The first day of the Five Kage Summit drew to a temporary close amid a rather somber, deadlocked atmosphere. Apart from reaching a preliminary consensus that "the Akatsuki and the forces behind it posed a common threat" and agreeing in principle to establish limited intelligence-sharing channels, they had made no substantive progress on core issues such as command of the allied forces or concrete battle plans. Years of estrangement and suspicion between the great ninja villages could not be easily resolved in a single meeting.
The Kage returned with their guards to the separate courtyards the Land of Iron had arranged for them, their expressions grave. The atmosphere within the castle remained tense, and the number of samurai patrols had noticeably increased. Clearly, Mifune had also sensed the instability permeating the summit.
Ling returned to the courtyard assigned to Konoha but did not rest immediately. That fleeting trace of Zetsu's cold chakra in the hall lodged like a thorn in his heart. He was certain he had not imagined it. The Akatsuki-or rather, the Sacred Lord-might have infiltrated this place far more deeply than they had thought.
"Kakashi, I need to investigate the castle's interior, especially the underground sections." Ling found Kakashi analyzing the day's proceedings with Shikaku Nara and stated his concerns plainly. "I suspect something has slipped inside."
A sharp gleam flashed through Kakashi's single eye. "What did you sense?"
"Zetsu's presence. It was faint and disappeared quickly," Ling said gravely. "More importantly, during the summit, I vaguely sensed some kind of... abnormal energy flow beneath this castle. It was mixed with natural energy, but there was an unsettling sluggishness to it."
At this, Shikaku Nara pressed his fingers against his chin and fell into thought. "The Land of Iron's castle has a long history. It's entirely possible