Half an hour later.
Inside a large conference room at the Hokage Tower, the mood was tense.
All the elders, clan leaders, and heads of major departments had gathered.
Tsunade stood at the front, holding up the letter from the Fourth Raikage for all to see.
The content of the message had already caused a stir—and most of the senior officials in Konoha were visibly irritated.
"Raikage's way of looking at things is completely out of line," someone said angrily. "Sure, the Akatsuki is made up of rogue ninja from every village—but once they go rogue, they're no longer our responsibility. What exactly does he expect us to explain?"
"Well… Uchiha Sasuke is the one who captured the Eight-Tails," someone else replied. "It's not surprising that Raikage would have something to say about that."
"Still! Killer B got captured because he wasn't strong enough to stop it! If they want him back, they should handle it themselves. What's the point of calling a Five Kage Summit?"
"Easy, easy… Even if that's true, the summit itself is a serious matter. We can't just ignore it. After all, Konoha is still the most powerful village in the ninja world."
"But that Raikage really rubs me the wrong way. If Lady Tsunade is going, she'd better remind him who he's talking to."
The room buzzed with discussion.
Danzo opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but paused.
He had been itching to speak up. After all, wasn't this exactly the point he had made earlier?
If they'd just labeled Uchiha Sasuke as a rogue ninja from the start, like he had suggested, Konoha wouldn't even be part of this conversation.
But then his eyes drifted over to Yoruha—who was sitting calmly in the corner, snacking on fruit.
Danzo closed his mouth again.
…Forget it.
With people like that in Konoha Village now, even if he had the noblest intentions to protect it…
…He no longer had the power to steer the wheel.
Tsunade coughed lightly to quiet the room.
She turned toward Yamanaka Hiashi with a gentle expression.
"Hiashi, what's your opinion on this? Should we accept the invitation and go to the Land of Iron?"
After all, she had personally promoted him to Elder.
And when it came to a high-stakes political decision like this, she needed his voice to weigh in.
Hiashi nodded thoughtfully.
"I believe we should attend," he said. "The Akatsuki hasn't been wiped out—and if they truly have the power to capture the Eight-Tails, then we can't sit back and do nothing."
"But," he added, "we should be prepared for pressure from Raikage. We know his personality—hotheaded and impulsive. Even if the invitation sounds diplomatic, he's almost certainly planning to use the summit as an opportunity to target Konoha."
"So we'll need to prepare a strategy beforehand."
The room murmured in agreement.
But just then…
Yoruha stood up.
"Actually…"
"I don't think it needs to be that complicated."
He looked around calmly.
"Raikage keeps demanding explanations from Konoha because we've let them walk all over us for too long."
"It's time we stop playing nice and change how we deal with people."
Everyone fell silent and turned toward him.
Especially Danzo and the other elders.
They were speechless.
Was… was Yoruha really contradicting his own father?
Not only had he made a habit of disagreeing with them—now he was openly disagreeing with Elder Yamanaka too?
Unbelievable.
Truly legendary.
"Yoruha," Tsunade said, frowning slightly. "What exactly do you mean?"
"I mean it's simple," Yoruha replied. "Why does Raikage get to talk down to us like he's in charge? Why are we the ones who need to explain ourselves?"
"Does he think this is still the Konoha of the Third Hokage's time?"
The entire conference room went quiet.
Even Danzo looked stunned.
…Had he been wrong about Yoruha all along?
Maybe the Yamanaka family wasn't aligned with the Sarutobi legacy after all?
"Yoruha, watch your tone," Hiashi said awkwardly, trying to calm his son. "You shouldn't be disrespectful to seniors…"
After all, the son of the Third Hokage—Asuma—was sitting right there.
Asuma lit a cigarette with an awkward chuckle.
Honestly? Yoruha wasn't wrong.
When Konoha had bent over backwards trying to avoid a fight with Kumogakure, it had almost cost Hinata her life.
That moment had become a permanent stain on Konoha's diplomatic history.
Meanwhile, Danzo and the other elders were all giving Hiashi a meaningful look.
We're seniors too, their eyes seemed to say.
Can you please tell your son to stop scaring us every time he opens his mouth?
"Yoruha, it's not about bowing to Kumogakure," Nara Kazuki said, trying to mediate. "This summit is a chance to unite the five great nations and eliminate the Akatsuki for good."
"Exactly."
"We should work together."
"But here's what I'm saying," Yoruha replied, shaking his head. "As the strongest village in the ninja world, why should we jump just because Raikage says so?"
What, was that guy really so full of himself he thought he was in charge?
"And what do you propose instead?" Tsunade asked, frowning deeper.
"In my opinion? Don't go to the summit."
"I'll go instead."
"I'll head to the Land of Iron and personally… have a little chat with Raikage."
His voice was casual. Unbothered.
But the moment he finished—
BAM!
Shimura Danzo stood up so fast his chair nearly fell over.
"Yoruha! That's way out of line!"
"The Five Kage Summit is only attended by Kage themselves! Are you implying you want to usurp the position of Hokage?!"
His tone was harsh, his eyes sharp.
But Yoruha didn't flinch. He simply gave Danzo a cool look.
This time, though, Danzo didn't back down.
"You can glare all you want!" he barked. "But I won't allow it! Not now, not ever! Even if you kill me right here—I won't approve of this!"
"This is my bottom line!"
He slammed his hand on the table.
After everything he'd done for Konoha, for decades…
He couldn't let a young upstart like Yoruha just replace the Hokage at a meeting that represented all five villages.
What would that say to the world?
That Konoha didn't even know how to follow protocol?
It would be a humiliation.
"You're not that amazing, Yoruha!"
But Yoruha didn't argue.
He just shrugged.
"Who said this is a Five Kage Summit?" he asked quietly.
"That's just what Raikage wants it to be."
He paused, sweeping his gaze across the room.
"My goal in going there is to teach them one thing."
"That Konoha Village—is the number one village in the ninja world."
"And we're the ones with the authority to call a Five Kage Summit."
"Not them."