[Kirigakure, Mizukage Building]
The Fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei, looked at the invitation. Her red lips curled slightly, but her eyes were filled with obvious doubt and mockery.
"That Minato Namikaze... Konoha started all three Great Ninja Wars in the past and threw the ninja world into chaos. Now that the Akatsuki has become a real force, they suddenly remember to unite everyone? What a nice plan."
"But... the Akatsuki really is terrifying now. All of our Jinchuriki have been captured. I asked the other villages for help before, and nobody paid any attention to me. Now that things are about to fall apart, they finally want to hold a Five Kage Summit.", Terumi Mei said unhappily.
Ao, standing behind her, asked quietly, "Lady Mizukage, then we..."
"We're going to the Land of Iron."
"I'll go in person and see for myself. If Konoha thinks they can use this chance to take control of the ninja world, they've miscalculated."
Terumi Mei stood up, her presence imposing.
———
[Sunagakure, Kazekage Building]
The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, sat at his desk and calmly finished reading the invitation.
There was little emotion on his young face. Only his light green eyes showed deep thought.
"Could this be the reason I was brought back to life..."
Gaara folded his hands together.
Ever since he had died once, he had vaguely felt that he had some kind of mission.
Heaven hadn't let him die...
Looking at it now, was it for the sake of uniting the ninja world?
Baki, standing nearby, said worriedly, "Lord Kazekage, Konoha has never had a very good reputation. During the three Great Ninja Wars, they were always the side that started them... But the Akatsuki is terrifying now. They've already captured several Tailed Beasts in succession. Even our One-Tail was extracted long ago..."
Gaara gently closed the invitation.
"I'm going. No matter what Konoha did in the past, the Akatsuki has become a threat to the entire ninja world."
"An alliance is necessary. The Land of Iron is neutral, so it's the perfect place for everyone to speak openly."
Baki was briefly stunned before nodding.
The date for the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron was quickly decided.
Although the Kage of the major ninja villages still held grudges against Konoha, faced with the Akatsuki's growing strength and their shared enemy, they ultimately chose to put aside their differences for the time being. Each brought trusted ninja and set out for the neutral nation.
———
At the same time, the Akatsuki was also making intense preparations for its next move.
Pain sat atop the enormous stone statue, his voice low and commanding.
"The Eight-Tails... it's time to act. Zetsu, begin."
Half of White Zetsu's body emerged from the shadows as he let out a sinister laugh.
"Hehe, everything's ready. Killer B is troublesome, but the Akatsuki isn't what it used to be..."
Just as the Akatsuki began its operation to capture Killer B, the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki of Kumogakure, a secret report quickly reached Arisu in Konoha.
Standing in his backyard, Arisu unfolded the coded message and calmly read its contents.
The Akatsuki has locked onto the Eight-Tails. The capture operation is about to begin.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and gently squeezed the paper between his fingers.
It turned to ash and scattered into the wind.
Arisu didn't hesitate for even a moment.
Nor did he tell Minato Namikaze or anyone else about the information.
He simply stood there quietly, letting events follow their predetermined course.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
Arisu turned around and said gently, "Come in."
The door opened.
Uchiha Sasuke, dressed in black with a cold expression, walked in.
He first lowered his head slightly in greeting before getting straight to the point.
"Lord Arisu, I heard Konoha is about to attend the Five Kage Summit."
"The Akatsuki is extremely powerful. They're very likely to attack the summit. I... want to personally protect the Five Kage Summit!", That was what Sasuke said.
In reality, his true goal was to use this opportunity to meet his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.
He knew that, given Itachi's position within the Akatsuki, he would most likely take part in the attack.
Only then could he ask him face-to-face about the truth behind his betrayal of the village.
"You want to protect the Five Kage Summit?"
The corner of Arisu's mouth twitched.
If he remembered correctly, in the original story, Sasuke had attacked the Five Kage Summit.
Looking into Sasuke's eyes, filled with complicated emotions, Arisu seemed to see through his thoughts at a glance, yet didn't expose them.
He smiled gently.
"Sasuke, I understand what you're thinking. However, I don't plan to attend this Five Kage Summit."
Arisu shook his head.
Sasuke paused.
"...Then?"
Arisu clasped his hands behind his back and said calmly, "How about this? You should go directly to Minato. I can personally write you a letter of recommendation and recommend you to him so he can take you to the Land of Iron. What do you think?"
"Minato is your senior fellow disciple. Just tell him."
Sasuke fell silent for a moment before finally nodding.
"...Thank you, Teacher Arisu."
Arisu nodded slightly, walked over to the desk, picked up a brush, wrote a brief but weighty letter of recommendation, and handed it to Sasuke.
———
[Hokage Building, Office]
Minato Namikaze was standing by the window studying the route to the Land of Iron when he heard a knock and turned around.
"Come in."
Uchiha Sasuke pushed open the door and respectfully handed over Arisu's letter of recommendation.
Minato accepted the letter, skimmed through it, and smiled gently. He nodded at Sasuke, who had just arrived.
"Sasuke, actually, I was already planning to take you and Naruto with me."
"The Akatsuki is powerful, and the Five Kage Summit will be full of danger. Bringing along a few more dependable young people will give us a little more security."
Although Minato was speaking to Sasuke, the person he had originally wanted to bring most was Yukio, his teacher's own son, whose strength and talent were both outstanding.
But since his teacher had personally recommended Sasuke by name, there was naturally no way he could refuse.
He would simply take them both and leave his teacher behind to guard the village.
Minato put away the letter. His gaze remained gentle, yet carried the authority of the Hokage.
"Good. We leave tomorrow morning. Go back and get ready. Bring everything you'll need and stay alert at all times. The Akatsuki won't let this opportunity pass easily."
———
Elsewhere, inside the sealing space, the seven Tailed Beasts were listening with great interest to gossip about their teacher.
Shukaku looked shocked.
"I always thought Teacher had no worldly desires. I never expected him and Kaguya to have a love-hate story like that!"
Son Goku wore a complicated expression.
"Teacher never told us any of this.", Chomei sighed softly.
"I never thought Teacher would treat Sister Kaguya like that..."
Matatabi immediately became unhappy and spoke up.
"If that woman Kaguya hadn't tried to kill Teacher first, would Teacher have treated her that way?"
The Tailed Beasts all started discussing it.
None of them had expected something like this to have happened in the past.
'What was all this about Teacher actually being a hypocrite? A troublemaker?'
'What was all this about Teacher manipulating Kaguya's two sons into sealing her away, then later releasing her again just to gain power...'
'This painted Teacher in far too dark a light...'
"Heh. This is nothing but wild history. It's all unofficial stories. How do I know what you're saying is true? After all, none of what you said is recorded in the history books.", Isobu couldn't help asking.