Because Kirigakure's current main demands were peace, reform, and increasing its population, and because they had already obtained two extremely powerful Kekkei Genkai seeds from Konoha and did not plan to return them, the agreement written for Konoha's reference did not contain any overly excessive demands.
However, in the eyes of an old fox like Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kirigakure's proposal of opening trade, leasing ports, and establishing regular exchanges between young shinobi, among a series of other conditions, seemed far too abnormal.
What was going on?
Was Kirigakure planning to directly throw away the title of the Village of the Bloody Mist and rapidly transform into a normal, open country?
With such a large step in reform, were they not worried dissatisfied people would start a coup?
Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi cast an incredulous gaze toward his side, the Third Mizukage, who had not had much chance to speak before, coughed several times and said weakly.
"The Land of Water is an island nation isolated overseas. Its resources cannot be called scarce, but they are absolutely not abundant either. If we continue on the path of closed borders and rely only on our own domestic market and population for development, then no matter how hard we work, the number of shinobi we can support will ultimately be limited…
"Since we have already decided to entrust Kirigakure's future to the young, these old, decaying ideas should become history together with an old man like me."
Seeing that the Third Mizukage had displayed an attitude of delegating power even more thoroughly than himself, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and sighed in a tone half helpless and half envious.
If the Third Mizukage, as the leader of the conservative faction, had decided to support Rei Kaguya's reforms, then no matter how the other conservatives in Kirigakure struggled, it would be very difficult for them to form a faction capable of opposing the reformists.
Scattered protests could not slow Rei Kaguya's speed and determination in pushing reforms forward.
"Sigh. In the past, I thought Kirigakure's philosophy of respecting the strong and excessively worshiping power was barbaric and backward. But thinking carefully about it, if a radical and powerful young man like Rei Kaguya appeared in the village, perhaps only Kirigakure could tolerate his arbitrary actions after rising to power…"
"Minato is also an extremely outstanding shinobi, but if the time truly comes to change the village's deep-rooted problems, he probably will not be able to harden his heart like Rei Kaguya and force reforms through even if it means offending a large group of people."
Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi somewhat absentmindedly compared the difference between Minato Namikaze and Rei Kaguya's personalities, Minato Namikaze, who had been suffering a headache because he could not understand what deeper meaning lay within Rei Kaguya's proposed clauses, suddenly stood up.
He frowned and looked outside the venue.
As someone accustomed to close-range assassination using special kunai, he had very keenly caught the sound of metal clashing in the air.
"Lord Third, it seems assassins who want to interfere with our talks have appeared…"
Hearing Minato Namikaze's quiet warning, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face revealed an expression that said this was within expectations.
He set down the scroll in his hand and said solemnly to Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya.
"Be careful. The other three countries definitely do not want to see us and Kirigakure stop the war and negotiate peace so easily. In order to sabotage our talks, the assassins they send must be experts capable of threatening Kage-level shinobi…
"You must be cautious when dealing with them. Kirigakure's side may also have other thoughts."
"I understand, Lord Third."
Minato Namikaze nodded and took a Flying Thunder God kunai from his ninja tool pouch, preparing to meet the assassins who had broken in.
But Jiraiya pressed a hand down on his shoulder and said with a somewhat grim expression.
"Minato, don't rush yet… Don't you think the commotion outside is a little too intense?"
"It should be because the samurai of the Land of Iron discovered the infiltrating assassins and are resisting them…"
Minato Namikaze thought of the samurai they had seen before entering the venue and subconsciously asked, "Is there a problem, Jiraiya-sensei?"
"The samurai of the Land of Iron still have not completely set down the pride in their hearts. Only a very small number are willing to actively accept chakra-related training methods," Hiruzen Sarutobi also joined the conversation. "In such a short time, it should be very difficult for them to cultivate powerful samurai capable of opposing jonin."
"Could it be a ninja organization hired by the Land of Iron Daimyo?" Minato Namikaze proposed. "After all, this meeting between two Kage is also a rare major event for the Land of Iron. If their own defense force is insufficient, hiring reliable neutral shinobi is also possible, right?"
"But shinobi capable of fighting assassins specially selected to assassinate the Kage of a shinobi village would not be numerous even among our Five Great Shinobi Villages…"
"Could the people hired by the Land of Iron Daimyo include S-rank missing-nin wanted by the Five Great Shinobi Villages?"
At the other end of the venue, Yagura Karatachi maintained a vigilant posture and quietly asked Rei Kaguya, whose expression was relaxed.
"Those guards outside of unknown origin but considerable strength. Do you know something about them, Rei?"
"Rather, the reason they are here is because of my invitation, Yagura."
"Why?"
Yagura Karatachi raised his brows in surprise and confusion.
"What meaning is there in letting an unknown mysterious organization appear on the stage of a two-Kage meeting?"
"The meaning is to help them gain a record impressive enough to scare people when spoken aloud, then let them, whose base is in the Land of Rain, go cause trouble for Sunagakure and Iwagakure, who are a little too far out of reach for us."
Rei Kaguya took out a kunai and spun it nimbly between his fingers.
While listening to the increasingly intense sounds of weapons clashing outside, he said unhurriedly.
"The reforms I intend to push forward in Kirigakure require an overall peaceful environment in the shinobi world. At the very least, the Five Great Nations must maintain surface-level peace, and there cannot be another direct war between great nations…
"For that, an absolute powerhouse who can make the hawks of the other four shinobi villages behave themselves must step forward and stop their meaningless wars."
"But that person cannot be me. If I step forward, the nature of the matter will change, and Kirigakure will therefore become the common enemy of the other four countries. That would be disadvantageous to the implementation of my plan…"
"Fortunately, I found someone who has similar ideas and also has the potential to achieve this. In order to make him willingly attract firepower for us, what is wrong with selling him a favor and giving him some help that only we can conveniently provide?"
After hearing Rei Kaguya's words, the Third Mizukage could not help revealing an expression that seemed hesitant to speak.
Fortunately, beside him was the younger and more suitable Yagura Karatachi, who took the initiative to ask the question the Third Mizukage wanted to ask.
"But relying on one person's power to make the great shinobi villages no longer dare to launch war? Rei, I am not trying to flatter you, but in this current era, no matter how I think about it, you are the only person capable of doing something like that, right?"
"Well~"
Rei Kaguya sensed that the battle outside had basically ended and chuckled, gripping the kunai in a reverse hold.
"You will know very soon why I said he has that potential."
"Shinra Tensei."
An indifferent and majestic male voice sounded from outside the venue.
What followed was an irresistible repulsive shockwave.
Amid the sound of bricks and stones shattering, a figure surrounded by countless broken shuriken flew in from the corridor leading into the venue like a ragged doll.
With a wet smack, he collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from all seven orifices.
"That is… Kumogakure's Magnet Release ninja, Toroi!?"
Minato Namikaze, who had fought Kumogakure many times, recognized the defeated ninja at a glance.
Knowing that the other party's strength was considerable, he immediately turned toward the direction Toroi had flown from and focused all his attention on guarding against the unknown shinobi who had easily defeated him.
Then, in the shadows of the corridor, a pair of pale purple eyes opened.
Eyes whose pupils were surrounded by ring after ring.
They were the foremost of the Three Great Dojutsu, said to be the eyes possessed by the legendary progenitor of chakra, the Sage of Six Paths.
The Rinnegan.
"Bansho Ten'in."
A powerful attractive force completely opposite to the repulsive force from before came from the corridor.
It easily pulled the collapsed Toroi back.
Nagato handed the unconscious Toroi to his companions, then faced the many shocked gazes inside the venue and spoke in a confident, calm voice.
"Everyone, please continue the talks at ease. The assassins attempting to infiltrate the venue and sabotage the meeting will be repelled by us, the Akatsuki, without missing a single one."