Headquarters of the Reform Society.
The group sat together to discuss matters related to the Four Kage Summit.
According to the previous rules for the Five Kage Summit, each Kage could only bring two bodyguards. However, the five leaders of the Reform Society were of equal status, so deciding who to send was a real problem.
We can't send three people, two of whom can serve as guards.
After a brief discussion.
In the end, it was decided to send Hoshino.
Now that the civil war has just ended, the village is rebuilding from scratch, and the other four people have many responsibilities in their respective departments and cannot leave at will.
However, as the minister of the Scientific Research Department, he has sufficient research results to handle the reconstruction work of the village, so going to the Four Kage Summit is the most appropriate thing for him, and he will be given all the necessary authorizations.
In any case, Hoshino would never do anything to harm the interests of the Reform Society.
As for the guards, they were Hizuki and Uchiha Inabi, one being the vice-minister of the Armed Forces Department and the other the vice-minister of the Inspection Department.
After a brief discussion at the meeting...
Kankuro chuckled and teased, " Hoshino, you've got a really important mission on your shoulders this time, haha!"
Hoshino glanced at him helplessly upon hearing this.
This Four Kage Summit will be difficult to negotiate. Putting aside everything else, he also has to send over the captured elite ninja from those villages.
Who knows what might happen? They might even start fighting on the spot.
At this moment, Temari asked with a face full of curiosity, " Hoshino, I'm quite curious, are you your original self or Puppet Clone right now?"
During the civil war a few days ago, everyone saw that Hoshino's prosthetic body was severely damaged, and in the end, it was his Shadow Clone who took it back.
As a result, he attended the meeting as if nothing had happened within two days.
Such a performance inevitably makes it difficult to distinguish whether the Hoshino present is the real Hoshino or Puppet Clone.
In response to Temari's question, Hoshino smiled and replied, "Of course it's the real body."
This is the advantage of full-body cybernetic augmentation; even if it breaks, you can simply replace the damaged area without needing to heal like a flesh-and-blood ninja.
Of course, although it's called full-body cybernetic surgery, there are still some parts that haven't been truly replaced.
Men... those who know, know, even if they don't need it right now.
"Seriously, aren't you guys really considering a full-body transformation like me?" Hoshino joked. "You've seen the power, haven't you?"
"No way!" Temari rolled her eyes. "Turning a perfectly good body into a bunch of mechanical parts just thinking about it is weird."
"I'll pass!" Rasa laughed. "I don't want to lose the purest way of fighting as a ninja. Fighting with Chakra is my style."
"Me too!" Gaara laughed. " The Sand Core plus Shukaku is enough to handle most situations."
Hoshino was not at all surprised by the three people's refusal.
The villagers gave up their physical bodies for prosthetic modifications because they had no other choice; they couldn't survive without them. But those in high positions naturally didn't need to consider these issues.
Hoshino turned to look at the somewhat silent Kankuro and asked, "What about you? Are you interested?"
When Temari saw that Kankuro seemed genuinely interested, she frowned and said, " Kankuro, you don't really want to...?"
"I do have this idea," Kankuro admitted quite frankly.
Although the main work of the Economic Department is not combat, in this world where the strong are respected, and he is a high-ranking member of the Reform Society.
Without sufficient strength, it's difficult to control those below you.
Rasa was already Kage Level shinobi, and was once the Kazekage. Gaara, though young, is already close to Kage Level in strength thanks to Shukaku's power. Temari has great potential and should not be underestimated once she grows up.
As for Hoshino, needless to say.
The main body's formidable combat power was evident to all during the previous civil war, and it also has a group of terrifyingly powerful Kekkei puppets under its command, comparable to Elite Jonin or even Kage Level.
He alone, with average talent, wit, and ability, became one of the five giants solely through his relationships with several others.
"I don't want to live under your protection forever."
"Every time there's danger, you're the ones charging into battle, while I can only do support work from the rear."
"I also want to have the power to truly protect the village and everyone," Kankuro said.
" Kankuro, you've already demonstrated your abilities well enough in the economic sphere. There's no need to take risks in pursuit of power," Rasa said worriedly.
He was too busy with village affairs and missed too much of his children's upbringing, making him a poor father.
Now that Kankuro is about to take such a risk, he still wants to dissuade him, because he is afraid that the cybernetic modification will bring unknown dangers to Kankuro, and even more afraid of losing this son.
Kankuro shook his head slightly and said, "I've been thinking about this for a long time! Isn't cybernetic technology quite mature now? I'm willing to try. I want others to know that I deserve my current position."
Temari sighed helplessly and said, "You're so stubborn! Why won't you listen to advice? What's wrong with staying in the rear? I'm basically always in the rear too!"
"It's different!" Kankuro said firmly, "I've made up my mind."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
In fact, Kankuro's decision was not a bad thing. Both morally and logically Kankuro needed to improve his strength.
Even if their department's responsibilities don't involve combat, as one of the five giants, they can't just be a Chunin; they should at least have Kage Level strength.
Not to mention that with the continuous development and progress of the times, the threshold for power is also constantly increasing. In the future, even the Kage Level may only be the entry standard for measuring strength.
Kankuro is almost twelve years old.
Without relying on magical artifacts, their ordinary combat strength is only Chunin.
Although the titles of Genin and Chunin are merely rank, the degree to which they are completed and the level of recognition they receive reflect their actual strength to a certain extent.
He graduated at the age of eight and wasn't even Special Jōnin, so his talent was only average. If he didn't pursue the path of cybernetic transformation, he would at most be a regular Jonin.
How could he accept this?
" Kankuro, if this is a decision you've made after careful consideration, I support you," Gaara said earnestly.
Hoshino then laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'll personally design your full-body prosthetics. I'll definitely create a super powerful system for you."
Kankuro's eyes reddened slightly, and he nodded vigorously, saying, "I believe in you, Hoshino, I've always believed!"
The conference room was illuminated by a cool-toned holographic projection, and the embedded Chakra power supply device emitted a faint glow, casting an unpredictable shadow on everyone's faces.
Just then, a member of the Information Department sent a message to the five people on the Reform Society's private network.
This private network has the highest level of authorization and contains only five people: the current five top executives of the Reform Society. Only the Information Department has temporary access permission.
The message contained...
The Fourth Raikage, A, through his secretary Mabui, invited the four villages of Iwa, Suna, Konoha, and Amane to travel to the border of the Land of Rivers in an hour to watch the fireworks. He warned them not to miss it.