As Sakiya and the others stepped out of the casino, a samurai from the Land of Iron approached the entrance.
These samurai were responsible for escorting the Kage from each village to the secret meeting place.
Tsunade, realizing this, hurriedly put on her Hokage robe. If she had worn it inside the casino, the samurai would have come to greet her sooner.
Following their escort, Sakiya and the group were led to a towering, pyramid-like peak.
Just before they entered, they noticed another figure arriving, also escorted by samurai. The person wore a long cloak with the kanji for "Water" on the back and a wide-brimmed hat.
Besides the familiar face of Ao, another ninja accompanied them—a young man with a sword strapped to his back.
Kakashi instantly recognized him.
Sakiya, of course, already knew who it was.
The Fifth Mizukage—Terumi Mei.
Sure enough, she removed her hat, revealing her familiar features.
Long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, partially covering one of her striking turquoise eyes. She wore a charming smile, exuding both elegance and authority.
"Sakiya, long time no see."
At the sight of her, Sakiya's expression twitched. Like a startled rabbit, she quickly ducked behind Tsunade, peeking out cautiously.
"I don't want to see you."
Terumi Mei, unfazed, approached with a warm smile.
"Hehe~ Sakiya, you haven't changed a bit."
Then, she turned to Tsunade.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Fifth Hokage."
Tsunade grinned. She had read Kakashi's reports and was well aware of Terumi Mei's reputation.
Removing her own hat, she returned the greeting.
"Likewise, Fifth Mizukage."
Terumi Mei chuckled.
"Though this is our first meeting, I've heard much about you."
Tsunade immediately recognized the tone—Terumi Mei was trying to establish friendly relations. Without hesitation, she responded in kind.
"Oh, you flatter me. To become Mizukage at such a young age—now that's impressive."
Terumi Mei's smile widened.
Watching this exchange, Kakashi and Ao exchanged glances.
These two were getting along too well.
Sensing the conversation dragging, they both subtly cleared their throats.
Realizing they were still outside, Terumi Mei spoke first.
"This isn't the best place for a chat. Let's continue inside."
With that, she and Tsunade walked in together, talking and laughing as if they were old friends.
To an outsider, they might have seemed like long-lost sisters.
Meanwhile, Sakiya stood frozen, looking lost.
"Wait… shouldn't she have come to me first?"
Shizune sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
"You were just hiding from her a minute ago. Now you're upset she didn't look for you?"
---------
Kakashi stood off to the side, feeling somewhat emotional.
"I turn away for a moment, and now she's acting like the Hokage."
Ao, walking past him, left a quiet remark.
"She would make a fine Mizukage."
Kakashi smirked at Ao's back.
"Well, our Hokage isn't bad either."
Then he remembered Tsunade had just been gambling in the casino.
Kakashi scratched his head.
"Well… hopefully not bad."
---
There were many reasons why Tsunade and Terumi Mei got along so well. The most obvious was that they were both women who had risen to the rank of Kage.
Being relatively young for their positions, they naturally shared a sense of camaraderie.
Beyond that, Tsunade was one of the legendary Sannin, a renowned kunoichi in the ninja world, while Terumi Mei, as a fellow female Kage, had an instinctive respect for her. Of course, this also extended to Sakiya.
But the main reason for their budding alliance was the current state of the Hidden Mist. The village desperately needed a reliable ally.
Tsunade saw no issue with this—having an ally to support her at the Five Kage Summit could only be beneficial.
Terumi Mei led Tsunade to a private room, ensuring they were alone.
To be cautious, she activated a barrier around them.
Tsunade, seeing how careful she was, immediately knew this was going to be a serious conversation.
Terumi Mei's expression hardened.
"Hokage, how much do you know about the Akatsuki?"
Tsunade was momentarily caught off guard.
"We were planning to discuss that later—sharing our intelligence at the summit would be more effective."
Terumi Mei shook her head.
"I understand, but I believe you already know about what happened in my village. I asked Kakashi to keep it a secret, but I know he wouldn't hide it from you."
Tsunade frowned.
"Are you talking about the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura?"
Terumi Mei's eyes darkened.
"It was the Sharingan."
Tsunade's eyes widened.
"Sharingan?"
Terumi Mei nodded.
"The Fourth Mizukage was being controlled by a masked man using the Sharingan. But it wasn't just any Sharingan—it was the Mangekyō Sharingan. As far as I know, the only person in history to wield such power was Madara Uchiha."
Tsunade clenched her fists.
"Are you saying this masked man is Madara?"
"I don't know," Terumi Mei admitted. "But for years, this man manipulated the Hidden Mist from the shadows. That's why I wanted to ask you, Hokage—do you have any idea who he might be?"
Tsunade was silent.
She began going through the list of Uchiha who could have had the strength and ability to infiltrate and manipulate another village.
Shisui Uchiha…? No, he was loyal to the village.
Fugaku Uchiha…? Possible, but unlikely.
Itachi Uchiha…? He was too young at the time.
None of them seemed capable of secretly taking control of Yagura and the Hidden Mist.
And yet…
A masked man.
A Sharingan wielder.
Manipulating a Jinchūriki.
Controlling a village from the shadows.
Tsunade's thoughts suddenly snapped to Konoha.
To the past.
To the night the Nine-Tails attacked.
There had been a masked man then, too.
A shadow lurking behind the scenes, orchestrating chaos.
And now, everything was coming together.
Tsunade exhaled slowly, her eyes sharp with realization.
"If I'm right… this masked man is behind everything."
Tsunade felt a chill run down her spine.
What was this masked man after?
Was he trying to throw the entire ninja world into chaos? If so, his influence might already be everywhere, manipulating events from the shadows.
And if that were true, then the current Akatsuki organization… was likely his creation.
Tsunade's expression grew serious as she turned to Terumi Mei.
"Are you saying the masked man is a member of Akatsuki?"
Terumi Mei shook her head.
"I'm not sure."
"The current members of Akatsuki include Itachi Uchiha, the man responsible for wiping out his clan. I wanted to ask if there are any Uchiha in the organization that I don't know about."
Tsunade sighed.
"As far as I know, there's only one Uchiha who could pull off something like this."
Terumi Mei frowned.
"Who?"
"Uchiha Madara."
Terumi Mei's eyes widened.
"Madara? But… he's supposed to be dead!"
Tsunade nodded.
"I know. Which is why it shouldn't be him. But if not him, then I can't think of any other Uchiha capable of this."
Terumi Mei fell silent, deep in thought.
Tsunade continued.
"Regardless, I believe this masked man is connected to Akatsuki. He may even be the mastermind behind everything."
Terumi Mei considered her words, then slowly nodded.
"You might be right."
She had hoped Tsunade would have more information, but it seemed she knew just as little.
Still, this meeting wasn't just about the masked man.
Rebuilding the diplomatic ties between the Hidden Mist and the Leaf was crucial. The Mist needed trade to recover economically, and Tsunade's support could make a significant difference.
Deciding to set aside the issue of the masked man for now, Terumi Mei shifted the conversation toward formalizing relations between their villages.
The two Kage spoke for a long time before finally emerging from the private room.
By then, the other Kage had begun to arrive.
---
The Five Kage Arrive
From the Hidden Sand:
Fifth Kazekage – Gaara
Guards: Kankuro, Temari
From the Hidden Cloud:
Fourth Raikage – A
Guards: Darui, C
From the Hidden Mist:
Fifth Mizukage – Terumi Mei
Guards: Chojuro, Ao
From the Hidden Stone:
Third Tsuchikage – Onoki
Guards: Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi
With almost everyone present, Mifune stepped forward and led them into a large conference room. A long, semi-circular table stood at the center, with flags representing each of the great villages.
The Five Kage Summit was about to begin.
From left to right, the seating arrangement was: Mist, Sand, Leaf, Cloud, and Stone.
Konoha sat at the center.
At the opposite end of the long, semicircular table was a smaller, independent table. Behind it stood a flag bearing the symbol of the Land of Iron.
This was the seat of Mifune, the neutral presiding officer of the meeting.
Once everyone had arrived, the five Kage took their seats according to their assigned positions.
Their guards remained behind the curtains, standing at attention.
The walls of the conference room had small gaps in the curtains, allowing the meeting to be observed from outside.
Muhua Saki watched through one of these gaps, taking in the scene.
It was familiar, yet slightly different from what she remembered.
The only changes were in Konoha and the Hidden Cloud's representatives.
Still, it was impressive that Gaara had managed to become Kazekage at this stage, just like in her memory.
Her curious gaze swept across the room, silently comparing it to the Five Kage Summit she remembered.
Before she could get too lost in thought, she felt an odd sensation—like someone was watching her.
Sure enough, when she turned, she noticed several people sneaking glances in her direction.
The stares made her uncomfortable.
What she didn't realize was that many of the other attendees were confused about her presence.
To them, she looked small, harmless, and almost… cute.
Like some kind of mascot.
Why had Tsunade brought a child to such an important meeting?
Raikage and Terumi Mei, who were already familiar with her, didn't give it much thought.
But the others were puzzled.
Given Tsunade's age, some even wondered if this girl was her daughter.
Wait… what?
How did their thoughts even get there?
The meeting officially started.
Mifune, the host, spoke calmly.
"As the presiding officer of this summit, I now declare the meeting officially open."
As his voice fell, silence filled the room.
A few moments later, Gaara was the first to speak.
After experiencing life and death, the Hidden Sand Village had undergone great changes, and so had he. Just as before, Naruto had reached out to him during various missions in the Sand Village, gradually breaking down the resentment in his heart.
Gaara had changed completely—his temperament, his outlook, and even how he treated others. His growing popularity in the Sand Village, combined with his immense strength and the village's desperate need for a leader, had naturally led to him becoming Kazekage.
Gaara intertwined his fingers, resting them on the table, and spoke in a calm tone.
"Then, I'll begin—"
Before he could continue, Onoki cut him off.
"The Five Kage have changed quite a bit," Onoki said with a smirk.
His gaze landed on Gaara.
"To become Kazekage at such a young age… impressive. Your father must have trained you well. But when it comes to manners, I think you're still a bit lacking."
His tone dripped with sarcasm.
Gaara remained unfazed.
"I suppose so. That's why I'm here today as Kazekage."
Onoki chuckled.
"Hahaha… what an arrogant boy."
Kankuro and Temari, standing behind Gaara, frowned.
"What's with this old man?" Kankuro muttered. "So annoying."
Terumi Mei, watching the exchange, finally spoke up.
"Lord Tsuchikage, please let the Kazekage continue without interruption."
Onoki just smiled but said nothing more.
Gaara resumed speaking.
He recounted how Akatsuki had invaded the Hidden Sand Village, attacked the Land of Wind, and destroyed half the village before kidnapping him.
"For this reason, we requested aid from the Five Kage," Gaara continued. "But aside from the Hokage, none responded. Without her help, I wouldn't be sitting here today, and the One-Tail would have been taken."
Gaara's voice remained steady.
"This is why I believe Akatsuki is an extremely dangerous organization. We cannot allow them to continue unchecked."
Onoki smirked.
"Akatsuki is indeed strong. Every major hidden village has already felt their power firsthand."
He leaned back.
"Does anyone else have something to add?"
The Fourth Raikage, thinking of Killer Bee's near capture, slammed his fist on the table.
"There's nothing else to discuss! Akatsuki must be destroyed!"
Tsunade nodded.
"Since we all agree on the need to fight Akatsuki together, the next step is deciding how we cooperate."
She glanced around the room.
"My proposal is for the Five Great Nations to form a joint ninja force—an elite unit tasked with tracking and eliminating Akatsuki."
Onoki chuckled.
"A joint ninja force? And who exactly will lead this army?"
_____________
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