The Land of Iron.
The meeting room designated for the Five Kage Summit.
But the people seated here were not the Kage.
In the seat meant for the Mizukage sat Hoshigaki Kisame of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
In the Hokage's seat sat the retired Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
And in the Tsuchikage's seat, it wasn't Ōnoki—it was the elite jōnin of Iwagakure, Kurotsuchi's father, Kitsuchi.
The Fourth Raikage slammed his lightning-clad fist onto the table.
"Are you kidding me?!"
BOOM!
His Lightning-infused chakra exploded outward in a violent burst, crackling through the air.
Instantly, all the guarding jōnin leapt into position, ready for combat, their eyes fixed cautiously on the furious Raikage.
"Ahem."
Mifune—the host of the summit and the neutral arbiter from the Land of Iron—cleared his throat, cutting through the tension as he tried to steer the conversation back on course.
"Please, calm yourself, Lord Raikage."
But Mifune knew his words carried little weight with this hot-headed Kage. He quickly shifted his focus toward the representatives of the three villages.
"Konoha. Kirigakure. Iwagakure. Would any of you care to offer an explanation to Lord Raikage and Lord Kazekage as to why your Kage failed to show up for this summit?"
In truth, the explanation was more for the Fourth Raikage than anyone else. He was a man with both a quick temper and a strong sense of pride.
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, had come in person.
He was already twelve years old and had held this position for several years, proving he had both the ability and strength to match it.
Still, in the presence of the Raikage, whose overwhelming power dwarfed his own, Gaara quietly sat back in his seat, saying nothing.
Beside him, Yashamaru and Sasori stood watch as his guards.
Ironically, it was Gaara's sand that shielded them from the Raikage's burst of lightning earlier.
But in the Fourth Raikage's eyes, Gaara still didn't carry the same weight as someone like Sarutobi Hiruzen.
So Gaara remained silent, unable to cut in.
Mifune, still trying to play the role of a patient mediator, watched the Fourth Raikage reluctantly retract his fist.
Gaara dispersed the protective sand.
Kitsuchi lowered his Earth defenses.
And Hiruzen gestured for Genma Shiranui and Asuma to stand down.
The Fourth Raikage glared across the room at the four seated representatives and Mifune, then let out a snort and sat back down.
"Fine! Let's hear what kind of excuse your Kage have cooked up—something good enough to explain why we're all playing house here instead of having a proper summit!"
Playing house, huh?
Sarutobi Hiruzen let out a dry chuckle, his smile cold and fake. The Raikage's anger didn't faze him in the slightest.
In fact, Hiruzen saw it as a tool.
The Raikage clearly viewed Kirigakure as a threat—and that meant Konoha was even more alert.
Which was precisely why Hiruzen had agreed to Danzō's rather unsavory proposal: for him to attend the summit in Danzō's place.
As for Danzō...
Hiruzen tapped his fingers lightly against the table, uncertain of what Danzō was up to.
But with Kiri pressing in from all sides and Konoha's strength waning under his leadership, he had no choice but to trust that Danzō's actions—however shady—were ultimately for the village.
All Danzō had told him was that he'd made contact with a dangerous underground organization.
And when Hiruzen tried to ask for more details, Danzō had shut him down with a single line:
"Hiruzen—I'm the Hokage now."
What arrogance...
Shaking the thought away, Hiruzen swept his gaze around the room, setting aside his worries for now. He had a role to play here.
He might no longer be Hokage, but no one in this room had more seniority or presence than him.
After the Raikage's outburst, no one else dared speak.
So Hiruzen took the lead, stepping naturally into the role of peacemaker. He turned toward Kitsuchi.
"Lord Kitsuchi."
The Iwa representative immediately responded with respect. "Lord Third."
Their civil exchange helped cut through some of the tension in the room, drawing glances from Mifune and the others.
Hiruzen asked cordially, "How is the Tsuchikage these days?"
He was, of course, inquiring about Ōnoki's absence from the summit.
Kitsuchi replied with a well-rehearsed line: Ōnoki was feeling unwell and couldn't attend.
He was over seventy now—even older than Hiruzen—so a sudden illness wasn't out of the question.
"Ah, I see."
Hiruzen accepted the flimsy excuse with a smile, giving Iwagakure a chance to save face.
"Lord Ōnoki and I go way back. When this summit ends, please send him my regards. Once he's feeling better, I'd love to catch up."
He had no choice but to play nice.
Sunagakure was already tied to Kirigakure's war chariot. If Iwagakure aligned with them too, Konoha would be completely isolated.
Ōnoki's absence today had already shown which side the old man was leaning toward.
But based on what Hiruzen knew of Ōnoki, he wouldn't take sides so quickly.
Today's no-show was a calculated move—applying pressure to both Konoha and Kumogakure, waiting for someone to offer Iwa a better deal.
Kitsuchi wasn't like Onoki. He was a burly, straightforward man with no knack for political nuance.
All he knew was the one thing his father had told him over and over again:
Don't take sides. Don't help anyone.
So he simply did his best to maintain a polite exchange with Hiruzen.
"Of course. I will."
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi exchanged a glance, silently grumbling in their heads.
Kurotsuchi raised a brow at him.
Akatsuchi didn't quite get it, so he just gave a simple, polite smile.
Their brief and utterly meaningless exchange ended up annoying someone else entirely—a large, angry someone.
The Fourth Raikage ground his teeth together and stared daggers at Kitsuchi.
"Birds of a feather."
Just whose side are you on?!
Hiruzen's composed expression almost faltered. His heart sank.
I'm working my ass off trying to win them over, and you just go and throw that at them?!
He shot the Raikage a warning glare, only to receive a furious stare in return.
That told Hiruzen everything he needed to know.
The Raikage wasn't just a brute. He knew full well that Ōnoki was leaning toward Kirigakure—and that was exactly what infuriated him even more.
"Watch your words, Raikage."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes briefly, offering Kitsuchi an apologetic smile.There was no choice now but to let the Fourth Raikage control the room.
...
"Kirigakure."
The Fourth Raikage didn't bother with Kitsuchi or Gaara anymore.
He cut straight to the point, turning his wrath directly on the representatives from the Hidden Mist.
"What kind of trick is your village's little guy pulling this time?!"
The Fourth Raikage slammed his weighted wrist down on the table, sending sparks of lightning crackling across the surface.
With a towering, muscular frame that looked like it could erupt into violence at any moment, his fury was palpable.
Among the three envoys, Mei Terumi was the most skilled at diplomacy. With a composed smile, she stepped forward and replied politely,
"Please forgive our rudeness, Lord Raikage. But we truly don't know what the Mizukage is planning. We're only following orders."
The Fourth Raikage cracked his neck.
"Hmph! Fine! Then I'll take you in and hand you over for interrogation!"
Unlike Ōnoki, who tended to posture and bargain, this wasn't a negotiation.
If that short-statured Mizukage from Kirigakure dared to skip out on the Five Kage Summit, he must be plotting something more than just avoiding confrontation.
What scheme is he running while we're all tied up here with this summit—?!
Tension snapped.
The Raikage's massive frame surged with lightning and launched forward like a thunderclap, his fist slamming down toward the Kirigakure envoys with deadly force!
At the same moment, a wall of sand whipped through the air, surging between the two sides.
Boom!
Lightning clashed with sand in midair—his attack was stopped.
The Fourth Raikage skidded back, eyes blazing with fury as he glared at the red-haired child seated in the Kazekage's chair.
"Lord Raikage, please calm down."
Sand coiled protectively around him.
Gaara's voice was young, but it held no hint of softness. Like the sand that had just blocked the Raikage's blow, his tone was unwavering.
"Kirigakure is Sunagakure's ally. I won't sit by and do nothing."
Even if he was still young, he was one of the Five Kage.
The Fourth Raikage growled, "So you've gotten used to being Kirigakure's lapdog, huh?"
Gaara's face remained unreadable despite the insult.
He knew exactly what he was doing—and why he had to do it.
That once soft, sweet dumpling who used to follow his teacher through the village had grown up.
As the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara understood clearly which choices would benefit Sunagakure most.
His resolute stance made the Raikage grit his teeth in frustration, but he didn't strike again. A shred of reason held him back.
That brief clash had told the Raikage just enough to gauge the young Kazekage's strength.
Twelve years old—and already on par with Darui, his own bodyguard. And he had the power of the One-Tail sealed within him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at Gaara's calm, unflinching face as he stared down the Raikage—and for the first time, truly acknowledged him as a fellow Kage.
A Kage with not only immense talent and power, but also independent thought and conviction—such a figure was not good news for them.
The Fourth Kazekage really did raise a strong successor for Kirigakure.
With the Raikage losing control of the meeting, Hiruzen was forced to step in.
"Mifune of the Land of Iron, due to unexpected circumstances with Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and our own village, I propose we adjourn the summit for thirty minutes."
Mifune nodded.
"A reasonable suggestion."
...
The meeting dispersed.
Back in their rest quarters.
Despite his age, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasted no time identifying the two urgent matters they needed to resolve:
First—find out what the Mizukage was up to.
Second—meet Ōnoki's demands.
Once everyone returned to their rooms, Hiruzen immediately paid a private visit to the Raikage, analyzing the unfavorable situation and possible countermeasures.
The Raikage agreed with the first point, but was clearly dissatisfied with the second.
Hiruzen couldn't help thinking of the Third Raikage.
He remembered how, after enduring a brutal multi-front battle last time, he had no choice but to urge diplomacy again.
"We need Iwagakure's strength. At the very least, we must ensure they stay neutral in the war to come."
Yes—war.
Anyone with eyes could see where things were heading. As Kirigakure's military continued to expand, both Konohagakure and Kumogakure were bound to push back harder and harder. The only outcome this trajectory pointed to—was another war.
Just like the First and Third Great Wars.
Only this time, the role Konoha once played was now being filled by Kirigakure.
The Raikage didn't argue. His silence was agreement.
Even though they'd suspected it, the mention of war still made the breath of men like Shiranui Genma catch in their throats for a moment.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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