Before Minato could respond to the Tsuchikage's words, another voice interrupted the discussion.
It was Gaara.
The Kazekage, who had remained mostly silent throughout the meeting, slowly raised his head and spoke in his usual calm, emotionless tone.
"No one can say that for sure."
His words immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Do not underestimate the conviction of the Uzumaki Clan."
The conference hall became quiet once again.
"And don't forget..." Gaara's gaze slowly swept across everyone seated at the table. "...until someone becomes truly powerful, they hope to earn respect by doing great and respectable things."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"But once they become powerful enough... they no longer ask for respect. They demand it."
His words landed heavily on everyone present.
"Every word they speak has to be taken seriously. If it isn't..." His expression remained completely indifferent. "...their pride will be challenged. And that challenge will inevitably bring consequences."
Silence filled the room.
"I don't have to remind any of you of this. We, the Five Great Villages, have walked this very path for decades." His voice remained steady. "Do we tolerate small villages openly defying us?"
No one answered.
"No. If a small nation openly rejects our authority, everyone here knows what usually follows."
Several of the Daimyos lowered their eyes.
"Their destruction."
Gaara continued without changing his tone.
"And this has happened before." He looked toward the other Kages. "The Land of Rain is one such example. Years of conflict reduced that country to the brink of collapse. Almost every small settlement and village throughout the Land of Rain disappeared, leaving only Amegakure standing, with nearly the entire surviving population eventually becoming concentrated there."
His words carried no mockery; he was merely stating history as it was.
"So..." Gaara folded his hands together. "Sunagakure has no intention of making the same mistake. We are not going to offer meaningless resistance that will accomplish nothing except get our people killed and bring destruction upon our village."
His gaze remained calm.
"And honestly, the Uzumaki Clan is not demanding something that seriously harms our interests." He paused before continuing. "The tailed beasts were never meant to be used lightly. But during the previous wars, several villages repeatedly used them as weapons."
Everyone around the table understood exactly what he was referring to.
"It would be better if those tailed beasts were controlled by someone as powerful as the Uzumaki Clan." His reasoning was simple. "They are already overwhelmingly powerful. Even if every tailed beast in existence were somehow gathered together under our control..." Gaara slowly shook his head. "...we still wouldn't be able to overpower them."
A bitter truth—one that no one present could honestly deny.
"So even if they obtain every tailed beast," he finished calmly, "it would simply be the cherry on top. Nothing more."
Silence followed his conclusion. It was the first time Gaara had spoken at such length since the meeting had begun, and every sentence had been grounded in cold logic rather than emotion. For a few moments, no one knew how to respond.
At that moment, Terumi Mei, who had also remained silent throughout almost the entire meeting, finally spoke.
Ever since the summit had begun, she had allowed the Daimyo of the Land of Water to handle most of the discussions on behalf of her nation. But now, she decided to voice her own opinion.
"And don't forget one more thing."
Everyone turned toward the Fifth Mizukage.
"If the Otsutsuki Clan attacks us—which they almost certainly will in the future—then we will need the Uzumaki Clan. They will be the ones standing at the very forefront against the Otsutsuki Clan." Her voice remained composed. "So, for all of us... it would be wiser to follow Uzushiogakure rather than oppose it."
The room fell silent once more.
However, the moment Mei finished speaking, the Fourth Raikage and the Tsuchikage exchanged subtle glances before identical thoughts crossed their minds.
Clearly, she only became the Mizukage because of the Uzumaki Clan's influence. After all, she's Todoroki Uzumaki's wife. It was only natural that she would speak in their favor.
The Daimyo of the Land of Water also let out a quiet sigh after hearing Mei's words. He knew the circumstances better than most.
Terumi Mei had already been one of the most prominent figures in Kirigakure long before she married Todoroki Uzumaki. Even after the marriage, she had continued to remain deeply involved in the village's affairs.
Then came the war.
When Kirigakure had joined hands with the Akatsuki alliance and participated in the attack on Uzushiogakure, the entire village had stood on the verge of annihilation. In the end, they had only been spared because of Terumi.
The condition imposed by the Uzumaki Clan had been simple: Terumi Mei would become the next Mizukage.
The Daimyo had known about that arrangement from the very beginning. At the time, he had wanted to object, but he couldn't. Not because he lacked authority, but because he feared the Uzumaki Clan. After witnessing their overwhelming strength, refusing their terms had never truly been an option.
Even now, he still disliked losing strategic assets such as the tailed beasts. Regardless of the changing political landscape, the tailed beasts remained the greatest military deterrents possessed by the Five Great Villages. Handing them over willingly was something no Daimyo desired.
Yet reality was reality. Compared to provoking the wrath of the Uzumaki Clan, swallowing their pride was by far the wiser choice.
As the discussions continued for some time, the meeting gradually reached its conclusion. The final decision was unanimous. None of the Five Great Nations would interfere with Uzushiogakure or oppose the plans laid out by Lord Uzukage.
Likewise, every major village would begin following Shanks' proposal of increasing the number of elite shinobi within their military forces, preparing themselves for the large-scale war that could arrive in the future.
The summit finally came to an end.
A few days later, inside Uzushiogakure...
Shanks received a complete report detailing everything that had transpired during the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. Sitting behind his desk, he quietly read through the document from beginning to end. Not a single page was skipped.
After finishing the report, he placed it back onto the desk.
"At least they're sensible enough."
His voice was calm, carrying neither satisfaction nor mockery. He slowly rose from his seat and walked toward the large window. Standing there, he gazed outside in silence.
Gradually, his hand clenched into a fist.
Crack...
Invisible pressure spread through the room. An immense aura began to leak from his body as streaks of crimson-black lightning crackled around him, dancing across the air before disappearing just as quickly.
His eyes sharpened.
I need to become even stronger.
After the battle against Madara, Raphael had collected an enormous amount of new combat data. There were now countless variables to analyze, countless improvements to calculate, and countless new methods that could push his strength even further.
Every battle makes me stronger. Every powerful opponent reveals another weakness to overcome. While preparing for the Otsutsuki invasion... I'll continue training.
His grip tightened further.
Be ready... Because once you come... I'll wipe out every last one of your forces. I'll give your entire clan complete and utter destruction.
The crackling lightning intensified for a brief moment before gradually fading away. His conviction never wavered.
After that, the days continued to pass.
Just as Shanks had declared before the leaders of the world, peace settled across the shinobi nations. Not only large-scale wars, but even the smallest border skirmishes were no longer permitted under Uzushiogakure's warning.
The ultimatum had spread throughout the entire world.
Although ordinary people didn't openly celebrate the change, joy quietly spread among the civilian population. For countless families, this was the first time in generations that they could live without constantly fearing that another war would erupt overnight.
Children no longer had to wonder whether their fathers would return from the battlefield. Villages no longer lived in constant fear of invasion. Refugees slowly returned to rebuild their homes. Merchants began traveling safely between nations once again, trade flourished, and the economies of many countries steadily recovered.
The endless tragedies brought about by war—the deaths, the displacement of families, the orphaned children, and the ruined villages—became increasingly rare.
For the first time in a very long while... the world experienced genuine peace.
Days passed. Days became months. Months quietly turned into years.
And before anyone truly realized how much time had slipped away...
Ten years passed.