Coincidence

At this Five Kage Summit, such minor matters were secondary. The most explosive news was not that Ōnoki had admitted to once colluding with Akatsuki, hiring those rogue ninjas during peacetime to make up for his village's lack of military preparedness.

The greatest scandal, without question, was that the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, had actually been a puppet controlled by Akatsuki.

Aside from Kirigakure itself, only a very small number of Konoha's higher-ups had suspected such a major incident.

A Kage, the most exalted figure in the Shinobi World, had actually been controlled by an organization of rogue ninjas. Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, had become someone else's plaything as well.

The tangible threat forced the major shinobi villages, swollen with self-importance, to finally settle down and seriously consider joining forces against their enemy.

Once they were willing to form an alliance, the following negotiations over details naturally proceeded much more smoothly. The previously tense atmosphere eased somewhat, though the arguments only grew louder as they haggled over terms.

As things developed in a favorable direction, Mifune, leader of the Land of Iron and initiator of the Five Kage Summit, along with the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, felt immensely relieved.

In the vast ocean, in the waters northeast of the Land of Fire and near the southeast of the Land of Lightning, an island shrouded in mist sat amidst the azure sea.

A careful observer with sharp enough eyesight would notice that the island was not stationary, but slowly drifting along with the currents.

Clearly, this island was anything but ordinary. It was not merely a naturally formed floating island, but an enormous turtle beyond belief. Over countless years, all manner of things had accumulated and attached themselves to its back, eventually forming a living island.

Mizuki