"We of the Land of Fire did not wish to fight. You forced us to fight. Now that you are defeated, you push all the blame onto Konoha. Do you really think our Konoha is so easy to bully? So it's war you want? Come on, then. Konoha will see it through to the end!"
The Third Hokage was uncharacteristically firm this time. The rulers watching from the surrounding screens were all startled by his vehement words.
In their impression, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a 'moderate conservative'. The current situation felt like 'the quiet one finally snapping'.
"We were willing to step in and help you deal with Uchiha Ryun. It's fine if you feel no gratitude towards us, but you shouldn't shirk responsibility or complain, right?" The Daimyo of the Land of Fire spoke indifferently, personally backing up his Hokage.
Truthfully, if not for the immense international pressure, the Land of Fire's Daimyo would never have wanted to provoke Uchiha Ryun.
"Let's just drop this matter... A loss is a loss. Assigning blame is pointless now. We should discuss how to deal with Uchiha Ryun next..." The Fourth Raikage said with a dark expression.
He had no mood to watch these guys fight amongst themselves like dogs. His focus remained solely on how to kill Uchiha Ryun.
Ryun's final blow had broken half of his rib cage. His chest was now wrapped in white bandages, and even his arm was fixed with a medical splint. His injuries would take some time to heal. He was attending this meeting while wounded.
"Fine... Let's move on to the main point of this meeting!" The Third Tsuchikage took the initiative to continue.
"Uchiha Ryun is wildly ambitious. His goal should be clear to everyone here. It is the nine tailed beasts scattered across the ninja world..."
"He currently has the Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Four-Tails, and Five-Tails in his possession. That makes four tailed beasts. I predict he will certainly target the remaining five tailed beasts next. So what we must do now is unite to protect these tailed beasts. We cannot allow Uchiha Ryun to obtain even one more..."
"No one knows what his purpose is in seizing these tailed beasts. But if the nine tailed beasts were truly gathered together, Uchiha Ryun could easily destroy the Five Great Nations. We cannot allow his scheme to succeed. Protecting the remaining five tailed beasts is the top priority from now on...
Furthermore, we can even use these five tailed beasts as bait to lure Uchiha Ryun to us, then gather our forces to completely eliminate him."
After hearing the Third Tsuchikage's proposed plan, the five Daimyos all nodded subconsciously, finding it feasible.
The Raikage, Mizukage, and Kazekage all thought the plan was good, so they also nodded in agreement.
The only one in the room who did not react was Sarutobi Hiruzen. He felt this meeting wasn't so simple. It seemed the other four Kage had already discussed this beforehand, which put him on guard.
"What does the Hokage think of this plan targeting Uchiha Ryun? If there are issues, you can raise them. Or if the Hokage has other ideas, please propose them so we can all discuss..." The Third Tsuchikage asked in a mild tone.
"The plan is fine. I have no issues. Please continue, Tsuchikage..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't immediately think of a reason to oppose the plan, so under everyone's gaze, he could only express agreement for now.
"Good. Since everyone approves of the plan, let's now discuss how to implement it..."
The Third Tsuchikage first finalized the direction, then proposed a point that Konoha simply could not accept.
"To deal with Uchiha Ryun, the Five Great Nations cannot scatter our strength, nor can we wait passively... I propose gathering the five major tailed beasts together and implementing concentrated protection. This will prevent our forces from being too dispersed and getting picked off one by one by Uchiha Ryun..."
As soon as the Third Tsuchikage said this, Sarutobi Hiruzen instantly realized the key point. He shot up from his seat and immediately opposed the suggestion.
"I object!!!"
"What are you objecting to?" The Third Tsuchikage asked, pretending to be confused.
He actually knew why Hiruzen objected, but he didn't want to spell it out.
"I agree with concentrated protection. I also think it's necessary. But gathering the five jinchuriki or tailed beasts is unnecessary. Doing so would make it easy for Uchiha Ryun to capture them all in one go..." Sarutobi Hiruzen gave a reason that was barely reasonable.
"I disagree with that. If, as the Hokage says, our Five Great Nations gathering heavy forces to protect the five tailed beasts together could still result in them all being captured, then wouldn't each of our nations be even less capable of defending against Uchiha Ryun on our own?" The Fourth Raikage said unhurriedly.
"Indeed, the Hokage's reason is unconvincing. I agree with the Tsuchikage's view." The Fourth Mizukage voiced his opinion.
"You can be vigilant against thieves for a thousand days, but you can't guard against them for a thousand days? I suggest we still find a way to deal with Uchiha Ryun. If that's not possible, just hide our own tailed beast or jinchuriki..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was no fool. He knew these people's goal, and knowing it was disadvantageous to his side, how could he possibly agree to it foolishly.
"Deal with Uchiha Ryun? How? We don't even know where he is now. Even if we knew, how would we deal with him? Easier said than done... Hide the tailed beast? Can you hide it forever? Who can guarantee it will definitely stay hidden?" The Third Kazekage retorted bluntly.
"Aren't you just being argumentative? If you put it that way, can you guarantee that gathering the tailed beasts will eliminate Uchiha Ryun?" Sarutobi Hiruzen shot back.
"We cannot guarantee it, since none of us five Kage are his match... But setting a trap using the five tailed beasts, then inviting Uchiha Ryun into it, gives us a greater chance of victory. Perhaps it is our only opportunity to defeat Uchiha Ryun."
The Third Tsuchikage answered for the Kazekage. His attitude remained mild, and even his words aligned with the bigger picture... This response left Sarutobi Hiruzen with little strength to refute.
These Kage were each more cunning than the last, but the Third Hokage was no idiot either.
"Do you think Uchiha Ryun would be that stupid? Could he not tell it's a combined force of the Five Great Nations?" Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned with a dark face.
"He will see it, but he will certainly come! I shouldn't need to elaborate. The Hokage should understand this too!"
The Third Tsuchikage saying this was essentially laying his cards on the table.
BANG!!!
"You want to use Kushina as bait to lure him into a trap? This is playing with fire. I do not agree to this!"
The Third Hokage slammed the table and stood up, his attitude extremely resolute.
The five Daimyos were all stunned by his outburst.
"You disagree? Then do you have a better plan? If not, then let's put it to a vote... The minority submits to the majority..." The Third Kazekage said impatiently.
"I see it now. You guys discussed this beforehand, didn't you? You're targeting Kushina!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen coldly swept his gaze over everyone and issued a stern warning.
"Let me be clear. Setting your sights on Uzumaki Kushina will get people killed. Many, many people. You simply do not understand the man Uchiha Ryun is. Once you lay a hand on Uzumaki Kushina, that guy ceases to be 'human'. Konoha will not indulge this madness any further!"
After saying this, Sarutobi Hiruzen directly flipped the table in front of him. Then, he turned his icy gaze towards the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
"Lord Daimyo, this meeting is over!"