"If you choose to remain uninvolved, I only fear things will escalate beyond our control," Yagura said, stopping.
He'd said his piece, highlighting the danger.
If the Five Kage Summit couldn't be convened, he'd accept the consequences.
"Hmph, a single rogue ninja causes you this much worry?" A scoffed.
"But if he's connected to the Third Raikage's disappearance, Kumogakure won't let him go easily. Next time we meet, it will be as Kage. Fourth Mizukage, you'll handle this."
With that, A left. Facing Kai's unknown strength and the disappearance of the Four-Tails jinchuriki, pursuing him now seemed unwise.
Besides, Kumogakure had pressing matters requiring his attention, particularly stabilizing the village after the Third Raikage's disappearance.
"Yo yo, see you later! Remember, I'm Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki!" Killer Bee rapped, following A.
Yagura breathed a sigh of relief as the Kumogakure ninjas left.
"Kurotsuchi, this is serious. Contact the Tsuchikage immediately. Abandon the pursuit of Uchiha Kai.
His power is terrifying; if he's gathered powerful rogue ninjas, attacking him is suicidal," Yagura said gravely.
"Ōnoki did obtain encrypted intel on Kai's three other associates. I hope Iwagakure can decipher it quickly, allowing the Five Great Nations to strategize."
Kurotsuchi agreed with Yagura's assessment. Looking at the scroll, he said, "I'll report this to Ōnoki, but will Konoha agree to a Five Kage Summit? They've been very ambiguous about Kai's defection."
Konoha had fought on four fronts in the Third Great Ninja War. While suffering heavy losses, they'd proven their superior military strength and talent. If Konoha sided with Kai, the outcome was unpredictable.
"Don't worry. In the Third Great Ninja War, we fought independently. Now, if the four villages agree, we can pressure Konoha into accepting the summit," Yagura said, shaking his head.
"I'll contact the Third Hokage about convening the summit."
"Yagura, we await news from Iwagakure."
"I'll relay the Fourth Mizukage's message to Ōnoki. If there's nothing else, we're leaving."
Kurotsuchi departed hastily, deeply concerned about the Four-Tails jinchuriki's fate.
Inside Konoha, the large meeting hall wasn't deserted, though most civilians had dispersed. A heavy atmosphere hung over the room as the Third Hokage sat impassively.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several figures arrived, stopping before the Third Hokage. Their masked eyes scanned the room.
"Speak. The clan heads have a right to know," the Third Hokage said gravely.
This couldn't be kept secret. Openness would help stabilize the village.
The lead Anbu captain began, "Everything related to Danzo in Root has been destroyed.
Those Root members who couldn't escape were killed with a forbidden jutsu.
In Root's secret basement, we found a lab cultivating First Hokage cells and conducting experiments on the Sharingan's Izanagi."
"Damn it!" the Third Hokage roared. This was the research Orochimaru had left behind. He'd been lenient, but Danzo had used it, creating wood release ninjas and Sharingan arms.
"Sarutobi, now isn't the time for Danzo. We need to address the three villages' accusations," Koharu Utatane said. As one of the three advisors, she had the authority to speak.
"Sarutobi, Koharu's right. Danzo went too far, but Kai publicly killing the Kirigakure elder and colluding with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen severely damages Konoha's relations," Homura Mitokado added.
"The Third Raikage and Iwagakure's missing genius also point to Kai. We must handle this carefully, or the three villages will attack."
The ninjas exchanged uneasy glances. As Jiraiya said, war is brutal, and killing is expected. If only Kage could kill, and not ordinary ninjas, that was absurd.
Kai's defection had already helped Konoha. Ignoring Danzo's actions now was unacceptable.
"Damn it, Koharu, Homura! You're still protecting the advisors' reputation?" the Third Hokage roared. "Look at this!"
He threw a scroll at Homura. Homura was startled. He'd never seen the usually calm Hokage so enraged.
Upon seeing the scroll's contents, his face paled. Reputations were irrelevant now.
"And look what the new Mizukage mentioned," the Third Hokage thundered.
"While you worried about reputations, you pushed a monster into opposing Konoha!
The Four-Tails jinchuriki, sent by Iwagakure, has disappeared, likely defeated by Uchiha Kai!"
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