The night was as black as ink, enveloping the Land of Demons.
The rolling mountains undulated in the darkness, their outlines merging with the dense night sky.
The shrine lay quietly nestled among the mountains, its silhouette visible against the night.
Outside the shrine, a towering torii gate stood, exuding an ancient aura. The weathered stone steps descended, stretching downwards.
On both sides of the main hall were lower, subordinate buildings where many guards were lined up, on patrol. A few faint, yellowish torches burned beside them.
The orange flames blazed in the night, casting a small circle of warm yellow light that danced stubbornly in the biting wind, resisting the pressing darkness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hyuga Kawa, and Kakashi Hatake were led by two solemn-faced guards towards the heavy, tightly shut gates of the shrine.
Creeeak...
The two guards pushed open the heavy wooden doors, revealing the brightly lit interior of the shrine.
The inside of the shrine was spacious and solemn. The high-domed ceiling and walls were adorned with ancient and mysterious murals. The air was filled with a mix of sandalwood, ink, and the scent of aged wood.
The most striking feature was a huge circular stone table in the center of the shrine.
Around the table hung five enormous, different-colored curtains, each labeled with a character: Wind, Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Water, like five giant flags.
At this moment, four figures were already seated at the table.
"Hmph!"
A low, mocking snort suddenly broke the silence in the shrine.
"The Hidden Leaf Village really has a lot of nerve!" one person said with undisguised displeasure. "Making so many of us wait here for you three."
Hyuga Kawa's eyes swept across the shrine. In addition to the four figures seated at the table, he also saw eight figures behind the curtains.
Kazekage Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, sat solemnly under the sandy yellow curtain. He wore a dark Kazekage robe, and his face was grim. Behind the curtain stood his guards, Baki and Yura.
Mizukage Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, was seated under the deep blue curtain. His body was small, his face was childish, and his eyes held a profound depth that belied his appearance. Behind the curtain stood Ao and Mei Terumi.
Tsuchikage Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, sat under the brownish-yellow curtain. His body was even smaller than Yagura's, and his eyes twinkled, giving him a shrewd, calculating look.
However, the person behind the curtain made Hyuga Kawa raise an eyebrow.
Besides the steady and tall Kitsuchi, who had an axe on his back, the other guard attending the Five Kage Summit was surprisingly Deidara.
He was now like a hyperactive child, impatiently shaking his leg and looking around.
Lastly, there was Raikage A, the Fourth Raikage, who sat under the indigo curtain. He had muscular arms crossed over his chest, and his face showed undisguised irritability and dissatisfaction.
The person who had just spoken was clearly him.
Hyuga Kawa's gaze shifted to the back of the Fourth Raikage. He passed by the bored and lazy face of Darui and met a pair of narrow, vertical pupils like a feline's.
"Yo," Hyuga Kawa smiled to himself. "An old friend."
As if sensing the smile in his eyes, Yugito Nii couldn't help but grip the handle of the whip at her waist, her eyes filled with cold killing intent and fury.
She would never forget that on the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water, it was this man who had captured her and Samui, making her a prisoner of the Hidden Leaf Village!
Although she was later released by the Hidden Leaf Village as a sign of "sincerity" during negotiations due to her sensitive status as a jinchuriki, the hatred and humiliation in her heart had only grown stronger.
Furthermore, Samui was still in the hands of the Hidden Leaf Village, serving as another bargaining chip in their negotiations!
Therefore, at this moment, it could be said that when enemies meet, their eyes burn with rage.
The atmosphere inside the shrine instantly became tense due to the Fourth Raikage's rude opening remarks and Yugito's undisguised killing intent. The air seemed to solidify.
Hiruzen's steps paused for a moment, and a look of apology soon appeared on his face, as if he hadn't felt their hostility at all.
"My apologies for making you all wait," Hiruzen said with a slight nod. His calm tone carried a perfectly timed apology. "The long journey took up some time. I hope you will forgive us."
"Hmph!" The Fourth Raikage again let out a cold snort of dissatisfaction, but he didn't continue to be aggressive.
He just leaned back heavily in his chair, his arms still crossed, and his gaze swept over Hyuga Kawa. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Thanks to the Hidden Leaf Village and this Byakugan kid, he had been scolded by the Land of Lightning's daimyo constantly during these years of war with the Hidden Leaf.
Hyuga Kawa didn't pay attention to the hostility of the two from the Land of Lightning. He was already thinking about how lively the Land of Demons was.
His eyes swept over the outline of the armguard under the Fourth Raikage's sleeve, the whip at Yugito's waist that had been condensed into a bludgeon, and the huge one-handed axe on Kitsuchi's back...
"Interesting." Hyuga Kawa genuinely smiled this time, thinking to himself, "Two of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Imperial Arm Wings of Hatred, the Thunder Armguard, the Soul-Beating Whip, the Ame no Murakumo Sword..."
He hadn't expected half of the ten ninja tools left in the first level of the underground palace to appear here at the same time.
Only the katana he had given Nagato after killing the Hannya Gang was left.
And Hidan's "Scythe of the Four Blades," Enra's "Divine Demonic Arrow," the "Ghost Shadow Mask" of 'Shadow,' and that useless broken sword.
The Land of Demons was truly lively now.
"Hehe..."
At this moment, Ōnoki let out a slightly hoarse, soft laugh and slowly said, "It's no big deal. It's good that the Hokage-dono has arrived safely."
"After all, the roads in the Land of Demons are indeed not easy to travel."
With that, he turned his head to the depths of the shrine and slowly asked, "Miko-dono."
"Can you explain why the Land of Demons, the location of the Five Kage Summit, has become like this?"
"The strange stone statues we saw on our way here don't seem to match your promise of safety and secrecy."
Ōnoki's slightly oppressive question caused a ripple in the silent shrine.
Every one of them had seen the hordes of stone statues after arriving here.
Those statues formed neat rows and were advancing at an extremely slow pace towards the heart of the Land of Demons.
No matter what stood in their way, they were crushed by their sheer numbers and weight.
Some of them had even attacked the statues, only for the shattered pieces to restore themselves and continue their slow march into the heart of the Land of Demons.
At this moment, hearing Ōnoki voice the common question, everyone's eyes turned to the depths of the shrine.
There, instead of a curtain representing a country, layers of pure white gauze curtains hung.
Behind the curtains, under the flickering candlelight, a slender figure was kneeling quietly. The figure was vague and indistinct.
It was Miroku, the Priestess of the Land of Demons.
"Tsuchikage-dono is absolutely right," Miroku's ethereal and calm voice rang out. "The calamity that the Land of Demons is currently facing is indeed contrary to my promise of safety and secrecy."
"For this, I am deeply sorry."
Her voice paused slightly here, and she continued, "But I think what the Land of Demons is facing today is also the reason why all of you were willing to come here."
"What do you mean?" Rasa frowned and asked. "What do those stone statues have to do with us?"
"Because what is currently wreaking havoc in the Land of Demons is the demon 'Moryo'..." Miroku said slowly. "No, perhaps it should be called a 'Hollow' of the Espada level now."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes changed.
"An Espada-level Hollow?"
Yagura, who had truly seen the power of a 'Menos Grande' before, spoke with a tone of unbelievable seriousness and surprise. "Wasn't Moryo sealed by the successive Priestesses?"
"Why did it get loose, and how did it become a 'Hollow'?"
His question echoed the doubts in everyone's hearts.
The reason they accepted the invitation to the Five Kage Summit and agreed to come here was indeed because of the appearance and proliferation of 'Hollows.'
What made them anxious and stressed were not only the 'Menos Grande' created from the deaths of shinobi, but also the countless ordinary 'Hollows' formed from the negative emotions of ordinary people.
Compared to the 'Menos Grande,' which were not so numerous and were scattered throughout the shinobi world, it was the ordinary 'Hollows' that were the source of chaos in the entire world.
Even if those ordinary 'Hollows' couldn't use a Cero, their natural immunity to physical damage was a huge threat to civilians, nobles, and ordinary shinobi.
The other four shinobi villages didn't have the same resources as the Hidden Leaf Village and hadn't yet found a way to deal with the 'Hollows.'
They had thought that the Land of Demons, which could seal demons, would be safe from the harassment and devastation of the 'Hollows' and would also have a way to deal with the 'Hollows' that were similar to demons.
They hadn't expected that even Moryo, which was sealed by the Priestess, would turn into an Espada-level 'Hollow.'
Based on the intelligence they had gathered from the Hidden Leaf Village, the Hidden Mist Village, and the battlefield in the Land of Hot Water, an Espada-level 'Hollow' had the power to cause a huge number of casualties in any country.
The Hidden Leaf Village was severely wounded by a newly born 'Espada,' and Yagura was defeated head-on by an 'Espada.' Both events proved that this intelligence was not false.
Yagura was already about to abdicate and let Mei Terumi take over as the Fifth Mizukage, but upon hearing about a meeting related to the 'Hollows,' he didn't hesitate to accept the invitation.
However, Miroku behind the gauze curtains didn't answer Yagura's question immediately.
Her gaze seemed to penetrate the curtains and land on Hiruzen and Hyuga Kawa.
"Please take your seat, Hokage-dono," Miroku's voice was still ethereal. "I believe the Hokage-dono, as the convener, can answer everyone's doubts."
At these words, everyone's eyes turned to Hiruzen.
Hiruzen narrowed his eyes and said nothing, walking towards the scarlet curtain. He sat down in the only empty seat, while Hyuga Kawa and Kakashi went behind the curtain.
With Hiruzen taking his seat, the Five Kage, the highest authorities of the five great shinobi villages, were finally gathered together.
"Kage-dono," Miroku's ethereal voice sounded again, carrying a ceremonial solemnity. "Please place your hats, which represent your identities, on the table in front of you."
Although the Kage present were anxious to know the answers, they each took off their hats and placed them on the stone table in front of them.
"At the call of the Hokage-dono, the Five Kage are now gathered," Priestess Miroku said. "I am the host of this meeting, named Miroku."
"Now…" she said. "The Five Kage Summit officially begins."