"Hot springs?"
"Yes, yes!"
"This is the first time I've been to a place like this!"
Ino jumped up excitedly.
Even though she often acted like a battle-hardened big sister with a blade, she was still a teenage girl at heart—and she loved experiencing different styles of hot spring baths.
So, Yoruha booked separate rooms for Ino, Shikamaru, and himself, while he, Sam, and Hinata shared a room together.
As for Danzo?
Yoruha didn't invite him.
He went off on his own.
In the steaming warmth of the spring, mist rose gently in the air.
Yoruha sat between Hinata and Sam, his arms around both of them.
Their personalities might have been different, but in terms of figure—
They were perfectly matched.
If only Tsunade and Mei Terumi were here too, Yoruha mused. We could play mahjong all day long…
They spent three or four days enjoying the tourist city of the Land of Iron.
But on this day, Yoruha finally summoned Danzo to regroup.
Everyone dressed in travel cloaks, stepped into the snow, and made their way toward the central compound of the Land of Iron at shinobi speed.
"We're finally here. This should be the place," Hinata said as she activated her Byakugan, scanning the building in front of them.
Although the Land of Iron was ruled by samurai, the presence of numerous strong chakra signatures inside indicated that shinobi from the four other great villages had already arrived for the summit.
"Alright, let's head in. We've kept them waiting two days already—they should be just about ready to lose it," Yoruha said casually as he led the group toward the entrance.
"Welcome, honored guests from Konoha. Have you come for the Five Kage Summit?"
A samurai guard approached and asked respectfully.
The other village leaders had already arrived.
Only Konoha's party—the last to arrive—had yet to make an appearance.
"Yes, we're here for the summit. Here's the invitation from your leader, Mifune," Yoruha said, handing over the letter.
The samurai took the scroll, examined it briefly, then glanced around at the group in confusion.
"Forgive me, but… who among you is the Hokage?"
Everyone knew the current Hokage was Tsunade Senju—a powerful and well-known kunoichi. But while Hinata and Sam were clearly capable, neither of them gave off the aura of a village leader.
"The Fifth Hokage is busy and couldn't attend such a minor meeting," Yoruha replied casually. "She sent me to represent Konoha in her place. Let Mifune know—we're ready to begin."
The samurai exchanged uncertain glances.
Wasn't this supposed to be the Five Kage Summit?
And yet… instead of the Hokage, Konoha sent over a few unknowns and made the others wait two days?
Still, they were only guards. They had no right to question the decisions of high-ranking ninja.
One of them escorted Yoruha's group inside and went off to inform Mifune.
Meanwhile, the other four Kage were already seated in the conference hall, waiting impatiently.
They had not expected that Tsunade wouldn't even show up.
Instead, that guy, Yoruha, had come?
"Hmph! What's Konoha trying to pull?" Ōnoki muttered, rubbing his lower back with a wince. "Tsunade's too busy to attend? What, are we just sitting around twiddling our thumbs all day?"
He was old, and his back ached from the journey—yet here he was.
And Tsunade, decades younger, couldn't be bothered to show up?
"I think Konoha's just trying to stir the pot on purpose!" Raikage growled, slamming his palm against the table. "No wonder they refused to brand Uchiha Sasuke a rogue ninja. Maybe they're working with Akatsuki behind the scenes!"
He had long held suspicions about the Leaf Village.
And now, they'd skipped the summit entirely?
He felt as though they weren't taking him—or the meeting—seriously at all.
"Konoha has nothing to do with Akatsuki," Gaara said calmly, arms crossed. "I was nearly killed by them—and Konoha helped save my life. Anyone who falsely accuses them… becomes my enemy."
"Ha, no need to be so tense," Mei Terumi said with a sly smile. "Since Konoha's finally arrived, let's all go take a look."
At the same time, Mifune was meeting with Yoruha's group in the reception room.
The Land of Iron might have been neutral, but as host of the Five Kage Summit, Mifune found himself in a difficult position.
"Yoruha-dono… Danzo-dono… I understand that Lady Hokage is occupied with other matters," Mifune began carefully. "But this is a meeting between the Five Kage. If she doesn't attend, can this truly be called a 'Five Kage Summit'?"
He sighed softly, clearly troubled.
Wasn't this supposed to be a summit of the five shadows?
But now, the Hokage hadn't even shown up.
"So who said this had to be a Five Kage meeting?" Yoruha replied bluntly. "Did Konoha ever agree to that?"
His tone was dismissive, even arrogant.
"But don't worry. You don't have to trouble yourself. Me showing up at all is already more than generous. If needed, I'll call the other villages together myself."
Mifune was stunned by how direct he was.
But he didn't dare say much in return.
Yoruha's reputation preceded him.
This was a man known for cutting first and asking questions never.
"There's no need to overthink things. The real purpose here is to deal with Akatsuki," Yoruha said as he walked past. "This meeting has nothing to do with titles. If the other villages want to work with us, fine. If not—Konoha will take on Akatsuki alone."
His tone made it clear:
He didn't care what the other Kage thought.
Konoha stood apart.
After all, if the Fourth Great Ninja War did end in peace—Yoruha fully intended to use the opportunity to unify the entire ninja world.
That was why Konoha's dominance needed to be established now.
"You little punk! So arrogant!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted as the Fourth Raikage stormed in, surrounded by lightning like a living natural disaster. The floor cracked beneath his feet as he landed with earth-shattering force.
"Fourth Raikage," Yoruha said coolly. "That's quite an entrance. Good thing this isn't Konoha—if you'd damaged our village grounds like that, my sword might not have let you leave."
He stared at the Raikage without the slightest trace of fear.
"You mountain brat!" Ōnoki growled, floating in behind the others. "Where's your Hokage? What kind of village leader doesn't show up to her own summit?! What kind of rules does Konoha even follow anymore?!"
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