The negotiations had reached a stalemate. Second Raikage A and Taigen resisted Tobirama's pressure deep down, they refused to let the shinobi of Kumogakure be treated as inferior.
Seeing both sides fall into silence, Arima broke the deadlock.
"Second Raikage, I hope you'll seriously consider our proposal. Our goal is to resolve the conflicts between shinobi villages.
The Land of Lightning's reason for wanting to invade the Land of Fire ultimately comes down to securing more resources.
But if Konoha and Kumogakure unite, we can greatly reduce internal strife and needless battles."
A nodded slowly. He acknowledged that Arima had a point, but at the core of it, he didn't want Kumogakure to lose its independence.
What would it mean for a Kumogakure shinobi to introduce themselves in the future as.
"A shinobi of the Kumogakure branch under Konoha"? Wouldn't that bring endless shame to their descendants?
Arima pressed on. "At the start, all our shinobi villages were formed from alliances between clans.
In Konoha, the Senju and Uchiha clans were once bitter enemies, yet in the end, they still united. So really, the fusion of our two villages is just another union between shinobi clans."
That argument made A a little more receptive. After listening to Arima's words, he said, "But our two villages are far apart. Why don't we form a military alliance instead?"
Arima shook his head. "Alliances like that are weak and easily broken.
As for the distance, I can use our village's Flying Thunder God Technique, along with your Heavenly Transfer Technique, to construct a large-scale spatial teleportation barrier between us.
Believe me, that kind of network will massively boost the development of our united village."
A was visibly moved by the vision Arima presented. He too hoped for a brighter future for Kumogakure.
And Konoha possessed many secret techniques, along with powerful Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan and Sharingan, abilities he had long coveted.
But he had one final question. "Why are you so insistent on merging our villages?"
Arima looked at him with firm resolve.
"Every war claims countless lives. The number of families shattered is beyond counting. All that war leaves behind is hatred and resentment.
Because of constant fighting, the average shinobi barely lives past thirty. During the Warring States Era, that number was even lower, only in the twenties.
This is the curse we shinobi bear. If we want to break free from it, we must unite all forces in the shinobi world under a single banner."
A was shaken by his words, but he couldn't deny their truth. Almost all of his comrades from his generation were dead, and his village was full of war orphans.
Arima continued, "Once our two villages merge, we can address every issue together.
Kumogakure's leadership can be part of the decision-making core.
We'll also unify our basic education systems. Give it a decade or so, and once the next generation grows up with shared bonds, our two villages will truly become one."
Second Raikage A stroked his chin, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
Meanwhile, Taigen paced back and forth inside the tent. He didn't care about titles, to him, the village's future development and nurturing the next generation mattered most.
Sensing that the two were wavering, Tobirama spoke in a more indirect tone.
"Word is, the shadowy figure that sent you those messages has grand plans.
It may be a remnant from the time of the Sage of Six Paths, and everything it's doing seems to revolve around the 'Reincarnation of Indra's Chakra.'
I believe that reincarnated being is going to become a threat to the entire shinobi world."
A's expression changed. He knew plenty about the Sage of Six Paths, after all, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were said to be his descendants.
He had also heard of Indra, so he didn't think Tobirama was exaggerating.
Finally, A made his decision.
"Merging the two villages isn't entirely out of the question. But how are we going to explain this to the daimyo?
And the title of Raikage... I want it to remain. It's a symbol of faith for our people. We can't just throw it away."
Arima, seeing that A had finally relented, let out a breath of relief. He really didn't want things to end in bloodshed.
He replied without hesitation, "As for the daimyo, we'll simply replace them, but let them keep their noble status.
And the title of 'Raikage', of course it can remain. In the end, our villages' merger is a union of shinobi clans and civilians.
Whether it's the Hokage or Raikage, the position holds equal weight. Neither side will interfere in the other's role. Our merger is for survival, and for the future."
Arima's words were like a shot of adrenaline to both Second Raikage A and Taigen. With this arrangement, the two villages could truly become each other's pillars.
Soon after, the four leaders jointly drafted a treaty, marking the first-ever union between major shinobi villages.
Thus, the Konoha-Kumogakure Union was born, a force that would soon rise above all others in the shinobi world.
With the framework of the merger set, challenges quickly followed. The first hurdle was eliminating the old daimyo factions, a necessary step in unifying their powers.
The next day, Tobirama announced in front of the Konoha shinobis that Arima would succeed him as the Third Hokage.
At the same time, A announced his retirement, naming Taigen as the Third Raikage.
Before the shinobi of both villages, the newly appointed Third Hokage Arima and Third Raikage Taigen signed the merger treaty, formally establishing the Konoha-Kumogakure Union.
News of this shook the entire shinobi world. At first, many were skeptical about the future of such a union.
But the developments that followed took everyone by surprise.
Half a month later, Arima led an army to the capital of the Land of Fire and peacefully dismantled the daimyo's remaining forces.
On the other hand, Taigen's campaign was much bloodier, but in the end, he too eliminated the daimyo loyalists of the Land of Lightning.
From that point on, the two lands merged.
Tobirama and the retired A served as political leaders of their respective territories, while the military and administrative systems of the two villages became tightly integrated.
Three months later, Arima successfully developed the first generation of spatial teleportation barriers using the Flying Thunder God and Heavenly Transfer techniques.
The chakra to sustain the barrier came from the sealed Eight-Tails, and it only required four Jonin to maintain it daily.
Half a year later, the joint Konoha-Kumogakure Ninja Academy was established near the spatial barrier in Konoha. Arima and Taigen served as the academy's honorary principal and vice principal respectively.
While Konoha and Kumogakure were busy with integration, the war between Kirigakure and Iwagakure had escalated into full-blown chaos.
Originally, Second Tsuchikage Mu and Second Mizukage Gengetsu Hozuki had hoped to exploit the conflict between Konoha and Kumogakure and sneak into the Land of Fire to loot and raid.
But before they could act, word came that the war was over.
What shocked them even more was that the current Third Hokage, Arima, had ended the war at the age of only twelve.
Possessing both Wood Release and the Sharingan, his strength was said to surpass even that of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
Realizing they had missed their window of opportunity, Iwagakure and Kirigakure were forced to retreat.
However, Mu, impressed by how Arima had subdued Kumogakure through power alone, began entertaining similar ambitions.
He planned to conquer Kirigakure and use it to encircle the Land of Fire from a strategic standpoint.
Besides, he had a long-standing grudge against Gengetsu, the mustached head of Kirigakure, and could not rest until it was settled.
So, Mu led a squad of elite shinobi, including his student Onoki, and used his exceptional sensory abilities and the secret maze technique to stealthily track the Kirigakure forces. He then launched a surprise attack.
The result was devastating, Mu and Gengetsu perished together, and both Iwagakure and Kirigakure were left severely weakened.
In the end, they had no choice but to sign a peace treaty.
And so, after a year and a half, the First Great Ninja War came to an abrupt and anticlimactic end.
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