Five Kage Summit (4)

Byakuren narrowed her eyes. "You mean Drive the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf?"

"Thirty years left..." Izuna paused, swallowing back the words that almost escaped his lips, "Ahem, train henchmen from a young age to serve them."

Ishikawa chuckled, a laugh tinged with the magnanimity of someone with experience, "Izuna, aren't you overthinking this? Leaving aside the possibility of anyone being instigated, even if they really wanted to train thugs, could they train them properly? Ninjas aren't Samurai. If they could all be trained properly, there wouldn't be any Shinobi Clans in the first place."

Izuna raised an eyebrow. "Drive the Tiger to Swallow the Wolf is simple. Wasn't that what happened with the Land of Hot Water Incident? There are too many desperate thugs who will do anything for money; it's impossible to kill them all. As for the second possibility..."

He turned his head and looked at Ai.

The others followed his gaze.

Ai felt several gazes fixed on her simultaneously, and she leaned back in her chair, her eyes becoming wary. "Why are you looking at me?"

Izuna smiled and said, "You know why."

Byakuren's gaze swept between Ai and Izuna, and the corner of his mouth twitched beneath his beard. "Could it be that Lord Raikage Izuna was talking about...?"

Ai was silent for two seconds.

Knowing that Uchiha Izuna wouldn't let him get away with this, and that this matter was common knowledge in the Land of Lightning, these people could find out about it when they went back to investigate.

Let's lay our cards on the table.

He sighed and said, "That's right, I am the kind of person Izuna described. I'm not a member of the Shinobi Clan, nor am I a native of Valley of Clouds and Lightning, but I can use the power of Chakra."

Everyone was stunned.

Even Hashirama and Madara found it hard to believe.

Before Izuna brought up this possibility, none of them would have thought that such a person could sit here on equal footing with them.

But he did appear, and he sat there as the shadow of the village, talking to them.

Ishikawa He's weathered face was filled with questions. "How did you cultivate?"

"Uh..." Ai thought for a moment, "It's because I was caught in the crossfire of Ninja battle one day, and then I discovered I could use Chakra."

Reto's brows furrowed deeply. "What about Ninjutsu? You can't just figure out Ninjutsu on your own, can you?"

"I've always relied on Taijutsu in combat," A said frankly. "I've tried Ninjutsu before, but none of them really suit me. For me, Ninjutsu is supplementary, a means to enhance my physique."

Byakuren leaned forward. "Without any power, how did you manage to unify the Shinobi Clans of the Land of Lightning? Won't they be resentful?"

"It's not difficult at all," Aida said casually. "As long as I subdue them all, and then serve them the best food and drink, people will naturally follow me."

The other Four Kage: "..."

There really are geniuses like that!

Not only did they have it, they even became the village's shadow!

Is this really something that could happen in real life?!

Reto glanced at Hashirama and Hashirama others, then at A, and couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

The thought of competing against these monsters suddenly made him realize that the squabbles in the village were nothing.

After Ai finished speaking, she turned her gaze back to Izuna: "Not many people should know about this, could it be that my Adopted Son told you?"

Although I am not one of your people, I will shoulder my responsibilities!

Izuna looked at the panel, smiled, and lied, "Yes, yes, that's it."

He wouldn't tell him that he actually just guessed based on the other person's CG.

I can't believe he guessed right. No wonder it's the Hokage world; it's truly magical.

Ai sighed and leaned back in her chair.

Before, when Xiao Ai returned from Konoha, she bragged to him endlessly, praising Konoha to the skies.

This time, they even revealed that he wasn't a local from Valley of Clouds and Lightning.

Does this child realize how serious this is? If this incident didn't perfectly corroborate what Izuna is saying now, how much criticism would he face?

No way. I have to beat him up when I get back.

Somewhere in the Land of Lightning, a blond youth who was escorting Kinkaku and Ginkaku from the Kumogakure back to the Kumogakure suddenly sneezed.

He rubbed his nose with his brown fingers and looked up at the sky.

Who's talking about me?

Izuna shrugged. "Anyway, I think it's much simpler to be on good terms than to be at odds. Plus, a better image makes things easier, so an image makeover is definitely necessary. What do you all think?"

Byakuren leaned back in her chair and waved her hand, "I'm old. You should talk to my disciple about this."

Hozuki Gengetsu's golden-green eyes lit up, clearly showing his particular interest in the topic.

Reto lowered his hand. "I'm also very busy with my own affairs. I'll have my capable subordinate Discussion with you."

Shamon stepped out from behind Reto and nodded to Izuna with a stern face.

Ishikawa turned to look at Wu: "Go ahead, but be polite."

Wu grunted in agreement and stepped forward.

Ai glanced back at her guard, a bearded man wearing a peculiar hat, who gave Ai a slight bow before following her.

Upon seeing this, the host from the Land of Iron gave a few instructions to the attendant behind him. The attendant quickly came over and led the five people to another Meeting Room.

When Hozuki Gengetsu passed by Hashirama, he slowed his pace by half a beat and turned his head to look at Madara, who was still standing Hashirama.

"Doesn't he need to go?"

Izuna followed his gaze.

Madara stood beside Hashirama, his eyes vacant, clearly lost in thought.

His hair wasn't tied up; long, frizzy strands hung loose, and paired with his unfocused eyes and an expression that screamed "Where am I? This place is so boring," he looked like a hedgehog just dragged out of hibernation.

Izuna slapped his forehead.

"Oh right, bro, come with us, we need your help here."

Ban snapped out of his daze, swayed a couple of times, and slowly Earth Flow over.

He didn't tie his hair up or fix his expression; he just sauntered over to Izuna with his thick, frizzy hair and a gloomy aura.

Hozuki Gengetsu was so startled by Madara's appearance that he took a step back.

Holy crap! I was just asking casually! Is this monster really going to follow us?!

Madara stopped beside him and glanced at Hozuki Gengetsu.

Hozuki Gengetsu: "..."

How terrifying! The Asura of the Ninja World truly lives up to his name!

Izuna was very satisfied.

He deliberately didn't let Ban tie his hair up; at that moment, Ban's mere presence was enough to suppress the atmosphere of half the corridor.

This is the visual effect he wanted; in negotiations, presence is very important.

And that's how the contrast has to be created.

It'll blind these people in a minute!

"Let's go," Izuna said, stepping outside.

The attendants of the Land of Iron led the way, guiding them through the corridor to another Meeting Room.

This room was a size smaller than the previous one, but still spacious enough. A long table stood in the center, and against the wall stood an old screen that hadn't been removed. The screen was painted with faded pine trees and cranes, and the edges of the paper were frayed.

The attendant directed the servants to bring in chairs, arrange them in a circle according to the number of people, and then served tea, paper, and pens before bowing and leaving.

Everyone took their seats at the table.

After sitting down, Izuna didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point. "Regarding the image transformation, I've already explained part of its importance."

Hozuki Gengetsu rested his elbows on the table, his chin in his palms. "So what do you plan to do? You can't exactly go door-to-door telling people, 'We Ninjas are actually pretty nice people,' can you?"

"Of course not," Izuna said. "That's too basic. Now I'm going to talk about another part that we couldn't cover at the Five Kage Summit. It's too complicated to explain, so I'll demonstrate it for you."

Hozuki Gengetsu blinked. "Demonstration? Now?"

Izuna smiled slightly, stood up, and walked behind Madara: "That's right, it's a demonstration. Please take a look, everyone."

He raised his hand and placed it on Ban's shoulder.

"This man, with his disheveled hair, imposing presence, and resemblance to a demon from hell, seemingly devoid of any compassion, is Madara Uchiha, the Asura of the Ninja World, and also my brother."

Ban sat there motionless, his thick hair cascading down his sides, his eyes naturally half-closed, giving him an air of disdain. He looked like a demon who had just crawled out of hell and hadn't quite woken up yet.

The Shamon's hand unconsciously rested on the hilt of his knife.

The bearded man leaned back, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Hozuki Gengetsu pursed his lips, his back already taut.

As for Wu, his face had been sour from the beginning, and now it was even more serious than before.

Izuna surveyed their reactions and was quite satisfied.

"That's right, this is my brother."

He bent down, reached his hands to the sides of the man's face, and swept his hair back.

The thick, bushy fur was lifted, revealing a face underneath.

High and sharp brow bones, deep-set eyes, straight nose, and clean, sharp jawline.

After most of her face, which had been hidden by her hair, was revealed, her eyes suddenly no longer appeared gloomy; instead, they exuded an indescribable sharpness and beauty.

Her eyelashes were long, and her skin, though not fair, had an exceptionally fine texture, like polished jade. Her lips were pursed, with clearly defined lip lines.

Zhang Yang's handsome appearance was so striking that even when he was expressionless, he could not be offended.

The moment his entire face was revealed, the dimly lit Meeting Room seemed to brighten by an octave.

Everyone was stunned.

"So handsome!" Hozuki Gengetsu couldn't help but blurt out.

Izuna released his grip, and Madara's hair bounced back. But now, no one could associate him with those dark adjectives from before.

"How is it? Isn't my brother handsome?"

Everyone nodded subconsciously, and then they suddenly understood what Izuna meant.

Hozuki Gengetsu said, "This is the other part?"

Izuna nodded. "That's right."

"On the battlefield, anything can be justified by the disparity in Strength. Strength equals justice." Izuna held up one finger. "But in matters of human relationships, those who force people into submission through coercion and tyranny have never succeeded. Because humanity only fights for justice."

"But there is only one justice!"

The Shamon murmured, "There is only one justice?"

"The only unchanging justice in this world—" Izuna opened his arms, "That's right, it's cuteness!"

The Meeting Room fell silent for a moment.

"Cute is justice!" Izuna's voice rose slightly. "All desires, wants, and instincts are for the pursuit of cute things. We'll give anything for cuteness. To put it bluntly, everyone in this world is obsessed with looks!"

The bearded man opened his mouth, as if to refute.

But he had to admit that the moment he saw Madara Uchiha's face, he seriously doubted whether the title "Asura of the Ninja World" was true or false.

That face looked more like that of a young master raised in the secluded mansion of a Daimyo family than a demon crushing his enemies on the battlefield.

If Madara Uchiha were to attend this meeting with his hair up, most of the people here would be attracted by his appearance, thinking he's some kind of nobleman, and would at least show him deference, if not treat him with utmost respect.

Is this the power of "cuteness"? Is this what it means to be "aesthetically inclined"?

Is justice really determined by whether someone is beautiful or not?

After a moment of stunned silence, Hozuki Gengetsu suddenly gave a thumbs up. "You're right! In this world, cuteness is justice!"

Izuna's eyes lit up. "Oh~ you have good taste! Welcome to the Looksism Cult '!"

Ban sighed, reached up and tied his hair up. He'd gotten used to tying his hair up now; if he didn't, his neck always felt stuffy and uncomfortable. Before, Quan Bai wouldn't let him tie it up, but now that he'd demonstrated, he could finally tie it up.

Shamon snapped out of his daze and released his grip on the hilt of his sword, "So you mean to start by changing the Ninjas ' appearance?"

"Yes, that's the most important point." Izuna nodded. "You've just experienced firsthand just how much psychological impact cuteness can have."

The bearded man's tone still held a hint of hesitation. "But we're Ninjas; we're supposed to keep a low profile."

"I've already said that Ninjas need to change, and this is the first step," Izuna said. "Even if we have to keep a low profile, we must still give people a clean and tidy impression."

"The idea that 'cuteness is justice' isn't just a casual saying. Don't forget how you felt just now; that was your first reaction. Only when that first reaction makes people think, 'This is a good person,' can we truly become good people."

Wu crossed her arms. "We wear normal clothes in our daily lives, and we go shopping and go out normally."

Hozuki Gengetsu glanced at him. "He's definitely not referring to this part, you're so stubborn."

"You!" Wu glared back.

Izuna snapped his fingers, "That's right. I want you to make changes while you're still working."

"For example, right now." Izuna clapped his hands and summoned a servant.

Go and fetch what I left in the carriage.

After a while, two servants carried in a box.

The box was placed on the table. Izuna walked over and opened the lid.

Inside, various fabrics and miscellaneous accessories were neatly stacked, folded into squares, with the corners tied with thin ribbons.

Others craned their necks to look.

Hozuki Gengetsu, "Wow! Looks like you've been planning to modify us all along?"

"That's right." Izuna picked up a piece of clothing from the box, shook it out, and held it up to his eyes. "Now take off your clothes, let me help you change your image."

Meanwhile, Meeting Room the Five Kage Summit Conference room.

Without their guards, the Five Kage sat back down around the long table to discuss the draft peace agreement.