This Five Kage Summit was hosted and overseen by the Land of Iron, with Mifune, the leader of the samurai, serving as its neutral mediator.
Mifune himself was a relatively new leader, having only recently succeeded his predecessor. This was the first time he had presided over a gathering of such importance.
Now that Hayashi had arrived, all five Kage were present.
Before the summit officially began, the eldest among them, the Third Tsuchikage, chuckled softly.
"I never expected that in just a few years, everyone sitting here would belong to the younger generation. Most villages have now entered the era of the Fourth Kage. Time truly spares no one."
Although Ōnoki's words carried the tone of an old man reminiscing, they were filled more with genuine emotion than self-importance.
At the previous Five Kage Summit, aside from Kirigakure, every village had still been led by its Third Generation Kage.
Even the Third Hokage, despite already being middle-aged, had welcomed another son, proving he still possessed remarkable vitality.
Yet only a few years had passed.
Among the Kage who had attended the previous summit, one had died on the battlefield, two had disappeared without a trace, and only the Third Hokage had enjoyed a peaceful retirement, passing Konoha on to the next generation.
The only one still standing from that era was Ōnoki.
How could he not sigh at the relentless passage of time?
Then again, hadn't Ōnoki wanted to retire long ago as well?
Unfortunately, Iwagakure simply lacked a worthy successor.
His son, Kitsuchi, was competent, but merely competent. He had not yet reached the level required to shoulder the responsibilities of Tsuchikage.
There were no other shinobi in the village capable of using Dust Release, leaving Ōnoki with no choice but to continue carrying the burden himself.
Sometimes he even found himself grumbling inwardly.
If you're not strong enough to become Tsuchikage, then stop running missions and hurry home to have children.
He had even thought of a name already.
Boy or girl, the child would be called Kurotsuchi.
Poor Kurotsuchi, who would one day become the Fourth Tsuchikage, had unknowingly received such an old-fashioned name long before she was even born.
Thinking of successors, Ōnoki quietly swept his gaze across the others.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was doing reasonably well.
Although he couldn't compare with an unparalleled genius like Hayashi, he was still an exceptional shinobi in his own right.
He had even mastered the inherited Magnet Release.
What more could a village ask for?
The Fourth Raikage, A, had also grown into a capable leader.
While he hadn't surpassed the legendary Third Raikage, he had matured steadily and inherited the strength expected of Kumogakure's leader.
Kirigakure, however, was another matter entirely.
Its succession had nearly collapsed.
Two Mizukage had vanished one after another, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had declined to the point of near extinction.
Otherwise, someone like Hōzuki Senjin, a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, would never have become Mizukage.
In Ōnoki's eyes, Hōzuki Senjin was merely a transitional leader, someone who would hold the position until the next generation matured.
What he didn't know was that Kirigakure's future potential ranked second only to Konoha.
Although the village currently appeared to be in decline, almost on the verge of falling from the ranks of the Five Great Nations, another decade would completely change its fortunes.
By then, shinobi such as Mei Terumī, Zabuza Momochi, and Kisame Hoshigaki would have fully matured.
Combined with powerful bloodline clans like the Kaguya Clan, the Hōzuki Clan, and the Yuki Clan, Kirigakure possessed terrifying long-term potential.
Ōnoki's gaze eventually settled on Hayashi.
For just a brief moment, genuine envy flashed through his eyes.
Konoha truly was a cradle of geniuses.
Hayashi alone was already extraordinary.
Behind him stood Minato and Nawaki, both exceptional talents in their own right.
Minato, in particular, possessed the qualities of someone destined to become Hokage.
Any one of them would have been cultivated as the future leader in another village.
Yet Konoha had several such prodigies.
If Iwagakure possessed even one shinobi of that caliber, Ōnoki would have happily stepped down years ago instead of making the long journey to the Land of Iron.
On top of that, Konoha still had the Three Sannin, the White Fang, and rising young talents like Kakashi.
The more he thought about it, the more jealous he became.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Raikage interpreted Ōnoki's nostalgic words as nothing but mockery.
He had never wanted to attend this summit in the first place.
After all, who was responsible for his father's death?
The Hokage.
The Tsuchikage.
His hatred toward both men was impossible to conceal.
Hayashi, however, remained completely indifferent.
No matter how fiercely the Raikage glared at him, would he actually dare attack here?
Could something that had been lost on the battlefield really be reclaimed with nothing more than an angry stare?
As the Raikage's hostility continued to grow, the atmosphere inside the meeting hall became increasingly tense.
Rasa, meanwhile, kept his eyes lowered, seemingly fascinated by the patterns carved into the conference table.
He had come simply because the summit required the presence of all Five Kage.
He had no intention of involving himself unless absolutely necessary.
Hōzuki Senjin felt much the same.
He understood his own limits.
Even during his days as one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he had never been among their strongest members.
Although he now bore the title of Fifth Mizukage, he knew he could not compare with the monsters seated before him.
Seeing that no one intended to speak, Mifune finally broke the silence.
"Since all Five Kage are present, the Five Kage Summit, convened at the request of the Fourth Raikage, will now officially begin."
"According to the Fourth Raikage, Kumogakure recently suffered an attack in which one of its Tailed Beasts was taken."
"He further claims that the attackers were the missing Third and Fourth Mizukage."
"Your Excellency, Fifth Mizukage, how do you respond to this accusation?"
As the neutral host, Mifune calmly summarized the purpose of the meeting.
Though he added nothing beyond the facts, his words successfully broke the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the room.
This was precisely why the Land of Iron served as host.
The villages distrusted one another too deeply for any of them to mediate the summit themselves.
Hōzuki Senjin calmly delivered the prepared response.
"The Fourth Raikage insists that the former Mizukage attacked Kumogakure."
"However, everyone here knows that both former Mizukage disappeared years ago."
"Not only has Kirigakure failed to locate them, but none of your villages have uncovered their whereabouts either."
"Since the Fourth Raikage speaks with such certainty, I assume he possesses undeniable evidence?"
"Evidence?" the Fourth Raikage replied coldly. "Are you saying I would fabricate such a story? Are you saying every shinobi in Kumogakure would lie as well?"
Lacking physical proof, he could only rely on eyewitness testimony and the credibility of his position as Raikage.
Hōzuki Senjin, however, remained unconvinced.
"In that case, I also have something that requires an explanation."
"Not long ago, two shinobi dressed as Kumogakure ninja infiltrated Kirigakure and abducted the Six Tails' jinchūriki."
"How do you explain that?"
"That's slander."
The Fourth Raikage struck the table with his fist.
Hōzuki Senjin simply shook his head.
"It isn't slander."
"Just like your witnesses, countless shinobi from Kirigakure saw them."
"As the Fifth Mizukage, I stake my credibility on the truth of those words."
At that moment, Ōnoki spoke.
"Shinobi dressed as Kumogakure ninja are not necessarily from Kumogakure. They could have been disguised by another village."
"But faces are another matter."
"No one mistakes the faces of the Third or Fourth Mizukage."
Although he appeared to be supporting the Fourth Raikage, Ōnoki was also speaking for himself.
Clothing could be forged.
Village symbols could be copied.
Appearances, however, especially those of famous individuals, were far more difficult to dispute.
After all, he had personally recognized Biwa Jūzō.
That same man had attacked Iwagakure and captured the Five Tails' jinchūriki.
Whether they were missing-nin or rogue ninja no longer mattered.
Three former Kirigakure shinobi had attacked multiple great villages in succession.
That fact could not be denied.
Now, Kirigakure would have to provide a satisfactory explanation.
At the same time, Ōnoki was seizing the opportunity to align himself with the Fourth Raikage and strengthen their bargaining position during the summit.
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