Nara Hiroshi looked stunned.
He was simply dumbfounded.
Yes.
If this had come from anyone else, he would've spat in disbelief straight away.
Are you kidding me?
Senju Hashirama is the god of the shinobi world.
When he was alive he alone could suppress the entire shinobi world—an absolute sovereign who dominated an era.
Don't even mention ordinary shinobi.
Even beings as powerful as tailed beasts were, in Hashirama's eyes, little more than pets.
Uchiha Madara wasn't far behind.
He could casually snatch the Nine-Tails!
Nowadays, even a Jinchuriki from the Uzumaki clan could only barely seal them away.
But even so, extracting a little tailed-beast chakra is enough to be considered a top-tier shinobi.
Madara? He could literally bring the Nine-Tails out and treat it like a summoned beast.
Granted, in their clashes Madara eventually lost to Hashirama—but that was against Hashirama.
Compared to anyone else, they wouldn't even be worthy of Madara's palm-swipe.
So what did he just hear from Uchiha Kai?
That Hashirama and Madara-level existences only count as ordinary Jounin?
Even hearing it from Kai, Hiroshi still couldn't accept it.
He swallowed and, voice trembling, asked, "Kai-kun!
I'm not accusing you, but you know how strong the First Hokage and Madara were, right?"
Uchiha Kai rolled his eyes.
Maybe other contemporaries in Konoha lacked true perspective—after all, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's endless propaganda, Hiruzen had been made out to be the strongest Hokage, and Hashirama and Madara were downplayed.
But who was Kai? A transmigrator—of course he knew this.
With a resigned sigh, Kai waved a hand and said casually, "Don't treat me like one of those fools duped by Hiruzen.
Hashirama could clap his hands and command—when he held the Nine-Tails it was like a little pet; he could even partition the tailed beasts among the Five Great Nations. I know exactly how strong he was.
As for Madara, as my clan's ancestor I know his power even better.
Eternal Mangekyō, endless ocular might.
He could treat the Nine-Tails as a summoned beast—strength I can only look up to."
"Understood?"
Kai spoke lightly.
He was too lazy to go into details; this much felt like he'd already repaid Hiroshi's loyalty.
For the rest—he wouldn't dare say.
Who knew whether those hidden old-timers in the shinobi world possessed tricks like the Mount Myōboku toads.
If they were truly drawn out, he might not be able to hold his ground.
Let alone fighting, escaping might already be a success.
To say nothing of the Ōtsutsuki clan—just a single one like Chiji would make him kneel.
So forget it.
Be sensible: until he had absolute certainty, the best tactic was to lie low.
Nara Hiroshi… twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Well then!
Clearly Uchiha knew the inside story even better than he did.
But damn it—that made the problem even worse.
If Hashirama and Madara only equated to ordinary Jounin, how unimaginably strong were these people Kai feared?
He couldn't picture it.
Were there really beings that strong in the shinobi world?
And not just one—an entire damn crowd?
The thought made his head throb even more.
Why had he known nothing?
Not just him—probably no one else knew, either.
Otherwise the Five Great Nations wouldn't be brawling like this.
The question became: how did Kai know?
More importantly, Kai had said Konoha was special in the shinobi world—these people were all watching Konoha?
What was so special about Konoha?
Hiroshi thought for a long time, but with so few clues he had no way to guess.
He did understand, though, that Kai had already stretched as far as he dared in conversation.
Even if Hiroshi pushed further, Kai most likely wouldn't speak.
That thought made his heart heavier.
No way around it.
Whoever learned this would not be pleased.
After all—such powerful enemies, far surpassing a Five-Village assault on Konoha!
Finally he understood.
No wonder Uchiha Kai, despite his strength, always put on such a calm, uninterested front and showed no appetite for seizing power.
The real reason was this.
He didn't know how Kai got the information.
He didn't know the exact circumstances.
But he believed Kai.
A Mangekyō wielder wouldn't be so evasive without absolute cause.
After a long silence, Hiroshi spoke solemnly, "Kai-kun, I understand.
I'll plan strictly according to your objectives—I won't entertain the idea of elevating myself to Hokage.
But I want to know one thing: are we in danger now?
If the danger is too great, I recommend we concentrate our strength and even contact Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Internal strife can wait.
Against outside threats, unity is better."
Yes.
He couldn't let go.
After learning this, ambitions for power faded—this was far scarier than any political maneuver.
Uchiha Kai's words were terrifying.
Kai rolled his eyes and then, with exasperation, said, "Hiroshi-kun, you're overthinking.
I couldn't care less about mundane power or property.
If Hiruzen hadn't been so pushy, I'd be perfectly happy staying home—lying flat, loafing, enjoying life!
I'm not interested in those things; do you think those others are?
That's exactly why I won't tell you. Your mind is already distracted."
"A mound of ants uniting isn't worth a tiger's glance.
Drop the paranoia. Under normal circumstances, they'd ignore us—otherwise the Five Great Nations' conflict wouldn't have happened.
Besides, if those people were truly interested, given the current state of the shinobi world, you wouldn't be able to resist them anyway.
So stop imagining things.
Just follow the path I pointed out and develop in peace."
"Oh, and one more thing!" he added.
"Keep a close eye on the transaction between the Uchiha and Hidden Stone Village.
Even if you earn a bit less, wrestle the Hidden Stone Village armaments business completely into our hands!
Also, find ways to secretly contact other villages.
Even if it means taking a loss, my aim is simple: bankrupt Hidden Stone Village's armaments trade through pressure, then acquire their weapons business at the lowest cost and swallow it up."
"I don't fully trust leaving this to others.
So consider this extra work—someone competent must handle it. I'll trouble you with it, Hiroshi-kun."
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