On the top floor of the Hanamaki Hotel.
Yanbai had arrived early.
Konoha Shinobi Village's routine affairs continued as usual.
With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Yanbai could zip around anywhere in the Land of Fire. Even if he temporarily left Konoha, it would not affect the village's operations.
Yanbai stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, looking down at the horizon where sea met sky and the broad, modern roads below.
Flowers that changed with the seasons, an endlessly surging sea-Yanbai had planned this beautiful city, built with prisoners of war's labor, to leave everyone who witnessed its beauty with a dream of prosperity.
Shikaku Nara stood behind Yanbai, with the Seven-Tails' shrunken true body perched on his shoulder.
Using information relayed by clones, the Seven-Tails murmured into Shikaku Nara's ear.
Before long, Shikaku Nara reported calmly, "Lord Hokage, Lord Chōmei has confirmed the count. The Kage from every village have arrived in Hanamaki, and their attendants are arranging their accommodations."
"Excellent. Once their temporary rooms are arranged, get the meteor drill underway as soon as possible." Yanbai smiled faintly.
Even if the other villages did not come looking for trouble, Yanbai could still take the initiative and flex his muscles, couldn't he?
During the Warring States Period, some "well-informed" shinobi had witnessed the might of the God of Shinobi and the Asura of the Ninja World firsthand.
But most people had only heard rumors and had never seen it themselves.
Some things only became unforgettable once people witnessed them with their own eyes.
In Yanbai's view, the various shinobi world wars in the original course of fate had not merely been struggles caused by unequal resources.
They had also stemmed from gaps in information, which made some people think, "The skies have cleared, the rain has