The Land of Iron, a nation of samurai, lay near the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning on the map of the Shinobi World, bordering the Land of Fire, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Fields. Its climate was cold, and snow covered it year-round.
Because the country had always remained neutral in conflicts between ninja, it had escaped the ravages of war, making it the ideal venue for the Five Kage Summit.
At that moment, along the border of the Land of Fire, Taka raced ahead, about to enter the Land of Iron.
"Hm!?" Karin suddenly frowned. "There's an unknown chakra up ahead!"
Sasuke and the others stopped and braced themselves.
Whoosh!
Countless butterflies flew toward them, gathering in midair to form Konan's graceful figure. Her expression was cold. "You're not getting through."
Sasuke frowned. "That cloak... she's with the Akatsuki."
Suigetsu looked at White Zetsu, who was guiding them. "A friend of yours?"
White Zetsu shouted, "Konan! You've already betrayed the Akatsuki! Why are you here?"
Konan replied calmly, "The Akatsuki was an organization Yahiko founded in Amegakure. You merely stole it. Wherever I am, whenever it is, I can still call myself a member of the Akatsuki."
White Zetsu said, "Damn it... I never thought she'd interfere!"
Sasuke said coldly, "If she's not on your side, you won't mind if I kill her."
White Zetsu replied, "Of course. I'd be delighted to have you clean up our traitors..."
Sasuke advanced with his sword in hand. With a faint hiss, the three tomoe in each eye transformed into the Mangekyō. His gaze turned icy. "Get out of my way!"
But Konan answered with... a rain of spears formed from rolled paper!!
"Scatter!!!"
Taka scattered.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!!!
Sasuke swung the Kusanagi Sword, intercepting the Paper Spears hurtling toward him.
But Konan's technique excelled in its enormous range, remarkable endurance, and considerable power!
As he parried with his sword, Sasuke focused his left eye on the figure overhead. A trail of blood ran from the corner of his eye and dripped onto the snow, stark against the white... web-like veins spread across his eye.
Amaterasu!
Whoom!
Amaterasu's black flames ignited Konan's paper body... bringing the rain of Paper Spears to an end.
"Black flames that never go out. Amaterasu... the same ocular power as Itachi..."
As Konan murmured, her body burned away.
But amid the paper drifting through the sky... more Konans appeared!
Jugo said, "Was that... just a clone?"
Sasuke demanded coldly, "Karin, can you find her real body!?"
Karin formed a two-finger hand seal, heightening the perception of her Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Finally, she shook her head. "Their chakra signatures are all identical!"
White Zetsu said, "That woman's abilities are a real nuisance... Sasuke, you should conserve as much chakra as possible before fighting the Five Kage!"
Sasuke was impatient. "Doesn't matter. I'll burn them all!"
Whoom! Whoom! Whoom!
Black flames erupted across the sky, attacking Konan's clones indiscriminately...
Karin worried inwardly, Ever since he heard Danzo became Hokage, Sasuke's chakra has been different. It's so cold...
Atop a towering snowy mountain, the Five Kage Summit proceeded as scheduled.
Banners for the Five Great Nations stood in the chamber, bearing the characters for "Wind," "Fire," "Earth," "Lightning," and "Water."
All Five Kage had arrived at the enormous ring-shaped table oriented east to west.
The Fourth Raikage, A.
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales.
The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara.
The Sixth Hokage, Shimura Danzō.
The Five Kage's guards waited behind the curtains, closely following the summit and ready to enter at any moment.
Mifune, the Land of Iron's general and the summit's moderator, sat in the center. Two imposing, sword-bearing samurai stood behind him: Chūsuke and Rikaku. Both were renowned veteran samurai with formidable strength rivaling elite Jōnin.
In truth, however, these two were Naruto and Orochimaru in disguise.
"Naruto, I never imagined you'd be so familiar with the Land of Iron. We infiltrated this place without any trouble..."
Naturally, in his previous life, Naruto had led more than one Five Kage Summit as the foremost of the Five Kage. He had also visited the Land of Iron at Mifune's invitation.
In a stable country like the Land of Iron, the fortifications rarely changed.
The three of them had drawn up their battle plan on the way.
Naruto said, "Danzo's right eye came from Shisui Uchiha and possesses the ocular power of Kotoamatsukami. That Dōjutsu is dangerous, even to me. Our only option would be to kill Danzo outright before he activates it, but he also has Izanagi, so the chances of that are next to nothing."
"So our basic strategy is to make Danzo use up Kotoamatsukami before we fight."
Orochimaru asked, "How do we make him use it?"
Naruto replied, "Unless something unexpected happens, Danzo will use this Dōjutsu on Mifune, the moderator, during the summit to gain the upper hand. It's not a technique he can use multiple times in a day..."
With the Rinnegan, Naruto should theoretically have been able to resist the Mangekyō's genjutsu, but he decided to err on the side of caution.
Konan asked, "So we wait until the Five Kage Summit ends, then ambush Danzo on his way back to the village?"
Naruto replied, "That would be too late. We're not the only ones after Danzo. If we run into the others, it'll only introduce more complications."
"Orochimaru and I will reach the venue beforehand, blend in with the samurai maintaining order, and keep a close eye on Danzo..."
"To be honest, the Transformation Technique is my specialty..."
"As for Sasuke, Konan, I'm sorry for the trouble, but I'll need you to hold them up. Just remember not to get drawn into a prolonged fight..."
Back in the present.
Mifune said gravely, "The Five Kage Summit will now begin."
Resting his chin on his hands, Gaara addressed the other four Kage. "I'll speak first. Listen."
Ōnoki said pointedly, "The Five Kage really have changed. Becoming a Kage at your age... the younger generation is certainly formidable. Lord Kazekage, it seems your father taught you well... though apparently not any manners."
"That damned old man!" Behind the curtain, Kankuro, serving as the Kazekage's guard, ground his teeth at the insult to his younger brother.
Gaara responded calmly, "Yes. That's why I'm sitting here as the Kazekage."
"Hahahahaha..." Ōnoki laughed. "What an arrogant fellow."
"What's that Tsuchikage's problem!!" Young and hotheaded, Kankuro wanted nothing more than to rush out and argue with him.
"Quiet..." Temari remained comparatively calm and rational, though her hand moved toward the ninja tool pouch at her waist, ready to act.
"Lord Tsuchikage, please stop interrupting," Mei Terumi, another young Kage, interjected to ease the tension. "Lord Kazekage, please continue."
Gaara said, "I was once a Jinchūriki, and the Akatsuki held me captive. That's why I consider their existence extremely dangerous."
"I repeatedly appealed to the Five Kage, but all of you ignored me... except the previous Hokage."
"Waiting until every nation's Jinchūriki has been taken before deciding to cooperate will be too late."
Ōnoki offered his own perspective. "When one of the Five Great Nations' ninja villages loses its Jinchūriki, it can no longer set an example for other nations. It's an utter disgrace. Normally, you would recover them in secret. You can't ask another nation for help the moment they're taken."
Gaara was disdainful. "Decorum? Prestige? Pointless, antiquated thinking."
Ōnoki thought, Young people...
Mei Terumi said, "Whether or not it's antiquated, as Mizukage, I admit we've been too passive. But even if a Tailed Beast is taken, it cannot immediately be considered a threat. Controlling a Tailed Beast requires knowledge, skill, and time."
Ōnoki said, "A Jinchūriki must grow alongside their Tailed Beast and adapt to it, but even then, controlling it remains difficult. I've said too much... haven't I, Lord Kazekage?"
Gaara remained silent.
Then Danzo spoke, his words laden with meaning. "On that subject, the only people who have truly controlled Tailed Beasts are Madara Uchiha, the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and Lord Raikage's younger brother, Killer B. However..."
Crack!
At Danzo's mention of his beloved younger brother Killer B, who had met with disaster, the Raikage clenched his right hand beneath his armored gauntlet, his killing intent spilling out...
"!" Sensing the shift in killing intent within the chamber, the Shadow Guards behind the curtains darted out almost simultaneously!!
"Enough of your rambling!!!!"
The Raikage raised his fist and smashed it into the table before him.
Crash!!!
The table and chairs shattered...
All the guards had entered, and the room stood on the brink of violence!
"Haah..."
Mifune sighed helplessly.
"This is a place for discussion."
"Please refrain from conduct that breaches decorum."
The Kage dismissed their guards, and the summit resumed.
The Raikage thundered, "Konoha! Sunagakure! Iwagakure! Kirigakure! The Akatsuki's members are all rogue ninja from your villages! And that's not all. Our investigation revealed that some of the Kage sitting here have even used the Akatsuki!"
Gaara asked in surprise, "Used them?"
The Raikage roared, "How the hell am I supposed to trust you, let alone work with you!? I called you here today to ask you to your faces what trust and honor mean to you!!"
Gaara asked, "What exactly do you mean by 'used them'?"
Pointing at Ōnoki, the Raikage bellowed, "As Tsuchikage, you should know! Ask the old man beside you. He used the Akatsuki in war!!"
Ōnoki said, "The great nations are now stable and reducing their militaries. We no longer stand at each other's throats as we once did, and wars are rare. Ninja villages, which exist as military forces, have become a heavy burden on national finances."
"Even so, risks remain. If war suddenly breaks out, whether ninja who have never experienced real combat can be relied upon is still unknown. Defeat may be inevitable..."
Gaara said, "And one way to avoid that risk is to hire the battle-hardened mercenary group, the Akatsuki. Is that right?"
Ōnoki replied, "Training outstanding ninja ourselves requires a great deal of money and time. The Akatsuki is a ready-made professional mercenary group that makes its living from war. We can hire them at minimal cost and reap the greatest returns..."
The Raikage cut him off. "Stop making it sound so good, Tsuchikage!!"
"Hmph!" Ōnoki snorted coldly.
The Raikage said, "Sunagakure once used the Akatsuki in an attempt to destroy Konoha. That incident with Orochimaru... although it's still unclear whether he belonged to the Akatsuki at the time, both the previous Kazekage and Hokage died as a result. There may well have been someone pulling the strings behind it..."
At that, the Raikage gave Danzo a pointed look, thinking, That old fox.
"And your Kirigakure is the strangest of all. You're almost completely isolated from the world. There are even rumors that the Akatsuki originated there!"
"..." Mei Terumi lowered her eyes. "At this point, I'll speak plainly. I suspect... someone was secretly controlling the previous Fourth Mizukage."
Behind her, Ao, the guard who possessed a Byakugan, was alarmed. The Fifth isn't going to...
Mei Terumi raised her eyes. "This may well be connected to the Akatsuki! That's why we're in no position to say much..."
"..." The Raikage was also surprised by the Mizukage's admission, but remained forceful. "You're all birds of a feather..."
Ōnoki was growing angry. "Don't go too far, Raikage! Everyone else is reducing their military strength, while your Kumogakure alone keeps expanding and collecting ninjutsu from everywhere! Hiring the Akatsuki to counter you was a last resort!"
"What!?" The Raikage immediately bristled.
Just then, Danzo lowered his gaze and said, "Before you continue arguing your respective positions, there's something I'd like to say..."
Before you continue