After relocating to an extravagant tea room and hearing what Minato had to say, Nagato, sporting a thoughtful frown and gazing at the untouched contents of his teacup, muttered, "A deathless land...even if such a thing were possible, the Daimyo of the Five Great Nations wouldn't sit idle as a paradise arose outside of their purview. And as Shinobi, you should know there are worse fates than death in this world..."
"Which is why the Dragon's Pavilion vested me with Divine Protection and absolute authority within the bounds of the safe zone," expressed Minato, offering a nod as he added, "Furthermore, only those who have agreed to follow this land's laws would be able to utilize energy systems like Chakra and enter the Tower I mentioned. Anyone who violates the laws we create will be teleported to holding cells where time doesn't flow to await review, deportation, or judgment if their crimes are particularly egregious."
"And these laws...have they already been written?" asked Nagato, raising his gaze to meet Minato's—his own intense and penetrating but reflecting an unmistakable glimmer of intrigue.
"Several mandates are being passed down to us by the Dragon's Pavilion, such as prohibitions on sexual assault and the exploitation of children, but we have free rein to determine the rest," answered Minato. "To that end, I plan to confer with the Kage of the Five Great Shinobi Countries to outline laws we can all agree upon. That way, everyone will be on the same page, removing any excuses they might have if their people are caught violating the law to further external agendas."
"I see..." muttered Nagato, turning his head to meet Konan's gaze, seated to his left at a luxurious, low-lying wooden table with dragon-themed legs and a complex pattern etched into its surface.
Prompted by Nagato's stare, Konan nodded, shifted her gaze to Minato, and stated, "Honestly, all of this sounds much too fantastical to be real. But, as it would quickly come to light if you were deceiving us, I believe it would be a mistake to dismiss your claims outright..."
"Then it's decided..." stated Nagato, his gaze briefly lingering on Jiraiya before he stared at Minato and affirmed, "We will join you in creating this deathless land. But I do not agree with the people of Ame being forcibly displaced from their ancestral land. I understand it will create tensions with people who migrate here from elsewhere. But as a people who have long been the victims of external wars being fought on our land, I feel it is fitting that the residents of Ame become the natives of this proposed land of peace..."
"I'm afraid that isn't possible," responded Minato, shaking his head before calmly explaining, "Creating a nation isn't easy, but it's even more difficult when the administration of the previous nation is still present. Those who own land or represent vested interests in Ame would rally people together in defense of their ideals and property, and we do not wish our new nation to rise to power via the suppression of such groups. Such sentiments tend to linger for generations, and, as you admitted yourself, the presence of a native population would invariably create tension with those who emigrate here from abroad..."
"So, in the pursuit of your peace and unification, you will oust a group of people who have suffered the greed of other countries for more than half a century from their homes..." muttered Nagato, hanging his head in a way that his shaggy crimson bangs concealed his eyes.
"That's not the case," maintained Minato, explaining, "Everything that is Ame no Kuni, from the land itself to its people, will be transplanted as-is. Were we not here meeting like this, you might not have noticed that your country and its people had been moved elsewhere before your contacts outside failed to report."
"You will transplant the land itself...?" asked Nagato, raising his gaze, his burgeoning indignation replaced by a look of disbelief.
"Not me," answered Minato, shaking his head and smiling as he affirmed, "But such a feat is simple for the Dragon's Pavilion. And since Vahn-sama is very likely paying attention to our discussion, you and Konan-san might be able to influence where Ame is transplanted. At the moment, it's set to become an archipelago in the western sea, several hundred kilometers off the coast."
"That would certainly prevent us from being implicated in future conflicts between the Five Great Shinobi Countries..." affirmed Konan. "But it would also place us between the mainland and the pale-skinned barbarians from overseas. We would become a prime target for their raids..."
"It also means our people would have to cross the sea and traverse more than ten thousand kilometers and many lands for the opportunity to climb the Tower you mentioned..." noted Nagato.
"Not if you erect a shrine and gate that allows your people to make the trip instantaneously," stated Minato, exhaling faintly from his nose as he revealed, "Konoha had a gate installed that allows select people to move between our world and a completely separate dimension called Termina. Creating a gate linking two places within our world is comparably simple."
"I see..." muttered Nagato, lowering his gaze thoughtfully. He had heard the rumors circulating about Konoha making contact with another world, but until that day, he hadn't believed them. Now, he found himself on the precipice of an important decision. His vision of a world where everyone was united by their shared understanding of pain would likely never come about with literal Gods presiding over them. So he could either work with Minato and the Dragon's Pavilion to create a world without war or seclude himself to gain as much power as possible before opposing and very likely being defeated by them...
'Perhaps...that would be for the best...' thought Nagato, envisioning himself gathering all who opposed Minato's vision—so they might be crushed in one fell swoop. He would be recorded in history as a villain. That much was certain. But if Minato truly intended to unite people of divergent nations and values beneath a single banner, then he and his followers would need a unifying plight or a great evil to oppose.
"Very well, Namikaze Minato..." muttered Nagato, raising his gaze to meet Minato's before expressing, "We will consent to Ame's transplantation, but after that, I do not want you, the Dragon's Pavilion, or the one you call the Dragon God meddling with our affairs. The people of Ame no Kuni will rise and attain prosperity with their own hands...we do not need the guidance of a God who was absent until now..."
"I understand..." responded Minato, nodding affirmingly before smiling as he professed, "We never had the intention of undermining the sovereignty of Ame no Kuni or any other nation, so while we might not agree with how you rule your people, we will mind our business. All we ask is that—should any of your people decide to emigrate to our nation of Nihon no Kuni—you will not hinder them."
"People might not be able to choose the circumstance they're born into, but according to the Dragon's Pavilion—everyone has the right to choose their own path in life—unbound by the fetters of their forebears and the expectations of a society they had no hand in making..." appended Jiraiya. "In simple terms, they believe people should have the freedom to act and do as they please—so long as their actions don't purposely infringe upon the freedoms of others."
"Then we have the outline of an accord..." affirmed Nagato, shifting his gaze to Konan for confirmation. In response, she very promptly added, "Ame no Kuni and Amegakure rely heavily on exports of technology and imports of food. If we are to be transplanted elsewhere, we would need arable land and other natural resources to be self-sufficient..."
"A reasonable request..." affirmed Minato, nodding. Then, while it wasn't what he had planned when he and Jiraiya initially arrived on the outskirts of Amegakure, he spent seven hours hashing out Ame's resettlement and remunerations with input from the Dragon's Pavilion through Althaea...
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Following their lengthy discussion, where it was decided that Ame would officially recognize Nihon no Kuni and vice versa, Minato, Jiraiya, Nagato, and Konan exited the pagoda, causing it to flicker out of existence rather than burst into a cloud of steamy white smoke like a summoned creature or construct.
"Alright, then. Please prepare yourselves, everyone. And if a fight breaks out, please withdraw and allow me to resolve it," stated Minato, extending his hands with his fingers spread and eyes closed. Jiraiya naturally stood his ground, standing confidently with his arms crossed. Meanwhile, since they no longer had a stake in things, Nagato and Konan briefly exchanged glances before nodding and simultaneously disappearing using Shunshin no Jutsu(Body Flicker Technique).
"And there they go..." remarked Jiraiya, exhaling exasperatedly from his nose and shaking his head. He was hoping Nagato and Konan would stick around to the end, but as the de facto leaders of Ame, they likely wanted to apprise their subordinates of the situation and get a lead on controlling the narrative behind their transplantation.
"Should we wait to give them a chance to prepare things on their end...?" asked Minato, glancing back at Jiraiya over his shoulder.
"Nah. They didn't ask for time, and we've already delayed things well past our original schedule," contended Jiraiya, shrugging. "Besides, the sooner we can get this show underway and over with, the sooner our patrons can shift their focus to other matters. I doubt the past seven hours have been particularly entertaining for them."
"I don't know...seven hours might be a long time for us mortals, but I feel like it's barely a blip from the perspective of beings capable of living tens of thousands of years..." responded Minato, returning his gaze to the front and closing his eyes. Althaea could help him locate virtually anyone in his world, but if he wanted to transfer them before him, he needed to tribute Chakra proportional to his use of the Hiraishin.
"I've got them..." Minato muttered aloud, causing Jiraiya's expression to harden and his body to tense as five distinct individuals appeared with a reactive distance separating them. This included Hiruzen, who, having been aware that he would be summoned, appeared in his full robes and Hokage hat. The remaining four individuals were a short and large-nosed man in his late forties with thick eyebrows and beady, circular black eyes, an aging man with long, greying blue hair and closed eyes, a very tall and muscular youth with spiky blonde hair, dark skin, and a pointed beard, and a similarly aged man with tanned skin, angular black eyes, thin eyebrows, and dark, maroon-red hair.
Reacting nearly simultaneously, the five Kage, excluding Hiruzen, leaped backward to create even more distance. The short, large-nosed man had the most extreme reaction, taking to the sky and preparing a transparent cone that emitted a menacing white light, but when he noticed one of the people who remained motionless was Minato—staring at him with a calm smile—he hesitated.
"What the hell is going on here!? Is this your doing, Kiiroi Senkō(Yellow Flash)...!?" barked the burly, dark-skinned man, Ay, better known as the Yondaime(Fourth) Raikage—his muscular body veiled in a bright, bluish-white lightning cloak that caused his blonde hair to become even spiker than usual.
"This must be the same method used to abduct the Jinchuriki. And this terrain...we're somewhere on the outskirts of Amegakure..." noted the man with maroon-red hair, the Sandaime Kazekage, Rasa—protecting himself with a thin, incomplete cocoon of gold-infused sand that flowed from the interior of his dark grey clothes.
"What is the meaning of this, Hokage-dono? Is Konoha trying to start a Fourth Shinobi War when the last scarcely ended...?" asked the aging man with fading blue hair, the Sandaime Mizukage, Genzo. He was among the calmest of those present due to his wealth of experience, but only on the surface. Around his feet, the water from Ame's near-perpetual rainfall had started turning to ice—as one could expect from the foremost user of the Yuki Clan's infamous Kekkai Genkai, Hyōton(Ice Release).
"I was also summoned here," responded Hiruzen, gesturing at Minato with a nod as he added, "As such, I am just as curious as everyone else to hear what this young man has to say."
"Shall we all take a seat...?" asked Minato, presenting his best smile as he produced a circle-shaped table with seven chairs from his Inventory. The fact he hadn't used Kuchiyose was immediately noted by each Kage, but it was the short, large-nosed, hovering man—Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage—who pointedly asked, "Does this have anything to do with the rumors of Konoha being in contact with other worlds?"
"It does," confirmed Minato, nodding affirmingly before reinforcing that he had no desire to fight by being the first to sit. Hiruzen chuckled at this and naturally followed suit, making himself comfortable before pulling out and packing his pipe before meeting the other Kage's gazes and asking, "Well, are you going to sit down, fight, or flee?" with the slyest and most amused smile he could manage...
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