"Cloud Shinobi, aren't you going to demand an explanation from us, the Konoha Village?!"
An elder from the Cloud Shinobi Village immediately caught the sharp tone in Morkel's voice and responded with a polite smile, "Mr. Morkel, what are you talking about?"
"Konoha is a trusted ally of our Cloud Shinobi, and you are a highly honored guest. How could we possibly hold you accountable..."
"Hmph!"
Morkel sneered. "You say that, but your actions speak differently."
"If the Cloud Shinobi Village doesn't give me a proper explanation, don't expect this to be over anytime soon."
The statement caused the senior officials of the Cloud Shinobi to feel uneasy. With Morkel's immense strength, if he caused trouble here, they would have no means of stopping him.
A junior executive timidly suggested, "How about... fifty million?"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, the elder next to him slapped him hard across the face!
"Fifty million?! That's not even enough to cover Mr. Morkel's appearance fee!"
After his dramatic outburst, the elder smiled and approached Morkel, subtly flashing two fingers.
Seeing that the elder was being sensible, Morkel calmly took his leg down from the conference table.
"Alright. Since the Great Elder understands the situation, I'll let this slide."
"As for diplomatic discussions, Konoha's representatives will handle that with you."
The smile froze on the elder's face. He had thought the 200 million would resolve everything, but now it seemed like it was merely Morkel's 'appearance fee'!
And the way Morkel had said it left no room for rebuttal.
Still smiling bitterly, the elder added, "There's... one more thing I'd like to ask of Mr. Morkel..."
Though the elder knew they were being extorted, he had no choice but to try to get more value from the 200 million.
Morkel responded generously, "If you have a request, just speak. I always believe in helping others—of course, for the right compensation~"
The elder's expression twitched.
He immediately understood Morkel's implication. 'Helping others to get rid of disasters' was just a euphemism for 'you pay me, I help you.'
The elder gave in again. "Well, we know you've returned."
"But Raikage is still unaware, as he's in the Iron Country. We'd like to trouble Mr. Morkel to deliver a message."
Morkel was inwardly delighted.
He had originally intended to head toward the Iron Country after wrapping things up here.
Now that the Great Elder had asked him to deliver a letter, he could charge for the errand too!
He waved dismissively, "Just a minor task..."
But before he dropped his hand, he paused mid-air—then turned his palm upward.
The elder sighed, immediately instructing his attendants to prepare more payment.
In the end, Cloud Shinobi paid 200 million for mental damages, a bounty for rescuing Killer Bee, and another 1 million as an errand fee.
All of it was converted into gold and laid out before Morkel.
As Morkel calmly stored the gold bars into a sealing scroll, the Cloud Shinobi executives looked on, eyelids twitching.
They couldn't even begin to calculate how many years of salary that amount represented...
After packing everything away, Morkel turned and waved with a smile. "Take care. I'll visit again next time."
And just like that, he disappeared.
Back at the Cloud Shinobi office, the elder turned to Killer Bee with a stern voice. "Bee! Explain everything you've been through these past few days—leave nothing out!"
Killer Bee muttered, "You're the ones who wrongly accused Konoha... Why are you mad at me?"
The elder grew angrier. "You, you, you..."
At that moment, the door creaked open.
Everyone turned. It was the two-tailed Jinchūriki, the Wooden Golem.
The elder frowned. "Wooden Golem, what are you doing here at this hour?"
She had removed her ninja armor and was dressed in casual clothes. Her thick yellow hair was tied into a long scorpion braid, and she wore makeup that brought out her striking features.
She answered shyly, "I heard Morkel from Konoha was here... Where is he?"
The elder's jaw dropped. "You, you, you—!"
Even a fool could tell she was interested in Morkel.
The elder felt completely exhausted.
Why are Cloud Shinobi's Jinchūriki all so troublesome?
Killer Bee saw what was going on and laughed. "Yo yo~ The old cow wants a bite of Konoha's fresh grass!"
Wooden Golem blushed furiously. "You stinky octopus! Are you asking for a beating?!"
Meanwhile, Morkel, after leaving the village, was in no rush to deliver the message to Raikage.
He figured Raikage hadn't reached the Iron Country yet, so he used the time to search for Sasuke.
Even if Sasuke had been taken by the masked man, what about Jūgo, Karin, or Suigetsu? Someone should've been left behind!
For half a day, Morkel swept across the Land of Lightning, using his chakra to sense nearly a million square kilometers of land!
Now, sitting atop a mountain rock and panting from exhaustion, he sighed.
"Still no sign of them."
"Where the hell did that masked man take them?!"
He gritted his teeth. "Looks like I'll have to wait a few days."
"Raikage should have arrived at the Five Kage Summit by now."
"I'll use the Flying Thunder God seal I left on Naruto to teleport there... But first, I need a nap."
---
Meanwhile, in the Iron Country.
At the Five Kage Summit Hall.
The five Kage of Wind, Earth, Fire, Lightning, and Water gathered at a semicircular table.
Opposite them sat ten seasoned warriors of the Iron Country—neutral hosts of the meeting.
Behind the curtain, elite guards from each village waited in silence, ready to act if things went wrong.
Naruto and Kakashi served as the Hokage's guards.
Naruto peeked through the curtain and whispered, "Kakashi-sensei, who's that old guy with the bandages?"
"Put your hand down," Kakashi scolded. "This is a serious event. The other guards are watching us."
"That's Mifune, the leader of the Iron Country's samurai. His status is second only to the daimyo."
Naruto nodded. "So we just wait here until they're done? So boring..."
"Shh! Be quiet," Kakashi warned again.
Inside, the meeting had begun.
Raikage slammed his fist on the table. "I'm not here to beg for help—I'm here to demand accountability!"
"Akatsuki is made up of traitors from your four villages!"
The elderly Tsuchikage Ohnoki responded coldly, "Accountability? We understand you're upset about your brother, but don't let that cloud your judgment."
"What did you say, old man?!"
Gaara calmly added, "The summit is for discussion, not shouting matches."
Raikage glared. "Quiet, you little brat!"
Seeing tempers flare, Mifune intervened. "Calm down, everyone! This is a summit to discuss Akatsuki."
Tsunade added, "Why not postpone until tomorrow—"
Raikage cut her off. "Tsunade! If not for your village's Sasuke, my brother wouldn't be missing!"
Kakashi, behind the curtain, moved a hand toward his weapon pouch. "Naruto, stay alert. Things may get ugly."
Naruto nodded. "Looks like Sasuke's really in deep trouble this time..."
Suddenly, Naruto noticed someone appear beside him!
Back in the hall, Raikage's voice thundered, "Honestly, none of you—young or old—are capable of fixing this!"
That's when Mizukage Terumi Mei stood up. "So you look down on women too?"
"Your village hasn't exactly flourished under your 'male leadership,' has it? Now even your own brother is missing."
Raikage erupted in anger, lightning chakra flashing across his arm.
But before he could act, his eyes locked onto something—and he froze.
Everyone turned to look.
A young man with red hair and black clothing emerged calmly from the curtain's shadow.
His voice rang out: "I thought the Five Kage Summit would be a serious event... Why does it look more like a playground fight?"
Tsunade stood up in shock. "Morkel?!"
Terumi Mei gasped too. "Morkel?! He's even more handsome than in the photos..."
Raikage's hand was still raised.
To strike now would challenge all the major villages—including Konoha. And with Morkel here, retaliation was certain.
Trying to diffuse the moment, Morkel stepped forward. "I'm here on official business from the Cloud Shinobi Village."
Raikage lowered his hand. "What is it?"
"Your brother, Killer Bee, has been found. He and the Eight-Tails are safe."
Morkel's voice grew colder.
"As for those rumors about Sasuke capturing him? Lies."
"If it weren't for Sasuke protecting Killer Bee, he'd have never escaped Akatsuki!"
Raikage was stunned. Sasuke saved Killer Bee?
"Is this true? Didn't someone see them in Akatsuki uniforms?!"
Morkel snapped, "Clothing doesn't matter!"
"Ask your brother if you doubt me."
"And while you're at it, think about how Konoha was wrongly accused and pressured. We demand an explanation!"
Then, Morkel reached out and—
SLAM!
He flipped the Five Kage table!
Everyone was stunned.
Gaara just crossed his arms and watched silently.
Tsuchikage grumbled but stayed quiet—he wasn't about to fight this powerhouse.
Terumi Mei's eyes sparkled. So cool...
Raikage was humiliated—but he dared not fight Morkel.
His guards, Darui and C, jumped into action!
But Kakashi and Naruto immediately moved behind Morkel, ready to defend.
A full-blown clash seemed inevitable.
Mifune, the host, was on the verge of a breakdown.
"Please calm down! Can't we resume after you finish your business?!"
But no one listened.
Tsunade stepped up, shielding Morkel. If this escalated, the entire ninja world could spiral into war.
Just then, Raikage finally bowed his head.
"...I wrongly accused Konoha and Sasuke. I apologize. We'll contact Konoha about compensation after the summit."
Tsunade supported him, preventing a full bow.
"Raikage, we understand. Let's discuss this another day."
Raikage and his guards left the venue.
Mifune sat silently.
No one had even said goodbye to him...