--------------------------------------------------
Kirigakure, Land of Water.
"Hmph. Uchiha Madara really does think the world revolves around him!!"
Gengetsu Hōzuki finished reading Konoha's letter, unimpressed by the tone of it, and handed the page to the old toad sitting beside him. "Sage Fukasaku. Take a look."
"Give me a moment." Fukasaku took the letter, closed his eyes, and rubbed one thick eyebrow while he turned the contents over.
Fukasaku opened his eyes.
"We're going. Let's find out what Uchiha Madara is planning."
"Alright."
——————————
Several days later, Konoha was busier than usual, with representatives from the other great villages coming through the gates for the Five Kage Summit.
Hashirama had been thrilled the moment he heard about the meeting and volunteered to attend alongside Madara. Madara turned him down on the spot. He knew the man too well—leave Hashirama alone in a conference room for five minutes and he would be bowing to everyone and handing out concessions before the talks even opened.
So Hashirama got reception duty instead.
Outside the village, Gengetsu arrived with Fukasaku perched on his shoulder just as Mū came up from the other direction, Black Zetsu folded away under his bandages so neatly that only someone who already knew to look would have found him.
Mū took one glance at Gengetsu and smirked. "Well. If it isn't Little Mustache. Been a while. I figured you spent your days playing with giant clams. Since when do you carry an old toad around?"
"Mind your own business, Bandage Face." Gengetsu snorted. "Keep talking and you can taste my Water Gun."
"Save it for later." Mū folded his arms, unbothered. "Let's get inside."
The two of them had known each other for years, and for all their rivalry they were old acquaintances—trading insults on Konoha's doorstep was simply how they said hello.
Between the bandages, Black Zetsu glanced toward Fukasaku with a grin, and Fukasaku answered with a wink so small it barely happened. Neither of them said a word.
——————————
Inside Ichiraku Ramen, Kakuzu sat behind the counter with a newspaper open in front of him.
"Old man. The Five Kage Summit is starting." He tapped the headline and looked over at Manji.
"A Five Kage Summit... That should be entertaining." Manji said.
"How come you never held one when you were Hokage?" Kakuzu lowered the paper.
"Kakuzu. When I was Hokage, half these villages didn't exist yet." Manji gave him a sideways look.
"…Fair point."
Before Kakuzu could get another word out, the door slid open.
"Boss! Two bowls of the house special."
Mū and Gengetsu walked in together and took a table near the counter. Kakuzu recognized them immediately and his eyes went wide. "The Mizukage and the Tsuchikage?"
"Don't look so surprised." Gengetsu waved him off.
"Konoha drags us all the way out here for a summit and doesn't even lay on lunch."
"Maybe that's the plan," Mū said. "Bring every Kage into the village and make us spend money in Konoha's restaurants."
"Wouldn't put it past them."
Once they were seated, both men glanced toward Manji and saw nothing worth a second look.
The two Sages with them reacted very differently. Fukasaku stiffened on Gengetsu's shoulder, and under the bandages, Black Zetsu went perfectly still.
'WHAT THE HELL IS THE GRAND SAGE DOING HERE?'
Neither of them had expected to find Manji sitting quietly in a noodle shop a stone's throw from the Hokage Building while the entire shinobi world assembled outside.
Manji caught both reactions and offered a small, slightly awkward smile. "Quite a few familiar faces today."
Before either Sage could answer, the door came open hard enough to announce the next customer before he opened his mouth.
"Boss! One house special!"
The First Raikage came in with an attendant trailing him. Mū and Gengetsu looked over, placed him, and went back to their bowls.
"Oh. You two are already here." The Raikage pulled out a chair beside them and sat down as though the three of them had arranged it.
Kakuzu stared. First the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage, and now the Raikage as well—for one ridiculous moment he wondered whether Manji's presence had somehow pulled all of them through the door.
Manji glanced over and waved, as if he had heard the thought. Don't overthink it. This was the only restaurant near the Hokage Building. Where else were they going to eat?
By the time the three Kage had finished, the First Raikage was already restless. He leaned back in his chair and grinned at Mū and Gengetsu. "Since I've come all this way, I might as well see what Konoha's best can do."
Mū and Gengetsu traded a look and decided not to encourage him. The Raikage didn't need encouragement. He turned toward the counter instead. "Hey, boss. Who's the strongest fighter in Konoha?"
Manji looked up.
"Hashirama Senju." He paused.
"Who else would it be? Me?"
——————————
Inside the Hokage's office, Tobirama pushed the door open and came in.
"Madara. The Kage from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, Sunagakure and Kumogakure have all arrived."
Madara sat behind his desk with his arms folded and gave a short nod. "Good. At least they know better than to ignore a summons."
Tobirama's mouth twitched.
"Begin the summit."
The conference chamber was ready soon after. The other four Kage were already seated when Madara finally walked in, moving at his own pace, entirely untroubled by how long he had kept them waiting. Four sets of eyes tracked him across the room, and not one of them looked pleased.
Mū spoke first. "Hokage. You ordered every Kage to Konoha. What was important enough to justify this?"
His tone stayed polite, but his eyes never left Madara's face. He wanted to know what the man was actually after.
Madara took his seat and looked around the table.
"Recently, certain villages have been using their military strength to lean on smaller shinobi villages. Some of those conflicts are already pressing on the borders of the Land of Fire."
Madara's voice stayed level. "A powerful village carries responsibilities that a weak one does not. Konoha is the strongest shinobi village in the world, and I am its Hokage. When something threatens the peace of the shinobi world, I am not going to pretend it belongs to somebody else."
The mood around the table shifted.
Every village at it had grown in the last few years, and their ambitions had grown alongside their armies. Squeezing small villages, taking land, picking fights with clans that couldn't answer back—all of them did it, and all of them knew the others did it. They simply never said so out loud.
What none of them had expected was Madara appointing himself the man who polices everyone else.
The First Raikage's patience gave out first.
"Hokage. Are you telling us Konoha intends to interfere in the affairs of every other village?" He leaned forward.
"If Kumogakure moves on some minor country, that has nothing to do with you. We haven't touched your village or your land. Where do you get the right to interfere?"
Madara's eyes turned toward him, and the room went cold.
"If it threatens the shinobi world, it concerns Konoha." His voice never rose, which somehow made it land harder. "If every village starts a war the moment it spots an easy target, those wars reach the Land of Fire sooner or later. I have no intention of waiting for that."
He leaned forward slightly. "And Kumogakure in particular should stop pretending nobody has noticed what you've been doing."
The First Raikage's expression stiffened.
"Stockpiling weapons. Expanding your forces. Preparing for something, for years now. Did you honestly believe Konoha wasn't watching?"
The tension settled over the table like a weight. Then Madara's eyes turned red, three tomoe surfacing in each Sharingan and beginning to turn as his gaze came to rest on the Raikage.
——————————
~ Every 200 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ 15 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)