even if we agreed, the daimyō and the nobility of every nation never would."
Makoto smiled.
"Tsuchikage-sama, are daimyō and nobles really necessary in the first place?"
"If shinobi can unite into a single alliance, why should ordinary people remain divided into so many separate countries?"
"Shinobi shouldn't exist merely as blades of slaughter."
"They should become the guardians and guides of human civilization."
"They should guide ordinary people toward the creation of a unified government."
The foundation of Makoto's worldview came from the education he had received in his previous life.
He had always believed that daimyō and nobles served no meaningful purpose.
They were nothing more than parasites living off society.
The shinobi world was not some backward ancient age.
Especially in recent years, technological development had accelerated rapidly, and social attitudes had begun to change. Voices opposing the daimyō system had already started to emerge.
Unfortunately, this was still the shinobi world.
Shinobi possessed overwhelming military power, and they served the daimyō.
Anyone bold enough to openly oppose the system tended to disappear soon afterward.
The sort of person who ended up with eight kunai in their back and was officially ruled a suicide.
In that respect, shinobi had ironically become an obstacle to social progress.
The Mizukage stared at him.
"Higashino Makoto-sama... do you realize what you're saying?"
The Raikage snorted.
"He's talking about overturning the entire world."
"The arrogance is unbelievable."
The Kazekage sighed.
"Thankfully, only the six of us are present today."
"Let's all hear it and forget it."
"Under no circumstances should something like this be allowed to spread."
Ōnoki, however, remained far calmer than the others.
"Hokage-sama, are you aware of these ideas of his?"
Minato nodded.
"Of course."
"Makoto and I have discussed them many times over the years."
"The future of shinobi."
"And the future of the shinobi world."
"If shinobi wish to break free from the cycle of fate, and if the shinobi world wishes to develop into something better, then the existing order must change."
Suddenly, Ōnoki changed the subject.
"Higashino Makoto-sama."
"If the rest of us selected a group of children and sent them to Konoha, would you truly be willing to teach them without discrimination?"
"I would."
Makoto answered without hesitation.
"But the real question is: would you dare?"
"As long as we belong to different camps, stand on different sides, and wear different forehead protectors, suspicion and distrust will always remain the dominant mindset."
Ōnoki did not argue.
Instead, he simply sighed.
"Ah, youth is wonderful."
"You can afford to be radical."
"And even if you're wrong, you still have time to correct your mistakes."
"Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara used overwhelming power to create the system of one nation, one village."
"And now, it seems that you intend to go one step further."
"You want to dismantle that system and reshape the entire world."
"But it's far too unrealistic."
"If your promise is genuine and you truly refuse to use military force, then I see no possibility of success whatsoever."
Makoto smiled.
"Which is why I said 'at the appropriate time.'"
"Everything must follow the natural course of events."
"Only then can the risks of unification be minimized."
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes.
"And what exactly do you consider an appropriate time?"
Makoto answered calmly.
"For example..."
"When the entire world faces a catastrophic invasion."
"The kind of war that drags every single person into it."
Terumī Mei laughed.
"Hehe. You're quite the comedian, Higashino Makoto-sama."
"As long as you don't suddenly lose your mind, I can't imagine anyone possessing that kind of power."
"Hard to say."
Makoto shrugged.
"The shinobi world is a very strange place."
"Anything can happen."