As the New Year approached, the village of Konoha would be hosting a wedding ceremony for Heiyan and Tsunade.
This unexpected announcement, coming directly from Hiruzen Sarutobi, surprised the soon-to-be-wed couple.
"Teacher, why didn't you talk to us about this beforehand?"
Tsunade's face flushed instantly at his words. While outwardly scolding Hiruzen Sarutobi, her eyes kept darting toward Heiyan, her heart pounding as she awaited his response.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. We'd also like to ask you to officiate our wedding."
Heiyan smiled gently, naturally and gracefully taking Tsunade's hand before bowing in gratitude to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Hahaha, of course I will!"
Delighted, Hiruzen Sarutobi readily agreed.
After finishing their meal,
Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to his room, while Heiyan and Tsunade entered another guest room next door together.
Night fell. Howling cold winds blew outside the window, yet inside the fireplace crackled warmly, making the atmosphere feel like springtime.
Under the covers, Tsunade lay on her side as she always did, instinctively hugging Heiyan's neck, draping her leg over him, breathing steadily through her nose and mouth, deeply immersed in sweet slumber.
Yet Heiyan remained wide awake, quietly staring at the ceiling with furrowed brows, lost in deep thought.
"Going back home to get married right after attending the Five Kage Summit... This kind of omen that just screams 'bad luck' doesn't seem like a good sign at all."
He mused inwardly.
Heiyan had an ominous premonition—this Five Kage Summit (or Talks) was destined to unleash chaos. Even with his current strength, he absolutely couldn't afford to let his guard down.
Thinking further, Heiyan glanced at Tsunade, who lay sleeping peacefully in his arms like a baby. He made up his mind that no matter what happened then,
he would make sure she stayed safe no matter what.
The night drifted by in peaceful silence.
The next morning, the trio continued onward, heading northeast. Finally, after three days of travel, they successfully reached their destination—the Land of Iron.
Cold gusts howled as snowflakes danced everywhere, blanketing the landscape in pure white.
This was a country where snow fell year-round, known for its bitterly frigid climate.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Heiyan and his companions darted swiftly through the pine woods cloaked in thick layers of snow. Soon enough, they spotted three distant mountains resembling three massive wolf heads standing steadfast against wind and snowstorm.
Those were the Three Wolf Mountains, the founding location of the Land of Iron. For centuries, this nation had maintained itself as a neutral state within the world of shinobi, possessing independent culture, authority, and formidable combat strength.
Long ago, ninja had mutually agreed not to attack the Land of Iron, for it harbored no ninja—but rather,
a warrior group known as "Samurai" protected it.
Although samurai had long since stepped off the historical stage and been largely overtaken by ninjas, this certainly didn't make them weak or easy targets.
They had simply grown tired of war, choosing instead to guard their own land peacefully without involving themselves further in shinobi conflicts.
Precisely because the samurai possessed overwhelming might, none of the ninja villages dared underestimate them. Thus, the Land of Iron could continuously maintain its status as a neutral nation, time and again escaping warfare and remaining unshaken throughout generations.
Outside the Three Wolf Mountains, security was tight. Towering warriors stood everywhere.
Dressed uniformly in layered silver armor, these warriors wore metal helmets or masks and each carried at least two katanas.
Their battle techniques involved channeling Chakra into their blades, relying on precise swordsmanship to deliver deadly damage to enemies.
Clop-clop-clop.
Under the watchful eyes of many warriors, Heiyan and his companions stepped onto the snow-covered ground, gradually approaching the foot of the mountain.
There, the general of the Land of Iron and his two deputies had already been waiting for some time, also appearing as a trio.
"Hokage-sama, your reputation long precedes you. It's finally an honor meeting you in person."
The general walked forward, extended a hand toward Hiruzen Sarutobi, introducing himself. "I'm Musashi of the Land of Iron, host of this Five Kage Summit. On behalf of all the warriors here, I welcome your arrival."
"General Musashi flatters me. I too have long heard of your name and admired it from afar. Meeting you today satisfies a wish I've held for a very long time."
Hiruzen shook hands with him warmly and they exchanged smiles.
After a bit of mutual flattery,
"The weather is freezing out here. Let's head inside and get some warm tea."
Musashi stepped aside slightly while making a hospitable gesture, speaking enthusiastically.
"In that case, we'll trouble you."
Hiruzen nodded agreeably, readily accepting the invitation before stepping through the mountain gate together with Heiyan and Tsunade.
After entering the gate, the group walked along a broad corridor heading toward the venue of this Five Kage Summit.
Along the way, Heiyan remained at the rear, observing his surroundings carefully using his peripheral vision.
His attention was first drawn to one of Musashi's attendants — the young version of Mifune.
In the original timeline, this individual had once fought Hanzo during the Second Great Ninja War, later growing into the general leading the Land of Iron and hosting the Five Kage Summit prior to the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Mifune's position within the Land of Iron paralleled Heiyan's status in Konoha — they both served as successors being cultivated by leaders, making Mifune an extremely significant figure.
Additionally, Heiyan studied the stationed guards and patrolling warriors carefully, gradually sensing something odd about this place — the atmosphere seemed unusually serious, bordering even on lethal.
This realization heightened Heiyan's internal vigilance, though he kept a composed appearance.
At this moment, they passed through this corridor and arrived at the heart of Three Wolf Mountains.
Here stood a tall spire-shaped building, standing amidst swirling snow, surrounded by groups of warriors continuously patrolling back and forth.
They had finally reached the summit venue.
However, upon entry, a small incident occurred at the doorway.
"Heiyan-sama, per Five Kage Summit regulations, bodyguards aren't permitted to carry weapons into the chamber," two mask-wearing warriors stepped forward, blocking Heiyan's path.
Oh?
Upon hearing this, Heiyan slightly furrowed his brow. From what he remembered, such a rule hadn't existed during the Five Kage Summit in the original timeline.
Still, he didn't comment further, silently removing the Murakumo Sword from his waist and handing it over to them without visible reaction.
Seeing this, Tsunade didn't dwell on it and voluntarily handed over her ninja tool pouch. To Tsunade, going without her ninja tools or weapons wouldn't weaken her strength one bit.
However, things were not over yet.
"Lord Heiyan, please also hand over that enormous Scroll behind you. We will temporarily keep it for you."
Two warriors still stood blocking Heiyan's path, speaking in emotionless, cold voices.
"That won't be necessary, right?"
Before Heiyan could speak, Hiruzen spoke first. He frowned at Musashi, hoping the other party would show some flexibility.
After all, Hiruzen knew all too well what made that Scroll so dangerous. The Six Paths stone tablet hidden inside it, when used alongside Heiyan's techniques, became an incredibly powerful weapon.
In the battle at Uzugakure, Heiyan had relied on that very stone tablet to defeat multiple Tailed Beasts and Kage-level experts in succession, completely shifting the momentum of battle in their favor.
It could be said that the victory in the battle of Uzugakure was largely due to the crucial role played by that stone tablet.
Therefore, in this current situation, Hiruzen realized: absolutely, he couldn't allow Heiyan to hand over the stone tablet, otherwise it would be equivalent to cutting off their own arms, greatly weakening their side's strength.
Faced with the Hokage's gaze, Musashi hesitated, his expression clouding with inner conflict.
However, after some serious thought, he finally looked apologetically but firmly at Hiruzen and said:
"Hokage-sama, I'm very sorry. The rules were established beforehand. As a neutral party, we must ensure impartiality to all. Other villages' guards also removed their weapons before entering the venue. We hope you can understand this."
"This..."
Hearing this, Hiruzen furrowed his brows deeply, forming a sharp line across his forehead like the character "Kawa" (River). Instinctively, he turned his gaze toward Heiyan, seeking the latter's opinion.
"What should we do, Heiyan?"
Tsunade also subtly sensed something was wrong at this moment. She approached Heiyan's side and quietly asked.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine."
Heiyan smiled slightly, took the Scroll from his back, and with a thud, stood it upright on the ground.
Indeed, although Heiyan's Sage Transformation had evolved twice consecutively since the battle in Uzugakure, and his power had improved dramatically compared to before, the Six Paths Meteor Hammer [an ultimate weapon formed by combining Sage Chakra with Six Paths chakra on the stone tablet] remained the strongest card up his sleeve.
His own Sage Chakra combined with the Six Paths chakra on the stone tablet—only this combination could possibly counter Madara Uchiha's most terrifying Rinnegan technique—the Outer Path—Edo Tensei.
Therefore, there was absolutely no way Heiyan would hand over this stone tablet.
Luckily, long before setting out, he had planned ahead and made preparations in advance.
Several days ago, while Heiyan was still in Penglai Ninja Village, combined with Ashina Uzumaki's expertise in sealing arts, he successfully accomplished this feat through his own mastery of sealing techniques.
That was—he had sealed the Six Paths stone tablet within his own body!
Previously, Heiyan had evaluated that such action undoubtedly posed great risks, as the Six Paths chakra within the tablet might not only disrupt his own chakra but even erode his physical body.
Therefore, even though Heiyan possessed Sage Transformation, he had always hesitated to take this risk.
But things became different once he created real clones using Yin-Yang Release.
Now, the Six Paths stone tablet resides within Heiyan's real clone. Combined with his Demon-Subduing Celestial Binding Chain, he could summon the Six Paths Meteor Hammer in an instant, ready to counter Madara Uchiha's attacks at any time.
As for that massive scroll? It was nothing more than a decoy technique meant to mislead others.
Apart from multiple layers of seals and restrictions, there was absolutely nothing inside the scroll.
Yet—
this certainly didn't mean Heiyan would obediently hand over the stone tablet without complaint, just because his opponent demanded it.
So.
Boom!
Suddenly, Heiyan unleashed a terrifying aura, as if some prehistoric ferocious beast had awakened within him.
The two warriors directly in front of Heiyan were hit first by this overwhelming pressure. They immediately stumbled backward several steps with loud clanking sounds before finally plopping onto the ground.
Clang!
Their katanas dropped from their hands. Beneath their masks, their faces were filled with shock and fear.
Seeing this scene, Musashi also changed expression, instinctively stepping back one pace.
"Protect the lord!"
Todoroki, Mifune's aide-in-command, quickly drew his sword and assumed a defensive stance, eyes sharp like blades locking onto Heiyan.
It wasn't just him—every warrior patrolling the compound instantly rushed forward with weapons drawn, surrounding Heiyan and his companions on all sides.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
a bitter cold wind howled past, swirling up snow from the ground.
Heiyan, Hiruzen, and Tsunade stood back-to-back forming a triangular formation, locked in a tense standoff against numerous Iron Country warriors.
Everyone was on edge, tension thickening the air like a blade about to snap.
"Heiyan, should we fight?"
Hiruzen glanced at the deadly warriors encircling them and murmured to Heiyan behind him. The gentle old man everyone knew had vanished — now, a rare ferocity burned in his eyes.
He had been far too long since he last fought — so long that many had forgotten the Third Hokage was once one of the fiercest warriors alive.
Tsunade didn't speak, but she had already begun preparations to enter Sage Mode, ready to unleash large-scale Wood Release techniques and destroy everything here.
Before setting out on this mission, the three of them had indeed anticipated the possibility of turning the tables violently. If conflict proved unavoidable, whether it started slightly earlier or later made little difference.
"You two hold off first. Let me handle this."
Heiyan whispered softly.
He clearly understood that this was not yet the right moment to act—especially not before entering the venue and seeing the main target in person.
Next second,
Heiyan stepped forward again, his rising aura intensifying further, imposing even greater oppression upon the Iron Country warriors.
For these warriors, despite having heard rumors about Heiyan's fearsome reputation before, only by facing him head-on did they truly understand what terror felt like.
A mere ripple of Heiyan's pressure was enough to send dread clawing up their spines, prompting cowardly thoughts of abandoning armor, discarding weapons, and fleeing on the spot—humiliated to the extreme.
"Uzumaki Heiyan, have you really thought this through? Do you understand what you're doing could start a war with the Land of Iron?"
Musashi shouted at Heiyan with trembling bravado.
"Oh?"
Upon hearing that, Heiyan emotionlessly countered with a question of his own:
"Which eye of yours saw me making a move?"
"I'm standing here perfectly fine. It's totally you who's slandering me!"
These words left Musashi speechless, his expression turning extremely grim.
At this moment, Mifune finally realized the situation was going bad. Sheathing his sword, he clenched his teeth and bowed deeply to Heiyan with sincerity.
"Lord Heiyan, I believe this must be a misunderstanding. How about we each take a step back and pretend nothing happened? After all, as a neutral nation, our Land of Iron is merely fulfilling its duty, hoping to ensure the Five Kage Summit proceeds smoothly, thus making our humble contribution toward peace and development in the world of shinobi."
His words seemed to ease the tension slightly.
Heiyan glanced at Mifune and retracted his aura. The surrounding warriors immediately felt like a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
"I've never believed there could be such a thing as permanent neutrality in this world. I think once the price is right, even so-called neutral nations would instantly tear off their masks and switch sides. Don't you agree, General Musashi?"
Heiyan stared intently at Musashi while questioning him pointedly.
Upon hearing this, Musashi's face changed dramatically, as if his true nature had been exposed. He looked away guiltily, unable to face the other man directly.
"Lord Heiyan, please retract what you just said!"
Unaware of Musashi's facial change, Mifune indignantly stepped forward and said to Heiyan,
"The Land of Iron will never betray its neutrality – it's our sacred honor as warriors. Every warrior believes in this – it's our unshakable code of honor!"
"I hope you remember these words you're saying right now."
Heiyan looked at Mifune meaningfully.
Then, he threw the giant scroll in his hand toward Mifune.
"Just a reminder, there's the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing placed on this scroll. If anyone accidentally destroys it, more than half this venue will be sealed away."
Heiyan warned Mifune ominously.
Hearing this, Mifune was instantly startled. Carefully cradling the scroll in his arms, he dared not make any sudden movements.
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