The Land of Iron had gone to extraordinary lengths for this conference.
Not only had it planned the itineraries meticulously, ensuring that the delegations traveled to Kyoto at different times and along staggered schedules, it had deliberately scattered their accommodations as well.
Whenever a delegation wanted to go sightseeing, the Land of Iron would use the pretext of "providing guides" to deftly coordinate their movements, keeping the delegations from the Five Great Ninja Villages from meeting beforehand as much as possible. It ensured that the village representatives would not share a room until the conference officially began on the final day.
Whether the Land of Iron's careful arrangements had worked or the delegations themselves simply had no desire to cause trouble at such a critical juncture, they made it to December 20, the day of the conference, without incident.
The venue was a building the Land of Iron had constructed specifically for this conference.
Mifune had originally wanted to use the old building where the Five Kage Summit had been held decades ago. It stood in a secret valley outside Kyoto, safe and secluded. Even if the parties started fighting on the spot, the civilians inside Kyoto would not be caught in the crossfire.
But Isshin had rejected that proposal. Since the people attending this time were not the Five Kage, he said, using that building again would be improper.
Besides, the venue was too small. This conference was open to the entire Shinobi World and needed no secrecy. Representatives from shinobi villages large and small, as well as various other factions, would be attending. The old building could never accommodate them all, so they might as well build a new conference hall.
He had also taken the opportunity to propose an International Joint Conference, with representatives from every nation