Inside the Senju clan compound, Hoshiyomi and the other senior leaders of Konoha sat together, discussing detailed plans for the upcoming Fourth Great Ninja War.
In truth, no one really understood the exact situation of the war yet, but they had no choice but to make preparations in advance based on what was to come. That was why, after the jōnin meeting, Hoshiyomi and the rest of the high-ranking officials gathered at the Senju clan grounds.
By the way, it was worth mentioning that Orochimaru had already examined Hashirama's and Tobirama's bodies together with Tobirama himself. The results proved that Madara truly had grown arrogant—he hadn't used any hidden tricks at all.
Hashirama's and Tobirama's bodies were genuinely free from any form of control. Moreover, because the caster himself had voluntarily released control over the Edo Tensei, no one else could seize control of them through the same method.
In other words, Tobirama and Hashirama were truly free now. Whether they would help the shinobi world fight against Madara or simply return to the Pureland was entirely up to them.
However, after witnessing Konoha's current prosperity and learning of Madara's ambitions, the two extremely responsible brothers naturally had no intention of simply walking away.
"Everyone here should already be acquainted with Lord Hashirama and Lord Tobirama. Next, I'll share my thoughts regarding the Fourth Great Ninja War and the Five Kage Summit."
After introducing Sakumo and the others present, Minato continued:
"The purpose of convening the Five Kage Summit is to unite the other four great ninja villages and mobilize every force we can to oppose Uchiha Madara.
As for whether the other four Kage will agree, you don't need to worry. Kirigakure and Sunagakure currently have excellent relations with Konoha—they are close allies and will certainly agree.
As for Iwagakure, I've already had Orochimaru record footage of your revival and sent it to Ōnoki's desk via the Flying Thunder God squad. Once he sees the two of you, there's no way he'll stay seated.
As for Kumogakure, once the other four villages make their moves, they won't dare sit this out. As long as we can successfully convene the Five Kage Summit, the rest will be much easier to handle."
Hearing this, Tobirama frowned slightly. He still didn't fully understand the current state of the shinobi world and instinctively questioned it.
"Are you sure things will really go as you expect? I remember that boy Ōnoki—he does seem like that type. But will the current Kazekage and Mizukage truly be willing to bow to Konoha?"
Orochimaru quickly stepped in to explain. Under Hoshiyomi's influence, Orochimaru's personality had changed considerably, though his passion for research remained undiminished. In his heart, Tobirama had always been an object of admiration and someone he sought to surpass.
Now that he was face-to-face with a living Tobirama, Orochimaru naturally wouldn't miss the chance for an in-depth discussion.
Tobirama, for his part, also greatly appreciated this research-loving young man. After listening to Orochimaru's explanation, he nodded, then turned to Hoshiyomi with a look of admiration.
Yes—admiration. Tobirama genuinely admired Gekkō Hoshiyomi.
This young man wasn't just powerful; what impressed Tobirama even more was his abundance of unconventional ideas.
Though Tobirama hadn't been revived for long, he had already heard many of Hoshiyomi's deeds. It seemed that after their deaths, Hoshiyomi alone had shouldered half of Konoha's burden.
Whether it was pulling Konoha out of the quagmires of the Second and Third Ninja Wars or resolving internal conflicts among the village's major clans, Hoshiyomi had handled everything nearly perfectly. It could be said that Konoha's current prosperity was, without question, largely thanks to him.
Even Hashirama couldn't help but sigh sincerely:
"It's a shame you weren't born in our era. If you had been, perhaps we could have already achieved the peace we once dreamed of."
After confirming that the Five Kage Summit could be successfully convened, Minato went on to outline his next steps:
"In the face of Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan, the other four Kage will most likely choose to unite. Even if they hesitate, with two highly respected seniors like you present, they'll probably still agree."
"If the Allied Shinobi Forces can be established, I hope we can mix the shinobi of the Five Great Villages according to their specialties. The goal would be to ensure the safety of Naruto and Killer Bee—the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki who has not yet been successfully captured—while doing everything possible to oppose Madara and his subordinates."
"The plan itself has no major issues. However, if that's the case, then I suppose my elder brother will have to go to the Land of Iron to attend the Five Kage Summit," Tobirama commented.
Minato nodded.
"Yes. To strengthen our persuasiveness, at least one of you must attend the summit, and I believe Lord Hashirama is the most suitable choice.
As for the other attendees, it should be myself and my sensei, Hoshiyomi. As for everyone else present, while we are attending the Five Kage Summit, we'll have to entrust Naruto's safety to you.
Especially Lord Tobirama—within Konoha, the ones most skilled in the Flying Thunder God Technique are the two of us. So I propose that we exchange Flying Thunder God marks. One of us will attend the summit, while the other stays behind. That way, even if Madara sends someone to target Naruto, we can return to support him immediately."
After hearing this, Tobirama silently nodded.
"Leave it to me."
While Konoha was setting the basic framework for the Five Kage Summit, the three-man Flying Thunder God squad had already delivered Minato's handwritten letters to the desks of the other four Kage.
Among them, the Fourth Kazekage—Gaara—who had personally suffered from the Akatsuki's actions, was the first to respond. He immediately announced the decision in Sunagakure and appointed Kankurō and Temari as his guards.
In Kirigakure, Terumī Mei's expression shifted repeatedly as she read the letter. After hesitating for quite some time, she summoned Ao:
"Old man, has the situation really developed to this extent? The Fifth Hokage claims that Uchiha Madara has been resurrected—and has even obtained the Sage of Six Paths' eyes. Isn't that insane?"
Genji's age-spotted face scrunched together. Only after a long moment did he put the letter down.
"Whether it's true or not, we should obediently go and see for ourselves. After losing our tailed beast, we can't stand against the Akatsuki or Uchiha Madara—and we certainly can't oppose Konoha either.
Between the two, Konoha is still the more reliable option, since we've dealt with them before. Take Ao and Chojuro with you to see for yourself."
Terumī Mei nodded thoughtfully, but deep down, her anticipation for the summit grew. On this trip to the Land of Iron, would she get to see that legendary man?
In Iwagakure, Ōnoki originally looked at the delivered letter with disdain. But when he played the small videotape that accompanied it, his expression instantly became extremely colorful.
On the screen, he saw two men he had personally seen in his childhood—Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama! Standing beside them was that detestable Gekkō Hoshiyomi.
"What exactly is going on here? Did Konoha fabricate such an absurd excuse just to call everyone together and show off their strength?
If they really did revive the First and Second Hokage…"
Ōnoki's expression fluctuated for a long while before he finally shouted outside:
"Kurotsuchi! Akatsuchi! Pack your things—we're going to the Land of Iron."
...
Read Advanced Chapters on : www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin
~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ Push the Story forward with your [Power Stones]