Sasuke racked his brain for a long time, but still couldn't come up with any solution.
"Damn it, space–time ninjutsu is really annoying! Ծ‸ Ծ"
He slammed his fist into the ground in frustration.
Karin suddenly thought of something.
"Sasuke, doesn't Shinju have a Flying Thunder God mark on your clothes? Then can't he just teleport here and get us out of this mess?! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Sasuke frowned.
"You're overthinking it. This place is in another dimension. The Flying Thunder God probably can't reach across it. ᵕ᷄≀̠ᵕ᷅"
Meanwhile, Suigetsu was stuffing chunks of meat into his mouth.
"Why bother overthinking it? First thing is to stay alive. As long as we're alive, we'll figure something out later..."
...
Land of Iron.
9 a.m. the next morning.
After a night of rest and cooling off, the Five Kage Summit resumed.
Mifune sat at a small table, his eyes constantly glancing toward the curtain at the back.
He was wondering whether he should call out that red-haired brat who caused a scene yesterday and have him join the meeting.
After all, judging by how he stood up to the Raikage yesterday, it almost looked like he was about to beat him up.
And yet, the other Kage didn't even react to his behavior at all!
Though Mifune wasn't from the shinobi world, he still knew a thing or two about its affairs. He'd heard about the newly emerged Wood Release user from Konoha — a young, powerful shinobi around whom countless stories revolved.
But when he saw the boy in person, he realized that all those stories were true — if anything, they'd been far too modest!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
That kid was absurdly strong — strong enough to silence all five Kage!
Such a man… the Land of Iron had better treat him with utmost care.
As Hokage, Tsunade seemed to notice Mifune's hesitation. She smiled lightly.
"Looks like it's about time, Mifune-san. The meeting can begin."
Mifune nodded, wiping away nonexistent sweat from his forehead.
"Alright, let's begin the meeting. We'll continue where we left off yesterday."
For some reason, the Kage all spoke much more politely today...
Behind the curtain, Naruto and Kakashi stood guard as the Hokage's escorts.
Beside them was a chair — and lounging comfortably in it was Shinju.
Not far away, C, the Raikage's bodyguard, looked at Shinju with a mix of irritation and envy.
"Why does he get to sit down as the Hokage's escort, while we as the Raikage's guards have to stand the whole time... Ծ‸ Ծ"
The dark-skinned, white-haired Darui replied, "Technically, the Hokage's real escorts are standing too."
"We're bodyguards for our Kage — we have to stay alert in case anything happens and protect their safety and privacy. That's why we stand — easier to move."
C frowned. "Then that red-haired kid...?"
Darui shrugged. "He's sitting because he's not a guard. The Land of Iron gave him the title 'Meeting Order Supervisor,' so technically he's here to maintain order and ensure the summit runs smoothly."
C spread his hands, still confused. No matter how he thought about it, "Meeting Order Supervisor" sounded like a meaningless title.
Only after some thought did he realize the truth behind those words — power.
Because Shinju was too strong, the Land of Iron didn't dare offend him — they even made up a special position just for him!! (°A°`)
"Alright, alright, don't overthink it..." Darui said, trying to calm him down.
On the other side, Naruto leaned toward Shinju.
"Hey, Shinju, why don't we switch for a bit? You stand for a while and let me sit — my legs are completely numb. This 'guard duty' isn't human work... --003d_--003d"
Kakashi frowned. (*Ӧ)σ
"Naruto, keep it down! Being a Kage's escort is an honor! It's just standing for a while — a ninja endures what others cannot endure—"
Before Kakashi could finish, Shinju smiled and nodded toward Naruto."Sure, I don't mind. Sitting here's boring anyway. You can use the Transformation Jutsu to turn into me, and I'll use Transformation to turn into you. That way we can swap places." (๑╹ヮ╹๑)ﾉ
He turned to Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, want to sit too?"
Kakashi immediately said, "Sit!"
So shameless — but so tempting.
"Alright then, the three of us will take turns resting! ( ˝ᗢ̈˝ )"
...
Inside the conference hall.
Tsunade spoke first.
"The Akatsuki are deeply entrenched throughout the shinobi world. Eradicating them in one move won't be easy."
Mifune nodded.
"I've listened to the thoughts of all the Kage. Since every village has suffered from Akatsuki's actions, why not form an Allied Shinobi Army to completely wipe them out?"
Mizukage Mei said, "I support Mifune's proposal to organize an Allied Shinobi Force."
Raikage A interjected, "Isn't forming an Allied Shinobi Army just a little too much for dealing with Akatsuki?"
Kazekage Gaara crossed his arms.
"Raikage-sama, your brother was nearly captured by Akatsuki. Do you still think forming an alliance isn't necessary?"
Raikage growled, "Watch your mouth, kid! You're getting awfully cheeky. Want me to teach you a lesson on behalf of your father? (눈益눈)"
Tsunade said sternly,
"Since we're all seated here as Kage, there's no need to talk about seniority or age."
At that, the Raikage went silent. It wasn't Tsunade he feared — it was the person sitting quietly behind her: Shinju.
Seeing him quiet down, Mifune turned to Onoki, the Tsuchikage.
"What do you think, Tsuchikage-sama, about forming an Allied Shinobi Army?"
Onoki hesitated.
"To be honest, since the founding of the shinobi villages, there's only ever been conflict between them — never unity. --003d_--003d"
"And even if we do form this Allied Shinobi Army... who would command it? \( ö )/"
At those words, silence filled the room.
The commander of the Allied Forces would hold immense power. Each village was wary of the others — none wanted someone else taking the position and gaining an advantage.
Still, once the question was raised, the same name came to all their minds.
But that boy wasn't a Kage, and his seniority was low...
Gaara folded his arms. "Then, allow me to nominate someone—"
Before he could finish, the Raikage cut him off.
"No."
"We all know who you're about to name — but absolutely not."
"The Akatsuki's target is the tailed beasts."
"When the war against Akatsuki begins, the battlefield will be chaotic. We can't guarantee the safety of the jinchūriki."
"So jinchūriki can't go to war — let alone be commander... and that boy carries three tailed beasts within him."
"I know what you're all thinking — that his strength is overwhelming. But aside from the Kazekage here, everyone else has experienced large-scale wars before."
"In a true world-scale battle, no matter how strong one person is, the effect of individual power is limited."
The Raikage's words weren't without reason.
Still, Gaara couldn't help but argue.
"But what if someone's power is strong enough to turn the tide of battle?"
Raikage crossed his arms.
"There's no such 'what if.' Once the Allied Shinobi Army is formed, there will be no need for them to step onto the battlefield."
Behind the curtain, Shinju finally understood — the Raikage was planning to hide him and the other jinchūriki away once the war began!