Five Kage Summit: Establishing Authority

The handover process of returning Gaara to Sunagakure went so smoothly it was enough to make one drowsy.

The moment they stepped through the massive entrance of A Thread of Sky, the Sand Village ninja guarding the gate saw the red-haired boy on Naruto's back and became so excited they could barely hold their kunai.

Within minutes, the upper ranks of Sunagakure came swarming over after receiving the news.

Baki rushed over with a large group of medical ninja, while Temari ran so fast she nearly flung off her shoes.

Once they confirmed that Gaara's breathing was stable and his vital signs were normal, all of Sunagakure erupted in celebration. The sight of people weeping with joy was truly uninteresting to watch.

That blond idiot Naruto hollered along with them from the side, his voice loud enough to shake the sand off the ground.

Chenshu Senju had absolutely no interest in drinking and celebrating with these people.

After dumping the mess on the deeply grateful Sunagakure higher-ups, he kicked the still-unconscious bombing maniac Deidara over to the accompanying medical team, then turned and left that miserable, sand-filled place with Kakashi and Sasuke.

A few days later, at the border of the Land of Iron.

Powerful winds mixed with thick sheets of snow slapped against their faces, and visibility was so poor they could not even see three meters ahead.

The heavy snow crunched beneath their feet.

This godforsaken place never saw a trace of green all year round. It was either snowing or blowing a gale. Who knew what the people who founded a country here had been thinking.

The cold seeped into their bones.

Chenshu Senju walked at the very front of the group, wearing nothing but a thin black long coat.

With the absurd self-regulating ability of