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Just thinking about Ōnoki hopping mad with rage made A want to laugh.
I'm in a pretty good mood today.
"Single-handedly tore through Iwagakure's defenses and charged into their camp?"
Mabui's mouth practically formed the shape of a perfect 'O' in surprise.
If this hadn't come from the Raikage's own mouth, she would have thought it was a joke.
Such an incredible feat—even their own Raikage might not be able to pull it off.
Never underestimate ordinary ninja, or you'll die a miserable death.
The Third Raikage was the most classic example!
Worn down alive by tens of thousands of ordinary ninja.
"The Susanoo... I'm afraid Uchiha Kazuki's strength is no less than that of Uchiha Madara back in the day." A sighed, lamenting.
"Why doesn't our village have such geniuses? Konoha really is a cradle of geniuses. Every generation, a few prodigies emerge who can look down upon the entire shinobi world."
Compared to Konoha, the other villages paled in this regard.
Kumogakure wasn't much better off than the others. The difference was that Kumogakure had the least internal scheming among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Geniuses born in Kumogakure could generally receive good training and grow to their potential.
In terms of nurturing geniuses, other villages were far behind Kumogakure.
Mabui nodded slightly, not speaking. She was still in shock.
A continued.
"Now, Iwagakure's main forces are bogged down in the Land of Waterfalls. With Konoha stabbing them in the back, Iwagakure's situation will only go from bad to worse. Combined with the threat of Konoha, their predicament will only become more difficult. As long as Konoha maintains the pressure, Iwagakure is doomed to lose!"
Their main forces are in the Land of Waterfalls, and the village is short on supplies.
War is hard enough without being stabbed in the back by Konoha.
Even if Konoha's forces withdraw, Ōnoki won't dare let his guard down.
He'll definitely station a significant number of ninja on the border to prevent Konoha from doubling back and invading the Land of Earth again.
One such incident is already a huge headache. If it happens again, Ōnoki might as well resign as Tsuchikage.
Mabui was silent for a moment, then began to analyze.
"Given Konoha's situation, Kazuki will definitely withdraw all his elites, then station forces on the border, constantly threatening Iwagakure. Iwagakure will have no choice but to guard the border with everything they've got, maxing out their village's pressure."
"That's why I say Iwagakure is doomed to lose! In this war, Ōnoki is destined for defeat."
As an ally, Konoha's actions were somewhat ungenerous. Kumogakure was taking the brunt of the attack while Konoha reaped the benefits from behind. Yet Kumogakure was okay with this arrangement.
What they needed was for Iwagakure to be weakened, to have their energy and forces divided.
"But merely diverting Iwagakure's attention and forcing them to split their forces isn't enough. Konoha should go a step further."
As he spoke, A frowned.
He knew it would be very difficult to get Konoha to take the initiative.
Mainly because Kazuki wasn't easy to fool.
Persuading him would be challenging.
"I recall Konoha proposed strengthening commercial cooperation between our two villages, right?"
"Yes."
As his secretary, Mabui remembered all these important matters clearly. She deftly retrieved the document from a cabinet and handed it to A.
A opened the document and looked it over.
This document was prepared by the village itself. The proposal for commercial cooperation came from Konoha.
However, it didn't pass at the high-level meeting.
Because the higher-ups felt that strengthening commercial ties would essentially be aiding a potential enemy.
Konoha was always a potential adversary. The stronger Konoha became, the worse it would be for Kumogakure.
So the proposal was shot down.
Looking at the document, A was silent for a moment, then after a long pause:
"Mabui, do you think our village and Konoha can reach such a cooperation?"
"Yes." Mabui answered truthfully.
"Once Konoha and our village reach a commercial agreement and support each other, the development of both villages will reach a new level. Many of our village's specialty products will be very popular in Konoha and the Land of Fire. Similarly, many products from the Land of Fire will have great sales prospects in our village. Close cooperation between the two villages would increase both sides' economic revenue. Increased economic revenue would, in turn, enhance the villages' strength."
Ninja are raised with money. Having resources alone isn't enough to cultivate ninja.
If they had enough money, Iwagakure and Sunagakure wouldn't be in such dire straits.
If Konoha and Kumogakure cooperated, it would create a powerful alliance.
It would benefit both Kumogakure and Konoha.
The only concern was that the other's ambitions might grow. With money and stronger military power, who would want to play second fiddle?
Neither Kumogakure nor Konoha were the type to willingly play second fiddle.
"Aside from that, once our village and Konoha reach an agreement, the other three villages will likely feel threatened. They might unite."
Mabui wasn't exaggerating.
In the current shinobi world, Konoha and Kumogakure were the strongest among the Five Great Shinobi Villages. If the two strongest formed an alliance and became close partners, the other three would feel threatened.
This would accelerate them setting aside their hatred and coming together.
Otherwise, they couldn't counter the ever-strengthening Konoha and Kumogakure.
Without cooperation, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure would always be at a disadvantage against Konoha and Kumogakure.
Only by uniting could they threaten Konoha and Kumogakure, making them hesitate to act rashly.
A asked in a low voice.
"So, you're saying that if our village and Konoha want to unite, become allies, and grow closer, it would actually be quite easy?"
"Yes." Mabui nodded.
"As long as you, Raikage-sama, give the words and send someone to Konoha for discussions, this matter can definitely be settled. And Konoha won't impose difficult conditions."
Who would refuse cooperation that benefits both sides?
Unless they were crazy, no one would deliberately make things difficult at such a time.
"Should we send someone to Konoha to discuss cooperation?"
"Wait for now."
After hesitating, A decided to wait and see.
Whether to cooperate ultimately depended on his decision. Once he agreed, persuading the other higher-ups would be much easier.
But A had some concerns. He feared Konoha might turn around and ride on top of Kumogakure.
It would be easy for Kumogakure and Konoha to unite. But for Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure to unite wouldn't be so simple. So this couldn't be rushed. The side that proposed it first would be standing on a lower step.
The shinobi world was in chaos. All Five Great Shinobi Villages were embroiled in war. This was exactly the outcome the Akatsuki organization wanted.
Seeing all five villages at war, some within Akatsuki began to waver in their convictions.
******
At an Akatsuki base, Obito spoke bluntly.
"I need to borrow the organization's power to help me find the other Sharingan eye."