Ch. 401The Five Great Nations, the Supreme Council (Part One)
Plot points and events
- The Five Great Nations convene their first Supreme Council in the neutral Land of Iron, with the five daimyo seated and the Five Kage serving as their guards. They meet to address the panic and disorder caused by the mass dream of a previous-life catastrophe.
- The daimyo describe the crisis in their lands: people have stopped working, crops are being neglected, and gangs calling themselves the Doomsday Revelers are committing crimes in the belief that the world will end.
- Raikage A accuses Fire Daimyo Shixiu and Konoha of responsibility, blaming Sasuke Uchiha for the dream and for attacks on the previous Five Kage Summit.
- Kakashi challenges A’s authority to speak at the daimyo-led council and disputes the accusations, pointing out that Sasuke’s identity as the masked attacker—and his role in the dream—has not been proven. The other Kage refuse to endorse A’s claims.
- Kakashi declares that he will defend Sasuke’s name until there is conclusive evidence or Sasuke’s own admission. A attacks him, and Kakashi reveals his Mangekyō Sharingan as the confrontation begins.
Character developments and interactions
- Kakashi emerges as a measured but resolute Hokage. He uses procedure and pointed questions to counter A, then openly stakes his authority on protecting Sasuke from unproven accusations.
- Raikage A is forceful and confrontational, convinced Sasuke is guilty and contemptuous of Kakashi. His anger escalates into a physical attack.
- Shixiu appears uneasy under A’s accusations, while Takeda remains silent, indirectly allowing A to continue.
- Ōnoki, Mei, and Gaara avoid taking sides, leaving A without their support.
- The exchange between Kakashi and A turns a council intended to coordinate a response to social unrest into a direct clash between the Land of Lightning and Konoha.
Significant themes
- Fear and social breakdown: The shared dream has real consequences, undermining work, public order, and confidence in the future.
- Evidence versus accusation: A treats widespread belief as proof; Kakashi insists that Sasuke’s guilt cannot be assumed.
- Political authority and power: The council’s formal rules clash with A’s belief that strength determines who gets heard.
- Loyalty and responsibility: Kakashi’s defense of his student raises the question of whether protecting someone is principled loyalty or a cover-up.