Hearing Kagami's words, the clan leaders present turned pale with fear. "No! No! We dare not..." they stammered, shaking their heads like rattles, their nerves stretched to the breaking point.

If they were facing Sarutobi Hiruzen, they might have dared to complain, but with Kagami, any sign of disrespect was unthinkable. He had already proven he was more than willing to kill. Though they had lost a significant amount of money, they were still alive. Incurring Kagami's wrath could mean losing not just their wealth, but their lives as well.

"No?" Kagami frowned, looking at their horrified faces. "Then why do you all look as if you're attending a funeral?"

He knew, of course, that their submission was born of fear. If his strength ever waned, they would turn on him without a moment's hesitation. Therefore, he needed to periodically remind them of his power, to keep them in a state of perpetual awe. It was a shame he didn't have a more effective method of control, like the Kotoamatsukami. He sighed internally, then looked again at the assembled patriarchs.

"I just had a fight with my wife," Nara Shikaku said, his face a perfect mask of weary resignation. "I Apologize for my unprofessionalism."

"Ahem... yes, yes! Me as well!" Hinata Hiashi nodded vigorously in agreement.

"So you all had a fight with your wives, too?" Kagami asked, feigning ignorance as he looked at the other clan leaders.

They wanted to say no, but they didn't dare. They could only nod in bitter unison. "Yes, yes, it's all the same!"

"I see," Kagami nodded, choosing not to expose their clumsy lie. He let his gaze drift over them, a deep, unsettling look that made their skin crawl.

"Since you are all in such a bad mood," he said calmly, "I will tell you some good news to lift your spirits."

"What good news?" they asked, a flicker of hope in their eyes. Could it be that he had a change of heart and was going to return their money?

"I want to unify the ninja world," Kagami said, his words dropping like stones into a silent pool, "and ensure there is no more war. What do you think?"

Puff...

Hinata Hiashi, who had just taken a sip of tea, spat it out across the table. Unify the ninja world? The man had to be insane. The other clan leaders stared at Kagami in horror, their minds reeling. Unifying the ninja world was an impossible dream. The daimyos and nobles of every country would resist. They would have to face not just the other four great ninja villages, but the armies of every nation, an force numbering in the tens of millions.

Kagami was powerful, yes, but he couldn't fight the entire world. It wasn't that they were unwilling to believe in him, but the sheer scale of the task was overwhelming. Still, they knew Kagami's personality. He had likely already made up his mind, and objecting would only earn them his ire. All eyes turned to Nara Shikaku, a silent plea for him to reason with their new leader. If Kagami wouldn't listen, they would have to seriously consider fleeing the village. An army of tens of millions... even if they each spat, they would be drowned.

Seeing their desperate gazes, Shikaku cursed internally. What could he possibly say? But the thought of facing those armies forced him to try. "Ahem, Kagami-sama," he began carefully, "we naturally support your desire to unify the ninja world. But... Konoha's strength is... lacking at the moment. I'm afraid we would only hinder you. Perhaps... we should wait a few years before discussing this further?"

The other clan leaders nodded quickly in agreement. "Yes, yes, it's not that we don't want to achive your dream, hokage sama but konoha is still recovering!"

Kagami was not angered by their reaction. He knew the true strength of the other nations. With Konoha's current power, unification was indeed impossible. He could, of course, slaughter all the armies of the world if he unleashed his full power, but what would be the point of unifying a world of corpses? He wanted to achieve his goal without bloodshed, to retain the largest possible labor force. To do that, he needed their help. But why would they risk their lives for him without sufficient incentive?

First, he had to demonstrate his absolute, undeniable strength, to show them that victory was not just possible, but inevitable. Then, he would promise them benefits so great they would willingly tie their fates to his.

He chuckled, a low, dangerous sound. "It seems you do not believe in my strength. In that case, I will let you experience it for yourselves."

Before he finished speaking, Kagami's eyes flashed, the tomoe bleeding into the spiraling, intricate pattern of the Mangekyō Sharingan. His eyes were deep and mysterious, twin whirlpools that seemed to see into their very souls, to swallow all light and darkness. An invisible force erupted from him, a violent storm that swept across the entire space.

The clan leaders felt a disorienting flash, and the world around them twisted into a strange, bizarre landscape. They had been pulled into an illusion, a world constructed by Kagami's will. His clones had been practicing day and night, and though this illusion was not as powerful as Itachi's Tsukuyomi, it was more than enough to give them a taste of his true power.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Kagami's pupils contracted, the complex pattern of the Mangekyō spinning back into his normal eyes. The patriarchs felt an irresistible force push them out of the illusion, their minds reeling from the experience.