Chapter 62 - The Land of Iron

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"The northern lands stretch vast and white—thousands of miles of ice, endless drifting snow..."

"You won't find scenes like that in the Land of Fire, right, Hashirama, Tobirama?"

"That's right, Great-Uncle," Tobirama replied. "But we should really hurry. We're going to be late..."

"Tobirama, you're getting more and more boring..." Akio sighed.

Akio, Hashirama, and Tobirama were on their way to the Land of Iron. The very first Five Kage Summit was to be held there.

Though there was still some distance left, all that filled their view was an endless expanse of snow and ice.

The Land of Iron was a unique country. Long ago, the shinobi nations agreed never to wage war with it. It stood as a neutral land, governed not by shinobi but by samurai. It maintained its own independent culture, authority, and military power.

After the shinobi rose to dominance, this country remained the last sacred ground for the samurai. When Hashirama proposed the Five Kage Summit, the other four Kage agreed to hold it in the Land of Iron.

Hashirama was attending as the Hokage, Tobirama as his bodyguard. As for Akio—he had his own reasons for coming to the Land of Iron...

Upon arrival, no one came out to greet them. The Land of Iron was still in turmoil. Warlords controlled fragmented territories, and local feudal lords competed for dominance. While they allowed the summit to proceed under the principle of neutrality, expecting a warm welcome—or even an organized host—was wishful thinking.

After escorting Hashirama and Tobirama to the room where the summit would be held, Akio left on his own.

Each of the other four Kage brought only a single bodyguard, so it wouldn't have been appropriate for Akio to join them. Besides, if the summit was truly beginning, then the First Kazekage, Reto—whom Akio had met before—was bound to be there. And facing him again... would make Akio feel just a bit guilty. He might lose a few Witness Points, but this was a side quest—at most two to five points.

As he wandered the area, Akio found himself surrounded by samurai clad in heavy armor, while he was only wearing a light robe with the Uzumaki clan crest—he felt slightly out of place.

Eventually, after scouting the area, Akio arrived at his true destination: a blacksmith's shop.

"Welcome, sir! Looking for a weapon?"

As Akio entered, a young clerk in work clothes greeted him warmly.

Akio glanced around. The walls were covered with long swords, short blades, greatswords, daggers...

"Impressive variety. Bring me your best weapon," he said, playing the role of a rich man.

The clerk immediately took a long blade from the wall and introduced it: "This is our finest longsword. Just one hundred and five thousand ryo."

"Look at this blade—"

"Enough," Akio cut him off, taking the sword. He channeled wind-natured chakra into his fingertip and touched the blade—it snapped in half instantly.

The clerk was frozen in place, staring in disbelief for a long moment before stammering, "Ah... so you're a shinobi, sir, but..."

"Here's your one hundred and five thousand ryo," Akio said, pulling out a thick bundle of money. "Now bring me your real best weapon."

"That sword just now..."

Akio shook his head. "A smithy this big, and you don't even have a single proper weapon?"

Clenching his jaw, the clerk retreated to the back room. After a short while, he emerged with both hands holding a sword.

"Since you're a shinobi, this blade has been forged with chakra-conductive metal. Perfect for someone like you. Price is one and a half million ryo. But if you take it, please don't tell anyone you bought it here."

"So there are chakra-conductive weapons!" Akio thought to himself, finally seeing the reason he came.

Not long ago, Akio discovered that one of his custom-made shuriken was missing. After thinking it over, he realized he had left it in the Land of Wind. When he tried to summon it using a summoning scroll, it didn't respond—most likely sealed or destroyed by that old monk. So this trip to the Land of Iron was to try and acquire some chakra-conductive metal.

"Why can't I tell anyone?" Akio asked, though his thoughts were elsewhere.

The clerk hesitated before answering, "Sir, perhaps you're not familiar with our current situation. Ever since the discovery of chakra, our samurai have split into two factions. Most stick to the old ways, training only in swordsmanship. But a new faction has emerged—those trying to integrate chakra into their techniques..."

Akio nodded. "So this town is under traditionalist control... and yet you dare sell chakra-conductive weapons?"

The clerk gave a wry smile. "Our boss once got hold of some chakra-conductive metal and secretly forged three blades. Two have already been sold. The one you're holding is the last."

Akio's expression turned slightly disappointed—he didn't think the clerk was lying, which meant his hopes of buying raw chakra-conductive metal were likely dashed.

"Fine. I'll take this one," Akio said, handing over the money. He figured he might be able to extract some metal from it using his own forging skills.

He went on to visit a few more blacksmiths, unwilling to give up, but found nothing useful. Sighing inwardly, he concluded he had come to the wrong place.

"If I remember right, Mifune could use chakra... Maybe in a few years, the new faction will take power. That'll be the time to come back and forge a few dozen custom shuriken and kunai..." Akio thought as he returned to the summit site.

"If I recall, the Five Kage Summit doesn't take that long..." After waiting for nearly two hours, plus his time spent wandering, Akio mumbled to himself.

Fortunately, he could still sense the chakra of ten strong individuals inside. Otherwise, he might've thought Hashirama and Tobirama had already left.

Finally, around sunset, the doors opened. The Five Kage and their guards began to exit, their expressions peaceful—it seemed the talks had gone well.

Only Tobirama looked sullen. Probably because Hashirama had shown his goofy side in front of the other Kage...

Aside from Hashirama and Tobirama, Akio recognized only two others. One was a sort-of enemy: the First Kazekage, Reto. Reto gave Akio a brief glance but didn't seem to recognize him—understandable, considering how much Akio had changed from age 20 to 53.

The other was someone who would eventually become the Second Tsuchikage: Mu, who was currently serving as the First Tsuchikage's guard.

"That guy's name was Mu, right? Why's he already wrapped head to toe in bandages? I thought he got burned later by the Second Mizukage's Steaming Danger Tyranny technique... Are Iwa and Kiri already butting heads?" Akio pondered silently.

"Great-Uncle, let's go!" Hashirama walked over, beaming. "The summit went great! We formed an alliance!"

"Big Brother, you've completely disgraced the title of Hokage..." Tobirama muttered beside him, casting a sideways glare at Akio.

Akio blinked, feigning innocence.

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