Kazuyama Gekkō's sudden arrival brought the clash between Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage to an immediate halt. After all, Kazuyama was a well-known figure across the Ninja World, and the moment he appeared, every gaze in the hall shifted to him.
"Konoha's Ghost, Kazuyama Gekkō?"
"You may be famous, but this is the Five Kage Summit. It's not your turn to speak."
Ōnoki was already in full indiscriminate-attack mode. Kazuyama or not, he was a long-standing veteran of the ninja world—there was no way he'd be intimidated by a younger shinobi.
The Fourth Raikage, however, stopped talking. He had fought Kazuyama several times and knew full well how strong this so-called Ghost really was.
"Kazuyama Gekkō, what do you want to say?"
"Say it fast, or my temper won't be something you can handle!"
Kazuyama remained calm and indifferent to both men's hostility. He simply swept his gaze over the crowd and said, "You two were arguing too fiercely, so I stepped in to offer some advice."
"Advice that might actually solve our current problem."
Ōnoki scoffed. "What? All of us together couldn't figure it out, but you can?"
Kazuyama shrugged, then replied with biting sarcasm, "Exactly. You're all incredibly powerful ninja—but being powerful doesn't make you smart."
"Isn't that right, Lord Tsuchikage Ōnoki?"
"So matters that require brains should be left to people who can use them. Not to someone like you—a strong Tsuchikage whose age has overtaken his thinking, leaving him behind the times."
When it came to verbal combat, even if everyone here teamed up, they still wouldn't be a match for Kazuyama.
Ōnoki suffered a humiliating blow, his face turning dark at Kazuyama's blunt remarks.
Even though the Fourth Raikage had his own grudges with Kazuyama, watching him provoke Ōnoki into rage with just a few sentences nearly made him burst out laughing. But as a Kage, he held himself back, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "He's not wrong."
"Take Konoha's Nara Clan, for example. They've taken part in every major war. I'm sure none of you are strangers to them."
"Take me, for instance. I hold them in high regard. The ninja of this clan excel in both intelligence and strategic planning."
"Isn't that right, Lord Hokage?"
Since Kazuyama was from Konoha, the Fourth Raikage turned toward Minato Namikaze, who nodded.
"Correct. The Nara clan's ninja are exceptionally intelligent."
Kazuyama continued, "But I'm not talking about the Nara clan. Don't misunderstand."
"Allow me to introduce Yamanaka Haiichi."
"Hey, Haiichi. Come here."
Seeing Kazuyama gesture toward him, Yamanaka Haiichi first bowed to his Hokage before stepping into the hall.
Everyone looked at him with slight confusion.
"The Yamanaka clan? If I remember correctly, they specialize in sensory abilities, don't they?"
"Kazuyama Gekkō, what are you implying?"
The major Konoha clans formed the backbone of their village, so the other villages had thoroughly analyzed them. The Yamanaka clan specialized in controlling minds, invading memories, reading thoughts, transmitting information, and had formidable sensory skills.
"To locate our target, the best method is sensory ninjutsu."
"But standard sensory techniques won't cut it—the range is too limited, and no village has enough sensor ninja to cover large distances."
"All of you have lived through war. You understand how crucial sensor ninja are."
Everyone present nodded. Sensor ninja were the eyes of the battlefield—they located enemies, protected allies, and prevented ambushes. Even some Kage-level shinobi fell into this category, such as the Second Tsuchikage and the Second Hokage.
"So my suggestion is this: gather every sensor ninja from all villages and carry out a joint large-scale sensory operation."
"That way, we can quickly pinpoint the enemy's location."
"Haiichi, explain the details."
Now understanding why Kazuyama brought him here, Haiichi stepped forward and elaborated on the large-scale sensory formation.
Once he finished, those who supported attacking Akatsuki all nodded, some even showing clear approval.
"No problem! It's just manpower, right?"
"Kumo doesn't have many sensor ninja, but we can contribute. Kiki, you agree, right?"
The jōnin Kiki stepped forward and bowed respectfully. "Raikage-sama, I have no objections."
Rasa rose next. "Sunagakure has no issue with this."
After him came Terumi, Yahiko, and Konan, all expressing their agreement. As for Minato, there was nothing to question—the proposal came from his own village.
Now everyone looked at Ōnoki. He was the last holdout.
"Heh… age, age. The young do think differently."
"In that case, Iwa will support this proposal."
"Kazuyama Gekkō, yes? If I'm not mistaken, you specifically went back to Konoha just to bring this brat here?"
Even though he agreed, Ōnoki still voiced the suspicion in his heart.
Kazuyama grinned openly. "Yes. I returned to Konoha, then came back."
"And I brought the person who could solve the problem."
"And it seems my approach worked perfectly."
His casual admission left many in the room quietly stunned. Everyone knew he mastered the Flying Thunder God, but this was still the Land of Iron. Even if Konoha wasn't too far away, the Land of Rice Fields lay in between.
A round trip in such a short time?
Terrifying.
"Now that the issue is resolved, I'll step back."
"I'm just an ordinary ninja. Important meetings like this aren't for me."
He backed away with a light tone, though each word carried heavy impact.
The Kage and village leaders all felt their expressions tighten with exasperation.
Especially Minato, Rasa, Yahiko, and Konan—they were the ones who understood Kazuyama's true strength the best. Surpassed Kage-level power—and he called himself an ordinary ninja? Pfft.