With both sides maneuvering and Ōnoki of Iwagakure mediating between them, the Chūnin Exams held in the sixtieth year of Konoha were finally confirmed to take place in Kumogakure—with all five great hidden villages participating.
And this time, all five Kage would be attending in person.
On the surface, it was still a children's contest—just a routine Chūnin Exam.
But in truth, it had become the stage for the second Five Kage Summit.
For the sake of safety and diplomacy, the summit was to be held in the neutral Land of Iron, home of the samurai.
Only after the summit would the parties travel on to Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning.
"I trust Gaara's on our side… but the Tsuchikage's position is unclear," Mangetsu said grimly.
He was firmly against Yagura throwing himself into danger and had been pushed forward by the others to try and talk him out of it.
"Yagura, you really can't afford to get hurt."
The path from Kirigakure to Kumogakure was safe. So was the road to the Land of Iron. Along both routes, the Hidden Mist could provide ample support and backup.
But from the Land of Iron to Kumogakure? That stretch, Mist shinobi wouldn't be able to cover.
"Yes, yes, I know," Yagura replied with a small smile.
Heading into enemy territory—Kumogakure's home turf—was risky enough. On top of that, Danzō was known for his underhanded tactics and zero interest in playing fair. Raikage was a brawler with a big ego and even bigger ambitions. Who knew what he'd be convinced to do?
"I've never planned on playing the cards they deal me," Yagura said calmly.
He finished writing a sealed document addressed to the Rain Trio—Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato—and handed it to a member of the ANBU.
Mangetsu watched the ANBU leave, heading off with the high-level classified message.
"What's that about?"
"Konoha, Kumogakure, and the other small villages are all focused on me," Yagura said, stretching as if he had all the time in the world. "Meanwhile, I've asked Yahiko and the others to sneak into Takigakure and grab the Seven-Tails. Easy pickings. Hehe :-P"
The Seven-Tails was the only tailed beast not under the control of any of the five great nations.
Yagura predicted that now, with the Nine-Tails lost, Danzō's eyes would turn toward the unclaimed Seven-Tails.
Takigakure was strong, sure—but in the power plays between the great nations, they didn't get a seat at the table.
It was just a matter of who struck first—and who struck hardest.
"The Akatsuki hunting tailed beasts is kind of their thing. Think of it like… tradition. They've got the buff."
"What buff?" Mangetsu frowned. "Why do you always say weird stuff no one understands?"
Still, he was relieved. At least Yagura wasn't walking in blind. That was enough to make Mangetsu ease up a bit and let go of his anxiety.
"So what's next?"
Yagura always had a few moves up his sleeve.
"I need you to represent me at the summit in the Land of Iron."
Mangetsu raised an eyebrow. "You trying to get me killed?"
If he were exposed, it wouldn't just be dangerous—it'd be catastrophic.
Not to mention, with Yagura absent, it was obvious he was trying to pull something off while the other Kage were all distracted. And when they eventually realized they'd been played, who would they take it out on?
Right. Him.
"Kisame and Mei will go with you," Yagura said, palms up in mock innocence, offering top-tier backup.
"Good enough now?"
Kisame, Terumi Mei, and Mangetsu—three shinobi with Kage-level strength.
Even if the Raikage, Hokage, and Tsuchikage ganged up on them, they might not win—but they'd sure as hell escape.
"Damn…" Mangetsu couldn't help but whistle. Yagura wasn't holding back.
Seriously, was there any other Kage in the ninja world who could throw down a hand of cards like this—double jokers and four aces, just for show?
"Only one problem left."
"What?"
Mangetsu glanced at Yagura's… rather modest height.
"It's gonna be hard for me to act like you."
#!!!
"Fine, fine. Be fierce, and I'll follow your lead," Mangetsu grumbled, throwing his hands up in surrender before Yagura could retaliate.
One joke too many. Time to backpedal and take the mission. He could already feel the strange glee of playing the rich body double. It wasn't a bad gig.
Publicly, it would be said that the Mizukage had departed with his escorts.
No way any other village would let foreign shinobi near their Kage.
Only when the Kage actually met in person would anyone realize—wait a minute, you lied about your height!
He had his assignment now. All he had to do was play his part and protect Yagura's interests from the shadows.
"Before you leave, grab a Flying Thunder God kunai from Menma."
"OKK."
Mangetsu nodded with a grin.
Then, turning back a bit more seriously, he asked,
"Where are you going? Who's going with you?"
"Hoshigakure. Yugao."
Yagura closed the stack of documents on his desk, then leaned back, gazing up at the ceiling, lost in thought.
This inflated world of Naruto Online data—he still had it under control.
He wasn't particularly anxious about his combat strength anymore.
But having spent the past few years mostly in an office, he was starting to feel a bit like Naruto after becoming Kage—more politician than warrior.
Laid down the sword, so to speak.
Back then, Sage Mode had been Naruto's ultimate trump card.
Now, it was all he had left.
With the final war looming on the horizon, Yagura decided it was time to play it safe and upgrade himself one last time.
[Isobu: Is there something special about that place?]
[Yagura: A meteorite fell from the sky. It contains chakra. They say it's a fragment of the moon.]
The chakra inside that meteorite had been extracted by the shinobi of the Star Village and refined into a secret technique called the Peacock Method.
It was powerful—but overuse could cause severe backlash.
If it really was a piece of the moon, then could the chakra belong to Kaguya?
And if it was Kaguya's, then even the tiniest trace leaking from that stone would be a tremendous boost for Isobu.
Yagura wasn't entirely sure, so he gave Isobu a vague answer.
They'd find out soon enough.
Using the trending news about the upcoming Five Kage Summit and the public announcement of the Mizukage's departure to the Land of Iron as cover...
Yagura quietly slipped away under that "light," taking with him two carefully chosen companions: Utakata and Uchiha Shisui.
The three of them alone were more than enough to wipe out a minor shinobi village.
Two days later, they arrived outside the Star Village.
Then they waited another three days—until they got confirmation that Mangetsu's group had already infiltrated the Land of Iron.
Utakata sighed, a bit wistful as their relaxed days came to an end.
"Tomorrow, they'll probably run into those Kage."
"Tonight, we move," Yagura said, handing Shisui a freshly grilled fish.
Perfectly golden-brown. Crispy outside, tender inside. The steam rising off it smelled good enough to make anyone want to raid the fridge in the middle of the night.
It was the first finished piece, offered as thanks to the hardworking Uchiha who had used his Fire Style to get the grill going.
Shisui took it without fuss. "Thanks."
Crunch.
He took a bite—and immediately stiffened, turning his face slightly as he frowned.
The flavor was... hard to describe (putting it politely).
Weird. He'd watched Yagura add all the spices—nothing looked off. The heat, the timing—also correct.
So why did it taste so off?
While energetically grilling more fish for the team, Yagura explained the mission plan:
"Shisui, you won't be joining the fight. Your job is to keep watch—use your genjutsu."
Once battle broke out, it was going to be loud. There was no avoiding attention.
Shisui glanced westward and nodded seriously. "Got it."
His real enemies weren't the Star shinobi—but the shinobi from Konohagakure next door.
He'd never wanted to stand against the Leaf. Since leaving the village, most of his time had been spent guiding Sasuke.
But now... the Hokage was Shimura Danzo.
That changed everything.
Which is why Shisui agreed to Yagura's conditions—his name called, his eye promised to be returned—and stepped back into the fray.
Yagura had considered sending him directly to confront Danzo in the Land of Iron, but ultimately decided it was safer to keep Shisui close.
He still had more trust in his own people—those who hailed from Kirigakure.
So he gave the order freely. "Utakata, you're up first."
"Ughhh..."
Utakata lazily raised a hand in acknowledgment, lacking any real enthusiasm as he eyed the grilled fish his boss had handed him.
He thought about it for a second. Since he'd have to fight either way, might as well eat.
He took a bite.
Already having tasted Yagura's "uniquely bad" grilled fish several times before, Utakata didn't even flinch.
He'd eaten worse—military ration pills, for example. This wasn't that bad.
What was hard to accept was Yagura's total lack of self-awareness—he actually thought his fish tasted fine.
He didn't even like fish that much, yet had a weird obsession with grilling his own.
[Saiken:This must be what humans mean by being blind to their own creationsniu~~]
[Saiken: Friendly reminder, you should wait thirty minutes after eating before exercising. Otherwise, humans tend to develop that... inflammation thing.]
[Utakata: Got it, got it, sensei.]
He sighed, holding his forehead in mild pain.
Please grant him a normal Tailed Beast one day.
...
After resting the appropriate thirty minutes, Utakata stood up.
Shisui had already left earlier, heading toward the border to set up defenses against any incoming Konoha shinobi.
Yagura figured if he went all-out, the entire Star Village would be flooded—so he left it to Utakata.
"You got this," he said with a pat on the back, giving Utakata one last morale boost before he himself moved toward the center of the village, aiming for the meteorite.
Trailing quietly behind him was a cluster of nearly invisible bubbles—colorless, silent, almost imperceptible.
"Tch... talk about good at bossing people around," Utakata muttered as he played with his bubble wand, blowing and controlling each bubble as it silently drifted into the night.
First target: the Star shinobi standing watch atop the arrow towers.
It was only when the bubbles floated right up in their faces that they even noticed something was off.
"What the hell is that?!"
Snap.
Utakata flicked his fingers.
Water Style: Bubble Technique.
Boom!
Multiple small bubbles detonated at once, blasting apart the towers—along with the sentries stationed there.
At the same time, Yagura breached the Star Village's barrier. The sudden intrusion of an unfamiliar chakra triggered the defense systems instantly.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack!"
"Grab your weapons!"
"All units to the perimeter!"
Shinobi scrambled out of their beds, rushing to the village's edge—only to find an overwhelming sea of bubbles barreling toward them.
Utakata knew exactly what role he played in this mission.
He sealed himself inside one of the largest bubbles, floating high above the rest—right where every Star shinobi could see him if they looked up.
With the defenders' attention focused on Utakata and his ninjutsu...
Yagura slipped through the village undetected and quickly located the meteorite shard.
The Star shinobi had built their training grounds around the stone, using it to cultivate their Peacock Method.
So it wasn't hard to find.
Just a few moments ago, when the alarm sounded, several shinobi had emerged from a particular building—faces flushed like they'd just binged on chakra.
That was the place.
Yagura entered the wooden structure.
Inside, a few shinobi had stayed behind to guard the precious stone.
"Who goes there?!"
Taking a page from Utakata's playbook, Yagura simply raised a hand—water droplets forming in mid-air beside each shinobi.
Before they could react, the droplets exploded.
The blasts were easily as strong as Utakata's bubbles—if not stronger.
With the guards dead, Yagura used his rudimentary knowledge of sealing techniques to lock down the entire building.
Then he approached the meteorite at its center—its surface glowing with a dangerous, unstable purple light.
He placed a hand gently on it.
[Yagura: Well? What do you think, Isobu? Familiar chakra?]
[Isobu: Feels a bit like the Ten-Tails'... but not exactly.]
Could it belong to another member of the Ōtsutsuki clan?
[Yagura: Is it edible? Will I get diarrhea?]
[Isobu: Let's try a little first.]
Isobu was equally eager.
He could sense the chakra within the meteorite—maybe not quite on par with Kurama's, but surely enough to put up a decent fight against Gyūki.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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