Chapter 83: The Six-Party Talks
The various villages began to send envoys to the victorious Hidden Cloud to sue for peace. With all five of the great nations having been involved in the war to some extent, it was likely that a Five Kage Summit would be organized.
But the Cloud sent its own envoys, not to the lands of Earth or Fire, but to the small northern countries: Hot Water, Sound, Waterfalls, Rice Paddies, and Iron.
After driving the enemy from the Land of Rain, the Cloud's forces had set up camp in the Mount Tenmoku area and had begun to clean up the battlefield. Though it had been a great victory, they had still suffered some casualties, especially on the Konoha front, and they needed to recover the bodies. And with Konoha and the Stone having retreated in a hurry, their camps were still filled with valuable items, such as various... research materials.
The "Special Attack Force" in the Land of Rain was left under Blue Bee's command, while the Third Raikage, along with Arashi and Dana, went to the Land of Iron.
Upon arriving, the Raikage held a late-night meeting with the Land of Iron's Daimyo and the samurai general, Mifune (age 37). What was said was unknown, only that the Daimyo was in high spirits afterward, while Mifune looked very resigned.
After the meeting, the Raikage and his party returned to the Hidden Cloud Village and began to formally receive and deal with the various envoys.
After much negotiation, it was agreed that a Six-Party Talks would be held in the Land of Iron in half a month.
Yes, you heard that right. Six-Party Talks.
In addition to the five Kage, Hanzo of the Salamander would also be attending, as the leader of the Hidden Rain and the representative of the Land of Rain. This was a condition the Third Raikage had insisted upon.
It was worth noting that while the four inland villages had been fighting, the Hidden Mist had quietly undergone a change in leadership. The Third Mizukage had stepped down, and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had taken his place. He was the first of the fourth generation of Kage. And though the Mist could have skipped this meeting—they had been bottled up in their own country and their involvement in the war had been a fiasco—the legendary baby-faced Fourth Mizukage had insisted on coming, hoping to strengthen the Mist's ties with the mainland nations and break their long-standing isolation.
After a flurry of meetings with the various envoys in the Hidden Cloud, the Third Raikage, along with Dana, Arashi, and a contingent of ANBU, once again left the village for the Land of Iron.
As they passed through the many towns along the way, they could feel a renewed sense of vitality. The shadow of war was gradually fading.
They even caught up with the still-marching western forces, who were currently in the Land of Sound. The young ninja in the unit were now treating the whole thing as a training exercise, with no sense of tension. If it weren't for their commanding officers, they would have been treating it like a spring picnic.
Dana and Arashi had become idols to the young ninja of the Cloud. Dana had seen his own portrait and photos made into strange, handmade posters and hung in some of their tents, especially those of the young female ninja. Every day, a large number of them would come to him for awkward chats or autographs. In the end, he couldn't take it anymore and just stuck to his father's side, which was enough to deter them.
Arashi, on the other hand, seemed to have the opposite effect. He attracted the aspiring musclemen of the village. His posters were plastered on various pieces of gym equipment, and many of the Cloud ninja would stare intently at his picture as they grunted and sweated through their workouts. It was a rather dangerous atmosphere.
After a few days with the "training corps"... ahem, the western forces, they continued on their way and arrived in the Land of Iron a few days later.
As was tradition, each Kage could only bring one or two bodyguards to the summit. The rest of their entourage had to be stationed outside the venue. After settling his men, the Raikage discovered that they were not the first to arrive. The Hidden Mist, the most distant of the villages, had already been there for some time. It was a surprising feat. The new Fourth Mizukage must have set out the moment he received the notice. But, in theory, the two villages were not supposed to meet privately before the official start of the summit.
At Mifune's invitation, Dana and the others toured the capital of the Land of Iron. The country was famous for its swords, and Dana took a particular interest. He noticed that most of the blacksmiths were using the semi-finished products of the "blacksmith's shop" project. The infiltration had been a success. The Land of Iron also had a branch of the "blacksmith's shop," and it was doing very well. They were likely his own businesses. But for now, it was best to keep a low profile.
Three days later, the other Kage had arrived. The Six-Party Talks, which would decide the fate of the Second Great Ninja War, officially began.
When Hanzo of the Salamander arrived in the Land of Iron and was received by Mifune, he was overcome with emotion. He alone knew that it had taken him nearly twenty years of hard work to earn this right. He had built the Hidden Rain from nothing, endured countless humiliations and compromises, and had finally seized this opportunity.
My big brother really came through for me!
And when he finally stepped into the former Five Kage Summit hall, now the Six-Party Talks hall, and saw the five Kage hats arranged in a circle—Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, and Thunder—his heart skipped a beat. But even if he had a bad case of diarrhea, he would not have shown it. He maintained a calm and composed demeanor and slowly walked to the newly added sixth seat.
The first Six-Party Talks in the history of the ninja world had officially begun. In attendance:
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, with his bodyguard, Sakumo Hatake.
The Third Kazekage of the Hidden Sand, with his bodyguard, Rasa.
Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone, with his bodyguard, Kitsuchi.
Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, with his bodyguard, a random nobody.
Hanzo of the Salamander, leader of the Hidden Rain, with his bodyguard, a random nobody.
A, the Third Raikage of the Hidden Cloud, with his bodyguards, Arashi Yotsuki and Dana Yotsuki.
A total of thirteen people.
Don't ask why the Cloud got to bring an extra bodyguard. The answer is: they won.
When Hanzo entered the hall, Onoki sneered. The so-called "Four Heroes of Mount Tenmoku" were all here. The sight brought back the bitter memories of that day. After the battle, he had learned that Hanzo of the Salamander had inflicted the most casualties. Countless of his men had died from his poison, and his underground forces had been almost completely wiped out. The loss had cut him to the bone.
"First time here?" he taunted. "Try not to fall off your chair."
Hanzo heard the mockery in his voice, but he didn't know the proper etiquette for a Kage-level summit. He wanted to retort, but he was afraid of losing his composure. He was like a man in sandals at a fancy restaurant, wanting to take a sip of water but waiting to see how everyone else did it first, afraid of making a mistake. He was stuck.
Just then, the Third Raikage spoke up.
"If you're here because you lost a war," he said, "it's probably better to come less often."
"You—!" Onoki was speechless.
Hanzo gave the Raikage a "you're the man" look and then sat up straight, deciding to observe the others first.
But the Raikage's next words nearly made him choke.
"Let's not waste any time," he said. "The first item on the agenda is to recognize the Hidden Rain Village as a victorious power, with a status equal to that of the five great villages. From this day forward, Hanzo of the Salamander will be known as the Amekage. Who is in favor? Who is opposed?"
Hanzo almost spat out his tea.
His heart began to pound. He looked at the other Kage, a mixture of hope and anxiety on his face.
Dana, standing behind his father, just shook his head.
Dad has him completely wrapped around his finger.