"Lord Mizukage, the second Mizukage Guard has been confirmed. It is the Uchiha clan head—Uchiha Fugaku."
The leader of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen reported the news.
Shigure lounged in the open-air hot spring, steam drifting around him, and smiled.
"I see."
Interesting.
His two guards for the Five Kage Summit would be Hinata and the Uchiha clan head himself.
He wondered how the other villages would react.
Shigure chuckled to himself.
The Five Kage Summit was to be held in the Land of Iron, a fact everyone in the ninja world knew well.
Naturally, the first to arrive was Kumogakure—the Land of Thunder was closest, and the Fourth Raikage was famously proactive.
Since Kumogakure had been the one to propose this summit, the Fourth Raikage arrived early to make preparations.
The samurai of the Iron Country stood solemn and disciplined. This meeting involved the shadows of the five great nations—five individuals who could shape the fate of the entire world.
The weight of their presence was immense.
Mifune inspected the samurai as he walked past.
"Stay sharp. We aren't here to intimidate the Five Kage, but the Iron Country must show its full dignity."
The samurai tensed, spirits rising, and Mifune nodded in satisfaction.
"Lord Mifune, the Raikage of Kumogakure has arrived!"
Mifune turned toward the voice. Through the drifting sand, three figures approached wearing travel hats.
The Fourth Raikage—accompanied by his two guards:
Darui and C, both elite shinobi of Kumogakure.
"Long time no see, Lord Raikage," Mifune greeted.
The Fourth Raikage laughed.
"Mifune! Still full of spirit, I see! But you've aged quite a bit."
Mifune replied calmly, "As have you, Lord Raikage. Time spares no one. Birth, aging, illness, death—the natural order."
"Please, enter."
The Raikage glanced toward the prepared meeting hall.
"So the old man is the first to arrive?"
Mifune felt there was something behind that question, but nodded politely.
"Good."
The Raikage strode inside.
Mifune watched him go, feeling that Raikage might be plotting something. When Raikage reached the discussion chamber, he whispered a few quiet instructions into Darui's ear. Darui nodded immediately.
The second to arrive was the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Iwagakure.
Descending lightly from the sky, Ōnoki tapped his lower back with a wince.
"Honestly… making an old man fly back and forth like this. Show some respect to your elders."
He looked at Mifune.
"You're around my age, aren't you?"
Mifune gave him a polite, awkward smile.
"Please come in. The Raikage has already arrived."
He glanced at Tsuchikage's two guards:
Kurotsuchi, his granddaughter—clearly being groomed as the next Tsuchikage.
And Deidara.
To Mifune, Deidara looked unreliable at first glance, but his chakra and killing intent told another story.
This was a young man drenched in the smell of blood.
Ōnoki noticed Mifune's look and sighed.
"Don't mind him. The brat caused plenty of trouble before."
Mifune forced a small smile.
"Young people. It happens."
But internally, Mifune raised an eyebrow.
Even if the Iron Country stayed neutral, that didn't mean it was ignorant. Deidara had defected from Iwagakure in the past, joined the Akatsuki, and slaughtered countless people.
Yet he was now welcomed back to Iwagakure as a guard for the Tsuchikage.
Clearly, none of his former crimes were going to be pursued.
Mifune scoffed inwardly.
Who in the world would dare demand accountability from one of the Five Great Nations?
That was simply asking to die.
Soon after, as the wind settled, another figure appeared.
Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage, approached with his guards:
Kankurō, and the disguised Sasori, still posing as a Bloodline-Limit shinobi.
"Kazekage-sama, welcome. I am Mifune, leader of the Iron Country. I am responsible for the security of this Five Kage Summit."
Despite Gaara's youth and Sunagakure's weakened current state, Mifune still maintained full respect.
Gaara gave a silent nod, offered no small talk, and walked straight inside.
The moment he stepped into the conference hall, Gaara paused slightly.
The seating arrangement was… unusual.
The Fourth Raikage sat squarely at the center.
On his side was the Tsuchikage, and two seats remained open—one to the far left, one to the far right.
The five seats curved into a semicircle.
In the center-facing position, a single seat remained—clearly Mifune's.
Gaara frowned.
Did the Iron Country arrange this?
Is this supposed to provoke division among the Five Kage?
Without comment, Gaara chose the seat on the far right.
He removed his Kazekage cloak, folded it neatly onto the table, and closed his eyes to rest.
Raikage and Ōnoki looked toward Gaara.
"A brat like that is already the Fifth Kazekage…"
"The Sand truly lacks talent," Ōnoki muttered under his breath.
"With a weak village, a single misstep could get you expelled from the Five Great Nations," Raikage added with a dry laugh.
Then the Raikage spoke louder, "Kazekage-dono is very young!"
Gaara slowly opened his eyes.
"Does Lord Raikage have something he wishes to say?"
Such a sharp temperament.
Raikage gave a harmless grin.
"Nothing of the sort. This is just the first time I've met the Kazekage. Thought we should get acquainted."
"There's no need. The Land of Wind is too far from the Land of Lightning. Familiarity is unnecessary."
Gaara closed his eyes again.
But his brow twitched slightly.
He had noticed it—the seat placement had been altered. Not by the Iron Country.
Someone moved the seats deliberately.
And naturally…
the last to arrive would be Shigure, the Mizukage of Kirigakure.
The next to enter was the Hokage of Konoha.
Tsunade strode in with Kakashi and Might Guy, her expression worsening the moment she saw the seating arrangement.
Two unoccupied seats remained:
One beside the Raikage—
and one directly opposite him.
It was a blatant setup.
From the first moment of the summit, the room had been arranged to split the Kage into opposing factions.
Tsunade stared coldly at the others.
"Are you sure you want to start things off like this?"
Raikage remained silent.
Ōnoki chuckled but didn't answer.
Gaara seemed indifferent.
Realizing no one would respond honestly, Tsunade exhaled through her nose, stopped talking, and walked toward the last seat.
Before sitting, she turned back to the other Kage.
"I hope you don't regret this."
Her gaze shifted toward the remaining seat—
the final one.
Shigure's position.
Knowing the Mizukage's personality, once he walked in and saw this staged seating arrangement, he would definitely react sharply.
Tsunade exhaled quietly.
She remembered what Shigure had said to her that day…
When the time comes to choose a side—
make the right choice.
And now, faced with this setup and the clash it was designed to trigger…
Tsunade found herself torn.
Between Konoha's political burden and Shigure's words—How was she supposed to choose?
(End of Chapter)
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