Inside Konoha's Anbu base.
The higher-ups of the Five Great Shinobi Villages gathered once more for the first Five Kage Summit since the Chunin Exams.
The meeting's topic remained how to address the threat Akatsuki posed to the entire shinobi world, as well as how to rescue the Jinchuriki from each village who had been abducted by Akatsuki.
When it came to rescuing the Jinchuriki, the Fourth Raikage was naturally the most proactive.
He had no choice but to be. In terms of losses, Kumogakure had suffered the worst losses among the Five Great Shinobi Villages when it came to Jinchuriki. Although Iwagakure, like Kumogakure, had lost two Jinchuriki, Kumogakure's two perfect Jinchuriki could easily crush Iwagakure's two Jinchuriki, who were constantly at risk of going berserk.
Yet very few echoed his support.
Sunagakure had no stake in the matter, since their One-Tail had not been lost. Kirigakure, meanwhile, lacked the means. At present, all Kirigakure could think about was ensuring the safety of the Fourth Mizukage, the Three-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Konoha's focus was likewise on protecting Naruto and Fū, its two Jinchuriki. They had the will but lacked the strength.
And not only Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Konoha—even Iwagakure, which had suffered considerable losses itself, showed little enthusiasm for the Fourth Raikage's active plan to rescue the Jinchuriki.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was extremely pragmatic. In his view, before they found a way to counter Akatsuki's leader, Nagato, any aggressive plan was inadvisable.
Thus, the Five Kage Summit once again fell into the same deadlock and arguments as before.
Itachi, still disguised as Hyuga Kagami, swept his gaze over the higher-ups from the various villages arguing incessantly and let out a quiet sigh.
The Third Shinobi World War had left the Five Great Shinobi Villages with an extremely fragile foundation of