Saito led the three out of the room and into a corridor, where fully armed samurai stood on both sides, silently watching the newcomers.
If anyone made a move, they would immediately act to apprehend them.
"This place was rebuilt after the last Five Kage Summit, further strengthening its defenses," Saito explained as he walked.
"There are five corridors, separated from each other, and the Five Kage will proceed to the meeting room from independent corridors, so there's no need to worry about other Kage harboring ulterior motives."
Tobirama nodded slightly and said, "Thank you for your trouble."
For the rest of the journey, Saito seemed to have nothing more to explain, so he remained silent.
The others also had nothing in common to discuss with Saito, the samurai, so they could only walk in silence.
After walking for a while, a door appeared in everyone's sight.
Saito walked forward, pulled the door open, and then stepped aside, saying, "Please enter.
This room is only accessible to you, the Five Kage, and our country's General Wakanosuke-sama."
Tobirama and his group entered the room and saw a circular table, with one section broken off and deliberately separated.
Seated there was a burly old man with a thick beard and eyes that held an extraordinary power.
"Long time no see, Lord Tobirama… No, I should say Lord Hokage," the old man slowly began.
He looked quite old, but his voice was full of vigor, giving off an invisible sense of pressure.
Fumori Masaki and Sarutobi Hiruzen exchanged glances; this person in front of them should be Wakanosuke, the one Tobirama referred to as the God of Samurai.
"Long time no see, Lord Wakanosuke," Tobirama bowed slightly.
Although the previous summit was not presided over by this man, he was responsible for its arrangements.
"You are the first to arrive, please take a seat," Wakanosuke gestured to the table.
The spot with the 'Fire' curtain behind it was the Hokage's seat.
"Please have your escorts wait on the second floor," Wakanosuke then said to the two.
The second floor was also circular, with five areas separated by curtains and walls.
Each area corresponded to the position of one of the Five Kage, both to prevent contact between them and to allow constant monitoring of the Kage for security.
Just as Fumori Masaki and Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped onto the second floor, the other Kage arrived one after another.
First came the Second Raikage, followed by the Second Kazekage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Third Mizukage.
Wakanosuke repeated what he had just said, and their escorts also headed to the second floor.
Fumori Masaki only recognized the Raikage's and Kazekage's escorts.
The Raikage's escorts were the Third Raikage and Sora, while the Kazekage's escorts were Chiyo and Ebizo.
As these people walked up to the second floor, their gazes occasionally shifted towards Kazemori Masaki's side.
Due to the curtain's obstruction, they didn't know who the Hokage's escorts were and could only guess based on their own thoughts.
"Welcome, and thank you for your trust in the Land of Iron.
I, Wakanosuke, will preside over this Five Kage Summit with fairness and integrity," Wakanosuke began.
"The purpose of this summit is to address the wounds inflicted on the Five Great Nations by the Shinobi World War, initiated by Lord Hokage, with the hope of establishing a new peaceful order."
Then, Wakanosuke sighed, lamenting, "The First Hokage ended the chaotic era since the Warring States period.
Although I dislike shinobi, I admire his actions.
Unexpectedly, only a few years after the first Five Kage Summit, all Five Kage have been replaced.
Although four of them are familiar faces, it still makes me feel that things have changed and people are different."
Upon hearing this, the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, looked displeased and couldn't help but glare at the Third Mizukage.
It was the previous Mizukage who took his teacher with him!
After a moment of lament, Wakanosuke said no more and looked at Tobirama, saying, "Since it was Lord Hokage who proposed this, then Lord Hokage, please speak."
Tobirama nodded, looked at the others, and said, "In this summit, I don't want to put on airs as a victor, nor do I want to covet the interests of other nations.
My only goal is to discuss an agreement here that can maintain peace in the shinobi world."
"Lord Hokage speaks well.
Everyone else should be grateful and not think about their own affairs.
If it weren't for Lord Hokage's benevolence, your situation would be even worse than it is now," Onoki said, supporting Tobirama's statement, but his tone was not so friendly.
The other three Kage couldn't help but frown.
Although Onoki spoke the truth—as defeated nations, if Tobirama were to ally with the Land of Earth to further pressure them, they would have to give up even more interests than they currently were—his words conveyed no goodwill, but rather a hint of mockery.
The Second Raikage and Second Kazekage were both older, and no matter how displeased they were, they wouldn't argue with Onoki over this.
After all, he was a representative of a victorious nation, while they were from defeated nations—one severely damaged by civil war, the other seeking peace by ceding territory.
Both were in rather dire straits, so they tolerated the young and impetuous behavior of the Third Tsuchikage.
However, the young Third Mizukage did not swallow his anger and replied, "That statement should also be directed at Lord Tsuchikage.
The Iwagakure led by Lord Tsuchikage is a follower of 'righteous war,' so don't ruin your own reputation."
"What do you mean, Lord Mizukage?" Onoki said with a forced smile.
"Nothing special.
I support Lord Hokage's proposal, so I don't want anyone else to seek personal gain," the Third Mizukage smiled slightly.
Onoki's fists clenched tightly.
Due to the death of his teacher, Mu, he had absolutely no goodwill towards Kirigakure.
More importantly, the Third Mizukage's words truly hit a nerve for Onoki.
At that time, Iwagakure persuaded its Daimyo to help the Land of Fire, hoping to eliminate the Land of Lightning, or at least weaken it if elimination wasn't possible.
However, due to the combined factors of the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, the Land of Lightning retained some strength after its civil war, failing to achieve Iwagakure's initial strategic goal.
Furthermore, the name of 'righteous war' tied Iwagakure's hands, preventing them from acting openly.
The Daimyo also cared about his reputation, and with a justifiable cause for war, it was difficult to damage the nation's prestige by acting otherwise.
Initially, Onoki thought 'righteous war' was a good thing, but now it seemed that this thing really restricted their actions!
Seeing the somber atmosphere of the summit, Wakanosuke coughed lightly and said in a deep voice, "This summit is based on friendly discussion, Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Mizukage, please do not harm the harmony."
"Yes, thank you for your concern, Lord Wakanosuke," the Third Mizukage, with his refined and gentle appearance, replied courteously.
Onoki, however, was stubborn.
He knew it was best not to continue, but he didn't apologize like the Third Mizukage, merely letting out a soft hmph.
"Then, I will continue," Tobirama said, seeing this.
"This Shinobi World War has brought immense losses to the ninja villages, and I believe it's the same for all of you.
Under these circumstances, if another war were to break out in a short period, I'm afraid the villages would not be able to sustain themselves."
These words perfectly hit the actual situation of every ninja village.
In an era where civilian ninjas had not yet emerged, clan ninjas were the main force of the villages, and losing more than half of them in the First Shinobi World War was an unbearable loss for ninja villages with a total population of just over a thousand.
If another war of the same scale were to occur, the ninja villages could practically declare dissolution after the war.
"Therefore, I hope that at least we can give the next generation time to grow up in peace.
No matter what demands the Daimyo may have, I hope you can all do your best to communicate, and at least ensure ten years of peace."
Having learned from the last Shinobi World War, Tobirama no longer believed that weakening through war reparations alone could ensure that war would not break out in the short term.
Thus, he tried to persuade the other Kage from the perspective of the ninja villages' own interests, making them consider the safety of their villages.
Tobirama himself deeply understood this point.
During his meeting with the Daimyo, although the Daimyo ultimately agreed, Tobirama clearly felt the Daimyo's apprehension.
The essence of ninja villages was to be employed by the nation.
Due to the traditional rules of ninjas, they would obey the Daimyo's orders, but in terms of organizational subordination, ninja villages did not belong to the Land of Fire.
This relationship destined them to be consistent in some areas but contradictory in others.
The other Kage nodded slightly.
This was in line with the interests of the ninja villages, and Tobirama had also stated a clear timeframe—a ten-year limit—which would also provide an explanation to the Daimyo.
"Furthermore, if, within these ten years, any nation initiates a war or invades a neutral country, the other four nations shall have the right to sanction it.
What do you all think?" Tobirama looked at the others' expressions, then dropped a bombshell.