Iron Country, conference hall.
The heavy iron doors slowly closed, cutting off the howling wind and snow outside.
Five cold stone chairs were lined up in a row. The Kage of the Five Great Nations gathered together for the first time outside of a Ninja World War.
Everyone's face was heavy and restless.
The Five Kage Summit, originally scheduled to be held in three years, had been forced forward by a full two years because of that abruptly emerged Empire of Heaven.
The Raikage, A, slammed a fist onto the stone table, and the hard granite instantly cracked with spiderweb-like fissures.
"Stop fucking beating around the bush! Tell me straight what we're going to do!"
"Those fat-pig daimyos send official dispatches every day like clockwork, saying that if we don't smash that Empire of Heaven's leader into pieces, they'll immediately cut off all our funding!"
At this moment, Gaara, who had already become the Kazekage, sat expressionlessly, his fingertips tapping gently against the tabletop.
"We cannot rashly dispatch troops."
"The Empire of Heaven took down two nations in ten days, absorbing all the combat power of Hidden Grass Village, plus Zabuza Momochi and missing-nin of that caliber joining them."
"Even if our Five Great Nations join forces and win, we will inevitably suffer heavy losses. By then, talking about answering to the daimyos will be out of the question; whether we can even hold our own borders will be a problem."
Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, tossed her wine-red long hair, a trace of helplessness in her tone.
"That's right."
"Hidden Mist just ended the Blood Mist policy and has a hundred things waiting to be done; Hidden Sand lacks resources and troop strength; Hidden Rock and Hidden Cloud have had border friction for over a decade, and neither trusts the