"This is the Five Kage Summit! Every Kage will be there! Sew your mouth shut, open your eyes, prick up your ears!
"No random talk. No random outbursts. And—" he grated out each word, "do not pull out your clay."
The more he spoke, the more his temper flared; his hand crashed down on the desk again.
Crack.
A soft but unmistakable snap came from his waist.
Ōnoki froze.
His arm halted mid-slap, body pitched forward, white beard trembling. Color flooded his face, then drained to an ashen gray.
Deidara's excitement cut off. Blinking, he glanced down at the Tsuchikage's stiff waist.
His lips twitched, that line between shock and barely suppressed laughter tugging at his expression.
"Old man, what's wrong?"
"Got it?" Ōnoki hissed through clenched teeth, not daring to move.
"Y-yes… sir…" Deidara's gaze stayed fixed on the rigid waist, his voice trailing.
Frozen like a statue, Ōnoki felt his hope of "showing Deidara the world" losing a hopeless battle against reality.
Can this brat really handle it?
Staring up at the ceiling, he suddenly realized the hardest part of this summit might not be at the negotiating table—
But right beside him.
—
Three years—Yagura had been silent for three years. As Mizukage, he had taken off his hat and set aside his authority, existing only as a Jinchūriki and a figurehead the village could dispatch at will.
"Five Kage Summit?"
"Mei believes Hidden Mist should take part." The elder set the Mizukage hat in front of him once more. "Attend as the Kage, Fourth Mizukage."
Yagura reached out and lifted the hat.
The brim was cold; the worn inner lining still felt familiar against his fingers. In silence, he rose and settled it back on his head.
The long-lost weight returned to his shoulders.
With the elder at his side, he walked out of the Mizukage building.
Outside, an Anbu squad and the Demon of the Hidden Mist, Zabuza, were already waiting.
Though stripped of his Kage authority, as a Jinchūriki who could fully control his Tailed Beast, Yagura still commanded the basic respect of the village's shinobi.
Even Zabuza showed no open hostility.
They were heading to a conference, not a battlefield, so Hidden Mist had prepared a ship for their departure.
Yagura did not go below deck.
He stood at the prow, hand resting on the rail, watching as the Hidden Mist Village shrank, blurred, and finally disappeared into the sea fog, leaving only a hazy gray outline behind.
The churning water split beneath the hull, white wakes trailing in their path. Gulls circled above the mast, their sharp cries cutting through the wind.
"Fourth Mizukage."
The demon appeared behind him; his tall frame cast a shadow that swallowed Yagura whole.
"Zabuza," Yagura didn't turn.
"Three years have passed," Zabuza said quietly. "Now that it's clear you're no threat, do you still intend to remain a willing puppet?"
"Your question is meaningless." Violet eyes reflected the rolling sea. "I live only because the village still needs me."
"And you, Zabuza—once the man who wanted me dead more than anyone—have you figured out what you're truly seeking?"
Zabuza said, "I will reform Hidden Mist."
"That is exactly what Mei is doing."
"That woman has gone too far."
Yagura fell silent.
The gulls' cries grew fainter on the wind.
He said, "Mei has a place she wants to reach. Something she wants to accomplish."
"A record full of missions, of killing enemies for the Village—that only earns you the right to compete, not the right to be accepted."
"Telling comrades only to become your tools, without ever saying what you yourself will do or what future you'll bring…"
"Zabuza, shinobi of the Hidden Mist have heard those words far too many times."
Yagura turned to face him.
He was short; standing before the Demon of the Mist, he had to tilt his head back just to meet Zabuza's eyes.
Yet in that moment, Zabuza felt as if he were the one being looked down on.
"There is no difference between you and the me you once fought."
The sea wind seemed to sharpen; Zabuza's pupils narrowed.
Yagura turned away again, gaze drifting to the brightening horizon.
The ship pressed forward, carving through the deep blue.
——
Setting foot in Konoha—after so many years of war—had become the ultimate shared goal of every Kage.
The shift from a cease-fire to a de facto alliance with Konoha had only happened within the last two years.
The Fourth Raikage had never imagined he would return to the Land of Fire so soon, and under a new identity at that.
C and Darui walked behind him; ahead, the Venue District had been cleared.
At the crossroads, the Samui waited with Kumogakure's competing shinobi. At the edge of the crowd stood one more man.
"The Fifth Hokage awaits you in the village, Lord Raikage," Roshi said, inclining his head.
A grunted, his gaze sweeping over Roshi's shoulders, arms, waist, and legs.
"Haven't put on much muscle, Roshi."
"Strength training continues," Roshi replied. "It simply doesn't show."
"The quiet type, huh... Since Tsunade's waiting, let's not waste time. Move."
Darui gave Roshi a wave; receiving a nod in return, he fell in beside C behind the Tsuchikage's group.
A strode forward, Kumogakure's contingent following in a neat line.
Roshi walked just ahead of their flank.
At the gate, they found Tsunade—rarely seen wearing the Hokage hat—with Koharu and Homura standing just behind her.
"Quite the entrance, Raikage."
A stepped past Roshi. "Tsunade. Long time no see."
Homura moved forward. "Lord Raikage, you must be weary. Konoha has prepared lodgings for you."
"Skip it." A cut him off. "Straight to business."
"The conference room is ready, yes?"
"Ready." Roshi moved to Tsunade's side. "We can begin at any time."
"Then let's go."
——
"Konoha has proposed a broader vision, and Kumogakure has responded to its ally's hopes for the future." A sat down and spoke immediately. "So within this five-village union, how does Konoha intend to safeguard Kumogakure's interests?"
Tsunade let out a short laugh.
It was soft, but everyone in the room heard it clearly.
"You actually expect Konoha to protect your interests..." She lifted her gaze to him. "Then let Konoha and Kumogakure stand together at the Five Kage Summit and push every proposal as one."
She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
"Profit sharing, hosting schedules—whatever you want, Konoha will fight for it."
"How about it?"
A stared at her.
"That," he said grimly, "hardly shows sincerity, Tsunade."
"If you want to beg for candy like a child," the Fifth Hokage met his eyes without flinching, "isn't it nice that Konoha simply gives it?"
From the very start, the Kage of Konoha and Kumogakure collided head-on.
Across the long table, the Dodai and Samui kept their eyes on the wood grain, expressions steady. Konoha's two advisors frowned slightly but remained silent.
Darui watched in silence.
Roshi continued flipping through the documents in his hands.
A leaned back. "Then let's hear Konoha's concrete plans."
Only then did Roshi close the folder. "Since this is a five-village union, even if Kumogakure and Konoha are to gain more, we have to proceed from practical realities."
"For Kumogakure, the first issue is foreign visitors—limited by objective conditions and security concerns, since the Venue District lies outside the village."
"Kumogakure's Earth Release isn't outstanding, so remodeling the terrain is somewhat difficult. Konoha can provide support in this area."
"The second issue is how we showcase our shinobi's strength."
Roshi turned to A.
"Even if the Joint Combat Exercise has a commercial angle, it's still a platform to display each village's power. Within the established rules, we can improve our shinobi's competitiveness and combat performance. Konoha is willing to share training methods, tactical frameworks, and even tailored optimizations for certain Ninjutsu."
He slid Konoha's proposal across the table.
"This is Konoha's proposal—to solve the competitiveness problem at its source."
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