Chapter 1: Prelude to War
About a hundred and sixty years ago, there were five great Shinobi Villages. These were the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Village Hidden in the Sand, the Village Hidden in the Clouds, the Village Hidden in the Stones, and the Village Hidden in the Mist.
In addition to these, there were many minor Hidden Villages. Of these, the Village Hidden in the Waterfall, the Village Hidden in the Grass, the Village Hidden in the Rain, and the Village Hidden in the Sound were the most prominent.
...
"But Sensei, if the villages were hidden, then how do we know about them?"
"Actually, of all the villages, it was only the Village Hidden in the Waterfall that was actually hidden. All of the others were just for show."
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In the Village Hidden in the Rain, there was an organisation known as the Akatsuki. Its main objective was said to be to collect and destroy all the Tailed Beasts.
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"What were the tailed beasts, sensei?"
"Legend has it that the tailed beasts work malevolent masses of energy who could control natural disasters. However, historians believe that this was the code word for Weapons of Mass Destruction."
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The Tailed Beasts, of which there were nine, were more or less distributed uniformly throughout the Hidden Villages. The Village Hidden in the Leaves had one, the Village Hidden in the Sand had one, the Village Hidden in the Clouds had two, the Village Hidden in the Mist had two, the Village Hidden in the Stones had two, and the Village Hidden the Waterfall had one.
The Akatsuki had already collected eight of them, when tensions escalated. The Village Hidden in the Leaves refused to hand over their Tailed Beast, which was the strongest amongst all of them. The other Hidden Villages were angered by this.
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Iwa
"Tsuchikage-sama, there are rumors. Rumors, that the Akatsuki wish to collect the tailed beasts, and destroy them. All of the beasts."
"What matters it, to us? Han is a criminal, Roshi has abandoned us. We have no obligation to them. If they truly are going to do that, there will be peace once more. I shall support them."
Kumo
"Raikage-sama, I understand that you are furious about the death of your brother, however your first duty is to the people. Waging unnecessary war will cause problems, most of which you are not unaware about."
"His death will not go unpunished! I will have their heads for this!"
Kiri
"Mizukage-sama, what are we to do about the Akatsuki?"
"The Sanbi was free, so we care not for it. Utakata was a nukenin, so that too is acceptable. We shall support them."
Suna
"Gaara? Are you alright?"
"No, Temari. I am not alright. Logic dictates that I should support the Akatsuki. Emotions say that I must not betray Naruto. But then again, Naruto is not Konoha..."
...
So, the four other Great Villages, and most of the minor ones, allied against the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Due to their pooled resources and abilities, they were finally able, after six months of constant attacks, to capture the last remaining Tailed Beast.
And this, in the words of a historian, was where 'Everything went to pure, absolute shit.'