Konoha, the Hokage's Office.
A slight chill marked the end of summer, but the Hokage Building remained brightly lit.
Tsunade stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, her brow furrowed, holding a confidential letter from the Land of Lightning. It bore the Fourth Raikage's personal seal and an urgent mark.
She slowly exhaled and turned toward the two senior advisers beside the desk.
Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka sat quietly on opposite sides of the round table, both looking deeply grave.
"This is an invitation from the Raikage." Tsunade set the letter down heavily, her cold voice edged with suppressed tension. "He wants to convene a 'Five Kage Summit on stabilizing the shinobi world' and hopes the Land of Fire will send an official delegation to Iwagakure."
"Stabilizing the shinobi world..." Inoichi Yamanaka murmured. He unrolled the scroll and read it carefully for a moment, then curled his lips into a contemptuous sneer. "Hah-what an ironic choice of words."
He looked at Tsunade, his gaze sharp. "Lord Hokage, this is clearly a lie."
Tsunade nodded slightly. "You think so too?"
"Yes," Inoichi Yamanaka said firmly. "The very country destabilizing the shinobi world right now is the Land of Lightning. Just recently, they tried to push their strategic resource routes farther along the Land of Iron's border, putting covert pressure on them."
"And now they turn around and propose some 'stability agreement'... they're only fooling themselves."
Shikaku Nara did not immediately take a stance. Instead, he closed his eyes and considered the matter at length before speaking slowly.
"Inoichi is right. This invitation sounds lofty and respectable, but what comes through between the lines... is mostly fear."
Tsunade raised her brows. "What do you think they're afraid of?"
"From a tactical perspective," Shikaku Nara said evenly, his tone calm throughout, "the Fourth Raikage