Reviving the Uchiha Clan: Starting with a Legacy of Many Descendants

Ōnoki floated in the air and slowly took his seat.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi quietly slipped into the background.

"Hey, Akatsuchi, look at that! Both the Hokage and the Mizukage are women!"

Kurotsuchi was excited. Becoming a Kage was also her goal, and the Land of Earth had never had a female Kage before. Seeing Tsunade and Mei Terumi today greatly inspired her.

At the meeting table, Mifune, seated in the middle, was the first to speak:

"For the five Kage to gather together like this, it truly is not easy...

"Recently, many troubling things have occurred. The Tailed Beasts from various nations have been captured one by one. If all nine of them fall into the wrong hands, it would pose a significant danger to this world...

"Raikage's decision was correct. I know the villages have had grudges against each other since ancient times, but I hope everyone here can put aside past resentments for now and focus on resolving the crisis...

"Additionally, I must thank both the Hokage of Konoha and the Mizukage of Kirigakure. Despite being pregnant, they both came in person, a true testament to their leadership..."

"That's all for the opening remarks. I also thank you all for allowing me to organize this meeting. Now\... the Five Kage Summit begins."

"I'll start!" Raikage's face was stern as he looked around and shouted:

"Konoha! Iwa! Suna! Kiri! First of all, let me make it clear: the reason I've gathered you here is not only about cooperation! A bigger reason is to hold you accountable!"

"Sasori of the Red Sand! Deidara! Uchiha Itachi! Kisame Hoshigaki! It's fair to say that the mercenary organization Akatsuki was formed by the rogue ninjas from your villages!"

"Not only that, I've found that former Kage from your villages have utilized Akatsuki! I don't trust you! You owe me and my brother an explanation!"

"Hmph!" Ōnoki narrowed his eyes with disdain: "Is that worth mentioning? Although Akatsuki currently doesn't have any rogue ninja from Kumogakure, isn't it possible that it's because none of your shinobi were skilled enough? Maybe Akatsuki didn't find them worth recruiting."

"What?! You...!!!"

Raikage was furious upon hearing this. He couldn't believe Ōnoki would shamelessly say such a thing.

Seeing the situation escalating toward conflict, Rasa interjected calmly:

"Raikage, please calm down. Why not listen to my explanation first..."

"After the world settled down and wars ended, tensions between nations eased. Ninjas became less important, and the countries shifted from military expansion to reducing military spending. The Daimyō cut funding for ninja villages to a pitiful extent. In this regard, I have the most experience..."

"I believe all the Kage here can relate. As military spending decreased, the number of new-generation ninjas also declined, and these new ninjas had little real combat experience..."

"To protect these young ninjas and maintain the village's reputation and mission success rate, we had to assign difficult and dirty missions to external mercenary groups. Doing this... was out of necessity."

Ōnoki nodded: "Exactly. My thoughts are the same. Mercenaries were inexpensive, and their results were satisfactory. Most importantly, it spared our own ninjas from taking on dangerous missions, benefiting us in many ways."

"Nonsense!" Raikage roared in anger:

"It's precisely because of thoughts like yours that these mercenary groups were allowed to grow! Stop explaining, your explanations only make me angrier!"

Rasa also grew angry:

"Raikage! Don't take the moral high ground to judge my words!"

"You, who have always benefited from fertile lands, will never understand the struggles we've faced to ensure the survival of Sunagakure in the harsh desert. The efforts and sacrifices made by myself and the previous Kage!"

"Occasionally using unconventional methods was a necessity forced upon us!"

...