Three days later.
The entire shinobi world was in motion.
Messengers traveled between nations.
Elite escorts accompanied important officials.
Hidden villages strengthened their security.
The long-delayed Five Kage Summit was finally set to begin.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Tsunade stood before a large map spread across her desk.
Jiraiya leaned against the nearby wall, arms folded.
Kakashi flipped through a stack of intelligence reports.
Naruto sat in a chair, looking far too relaxed for someone who had nearly started a diplomatic crisis several times already.
Shizune sighed.
"You look awfully happy."
Naruto grinned.
"I like seeing things move forward."
"That's exactly what worries me."
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose.
The room chuckled.
Naruto's enthusiasm often produced results.
Unfortunately, it also tended to produce chaos.
"Let's review everything one last time," Tsunade said.
The room became serious.
"The Land of Lightning initiated the summit."
"The Land of Wind accepted immediately."
"The Land of Earth and the Land of Water accepted shortly afterward."
Kakashi closed his report.
"All Five Kage will attend in person."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Even the Tsuchikage?"
"Especially the Tsuchikage."
Jiraiya snorted.
"That old man wouldn't miss an opportunity to complain about everyone else."
The room laughed.
Then Tsunade's expression hardened.
"Our biggest concern remains the masked man."
Everyone nodded.
Even with the summit underway, Obito remained the greatest threat.
No one knew when he would act.
Only that he eventually would.
Naruto tapped the table thoughtfully.
"He'll show up."
Tsunade looked at him.
"You sound confident."
"I am."
Naruto leaned back.
"Think about it."
"The Five Kage gathering together is exactly the sort of thing he'd want to manipulate."
Longmen, who had been standing quietly near the window, nodded.
"I agree."
For years, Obito had relied on conflict and division.
A united front among the great nations would threaten everything he had built.
Which meant he would almost certainly interfere.
Konan crossed her arms.
"Then this summit really is becoming a trap."
Naruto smiled.
"Hopefully."
Meanwhile.
Far from Konoha.
The summit venue stood atop a towering mountain.
Massive stone structures had been constructed specifically for the event.
Hundreds of elite shinobi guarded every approach.
The security was unprecedented.
Inside the main conference hall, preparations were already underway.
The first to arrive was the Fourth Raikage.
As always, his presence dominated the room.
He looked around impatiently.
"About time."
Beside him stood Darui's replacement and several elite Cloud shinobi.
The Raikage's temper had not improved since Killer B's disappearance.
If anything, it had become worse.
Soon afterward, the Kazekage arrived.
Gaara entered calmly, accompanied by Temari and Kankuro.
The Raikage immediately crossed his arms.
"You actually showed up."
Gaara looked at him.
"I said I would."
Simple.
Direct.
Exactly as expected.
The Raikage grunted.
Then came the Mizukage.
Then the Tsuchikage.
The room gradually filled with some of the most powerful people in the shinobi world.
Yet despite their combined strength, tension lingered in the air.
Everyone knew why they were there.
Akatsuki.
The tailed beasts.
And the growing instability threatening the entire world.
Several hours later.
Tsunade finally arrived.
The moment she entered, every eye turned toward her.
The Raikage spoke immediately.
"Took you long enough."
Tsunade smirked.
"I like making dramatic entrances."
The Raikage's eyebrow twitched.
Some things never changed.
After everyone took their seats, silence settled over the conference hall.
The Five Kage were finally gathered.
For the first time in years.
The Raikage stood.
His massive frame seemed even larger beneath the hall's lighting.
"We all know why we're here."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
"Akatsuki."
Instantly, the atmosphere sharpened.
"Over the last several years, they've kidnapped Jinchūriki, destabilized nations, assassinated targets, and threatened the balance of the entire world."
His fist slammed onto the table.
Boom!
The impact echoed throughout the room.
"We can no longer treat them as isolated incidents."
No one disagreed.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Gaara remained quiet.
The Mizukage listened carefully.
The Tsuchikage looked thoughtful.
Then the Raikage continued.
"What we need is cooperation."
Several Kage exchanged surprised looks.
The Raikage asking for cooperation was unusual enough to be considered a miracle.
The Tsuchikage immediately noticed.
"You've changed."
The Raikage frowned.
"No."
"You have."
The old Tsuchikage chuckled.
"Normally you'd be demanding everyone follow your orders."
The room couldn't argue with that.
Even Tsunade's lips twitched slightly.
The Raikage looked annoyed.
"Can we focus on the actual problem?"
Before anyone could respond—
A strange distortion appeared in the center of the conference hall.
Space itself twisted.
The guards reacted instantly.
Weapons were drawn.
Chakra surged.
The Kage rose from their seats.
The distortion expanded.
Then a figure emerged.
A black cloak.
An orange mask.
A single visible Sharingan.
The room fell silent.
The masked man had arrived.
And unlike before, he wasn't hiding in the shadows anymore.
The game had finally moved into the open.
-----------------------------------------
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