At a glance from Qingxue Uchiha, the Raikage finally gave a cold snort, suppressed his anger, and slowly sat back down.
The other four Kage took their seats in turn, and amid an invisible pressure and subtle shifts in power, the Five Kage Summit finally began.
A brief silence fell over the room before the Raikage spoke first. His voice remained loud and impatient, rumbling like muffled thunder:
"Since we're all here, I'll get straight to the point."
He looked around, his gaze passing over each Kage before finally settling on Yemu. After a slight pause, he continued, "We didn't gather here today to reminisce, much less go through the motions."
"The Akatsuki-that notorious terrorist organization-is the real enemy we should be focusing on!"
At that, his tone abruptly darkened, and he slammed his palm onto the table with a dull thud.
"They're no longer just a threat. They've openly declared war on the entire shinobi world! Starting with the One-Tail, then the Two-Tails, the Four-Tails... they've hunted down and sealed our villages' tailed beasts one after another. Even Kumogakure's Two-Tails and Eight-Tails have been attacked!"
His eyes widened in fury, his chest heaving. "This is provocation, plunder, a declaration of war!"
"Those bastards in black cloaks with red clouds think being S-rank missing-nin gives them the right to attack the great shinobi villages. Do they really think we'll keep standing by?"
The Fourth Raikage abruptly straightened, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes:
"I came here today to push for cooperation. It's time we formed an allied army."
Ōnoki slowly narrowed his eyes. His aged face showed a hint of disdain, but after a moment's consideration, he spoke:
"Hmph. The Raikage certainly sounds fired up, but there's no denying that the Akatsuki are a problem."
Ōnoki's tone was as