The Land of Iron.
Amidst the howling wind and snow outside, the Fourth Raikage from the Hidden Cloud Village finally arrived before nightfall.
The Five Kage Summit.
General Mifune of the Land of Iron stared intently at the flags representing the five Kage, his expression grave.
This Five Kage Summit wasn't about dividing interests, but about a certain organization in the ninja world that all five great nations had to take seriously.
The Tailed Beasts, hailed as the ultimate weapons of the Five Great Nations, had already been captured by this terrifying organization, severely shaking the foundations of the great ninja villages.
For example, the Sand Village of the Land of Wind was a prime example; when resources were scarce, making a Jinchuriki the village leader was a perfect transitional solution.
Towering over the blizzard was a castle adorned with the flags of the five great ninja villages.
Inside, the castle was in stark contrast to the storm outside—warm and inviting.
Water, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Lightning—five flags representing the five great ninja villages of the world, with each Kage hat sitting beneath its respective flag.
"I am Mifune, General of the Land of Iron. The Five Kage Summit begins now."
His authoritative voice echoed through the room. General Mifune, host of this summit, looked gravely at the assembled Kage.
Seated at the U-shaped table were the Third Tsuchikage Onoki, Fourth Raikage A, Fifth Kazekage Gaara, Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, and Fifth Hokage Tsunade.
The bodyguards of each Kage stood behind their respective flags, all watching the proceedings intently.
Most of the bodyguards, however, kept glancing at the Konoha Hokage's guards.
Shirou, smiling, had Hikari sitting on his lap, playing with her delicate hands, drawing attention from all sides. Chojuro from the Hidden Mist whispered to Ao:
"Ao-senpai, is that Lady Mizukage's boydfriend? How can he act like this in front of both the Mizukage and Hokage...?"
Ao's veins bulged in embarrassment, sensing the Mizukage's silent killing intent.
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi from the Hidden Stone was also suspiciously eyeing the scene.
"Could Grandpa's hunch be right? This man is just a pretext. The real reason is the alliance between the Mizukage and Hokage, so now he can openly be with his girlfriend?"
To her, Uchiha Shirou was just a handsome ninja with a young Uchiha girlfriend. Both wore the Uchiha crest, making others silently ponder their relationship.
Kankuro from the Sand glanced at them, frowning—he had no intel on this Konoha ninja. Temari, however, looked on with a hint of envy in her eyes.
While the bodyguards subtly observed each other, so too did the Kage.
Third Tsuchikage Onoki looked at the Kazekage, Mizukage, and Hokage with envy—every other village had moved on to their fifth Kage, while he, an old man, was still holding on.
He internally cursed Deidara for being useless.
"I'll go first."
Only Gaara among the Kage spoke up, seeing no one else willing to take the lead.
"I used to be a Jinchuriki and was once captured by Akatsuki... I believe Akatsuki is an extreme threat. As far as I know, all the Tailed Beasts except the Nine-Tails have already fallen into Akatsuki's hands!"
As Gaara finished, the room fell into shock.
They had known Akatsuki was capturing Tailed Beasts, but not in such detail.
Now, with the Fifth Kazekage confirming it, it exposed the fact that other villages had been hiding their losses.
Even Onoki felt his face burn with embarrassment.
Only their people knew whether a country's Tailed Beast was lost; they always hoped to recover it quietly, not wanting to invite covetous eyes.
"I requested help from the Five Kage many times, but was ignored."
Gaara's calm gaze seemed to say: I warned you many times after my capture, but now look what's happened.
Meanwhile, Tsunade looked lazy and bored, playing with three dice in her hand.
"Akatsuki's attack on Konoha was massive—even the legendary Rinnegan appeared, along with a mysterious figure possessing both Mangekyo and Wood Release. According to our investigation, this person was behind the Nine-Tails attack that killed the Fourth Hokage years ago."
Tsunade's calm words made everyone, including Mifune, tense.
The Rinnegan—the legendary eyes of the Sage of Six Paths—was real?
Everyone listened closely as Tsunade briefed them on the Rinnegan.
"Based on previous battles, we've learned that the Six Paths of Pain are more like puppets, each with distinct abilities corresponding to..."
As Tsunade explained Pain's powers, everyone was astounded by the terrifying might of the Rinnegan.
But her next words shocked them even more.
"However, we believe the real Rinnegan user hasn't shown himself. He likely has access to all Six Paths' abilities, and—"
Tsunade paused, scanning the room, her words pressing down on everyone.
"We suspect the Six Paths of Pain are all controlled by the mysterious man. He's only revealed one eye—he may be hiding the Rinnegan in the other."
Everyone was stunned. If the masked man and Pain were the same, his power alone could rival an entire ninja village!
"Impossible!"
The bodyguards were shocked too. If Konoha's intel was correct, and only one person was behind it all, his power was truly terrifying.
The Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi also glanced at Tsunade, her expression now equally serious.
"Since Akatsuki's threat has reached this level, there's no more room for secrets among the Five Great Ninja Villages."
Everyone looked to the mysterious Mizukage.
As the leader who ended the Bloody Mist era, Mei Terumi added fuel to Tsunade's words.
"I think the Hokage's warning about Akatsuki isn't enough. Our confidential intel shows both the Third and Fourth Mizukage were controlled by this mysterious man, which led to the Bloody Mist. I helped overthrow it after discovering the Fourth was under his control. I even suspect his true power hasn't been revealed yet..."
If before Akatsuki was seen as a terrorist group, now, with revelations from both the Hokage and Mizukage, everyone felt chills.
This was no mere terrorist group, but a conspirator aiming to overthrow the world order, already manipulating the Five Great Nations.
No one doubted their words—the speakers were the Hokage and Mizukage, after all.
Especially for the Fifth Mizukage, for whom this was a national humiliation.
"Akatsuki is really this terrifying?!"
Even Gaara was shocked; he had already thought highly of Akatsuki's threat but had still underestimated them.
The hot-tempered Fourth Raikage A smashed the table in rage, shouting,
"Damn it! Akatsuki's threat is a direct challenge to the Five Great Ninja Villages, yet you all kept secrets!"
His accusation changed the mood in the room. Onoki sneered inwardly.
Idiot!
Meanwhile, Gaara coldly glanced at the Raikage, while A roared at the other Kage:
"The Akatsuki's rogue ninjas all come from your villages! You bear inescapable responsibility!"
He wasn't wrong—Akatsuki's rogue ninjas came from Konoha, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure, but not Kumogakure.
Normally, the other villages would have ignored such words, but not this time.
With A's aggressive stance, Tsunade sneered,
"Since when does Konoha let you provoke us?"
"What do you mean by that, Hokage?!" Raikage A glared at Tsunade.
He might be impulsive, but he knew Kumogakure had grown stronger, and he wasn't afraid of Konoha.
At this, Mei Terumi smiled,
"Since when does the Hidden Cloud get to meddle in our affairs?"
Tension filled the room, and even Onoki narrowed his eyes at the two female Kage.
Something's going on between those two!
Onoki laughed dryly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Indeed, Akatsuki now threatens our rule and the peace of the ninja world. Tailed Beasts are key to peace, and if they fall into Akatsuki's hands, the consequences are dire. Our goal today is Akatsuki, not internal grudges."
As the oldest Kage, Onoki's words carried weight. He glanced at Tsunade and Mei Terumi:
"The Nine-Tails is still in Konoha, but I'm sure Akatsuki won't give up. We must reclaim the Tailed Beasts..."
A sly fox—he united everyone against their common enemy: Akatsuki.
But Tsunade just sneered at the Raikage,
"Losing your Tailed Beast is your problem, not ours. The Nine-Tails is in Konoha, and we'll protect it. If Akatsuki dares come, we'll deal with them ourselves."
Everyone understood—Konoha hadn't lost its beast, so the urgency was on those who had.
"Hokage!"
Raikage A slammed the table, glaring at Tsunade.
"The Akatsuki's mysterious man has Wood Release and Mangekyo! Are you just going to gloss over this?!"
He wanted the other villages to confront Akatsuki head-on, while Konoha reaped the benefits.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes dangerously,
"Are you questioning Konoha?"
Her cold tone chilled the room.
Immediately, the bodyguards tensed. The Five Kage Summit was another battlefield.
From their brief exchange, the power dynamics were clear: Kumogakure had grown stronger, but Konoha still had top-tier powerhouses.
Tsunade sneered,
"If you don't want to talk, then don't. Let's see if Akatsuki attacks Konoha first, or if we wear them down first. If the Tailed Beasts are all lost, I'd like to see who'll still be in charge!"
Tsunade's confidence was clear—Konoha was willing to bet; were they?
Onoki forced a laugh,
"No need to get angry, Hokage. It seems you know Akatsuki's schemes?"
Tsunade coldly swept her gaze over the Raikage,
"According to our intel, Akatsuki is gathering Tailed Beasts to create an ultimate weapon, combining their power. Although the Nine-Tails haven't been captured, they've gotten much of its chakra. That weapon is almost complete."
Everyone fell silent.
So, the Hokage knew everything and just wanted to control the narrative.