Mifune stood on the high platform in Iron City, gazing across the snowfield as it gradually returned to calm. His sword hand trembled slightly, and a wavering rarely seen in a samurai's heart surfaced on his weathered face. He murmured, "The power of shinobi... has actually reached such heights. What can a samurai's blade still protect?"
A moment later, he tightened his grip on the hilt and drew a deep breath. "But no matter how powerful shinobi become, the way of the samurai cannot be broken because of it. Since the Five Great Nations are willing to join forces to defend this land, the Land of Iron must also do its part."
The Five Kage Summit resumed in a temporary stone hut erected beside the collapsed Summit Venue.
The charcoal burned fiercely, but the silence inside was colder than the wind and snow outside. The five Kage took their seats in turn, each wearing a complicated expression. That earth-shaking battle on the snowfield had shattered most of their mutual probing and scheming, replacing it with a grim consensus: Akatsuki's power far exceeded what any single village could handle alone.
The silence lasted a long time. At last, Ōnoki spoke slowly, his voice less barbed than before and considerably heavier. "I have always been reluctant to acknowledge Konoha's strength. But after witnessing it firsthand today, I have no choice but to admit it—if the Ninja World needs a leader to stand against Akatsuki, I doubt anyone is better suited than the Fifth Hokage."
After speaking, he looked at Tsunade with a calm gaze, as though announcing a decision made only after careful deliberation. "I propose that Lady Tsunade, Konoha's Fifth Hokage, serve as supreme commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces."
Mei Terumī spoke almost immediately after him, her tone light yet