The Five Kage Meet for the First Time, Newcomers and Old Acquaintances Reunite

Tsunade barely heard Naruto's casual narration. He casually flipped the grilled meat and then took down the kettle to make some hot tea.

The sounds went in one ear and out the other, a faint, dense noise accompanying the crackling of the campfire, a blatant daze. Tsunade hadn't intended to say anything unnecessary; she simply wanted to explain the origin of the necklace.

Before I knew it, I had said a few extra things; I hadn't realized I'd blurted them out.

The Hokage Necklace passed from the First's hands to hers, changing hands several times before being given to the person she considered most important. Now it's in his hands, and that's all.

"So, this necklace is cursed." That's how she ended her story.

Naruto remained calm and composed, methodically dividing the grilled meat into plates, pouring tea into cups, then setting the utensils aside, and casually looking up to speak.

"I have no taboos."

The flickering Kakkō shone on the two of them. Actually, Naruto and Tsunade were somewhat similar; both were carefree and easygoing. But Tsunade had a path and a guiding light in her heart.

Standing on that path were the First Hokage, the Second, the deceased Nawaki, and the fallen Dan Katō. Clearly and distinctly, they guided her onto the path they had completed or failed to complete—the path to Hokage.

On the contrary, Naruto's nonchalance seems more like wasting time, unlike Tsunade. He is nonchalant and indifferent simply because he enjoys the process of wasting time.

He didn't give up on himself, nor did he wallow in despair. He wasn't afraid of any trouble; as long as he liked it, he would still get involved no matter how troublesome it was.

Kakkō flickered in his heart, its light and shadow mingling, stretching to the horizon.

Tsunade knew Naruto had his own ideas, and she didn't force him to become Hokage. His personality wasn't really suited to be Hokage; he didn't have the inclination.

"You'll be fine. I'm just telling you." Tsunade glanced at him calmly. "I'm just worried that you'll worry about it later when you find out."

He smiled. "Lord Tsunade is still a very nice person."

"Oh."

The lobby was brightly Kakkō, with firewood crackling and burning.

Tsunade's hair was already dry, casually tied up, and she sat there leisurely drinking, chatting idly with Naruto. Soon after, they each washed up and went back to their rooms, the fire dying down.

The next day.

The window on the second floor of the inn creaked open, Naruto glanced at the relentless snowstorm outside, frowning. Traveling in this weather was not a good option.

A moment later, the window in the next room also opened.

Tsunade, casually draped in a white robe, looked sleepy, a trace of drool still dangling from the corner of her mouth. She glanced at Naruto next door, then calmly wiped it away.

"We can't leave." She yawned.

"Let's wait and see, the snowstorm won't last too long," Naruto added. Not far away, a red wall stood out starkly against the white snow.

Breakfast was meat porridge, bubbling away over the fire, Tsunade had little appetite. Muttering to herself, she instinctively reached for the sake bottle, only to have it snatched away by Naruto.

"Don't touch alcohol right after you wake up," he said, and threw the alcohol directly into the Sealing Space.

Tsunade stared at her for a few seconds, feigning shock, and gasped.

"Shizune said the same thing to me. Are you two secretly doing something behind my back?"

Naruto ignored her, only grunting in response. While serving porridge, he replied perfunctorily, "In a few years, I'll take Shizune away, and then no one will miss you."

She sneered, "Shizune won't leave me."

After breakfast, the wind and snow outside stopped. The inn door creaked open, and the two people, dressed in white robes, stumbled out.

The winter sun shines high, but it offers no warmth whatsoever.

With only two days left until the meeting, Naruto calculated that he could barely make it. He glanced back at Tsunade, who was walking at a leisurely pace, and shook his head helplessly.

"There are only two of us. Can we keep that group in check? Even if Kakashi-sensei doesn't have time, it would be good to bring Guy-sensei along." He complained as he stood by the roadside.

"Kai?" Tsunade hesitated for a moment. "This is a secret journey. Do you want everyone to know our route? Hmm? The Azure Beast of Konohagakure?"

"Well..." Naruto thought about it and realized it made sense, so he remained silent.

"Don't worry, if it really comes down to it, just call over that princess from Sand, then there will be three of us." Tsunade walked past him.

Naruto rolled his eyes. He hadn't intended to provoke Temari; it was entirely an accident. However, the mention of Temari immediately reminded him of the white waist visible through the curtains.

Her waist was slender and fair, without an ounce of excess fat.

He only reminisced for a moment, without any lingering attachment. He glanced at the distance ahead and continued on his way with his head down.

Two days later.

In the midst of a blizzard, he saw a row of armored warriors standing guard like statues in the snow. These men appeared to be completely encased in iron armor, their masks Red Eye that seemed to gleam with steel.

His loyalty was written all over his face, as if he were always at the beck and call of the emperor in the Warhammer game.

"This is unbelievable!" he thought, pulling his gaze away and gasping for breath.

"What's wrong?" Tsunade laughed at him. "Never seen a samurai nation forged from steel?"

"No, I'd like to try on that armor too," Naruto said softly. "But it's too ordinary. I wish there was an enhanced version of the Chakra Armor."

"Maybe in the future," Tsunade said casually.

"Maybe."

Naruto didn't stop and continued walking with Tsunade. Mifune, the leader of the Land of Iron, stood in the snowstorm with two bodyguards to greet them, their expressions solemn.

"I've been waiting for you, Lord Hokage," Mifune greeted solemnly.

"It's freezing cold, let's go inside and talk," Tsunade and pointing to the huge council tower behind them.

"Yes, this way, please." Mifune said, then added halfway around the corner, "Did the Lord Hokage only bring one bodyguard this time?"

"Yes, nothing major happened at this Five Kage Summit, one is enough," she said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Mifune was slightly taken aback.

This Five Kage Summit was initiated by the Land of Iron at the request of the Raikage, in order to address the kidnapping of Yugito Nii, the Jinchuriki of the Tailed Beasts from the Land of Lightning, by Sasuke Uchiha.

Judging from Tsunade's tone, she seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the Raikage's frequent initiation of the Five Kage Summit.

The Five Kage Summit hasn't even started yet, but the atmosphere is already this tense. Each Kage has come with Yakumi; aside from the Kazekage Mizukage, who are somewhat more approachable, the others... well, it's hard to say.

After all, only Kumogakure has lost its Jinchūriki; the other countries are fine and haven't lost their Tailed Beasts yet.

Upon entering the tower, the light dimmed, and several pairs of eyes immediately focused on them. Naruto and Tsunade remained calm and slowly walked towards the elevator.

The clanging of chains echoed from below as a massive mechanism activated, sending the spacious elevator ascending. Naruto glanced down before stepping aboard and whispered a question to Tsunade.

"Were they pulled up by people?"

"How would I know?" Tsunade glanced at him sideways. "This is my first time here too. Are you interested?"

"No, I was just asking." Naruto sniffed. The elevator was going up quite slowly, and the wind was blowing in. "Why is it drafty?"

"Where do you think the Land of Iron achieved its neutrality?" Tsunade said. "Truly powerful nations cannot remain neutral; the Land of Iron's neutrality is merely a last resort."

The elevator stopped after ascending, and since there were no elevator doors, the two people simply walked out of the makeshift elevator.

They seemed to be the last to arrive. Below them were semi-circular, spaced-out tables, surrounded by curtains. Behind each shadow's position was a corresponding curtain, and behind the curtains was the attendants' rest area, which also served as a waiting area.

Naruto and Tsunade stopped at the entrance, attracting more than a dozen gazes. The three siblings from the Land of Wind were familiar faces; Naruto glanced at Temari, then quickly looked away.

The great foes of the Land of Lightning wore stern faces, their injuries appearing to have healed. The Fourth Raikage A, possessed massive muscles and wore only a cloak.

Two guards, Darui and Shiri, stood on either side of the Fourth Raikage A, A, their expressions serious.

Among those present who had never met before, there were probably only Ōnoki and his two companions from the Land of Earth, and Mei Terumi and her two companions from the Land of Water, who were leisurely watching the excitement from the sidelines.

Standing behind Ōnoki is his granddaughter, the long-legged Kurotsuchi, who loves to follow her Ōnoki around, accumulating experience and titles. She's a true Third Hokage Kage, a legitimate hereditary princess.

Unsurprisingly, Kurotsuchi is the last candidate for Tsuchikage given the current talent shortage in Iwagakure. She's known for her Lava Release technique, though its power isn't particularly great, which has led the Raikage to suspect her.

After all, there are only a handful of people in the entire Shinobi World who possess the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, and the Raikage clearly remembers that Sasuke Uchiha, who kidnapped the Yugito Nii, used Lava Release.

Another of Onoki's Ōnoki is Akatsuchi, a powerful type from Iwagakure. He's tall and imposing, arguably the strongest "fat tiger" in the Shinobi World. His strength is formidable and cannot be ignored.

At this moment, Naruto didn't even glance at Akatsuchi; his gaze first fell on Mei Terumi, lingering there for a long time. Thanks to the hot -Zabuza from the Bloody Mist, Mei Terumi's peers had all been wiped out by him alone.

As a result Mei Terumi is almost thirty years old, and despite her magnanimous heart, she still hasn't found a suitable marriage partner in the village, truly sitting firmly on the throne of the single queen.

Standing behind him is the owner of the Hiramekarei Ninja Blade, a seemingly innocent but actually naive and dependent man, the future Sixth Mizukage, Chojuro. He is cowardly and only has a modicum of usefulness thanks to the Hiramekarei Ninja Blade.

The other is Kirigakure. During the Third Shinobi World War, he stole a Byakugan from the Hyuga Main Family and completed its glorious evolution.

Naruto looked away and glanced at Tsunade, only to find that Tsunade wasn't looking at anyone but had her eyes fixed on Mei Terumi's chest.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "Damn, great minds think alike!" Tsunade, having traveled far and wide, must know the heroes of this era. Noticing Naruto's gaze, she met his Naruto.

A knowing smile exchanged between them sent a chill down Naruto's spine.