"Aomi, this can't be considered tactful at all..."
Tsunade's face was expressionless. She had initially thought Aomi would understand what she meant and draft a diplomatic statement strong enough to conceal Konoha's true strength from the other Hidden Villages, while still showing a preference to avoid war.
However, Aomi's response was essentially tearing down pretenses, directly highlighting the weaknesses and hidden motives of each Hidden Village...
Hidden Sand is broke, Hidden Cloud is greedy, Hidden Rock is bent on military aggression, Hidden Mist is in turmoil, and Hanzo is delusional!
Tsunade could almost see the furious expressions of the other Hidden Villages' leaders...
"Tsunade-sensei, there's no problem..."
Aomi gestured for Tsunade to calm down, shaking his head as he spoke:
"War isn't something that is changed by a few words. And with the psychological resilience and depth of the leaders of the Hidden Villages, they won't be reckless because of a few words."
"In fact, when they see Konoha's unusual stance, after their initial anger subsides, they will definitely start to ponder where Konoha's confidence lies and why it is showing an attitude never seen before."
"Compared to hollow threats, being slightly more extreme might actually buy the village more time to prepare for war."
Tsunade frowned deeply, feeling that Aomi's thinking was quite unorthodox, yet oddly reasonable.
But even so, Tsunade sighed and said, "Aomi, maybe I made a mistake with Root; it's made even the gentle you act so impulsively..."
Aomi smiled, "Tsunade-sensei, Uncle Hiruzen told me that the darkness of Root can temper my heart as a ninja, and this is a necessary step if I want to reach greater heights."
"Since I want to shoulder more responsibilities and protect those around me, this is something I must experience."
"A gentle demeanor is for those around me, not for the enemies..."
"Right, Tsunade-sensei?"
Tsunade pressed her lips together, looking at the confident Aomi, she sighed softly and nodded slowly.
She originally thought she should protect Aomi as a teacher until he grew up...
But Aomi's growth in both strength and mentality has been so fast that it's beyond anything Tsunade has experienced.
Sometimes, when a disciple's talent is too great, it leaves the master feeling helpless.
"Aomi, what if war breaks out? What should we do then?"
Tsunade's gaze was deep, "The gap in strength is unavoidable. Since the First Ninja World War, Konoha has enjoyed too much peace and ignored the clandestine development of other Hidden Villages, widening the gap."
"As a village that once had the Ninja World Asura and the God of Ninja, there's been commentary in the Ninja World that if Uchiha Madara and my grandfather hadn't fought, the other four Hidden Villages would have been flattened long ago..."
The fear the other Hidden Villages have for Konoha won't dissipate without substantial power."
Tsunade's expression grew heavy. Although Konoha's ancestors provided a rich foundation, there were also side effects.
As she said, the Ninja World is thankful for Senju Hashirama being the God of the Ninja World.
In the Ninja World, almost everyone's thoughts align with Uchiha Madara's: if there is a crushing gap in strength, then just make the enemies submit. No one talks about peace...
Otherwise, it's like you have a mental problem.
If peace talks are necessary, it's only after unification, behind closed doors among family.
Only Senju Hashirama, under such a dominating power gap, inexplicably chose to negotiate. He even distributed the nine Tailed Beasts to various villages, hoping to maintain military deterrence with the power of the Tailed Beasts.
It's hard to tell if he underestimated other ninja's talents, thinking others couldn't handle the Tailed Beasts, or if his ideas were too naive...
The critical point is that Senju Hashirama's and Uchiha Madara's civil war made these two divine figures of Konoha disappear together, causing the unreachable power level to drop back to a human level."
In the eyes of the other Hidden Villages, only Konoha, with Uchiha and Senju, might produce another Senju Hashirama or Uchiha Madara in the future.
But if Konoha produces a new God of the Ninja World, would their mindset still be like Senju Hashirama's?
Most likely not!
Although all Hidden Villages highly respect Senju Hashirama's strength, nearly all ninja are fundamentally uninterested in Senju Hashirama's ideology of mutual understanding and peace.
When Senju Hashirama brought up this theory at the First Five Kage Summit, the only reason no one laughed was that he was simply too powerful.
So, if the other Hidden Villages don't want to become vassals of Konoha, they need to deal with the only village that might produce a God of the Ninja World. Once everything's on par, then everyone can rely on their capabilities.
In short, eliminate any potential cheat codes first!
Even if Konoha isn't resource-rich or located in prime territory, the pressure from its ancestors and its current decline will make it a target in the Ninja World...
This is a lingering issue from history.
"Fear won't dissipate, Tsunade-sensei, but people can be made to feel pain..."
The two exchanged glances, and Aomi understood her thoughts. "Although the combined forces of other Hidden Villages far exceed Konoha's, in reality, there aren't as many enemies we'll actually have to face."