Chapter 73 - Kumogakure Worries

In a fairly large room that was in a secret location. Three men sat at a table while each had two guards standing behind them. While a diamond shaped hat sat between the three, each a different color and displaying the kanji of an element. For the three were the Kages of their respective villages of Kumo, Suna and Iwa.

"Is there a reason you called forth for an alliance?" Ōnoki sneered at the biggest man in the room.

Ai narrowed his eyes as his muscles tensed as he clenched his fists. Almost as if he felt the biggest insult from being talked to that way. However, besides a few cracks appearing on the desk before him. He began to speak in a fairly even voice.

"I assume you know about Senju Kagami and the need to do something about him." Ai began. "He is too powerful and smart for his own good as he is like the sage of machines."

"The boy is strong and smart, but what can we do? In case you have forgotten you couldn't beat him about nine years ago. He has only grown far stronger since." Rasa asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"From the small bits of intel the spies can send back since the boy and his girlfriend swept the village. The two are growing up to Hashirama and Madara levels of strength." Ōnoki bitterly added. "If they haven't already."

"Which is why we need to end them soon. Before they fully mature." Ai slammed his fist on the table.

"What do you assume we do? It's not like we can walk right into the village with an army to kill the boy. He barely leaves the village anymore as the boy is the Hokage in everything but the title at this point." Rasa reasoned. "If what is known about their skills, then it will require an army to take one of them down. Not to mention the Jinchurikis are useless as he suppressed the one tail nearly effortlessly and that was a few years ago."

Silence settled between the three as none had a good idea to go about it. Even if they thought about ambushing him, they felt it wouldn't work. Not to mention assassinating him in other manners didn't have a chance either. Their target doesn't go gambling, doesn't play with women, or even go out drinking. The boy is either in his laboratory or Hokage Office.

"What if we kill someone close to him to bring him out of the village." Ai suggested.

"If you want to drop the title of one of the Five major villages. Then by all means lead the attack, but I will only send a unit of three thousand to help." Rasa snorted.

"I have to agree with the sandman here." Ōnoki reluctantly said. "There is a reason Hashirama was called the God of Shinobi and this boy is of the same kind as that man. Basically untouchable in battle."

"He is but one guy. Surely if we send out over twenty thousand to take care of him, we will win." Ai shattered the table with his fist.

Both Ōnoki and Rasa stayed silent as they didn't totally agree with this statement. Ōnoki didn't agree as he still remembered Hashirama and Madara might. While Rasa felt this is too big to tear the treaty between Sunagakure and Konohagakure. Since then Kagami has sent him a few large green houses which can help his village with scarce resources.

Five months into becoming the Shadow of the Fifth, Kagami had built large mobile habitats greenhouses to give to the Sunagakure. Which was in response to Rasa's small plea for some resources. Since a heavy drought has hit his village once more, so now in and around their village are fairly large spheres that contain different habitats and growing seasons.

Once Ai realized neither agreed to his words, he grew angry at their lack of a backbone. "Surely you don't want to live in fear for the coming decades."

"As long as we don't touch his bottomline or push too much, Kagami doesn't react much. So while I don't like it, however, it may come to us just having to live with Konoha being the strongest among the five villages." Ōnoki grumbled. "The cost of killing him far outweighs the benefits as his girlfriend is no slouch either."

"We should be lucky that he doesn't turn his mind to making weapons. Otherwise, with how fast their technology is progressing under him leading the charge. We could barely put up a resistance if Konoha decided to wage war against us." Rasa added his thoughts.

"Then why don't we enlist that mercenary organization Akatsuki." Ai all but shouted at Ōnoki.

Ōnoki began to feel his age as he glared at the large man whose arms were almost as thick as himself. It also displayed why he disliked dealing with Kumo so much since clearly it showed the brashiness and thick skulls that he guessed their brains weren't developing correctly. Since it was clear now that the issue of killing Kagami was near impossible or not worth the price.

"They won't fight him." Rasa answered. "It seems that both Kagami and his girlfriend ran into them previously and each time the group lost the big hitters of their organization."

Ai felt his temper just continued to rise as he saw that the two didn't show any more interest in getting rid of Kagami. Only to feel his temper rise more as he realized that he was coming to agree with them as they continued to discuss this matter.

--

While this meeting was taking place, inside Konoha, Kagami was tapping his finger on the desk. For what was before him was the location of Obito and Nagato as well as the confirmed hidden base Obito has where he is growing an army of white zetsu.

'If I and Mira move quick enough. While I hold and beat up Nagato and Obito while Mira seals Black Zetsu. We can avoid the Fourth Shinobi war.' Kagami thought to himself for a moment.

Deciding that it would be worth the effort, he began to put his plans together. Why wait when there is a chance to end this before Obito plans really take off. Since then he didn't fear Madara or the big war as much now. His goal is to avoid the loss of life as much as possible. Not to mention under his influence or more his and Mira's strength, the world seems to be heading towards some peaceful times.