Three days later, Naruto led the other two as they headed steadily toward the Land of Iron. Aside from Naruto, it was the first time Sasuke and Neji had traveled so far from home, especially to a strictly regulated place that rarely opened its gates to ninja. While the two maintained perfectly cool expressions on the surface, their shifting gazes revealed they actually looked like curious children wherever they went.
All three were elite taijutsu-type ninja, so their travel speed went without saying. They soon arrived at the snowy border.
The Land of Iron is also known as the Land of Samurai. As the name heavily implies, it is a nation composed purely of samurai warriors.
At the same time, it is one of the few places in the ninja world that possesses an independent culture, centralized authority, and powerful military strength. It is universally known as a permanently neutral nation.
It is said that they once signed an ironclad agreement with the ninja, and as a direct result, were untouched by the three previous Great Ninja Wars.
Its territory sits close to the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, and borders the Land of Fire, the Land of Waterfall, and the Land of Rice Paddies. In terms of sheer size, it is considered quite large among the minor nations outside the Five Great Nations.
Due to the relatively harsh climate and being covered in heavy snow all year round, it is considered a bitterly cold land. This is remarkably similar to the situation in the Land of Snow, but in terms of combat power, the samurai far surpass the Land of Snow and its handful of weaklings.
Inside the territory, there are countless samurai whose combat power directly rivals that of ninja. The elite among them possess strength comparable to seasoned Jonin. The leader of these samurai, the General of the Land of Iron, possesses power that is not inferior to the Kage themselves.
This is Mifune, famously respected among warriors, who once lost to Hanzo of the Salamander, the Demigod of the Rain Village, in a single devastating move.
Compared to ninja, who apart from their headbands and pouches carry no iron on their bodies, the samurai are almost fully armored. They wear laminated silver armor, which somewhat resembles the style of the Chakra Armor from the Land of Snow, though it covers a wider area and lacks the specialized technological functions.
Their military power is truly formidable. Even the Five Great Nations would avoid their sharp edge if possible.
In a practical sense, if the Land of Iron were to go to war with the Five Great Nations right now, setting aside the Land of Fire, only the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning would have the robust strength to fight back. With the currently depleted military power of the Land of Water and the Land of Wind, their borders would be breached instantly.
"I hate this kind of weather."
Giant snowflakes drifted through the gray sky, piling up on their shoulders in no time. Having just stepped into the territory, Sasuke brushed off his cloak with irritation.
As a dedicated Fire Release ninja, how could he possibly like snowy days? It subtly but undeniably affected the performance of his elemental abilities. Although this dampening effect on Sasuke was small, it didn't stop him from hating the chill.
Neji, on the other hand, was entirely indifferent. As a pure taijutsu ninja, snow or sunny didn't affect his chakra flow much. Besides, he didn't use the Five Nature Transformations to fight.
"Since you don't like it, let's hurry up and move." Naruto patted Sasuke reassuringly on the shoulder.
The capital of the Land of Iron was established upon three great mountains known as the 'Three Wolves'. Viewed from afar, the snow-capped peaks truly commanded natural authority.
The architectural style of the capital was similar to Hozuki Castle, leaning toward the traditional aesthetics of a Tenshukaku. (The main keep or highest tower of a Japanese-style castle, serving as the daimyo's residence and a symbol of power, typically featuring multi-story, timber-framed construction on stone foundations.)
The main difference was that the Land of Iron's style leaned heavily toward elegant grandeur and wasn't nearly as oppressive as the infamous prison.
"You have kept us waiting, Konoha's Ho-... honored guests." The one greeting them at the gates was an old man with a heavy cloth wrapped securely around his head. He introduced himself formally. "I am Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron."
"We have prepared hot tea inside. Please, walk this way."
As a political figure from the same era as Danzo, Mifune naturally knew the man's ruthless reputation. It was quite obvious to him that there was no sign of Danzo in Naruto's small group.
'A Five Kage Summit, and your Kage isn't attending? Are you really not afraid of angering the entire room?'
But Mifune neither said more nor asked more. The organizers merely chose his country as a neutral location, his job was strictly to act as the gracious host and receive the Kage. It wasn't as if the Land of Iron was taking the diplomatic lead.
As long as he coordinated from a fair and impartial standpoint and didn't offend any side, his duty was fulfilled. As for who the Five Great Ninja Villages arranged to attend, or whether they bickered at the table, that wasn't his business.
Next, the three of them were led by Mifune to their arranged quarters to rest and wait for the Summit to officially begin. The accommodations in the land of samurai were noticeably better than those typically prepared for ninja, after all, the nation had been untouched by any war and had developed a refined culture.
Naruto sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, gradually extending his sharp perception outward. Before long, he had mapped out roughly eighty percent of the powerful presences currently within the snowy capital.
They hadn't rested for long before a samurai arrived to politely notify them that the proceedings were about to begin.
Following the lead guard through strict layers of checkpoints, they arrived before a building with a distinct, archaic style.
Pushing open the heavy stone doors, a massive circular conference room came into clear view.
Mifune was already seated calmly in the central position. On both sides of the room hung large, bold characters for Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightning. Below these banners were several designated seats, clearly reserved for the respective leaders.
Someone had already arrived beneath the Earth character. Seated in the central position was naturally Onoki, the Third Tsuchikage known as Ryotenbin (Onoki of Both Scales). His appearance was that of a very ordinary, withered, hunched little old man.
But if anyone were to look down on him or be rude because of his frailty, he would absolutely obliterate them instantly without leaving a trace of ash behind.
Standing to his left was a big, kindly-faced man with a plain appearance. People always said Iwagakure loved to play dirty, this massive man was just like Onoki, possessing a highly deceptive appearance. He was one of Iwagakure's top combatants, Akatsuchi, known as the "Shield of Tsuchikage" for his unrivaled physical strength.
To Onoki's right stood a girl with short black hair wearing a crimson vest. Since she was a girl, she hadn't disguised herself as a village bumpkin, presumably, this was the future Leg Kage, Kurotsuchi.
Seated beneath the Wind character was their "old friend", the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, his face still thoroughly wrapped in medical bandages. Standing next to him were the elite Jonin Baki and another unrecognizable Sunagakure guard.
When Naruto looked at Rasa, the latter simply nodded slightly in his direction.
The seats for Water and Lightning were currently empty, Raikage and Mizukage had not yet arrived.
Naruto then calmly led Sasuke and Neji to sit in the heavy wooden chairs beneath the Fire character.
"Tch, for Konoha to actually send a few brats." They had barely sat down when Onoki's sneering, raspy voice came from across the room. "Has Konoha run out of people?"
Naruto simply responded with a bright, mocking smile, perfectly mimicking his tone. "Tch, for Iwagakure to actually send an old fossil."
"Has Iwagakure run out of people?"
===============
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