Naruto received the Five Kage. Once he learned why they had come, they talked through the night.
No one knew what they discussed.
But judging by the atmosphere after the meeting, they seemed to have reached a preliminary consensus.
And that was indeed the case.
They agreed that the Kage would first return to their villages and prepare to negotiate with their respective Daimyo. Their next steps would depend on the results of those negotiations.
Meanwhile, Amegakure would prepare to receive the other ninja villages.
As for funding, the issue that worried the Kage most, Naruto revealed that he had a solution, though he offered no specifics. Kakuzu's Golden Country Plan was currently their most closely guarded secret. No third person knew of it.
Yes, it was Naruto and Kakuzu's little secret.
Among the Five Great Nations, the Land of Lightning's circumstances were somewhat unusual. Kumogakure had no one to negotiate with, and Naruto said Amegakure would handle the aftermath.
This time, contrary to his usual behavior, the Raikage did not protest.
Perhaps navigating the maelstrom of political infighting had left him feeling out of his depth.
Perhaps he had long been dissatisfied with the Land of Lightning's rigid class system.
Or perhaps, after everything that had happened, he had come to acknowledge Naruto Uzumaki's abilities.
He asked for just one thing: to see Darui, the subordinate he had once cherished.
Darui had suffered one misfortune after another. While escorting Killer B back to the village, he had escaped Obito's Cutting Technique, but his left arm had been ruined.
Barely recovered from his grievous injuries, he had suffered defeat on Paradise Island. When he tried to take his own life, Naruto had been forced to stop him with Kotoamatsukami.
He had eventually made his way to Amegakure and become Naruto's