In early December of Konoha Year 49, the Shinobi World enjoyed a brief period of peace, and news of the Five Kage Summit began to spread rapidly.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, among the Five Great Nations, the Kirigakure of Land of Water was the first to speak out. It wasn't the Third Mizukage who initiated the response; Elder Genji spoke first, "War cannot resolve the issues of mission and development. Kirigakure is willing to discuss a reasonable solution with the other ninja villages."
This elder is 12 years older than the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and is currently 72 years old.
Having witnessed most of the events in the Shinobi World, the Genji man rarely spoke out, so the other juniors naturally gave him face. The Tsuchikage Ōnoki, also quickly expressed the attitude of Iwagakure: "If the distribution of benefits is fair, the Iwagakure Ninja would not mind a ceasefire."
Due to communication problems among the Five Great Nations, most Konoha Ninja did not hear the news until three days later.
During this period, Konoha and Kumogakure had several arguments, with both sides agreeing that they had won the conflict in recent months.
Konoha Ninja displayed their kill counts on their own territory, while Kumogakure internally publicized the massive losses inflicted on the enemy by destroying enemy strongholds.
After the Tsuchikage stated his position, the Fourth Raikage A, quickly responded, "No one can encroach on the Kumogakure's ninja commission market. The Kumogakure is willing to go to the Land of Iron to discuss this matter."
With the three leaders expressing their stances, only Konoha, which held the advantage on the battlefield, remained silent.
As for the Kazekage of Sunagakure, everyone knew that Rasa had to follow Konoha's arrangements, so naturally no one cared about his thoughts...
Just as the Land of Iron was about to send another invitation, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, gave his reply. Without much explanation, his response was remarkably simple. " Konoha will participate in this meeting."
After repeatedly confirming the news with the Five Great Nations, the Land of Iron finally announced that the Five Kage Summit would be held on the 1st of the new year.
The talks will last for a week, Land of Iron will make preparations to welcome ninjas from all countries to experience samurai culture.
The Small Nations ninja village was also in an uproar. This seemed to be a meeting to redefine spheres of influence. In a short time, Konoha received many envoys, all eager to be the first to climb onto this "big tree."
Within Konoha, the Five Kage Summit became the focus of everyone's attention.
The tavern has been doing better and better these past few nights; people are drinking and bragging, all hoping for more profits to come.
Inside the barbecue restaurant, Minato Namikaze and Kushina were also discussing the matter. Like most Konoha Ninja, Kushina did not consider the Five Kage Summit a dangerous event. "If we can reach a result that everyone can accept, the war should stop!"
"It seems that elder of Kirigakure was quite farsighted; constant fighting only breeds hatred in the end."
After taking off her heavy coat and putting on a green dress, Kushina tilted her head and looked at Minato after saying this. The latter smiled awkwardly before replying in a low voice, "We can't be too optimistic, but the talks should be safe. Don't worry about me."
Minato had killed too many Iwagakure Ninja in the Land of Grass, and he couldn't believe that they would easily reconcile. Being on the front lines, he was even more aware of the state of hatred between ninjas.
Minato was skeptical of the talks, which aimed to end the war through reasoning; he suspected a huge conspiracy was involved.
As Shu Furukawa flipped the grilled meat, he noticed Minato's helpful look and immediately chimed in, "With neutral countries involved, the talks are definitely safe. I'm still thinking about what gifts to bring back; samurai culture is quite rare!"
Kushina, captivated by the "gift," immediately pulled Minato and began munching on the grilled meat, completely forgetting about the meeting. She kept praising, "Cultivation is truly amazing. At my age, I couldn't have mastered so many Sealing Jutsu."
"It's a pity I can't go on a mission, otherwise I would definitely go to the Land of Iron with you all."
"The snow scenery over there must be different..."
Minato felt a pang of sadness upon hearing these words. Kushina could only move within the sealed barrier, and the scenery she saw every day was pretty much the same.
"Now that we have portable cameras, we can take some landscape photos."
Following up on the conversation, Shu Furukawa offered advice, Kushina, who rarely went out, chatted even more happily. When the time came, Minato took his wife home and returned, and the topic of conversation changed direction. "Osamu, do you have any good ideas for defending against Tailed Beast Bomb?"
" The Rashomon effect still puts us in a somewhat passive position."
"During the meeting, I found Danzo's words to be quite reasonable; there was no need to attend the meeting."
"At most, we just need to kill a few more ninjas from other countries to end the war."
Minato spoke of killing with a calm expression. He possessed exceptional ninja skills, able to separate his ninja work from his personal life, and showed no resistance to killing ordinary ninjas.
Shu Furukawa pondered for a moment, then suggested in a low voice, "The condensation of the Tailed Beast Bomb will take some time. Prepare in advance to use the Flying Thunder God Technique for transmission. The Fourfold Rashomon should be able to delay the attack and prevent a surprise attack."
"I'm actually hoping they'll take action, so we can retaliate legitimately, and dissenting voices in the village will disappear."
Minato also felt that continuing the fight was a good choice, but thinking of the Third Hokage, he could only sigh regretfully, " The Lord Hokage was too merciful. However, with the two of us here, as long as we prepare in advance, we shouldn't have an accident like the Second Hokage's."
"It feels very strange. The decision by Kirigakure was too abrupt. I can't think of any reason why they would play such a role."
A strange look flashed across Shu Furukawa's face. He couldn't be sure if Madara Uchiha could control the Mizukage, since he knew nothing about the Third Mizukage.
Even if the old man ordered the Mizukage to launch the attack, he was confident he could accept this "supplement." The more chaotic the Kirigakure became, the more opportunities he could continue to provide for [ Collection ].
"At most, we'll retreat early. Don't worry about Minato- kun; the Third Hokage is still very powerful."
"If anything unexpected happens, I'll cover the rear. At least in terms of Chakra, I should be on par with the Fourth Raikage A."
Minato smiled brightly again, nodded without refuting, and thinking of the Third Hokage who had been exercising Tenten lately, he sighed once more, " The Lord Hokage has truly given everything for the village!"
With the fighting on the front lines over, Konoha Hospital is no longer as busy as it had been in the past few months, and the nurses even have time to gossip among themselves.
Shizune is already capable of participating in major surgeries, and she is also a capable ninja in the field of Medical Ninjutsu.
Rin Nohara accompanied Kakashi for his routine check-up. Seeing the worried look on the girl's face, Shizune offered encouragement. " Kakashi is recovering very well! Rin, there's no need to worry."
"I'm not good at dealing with brain Chakra issues, but Xiu is the best medical ninja in the village at treating this kind of injury, even better than Tsunade."
Kakashi, seeing Rin Nohara clenching her fists in tension, reassured her, "I know my body, Rin. It's just an emotional issue. As a ninja, I'm not so fragile as to be controlled by my emotions."
"Don't underestimate this power, Kakashi."
Upon entering the room, Shu Furukawa smiled and reminded her, noticing Rin Nohara's concerned gaze, he went straight to the point about the follow-up examination. "The good news is that your leg fracture has completely healed, and the damaged meridians have also been repaired, so it won't affect your speed."
"The bad news is, you have to constantly control your emotions. Excessive medication has caused a slight change in your brain's Chakra."
" Kakashi, you can feel it, right? You should be able to control the two Chakra points in your brain more easily now."
Kakashi was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Shu Furukawa to be able to detect it. He subconsciously asked, "For a ninja, this should be a good thing, right?"
"It's definitely a good thing; this power will at least give you more Chakra, but the price is the emotional issue I mentioned."
Shu Furukawa didn't offer much explanation, simply giving his advice. "The best solution is to live together! With Rin by your side, it will help you focus on what's in front of you."
"After you move in together, you can help each other, Kakashi..."
"Living together?"
Rin Nohara gasped, her face flushed, and realized she had interrupted Shu Furukawa. Her face turned even redder, and she kept glancing at Kakashi.
Kakashi was embarrassed by this solution and turned away, but seeing Shu Furukawa's signal, he simply agreed, "Rin, you can stay in my Apartment. There are plenty of rooms, and I'll take good care of you."
"Ah! This... I..."
Rin Nohara gasped, twisting her body in bewilderment. Living together since they were 12? Did that mean they could get married at 16?
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became, but Rin Nohara did not refuse. She lowered her head and avoided looking at the three of them, replying softly, "Alright, I'll go to Kakashi's place and take care of him for a while longer."
Shizune watched in stunned silence. She hadn't expected the two to be so bold. Suddenly remembering Tsunade's help, she subconsciously looked at Shu Furukawa.
Why are you suddenly silent? Are you feeling unwell?
Shu Furukawa touched Shizune's forehead, and the latter's face instantly turned red. It was unclear what she had thought of, but she hurriedly pushed open the door and left.
Rin Nohara couldn't take it anymore and immediately followed after them, leaving only Shu Furukawa and Kakashi in the room.
" Kakashi, try to focus your attention on Rin, otherwise, in your current state, your emotions are easily manipulated."
"Especially the Root area, you don't need to get too involved with it right now. Danzo won't be kind enough to teach you."
"Once you can activate and deactivate the Chakra points in both brain regions at will, your emotions will no longer be affected."
Kakashi paused slightly upon hearing Shu Furukawa's words, then lowered his head with a look of guilt. For a long time, he had been influenced by the Root ideology. "I'm sorry, Osamu, I shouldn't have questioned Father."
"Ninjas are not tools; my father taught me this until the very end."
"I can't change the situation, but I shouldn't manipulate life."
Shu Furukawa ignored Kakashi's apology, patted him on the shoulder, and reiterated, "Rest for a while longer. Don't dwell on your choices anymore. At least Rin is still by your side. Go and properly thank her for the medical kits and amulets she's kept for years."
Kakashi instinctively gripped the amulet in his ninja tool pouch behind him, then, remembering Obito's instructions, he nodded firmly.
Inside the dark, Taiseki, the White Zetsu began discussing the Five Kage Summit again. Obito Uchiha, who was training on the ground, showed no interest and focused intently on doing push-ups.
"Besides the Kage, each village should also send out a skilled young ninja."
" Konoha is definitely dominated by Minato Namikaze and Shu Furukawa. It'll be very difficult for them to kill the Third Hokage!"
Why kill him? The Hokage in Konoha has already been handed over.
"I miss the Land of Iron Peninsula so much; it always feels like home is there."
The White Zetsu, chatting idly, always managed to reveal some information, but Obito Uchiha had absolutely no desire to hear it, because it had nothing to do with him.
Last month, Obito was still shouting and yelling, but after undergoing intense psychological torture, he is now completely numb.
Madara Uchiha witnessed Obito's transformation and was very satisfied with it. What surprised him even more was that Obito's ninja talent in his focused mode was also outstanding, completely different from what the intelligence reports indicated.
"It looks like it won't be long before you break through that stone wall."
"Your talent is exceptional; you've even mastered the power of Hashirama Cells. Now you don't need to worry about opponents being able to counter you."
"If there's a chance to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan in the future, there's no need to worry about too many eye problems."
Madara Uchiha was giving his daily "routine lecture" again, Obito had completely gotten used to. After finishing his workout, he lay on the ground covered in sweat, ignoring the old man's nagging, and suddenly shouted, "Grandpa, maybe you're right, I really will be forgotten by many people."
"But Rin won't forget me, Kakashi won't forget me either, and some of the old ladies I helped will remember me."
"For their sake, I must leave. When you die, I will choose the best burial plot for you."
"That's how I repay you for your guidance. I don't understand those plans and destiny stuff; this is all I can do."
The cave suddenly fell silent. The White Zetsu stared blankly at Obito. Madara Uchiha was furious. He was indeed dying. His already aged body cells and meridians were all damaged.
Obito's words reminded Madara Uchiha Shu Furukawa's contempt for him. He looked up at the boy with his scarlet eyes, and the boy quickly sensed that something was wrong.
"Um, I really have no interest in learning about those things."
"As long as someone remembers me, I will go back. I don't want my friends to worry."
"With these eyes, Kakashi will soon be no match for me, and maybe Rin will even discover my charm..."
The oblivious Obito Uchiha. Madara Uchiha didn't interrupt the boy, lowered his head again, and muttered to himself, "Continue to fantasize about this despairing world. Soon I will make you feel the ultimate pain."
"Let's dance one last time, my people, don't let me down."
Obito Uchiha awkwardly, relieved to see the White Zetsu had returned to normal. Hearing about the Five Kage Summit again, he couldn't help but think, "Is the war going to end? Rin should go work at the hospital; that way, I can try joining the Police Force when I get back."
"With these Sharingan, the clan will definitely not refuse me."