"Then Konoha accepts this convention. From this day forward, all Konoha ninja will be bound by it in combat."
Shinichi shrugged, casually picked up the copy of the convention with its ink still wet, and tapped it against his palm. Then he looked up. "And the rest of you?"
A brief silence answered him, then...
"Kumogakure accepts," Yotsuki A rumbled.
"Sunagakure accepts," Pakura added coldly.
"Iwagakure accepts," Kitsuchi said in a deep voice.
"Kirigakure accepts," Yagura said expressionlessly.
Mifune clapped his hands together, his voice echoing throughout the hall. "Then the Shinobi World Humanitarian Convention takes effect as of today. May this convention not only establish a baseline for the shinobi world, but also become the first cornerstone on the path to true peace."
As his words fell, applause rose from the observers' seats. Sparse at first, it soon swelled into a tidal roar as camera flashes lit up the entire hall.
After the conference ended, the representatives of the major shinobi villages went through the proceedings of shaking hands, posing for group photographs, and holding up their convention certificates, all beneath the crowd's gaze and the reporters' incessant flashes.
Compared with the perfectly composed Shinichi, Pakura, Kitsuchi, Yagura, and Yotsuki A were visibly uncomfortable. Who knew how many times they had
silently cursed Shinichi for insisting on so much unnecessary spectacle.
Yotsuki A seemed determined to take his frustration out on Shinichi. When they shook hands, he unmistakably applied force, his five fingers abruptly tightening like iron pincers.
Shinichi raised an eyebrow slightly. His smile remained unchanged, but his hand tightened in return.
The two staged a contest of grip strength before everyone present. Their eyes locked, one blazing with temper, the other smiling coldly. Veins bulged on both their hands, and their knuckles crackled under the pressure.
Only