Hokage Building – the highest council chamber.
The round table, recently restored after the chaos, stood at the center.
Tsunade, Gaara, and Terumi Mei took their seats one after another.
Tsunade and Terumi Mei removed their kage hats, marked with the characters for Fire and Water.
Gaara, not yet formally recognized as Kazekage, had no hat of his own. Still, he wielded the authority of his village and was qualified to sit among them as an equal.
Though Kenya's title was Minister of Anbu, nominally a subordinate of Tsunade, in truth she could not command him at all. For appearance's sake, he stood respectfully at her right side.
Beside the other leaders stood their trusted shinobi—Temari and Pakura behind Gaara, while Ghost Lantern Mangetsu and Ao flanked the Mizukage.
Thus began the Three Shadows Conference—three years earlier than the Five Kage Summit of the original history.
Despite being the youngest in the room, Gaara's aura had matured. His calm presence made him seem every bit a leader.
"So then," Terumi Mei asked with a faint smile, "Hokage-sama summoned us here—what is the matter?"
Tsunade lazily pointed her thumb toward Kenya.
"Not me. This guy. Your villages already have… connections with him. It's better he explains."
Kenya sighed, too tired to quibble with Tsunade's indifference. He stepped forward.
"In the four years I wandered as a rogue, I saw much. I spent most of that time in the Land of Wind, but I also traveled through the Land of Water. The conditions in both are… unfavorable. The harsh desert of Wind. The suffocating humidity of Water. Neither climate supports prosperity."
Pakura pressed her lips together before speaking.
"It may sound blunt, but the reason the Fourth Kazekage allied with Orochimaru in the Konoha Collapse Plan was to push for the Wind Country's survival and expansion. Our land is poor in water and arable soil. At times, we have had to rely on extreme measures just to endure."
Ao adjusted his eyepiece, voice low and steady.
"The Land of Water is not as barren as Wind, but the endless dampness restricts development. This is why we often held back in past wars—not just for geography, but for survival."
All eyes returned to Kenya.
Their hearts began to stir with unspoken anticipation.
Had he brought them here because he held the solution?
Kenya closed his eyes, smiling faintly. When he opened them, his voice was calm but sharp:
"Don't you think there are too many shinobi in this world?"
The room fell silent, faces puzzled.
Kenya unfurled a map across the table. Two crimson arrows stretched across its surface—
One, from Sunagakure to Iwagakure.
The other, from Kirigakure to Kumogakure.
The message needed no further words.
"Teacher… this is…!" Temari's voice trembled as her eyes widened at the implication.
The chamber fell into a silence so heavy it seemed to crush the air itself. Kenya said nothing, giving them time to absorb his meaning.
"…I see."
The first to break the silence was Mangetsu. The Mist prodigy's initial shock twisted into a wide grin, fangs bared.
"Lord Kenya means… to erase Rock and Cloud from the map. Replace them with Sand and Mist, am I right?"
Kenya chuckled softly.
"Not erase. Simply… let the worthy survive. Too many shinobi, too few resources. This balance must be corrected."
If the great nations were ranked by strength, the order was clear:
Konohagakure
Kumogakure
Iwagakure
Kirigakure
Sunagakure
For Sand and Mist—the weakest—to rise in position by eliminating Rock and Cloud? Neither had cause to refuse.
The Fourth Ninja War had only united the Five Villages because of a greater enemy—Obito and Madara. Without them, conflict would never have stopped.
And this era still had Naruto and Sasuke to anchor peace. Once they were gone, history would repeat itself.
Kenya, of course, had his own designs.
Three years from now, the true monsters would emerge—Six Paths Obito, Madara, Kaguya. Even with the Hōgyoku, there was no guarantee he could evolve to match them. The surest path to growth… was battle. And the purest source of battle… was war.
Gaara rested his chin on his hands, eyes sharp.
"Are you suggesting a three-nation alliance… to wage war against Cloud and Rock?"
"Precisely." Kenya's voice cut like steel.
"Sand has always borne hatred toward Rock. None in your village would object. As for Mist—your ties with Cloud are thin, and Cloud's strength rivals even Konoha's. They will not hesitate to crush you if given the chance."
Terumi Mei tapped her lips with a manicured finger, thinking aloud.
"The great nations are formidable. Through three ninja wars, none of the Five were ever destroyed. To defeat two of them outright… is not so simple."
Kenya smiled lightly, repeating the words once spoken in another world.
"The alliance of three villages has never before existed in history. Its power is still unknown. But when this war is over, the Five Great Nations will no longer exist. Only three will remain."
His eyes swept across the room, cold yet resolute.
"And in our generation's time, this new order will endure for decades. So—tell me. Do any of you object?"