At the border of the Land of Fire, dawn's light gently broke.
At the edge of the massive crater created ten days earlier by Kei Yamanaka's large-scale Sage Art: Wood Release.
Kei Yamanaka clapped his hands and activated [Shout-to-Summon], summoning countless roots and vines that rapidly filled up the dozens-of-meters-deep pit beneath his feet.
Once the ground had been completely leveled,
A wooden pagoda rose majestically, occupying several thousand square meters. It exuded ancient elegance and splendor, with soaring eaves, elaborately carved beams and pillars, and auspicious mythical patterns adorning its surface.
In less than a minute, it had fully taken shape!
With a casual flick of imaginary dust from his hands,
Kei turned to Tsunade and Kushina behind him, flashing a proud grin.
A wooden recreation of the classic structure from his past life—the Yellow Crane Tower!
How could anyone see this without being awestruck?
"Woah~"
Kushina let out an enthusiastic little gasp, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
The all-wooden tower might have seemed somewhat monotonous in color,
but those densely packed dragon motifs, divine beasts, clouds, and floral designs were both refined and magnificent!
Tsunade rested a hand on her hip, gazing at the elegant yet dignified wooden high-rise. The more she looked, the more she liked it.
"Can we move this back to Konoha?"
"You'll have to beg me first."
Kei grinned and teased Tsunade playfully.
"Pfft~ Tsunade gave a dismissive snort and rolled her eyes."
The Anbu swiftly retrieved the Sealing Scrolls and entered the building, setting up the venue for the meeting.
Although Sunagakure was only here for show today, Iwagakure was officially the main guest.
Still, they couldn't lose face over protocol. They couldn't let people think the two villages' leaders were discussing critical matters in some open field like commoners would.
"Kei-sama's mastery of Wood Release is truly admirable! These lifelike carvings and flawless structure... truly magnificent! Even the Uchiha Clan's most treasured artworks pale in comparison to this grand edifice!"
Fugaku Uchiha, noticing Kei had finished speaking with Tsunade and Kushina, clapped politely while showering praise upon him.
Lately, the Uchiha Clan had been riding a wave of prosperity.
Granted, because of the village merger, the Police Force could no longer be exclusively controlled by the Uchiha—they now needed to integrate members from other clans to avoid inter-village conflicts.
Yet he still held the position of Director, and Uchiha clan members were permitted to work in other departments.
Were those perks even worth mentioning?
Surrounding Konoha Leadership cast strange glances toward Fugaku Uchiha.
Unbelievable! Since when did he turn into such a shameless flatterer?
Back during the Third Hokage's reign, didn't he always wear a look like everyone owed him eight million ryo?
Where was that icy demeanor? What happened to your personality?!
Fugaku paid no mind to the surrounding gazes.
Just as Hino said, the Uchiha Clan had finally managed to latch onto a golden leg—life was getting better and better. So what if he threw out a few compliments?
It's not like they asked him to go head-to-head with his ancestor Madara Uchiha or anything!
Take a look at the Hyūga clan next door, still boasting about being on par with the Uchiha as Konoha's two great Dojutsu clans.
Hmph～ Tch～
Not even a hint of awareness!
Serves them damn well right!
"Director Fugaku, you flatter me. I'm just..." Kei Yamanaka began, originally intending to exchange a few polite words with Fugaku Uchiha.
Before he could finish, several faintly familiar chakra signatures surged into his sensor range from several kilometers directly north.
"Are those Iwagakure ninjas?"
Tsunade noticed the smirk forming on Kei's lips and subtly straightened her posture, projecting the demeanor of the Fourth Hokage.
"They're Iwagakure's Kitsuchi, Onoki, Roshi, Han, and Toroi; Kumogakure's Third Raikage A, Little A, B, and Dodai—plus over a dozen elite Jonin from Kumogakure."
Kei listed off the names of those who had entered his sensory range.
Although Nara Shikaku had previously told him there was a sixty percent chance the Third Raikage would personally show up today,
he hadn't really expected so many high-ranking figures from Kumogakure to show up all at once like this!
With such a lineup,
if they were wiped out here today, Kumogakure would have no choice but to merge with us!
"Iwagakure and Kumogakure together?"
Tsunade furrowed her brows, her eyes showing some grimness.
Today, her grandfather and great-uncle, along with Madara and Izuna Uchiha, had gone off somewhere to deal with Orochimaru and weren't here.
Jiraiya was stationed in the village, and most of the frontline ninjas had already returned to Konoha.
The remaining forces were far fewer than before!
And among them, the only truly powerful expert was Minato Namikaze.
If the Third Raikage stirred things up and rallied an attack force alongside Iwagakure,
she, along with Kei and Kushina, would be slightly underprepared...
"It's likely both sides met up ahead of time."
Kei nodded slightly, not showing the slightest sign of nervousness in his heart.
"Could you at least act like someone above Kage level?"
"...Still got smashed into the ground by my grandfather's wooden giant! Hurting for days!"
"Can't you pick someone else to compare with?"
"Madara Uchiha?"
"Darn it!"
Visibly awkward, Kei hesitated for a moment before continuing.
Put simply, even without me stepping in, your current strength alone could take on both Onoki and the Third Raikage at the same time and pin them both down.
"...Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Eight-Tails."
"Kushina alone could take them all down by herself."
"True, and then there's the Third Raikage's son too."
"...Turn around."
Kei Yamanaka pursed his lips and motioned for Tsunade to turn around.
Tsunade turned and saw a thick-browed, green-haired guy with a melon-shaped head giving her a thumbs-up. His dazzlingly white teeth were practically shining!
"When Konoha needs me most, that's when my youthful spirit burns the brightest! Rest assured, Lord Hokage! I'll protect you with every ounce of strength I have—even at the cost of my own life!"
"Uh...I believe you!"
Tsunade's cheek twitched slightly.
If Kei hadn't told her beforehand that this green-haired, thick-eyebrowed guy could open seven of the Eight Gates without much effort, who would ever believe he was actually strong?
"Cough, cough. Lord Hokage, Kei-sama, with the aid of our ancestor Izuna, my power has improved somewhat during this period. I've barely managed to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan. If Kitsuchi dares to pick a fight, leave him to me."
Fugaku Uchiha blinked, revealing a pair of Mangekyo Sharingan.
Given the current strength of Konoha's leadership, no one would think to suspect a simple pair of Mangekyo eyes.
Displaying greater power would only help boost his standing!
"Haha, very good indeed! If anyone stirs up trouble later, you two feel free to knock some sense into them—hahaha!"
Coming back to herself, Tsunade realized she might have been a bit too nervous.
But then again… Kei did say she could flatten both Onoki and the Third Raikage on her own?
Hmm...she wondered if those two would even dare to challenge her.
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