As Ōnoki's words fell, the vast conference room instantly fell into a heavy silence.
This silence did not stem from misunderstanding or resistance.
If they truly did not acknowledge the grim reality pointed out by Ōnoki, how could these Kage, who shoulder the future of their shinobi villages, have responded so quickly to his call for the Five Kage Summit?
In each of their hearts, the same worry had long since taken hold; the mysterious organization known as 'Akatsuki,' with its expanding power and inscrutable ambitions, had already become like a sword hanging over their heads.
It was only due to the delicate balance between the shinobi villages, their respective positional concerns, or the lack of an opportunity for action that this worry had been temporarily suppressed and had not yet turned into action.
"Everyone," Minato's clear and firm voice broke the stalemate.
"Are we not gathered here at this moment precisely to face and resolve this imminent threat? There is no longer any need for reservations or testing each other."
"The Hokage is absolutely right," Raikage Ay echoed in a deep voice, his stance carrying the characteristic fortitude of Kumogakure.
Especially for Kumogakure, the Akatsuki's recent trajectory of actions against powerful shinobi villages had already faintly pointed the spearhead toward them—their next target was very likely Kumogakure!
This personal sense of crisis made him feel even more deeply that this Five Kage Summit was a matter of extreme urgency.
Since the direction of the summit was highly likely to consolidate power to jointly oppose Akatsuki, forming a situation favorable to his Kumogakure, what reason did he have to object?
"Agreed," Mei Terumī, the Fifth Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village, also immediately stated her stance.
"Agreed," Gaara's concise response followed immediately after.
As the initiator of this Five Kage Summit, Ōnoki naturally would not raise any objections either.
Seeing that a consensus had been reached, Minato seized the opportunity to further propose the core agenda.
"Since everyone has no objections to this, the immediate priority is to pool all the intelligence regarding the 'Akatsuki' organization held by us Five Kage.
To know oneself and one's enemy is the way to victory; please, everyone, do not withhold anything and share the information you know."
"Since the Hokage has set the tone," Ōnoki's eyes swept over the other four Kage, "then let me, as the convener of this meeting, be the first."
He paused deliberately, his gaze becoming as sharp as a blade.
"I presume you all already know about our Iwagakure's encounter with the Akatsuki's theft of a Tailed Beast."
The other four Kage all nodded, their expressions very grave regarding this matter.
Because Iwagakure was ranked among the top in terms of strength among their Five Great Hidden Villages, yet this was the result.
They had also been extremely shocked when they first received this news.
"There were a total of five Akatsuki members involved in the siege of my village," Ōnoki's voice carried a trace of imperceptible pain, and complex emotions surged in his eyes when he spoke that name.
"One of them... is precisely my worthless disciple, the former genius of Iwagakure, Deidara."
Mentioning this name, he seemed to age several years in an instant; there was both anger toward a traitor and a mixture of unspeakable disappointment and regret.
He held nothing back, describing in detail Deidara's explosive clay art that was so difficult to guard against.
As Ōnoki recounted Deidara's abilities, Gaara's gaze was particularly profound.
He had personally experienced that destructive art; the experience of being captured was reawakened at this moment.
He listened silently, carving every detail into his mind.
Ōnoki took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, and continued to quickly outline the remaining four enemies.
"Of the other four, one is a bizarre existence with a near-immortal body."
"One is a monster from whose body pitch-black tentacles can extend and who can steal the hearts of others."
"One manipulates a staggering number of puppets."
"And the last one... has a shark-like face resembling a deep-sea predator."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gaara, who had been silent, spoke up, his voice cold and certain.
"The one manipulating puppets is Sasori of the Red Sand. A former rogue Shinobi of Sunagakure." He looked around at everyone, revealing a long-buried blood case.
"He was also the culprit who assassinated the Third Kazekage back then, directly triggering the Third Shinobi World War."
He clearly recounted the intelligence about Sasori that Lady Chiyo had revealed before her death, especially his puppet-mastery talent that reached the peak of Sunagakure's history and his dangerous poisons.
Next, Mizukage Mei Terumī elegantly took up the conversation, her red lips parting slightly as she spoke.
"The shark-faced one the Tsuchikage described should be the Hidden Mist rogue Shinobi, Hoshigaki Kisame."
A deep wariness appeared on her face. "He is also one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen of the Mist, the current owner of the blade 'Samehada'."
Like the intelligence sharing before, Mei revealed Kisame's terrifying aspects without reservation.
The amount of chakra that could rival a Tailed Beast, as well as his formidable strength that was enough to drive one to despair.
Memories surged, recalling the coup d'état at that time, and Mei's face was also very wary.
If it weren't for the fact that Kisame and his accomplices were very few in number and seemed to have no intention of fighting them to the death, the outcome of their coup back then would likely have been even more uncertain.
Minato looked around and, seeing that none of the four Kage present could supplement the identity information of the other two, took up the conversation, breaking the brief silence.
"Regarding the other two powerful enemies mentioned by his Excellency the Tsuchikage," his voice was clear and calm.
"Although the intelligence held by Konoha is not exhaustive, we have indeed gained something and are willing to share it with everyone."
He first pointed to the enemy with the bizarre immortal body.
"That Shinobi who seems impossible to kill was once a member of Yugakure. He is a fanatical believer in Jashinism, and it is precisely by relying on a certain extremely special and ominous Ninjutsu that he maintains his immortal characteristics that transcend common sense."
The intelligence Minato cited was precisely what his teacher, Jiraiya, had spent great effort to collect.
"Jashin?! An evil god?!" This term was like a stone thrown into calm water, instantly stirring up huge waves in the hearts of the four Kage.
Things related to 'gods' naturally carried a power that was both awe-inspiring and terrifying; their faces all showed gravity and shock in unison.
Minato nodded slightly, acknowledging their reaction.
"Yes, precisely an evil god. However, according to the results of our in-depth investigation, this organization that believes in Jashin has long since vanished within Yugakure and no longer exists.
As for the 'Jashin' they worship itself—exactly what kind of existence it is and what kind of power it has—it is now impossible to verify."
This information carried an unsettling sense of the unknown.
For a moment, the entire conference room fell into an even deeper silence.
Even the Raikage, who had the toughest and most violent personality, now had his brows furrowed tightly and did not voice any questions or rebuttals.
After all, the concept of an 'immortal body' completely transcended the mundane, and one could not help but feel wary.
After a short pause, Minato turned the topic to the other person.
"As for the other one, the Shinobi who can extend bizarre black tentacles from his body and instantly steal an opponent's heart, his name is Kakuzu."
He paused, his tone carrying obvious gravity.
"This person was once a famous bounty hunter in the underground world, with extremely terrifying strength. I presume everyone present should have heard of him?"
Before his words even fell, the expressions of Tsuchikage Ōnoki and Raikage Ay suddenly changed, a flash of realization and deeper wariness appearing in their eyes.
They were, of course, all too familiar with the bounty hunter trade; even they themselves or their respective shinobi villages had used these desperate men who walked in the grey areas for certain purposes.
They were used to issuing tasks but never delved into the specific means the executors used to complete them.
Who would have thought that the executor who made people tremble with fear was actually now a member of the Akatsuki?!
"It's actually... him?!" This thought emerged in both of their minds almost simultaneously.
If it really was that legendary Kakuzu, then the threat level he brought would undoubtedly have to be raised by several levels; his degree of terror far exceeded imagination.
In contrast, the young Kazekage Gaara, as well as Mizukage Mei Terumī, who was not well-informed on certain intelligence because the Hidden Mist Village had been closed off for a long time, initially appeared somewhat lost.
The name Kakuzu was relatively unfamiliar to them.
However, when they keenly captured the ill-concealed gravity and vigilance on the faces of Ōnoki and the Raikage, they understood instantly.
The danger of a figure who could make these two veteran 'Kage' of extraordinary strength change color at the same time was self-evident.
When Minato revealed the identities of the other two powerhouses who had joined forces to besiege Iwagakure, the entire venue fell into a heavy, deathly silence.
These five people, without exception, were all S-rank rogue Shinobi on their respective villages' most-wanted lists, whose strength was formidable enough to shake an entire region.
Each of their names was accompanied by terrifying legends capable of overturning regional war situations.
Yet, five such arrogant and powerful existences had actually been integrated by an organization called 'Akatsuki' and had become members under its command.
What was even more chilling was that, inferred from existing intelligence, these five people were likely far from the full picture of the 'Akatsuki' organization.
To what extent did the true scale and foundation of this mysterious organization actually reach?
An invisible pressure weighed heavily on the heart of every attendee, making it difficult to breathe.
The brief silence was broken again by Minato.
His gaze was calm as he dropped another piece of information.
"Besides these five people, there is one more point to add. Orochimaru, one of our Konoha's former 'Sannin,' was also once a member of the 'Akatsuki' organization."
"Once?" The keen Tsuchikage Ōnoki immediately caught this subtle word and turned his gaze toward Minato.
"Yes, 'once'," Minato nodded in confirmation. "According to the intelligence we hold, Orochimaru already left the Akatsuki several years ago."
Although he did not state the source of the intelligence, it certainly came from Jiraiya.
One could even say that this intelligence regarding 'Akatsuki' was precisely a byproduct Jiraiya had unexpectedly gained in the process of tracking Orochimaru's trail.
As Minato's words fell, the inscrutable strength of the 'Akatsuki' organization once again dragged the entire venue into silence.
Ōnoki broke the brief silence, "This is all the intelligence Iwagakure currently possesses regarding the Akatsuki."
"Only this?" Raikage Ay suddenly raised his head, his tone full of undisguised suspicion. "Old man Ōnoki, isn't that a bit too much of an understatement?"
Ōnoki's gaze met the Raikage's: "Oh? What does the Raikage mean by that? Could it be that you possess some key information that Iwagakure missed?"
Ay crossed his arms, his burly frame emitting a pressing aura, his eyes burning as they locked onto Ōnoki, saying word by word.
"According to the intelligence our Kumogakure possesses, your Iwagakure had 'close contact' with that dangerous Akatsuki a long time ago! Shouldn't this be explained clearly to everyone present?"
"What?!" Ōnoki's pupils suddenly contracted, and a flash of imperceptible stiffness crossed his face.
Immediately, the gazes of Gaara and Mei Terumī on the side swept back and forth between Ōnoki and the Raikage.
Invisible pressure instantly focused on Ōnoki.
Finally, Ōnoki let out a sigh, breaking the oppression: "...Very well."
He spoke frankly: "Indeed, in the war years of the past, we... once utilized the power of the Akatsuki."
He paused, and his tone not only lacked the slightest guilt but instead carried a hint of self-satisfaction as he discussed past decisions.
"Everyone knows that during the era of constant conflict in the Shinobi World, Akatsuki, as a mercenary organization whose main business was undertaking various war missions, was powerful and efficient.
Utilizing them to achieve strategic goals seemed, at the time, to be a perfectly normal expedient."
He even began to recount some specific 'cooperation' details with a slight sense of reminiscence.
However, this calculating Third Tsuchikage perhaps never deeply considered that it was precisely the continuous 'outsourcing' of war commissions from these great shinobi villages that provided the Akatsuki with incalculable amounts of huge financial support.
The source of the astronomical bounty that Nagato, standing behind the scenes, could so generously pay Kakuzu likely came largely from this.
"Hmph!" After listening, Raikage Ay let out a heavy, cold snort of mockery from his nose, clearly extremely dissatisfied with Ōnoki's attitude.
But he also understood that the other party had already admitted the key facts, so he said no more, only crossing his arms even tighter, his face full of disdain.
The atmosphere eased slightly, and Gaara also spoke up.
"On Sunagakure's side, the intelligence regarding the Akatsuki is also limited.
Besides confirming that Sasori of the Red Sand is a member of the organization, the most directly related... is my own experience as the former One-Tail Jinchuriki."
"I was once captured alive by Akatsuki's Deidara, and the One-Tail Shukaku was forcibly extracted from my body."
As soon as Gaara said this, it immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Raikage Ay, unable to restrain himself, asked point-blank: "As far as I know, once a Jinchuriki has their Tailed Beast forcibly removed, they will certainly die!"
He didn't directly ask "how did you survive," but his gaze and undisguised intent of inquiry had already laid the question bare on the table.
Gaara was silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice lowering a bit, "That is a forbidden technique that only Lady Chiyo knew; the effect is a life for a life."
"So that's how it is..." The other Kage, including Ōnoki, all showed expressions of realization.
Indeed, only a forbidden technique with such a price could possibly explain the common-sense-defying miracle of a Jinchuriki surviving after a Tailed Beast had been extracted.