In the solemn conference room of the Land of Iron, the Five Kage sat around a heavy meeting table.
As the meeting began, the heavy silence was broken by an aged cough.
"Ahem..." Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki cleared his throat, which was raspy from his injuries.
His wrinkled face showed a hint of fatigue, but his eyes remained as sharp as ever.
As the convener of this Five Kage Summit, he was the first to break the silence.
"Since this Five Kage Summit was initiated by my Iwagakure, then I shall be the one to state the purpose clearly and explain the reason for gathering everyone here."
Before he could finish, an unceremonious cold snort rang out from the opposite side.
Fourth Raikage Ay sat with his arms crossed, his powerful muscles bulging under his tight sleeves, making no effort to hide the sarcasm in his tone.
"Hmph, old man, take it easy with your words, wouldn't want you to drop dead halfway through."
His aggressive gaze pierced straight at the diminutive Tsuchikage, and the air was instantly filled with the smell of gunpowder, as if swords were drawn.
Ōnoki gave the Raikage a cold glance, two sharp flashes of cold light passing through his eyes.
The grudge between them was deep-seated; the Raikage's father, the renowned Third Raikage, had fallen in a trap meticulously designed by Ōnoki.
Of course, Iwagakure had also paid a painful price in that battle, losing all its elites.
In just a flash of thought, the terrifying figure of the Third Raikage—standing like a god of war against ten thousand men—surfaced in Ōnoki's mind, causing a trace of chill to run through his heart.
He suppressed his surging thoughts, and seeing that the other three Kage didn't speak up in opposition, he continued:
"Presumably, you all already know that Iwagakure's Four-Tails Jinchuriki Roshi and Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han have been forcibly abducted by the mysterious organization known as 'Akatsuki,' and the power of the two Tailed Beasts has fallen into their hands."
"Heh!" The Fourth Raikage sneered, ruthlessly interrupting with mockery once again.
"Isn't that right! First, someone single-handedly barged through your gates and forced you to obediently hand over the Tailed Beast chakra."
"Then, an organization forcibly snatched away the Tailed Beasts themselves."
"Your Iwagakure's ability to guard Tailed Beasts is truly 'well-renowned'!"
This blatant humiliation caused Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi, who were standing behind Ōnoki, to instantly knit their brows, their faces turning grim as their clenched fists showed their inner rage.
But at a summit of this caliber, they could only endure and refrain from lashing out.
A cold light flashed in Ōnoki's eyes; instead of losing his composure from being provoked, he counterattacked with an even more biting calmness.
"Everything the Raikage says is true."
"However, as far as I know, your Village's Two-Tails Jinchuriki Yugito seems to have long since become the property of the 'Akatsuki' organization as well, hasn't she? And..."
He deliberately drew out his tone, carrying a hint of mockery.
"The 'guest' who forced us to hand over chakra back then at least left some leeway."
"I remember quite clearly that when he visited your Kumogakure, what he did was likely far more than what the simple word 'forced' could describe, right?"
"That 'grand occasion' is still 'deeply impressive' to think about even now."
"You!" Fourth Raikage Ay's fury was instantly ignited!
That painful history alluded to by Ōnoki was the deepest scar in his heart.
Violent chakra overflowed uncontrollably from his body, making crackling electric sounds. He roared, and his massive hand, carrying the force of a thousand thunderbolts, slammed heavily onto the thick meeting table!
"BANG!!!"
A deafening roar exploded in the silent conference room!
The surface of the sturdy meeting table cracked, and Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron who had been calmly observing, couldn't help but have his eyelid twitch.
He stood up steadily, his voice not loud but carrying an unquestionable authority that reached the ears of every Kage clearly.
"Lord Kages, please exercise restraint! The main purpose of this Five Kage Summit is to exchange intelligence and discuss countermeasures, not a place for you to display your martial prowess. Please prioritize the overall situation of the Shinobi World."
"Hmph!" The Fourth Raikage snorted heavily through his nose.
But since he was the one who started the provocation, he could only suppress the thunderous rage that was almost bursting from his body and slowly withdrew his hand.
If he hadn't restrained his strength at the last moment, this meeting table would have likely been turned into dust.
This past event caused fury to churn in Fourth Raikage Ay's chest.
Ōnoki's mockery was indeed ear-piercing, but what truly remained etched in his memory was the visceral pain brought by that mysterious existence known as 'The Collector.'
It was this person who, in order to seize the chakra of Kumogakure's Matatabi and Eight-Tails Gyuki, had boldly intervened in the war between Konoha and Kumogakure.
His intervention had instantly turned the tide of the war.
Kumogakure originally had a chance of winning this war, but because of him, they suffered a devastating blow and ultimately met a tragic defeat.
This failure brought not only a military setback but also an immeasurable loss of core assets.
The chakra of two Tailed Beasts was forcibly taken by 'The Collector'! And he himself had been severely wounded in that sudden, catastrophic encounter, his life hanging by a thread.
If his brother, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki Killer Bee, hadn't risked his life to save him at the critical moment, Ay would have likely perished on that blood-stained battlefield, becoming yet another sacrifice of the war.
Even though he narrowly survived, that severe injury had nearly destroyed his physical foundation.
In the long years that followed, he had to spend a massive amount of time suffering through recuperation, barely managing to recover after going through many hardships.
Compared to the so-called 'face' lost by Iwagakure on the battlefield, the price paid by Kumogakure was so painful and heavy!
If fate allowed a choice, Ay would rather trade endings with Iwagakure; he would rather 'lose face' on the battlefield like Iwagakure than endure the massive depletion of vitality that Kumogakure experienced!
Face isn't important; losses are what's real!
Seeing that the Fourth Raikage had fallen silent, Ōnoki continued.
"Presumably, besides Konoha, the other Villages have all had similar experiences."
After saying that, Ōnoki didn't say anything more, seemingly giving the other Kage time to reminisce.
The air in the conference room also suddenly froze because of Ōnoki's words.
As the representative of 'Konoha' who had been called out by Ōnoki, Minato was also filled with many thoughts at this moment.
Regarding the 'Akatsuki' organization, he did indeed possess more intelligence than his colleagues present.
This was thanks to his mentor Jiraiya's secret tracking that had gone on for many years like a shadow.
However, even so, the core secrets of 'Akatsuki,' the true faces of its members, and their exact goals remained as if shrouded in layers of thick fog, difficult to fully clear up.
When Minato learned of the Akatsuki's goal to capture Tailed Beasts, a strong suspicion uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
Was that unfathomably powerful 'The Collector' one of the hidden members of the 'Akatsuki' organization?
This thought had once been very strong.
However, the fact that no reports of other ninja Villages being attacked by 'The Collector' had surfaced to date caused Minato's suspicion to waver.
Perhaps a more reasonable explanation was that the Nine-Tails incident was not 'The Collector's' personal action, but rather that he had accepted a commission from the 'Akatsuki' organization and acted as the executor of that catastrophic attack?
Minato sighed silently in his heart; he even secretly prayed that this guess would come true.
Because if 'The Collector' himself was a member of the 'Akatsuki' organization, it would undoubtedly mean that the danger level of this mysterious organization would climb to a desperate height.
Just remembering the overwhelming, almost inhumanly terrifying power 'The Collector' displayed at that time caused a huge shadow to instantly shroud Minato's heart.
Although other Villages had not yet been directly attacked by 'The Collector,' they had long since been touched by the cold hands of the Akatsuki.
This shadow was a deeply etched personal experience for the Fifth Kazekage Gaara.
He had once been the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, ruthlessly abducted by the Akatsuki and falling into a near-death crisis.
If Lady Chiyo hadn't performed the forbidden secret technique 'One's Own Life Resurrection' at the cost of her life, forcibly infusing the hope of life into him, he would have already turned to ash in that cold place of imprisonment.
Thinking of this, the past sense of helplessness surged again. Gaara's fists clenched quietly at his sides, his knuckles turning pale from extreme force.
Standing alongside him, the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumī's mood was equally as deep as an abyss.
She recalled that period of time when the Hidden Mist Village was shrouded in darkness.
Initially, she and everyone else in the Village were completely unaware that their Fourth Mizukage had long since become a puppet controlled by someone else.
It wasn't until they could no longer endure it and decided to rise up against the tyranny that Ao's Byakugan finally perceived the nature of the control over the Mizukage.
Adding to that the movements of Hoshigaki Kisame, the whole truth submerged her like a cold tide.
The Akatsuki's infiltration of the Hidden Mist was already deep-rooted, like maggots in bone.
Their once-wise Fourth Mizukage had, without anyone knowing, become a pathetic marionette in the enemy's hands.
"Village of the Bloody Mist"
That terrifying policy, filled with blood and despair, was precisely the disaster personally pushed forward by this manipulated Mizukage!
Raging fire and indignation burned in Mei Terumī's heart.
If the Akatsuki hadn't been controlling everything from behind the scenes, the Fourth Mizukage would never have re-implemented those cruel laws of the Third Mizukage that destroyed their own foundation, and the Hidden Mist Village would never have fallen into its current state of severe depletion and significantly declined strength!
Fourth Raikage Ay, the powerhouse known for his explosive temper, unusually did not refute Ōnoki at this moment.
Because what Ōnoki said was correct, and the reason was precisely the painful loss Kumogakure had just experienced.
Their Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito, had unfortunately fallen into the hands of the Akatsuki while on a mission.
From the intelligence, the timing of the Akatsuki's action to capture the Two-Tails actually overlapped strikingly with the abduction of the Sunagakure One-Tailed Jinchuriki Gaara.
If not for this, Kumogakure would never have risked letting Yugito, who carried a Tailed Beast, go out on a routine mission during such a tense time.
Previously, after experiencing 'The Collector' incident, the Kumogakure high-level officials had held a slight hope.
Since the other party, The Collector, had already obtained the chakra of the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, he presumably wouldn't target Kumogakure's Jinchuriki again.
However, reality gave them a heavy blow.
Although The Collector had temporarily fallen silent, the even more brutal 'Akatsuki' had suddenly appeared!
In comparison, The Collector's goal seemed much more 'gentle,' as he only demanded Tailed Beast chakra;
Whereas the Akatsuki's methods were ruthless and heartless; their goal was to forcibly strip the entire Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki's body!
Thinking of this, the Fourth Raikage's face was shrouded in a deep shadow.
His clenched fists trembled slightly.
As a Kage, he knew a cruel law: when a Tailed Beast is completely extracted, the Jinchuriki acting as the vessel is almost certain to die.
Although there was a miraculous exception right before him in Gaara, the Raikage understood that a price beyond normal imagination must have been paid behind it.
This was a price Yugito would never be able to bear.
Therefore, regarding whether Yugito was still alive, the Raikage held no hope in his heart, leaving only burning fury.
Fortunately, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, his brother Killer Bee, was still safe and sound at this moment.
Furthermore, Killer Bee was right within the Land of Iron, not far from the location of this Five Kage Summit.
The Raikage even took the initiative to disclose Killer Bee's whereabouts.
This seemingly risky move actually contained careful consideration.
In this sensitive moment where powerful enemies were all around and all the Kages and top-tier guards were gathered, the safety of this neutral Land of Iron was actually far superior to the Kumogakure headquarters thousands of miles away.
If he deliberately hid Killer Bee's whereabouts now, and the Akatsuki took advantage of the opening to directly raid the relatively empty Kumogakure...
Then what awaited the Village would be a catastrophe even more tragic than what Iwagakure might suffer.
Such an outcome was something Fourth Raikage Ay, who bore the burden of protecting the entire Kumogakure, could absolutely not accept no matter what!
Suddenly, the Fourth Raikage's voice exploded in the oppressive conference room.
"Enough! You old geezer, stop being so cryptic! What exactly are you trying to say? Just spit it out!"
His fists, as large as clay pots, were clenched tight, and the muscles on his powerful arms bulged, showing the overwhelming rage the owner was currently suppressing.
This time, the target of his fury was no longer Ōnoki, but directed straight at the Akatsuki.
Ōnoki gave this irritable Raikage a blank look, his short frame emitting a solemnity that could not be ignored.
"What I want to say is actually very simple."
"Everyone, do you really naively believe that after the Akatsuki successfully captures all nine Tailed Beasts, they will be satisfied and call it a day, disappearing forever?"
As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if a giant boulder had been thrown into a stagnant pond, instantly stirring up violent ripples.
The expressions of the other four Kage changed drastically; they obviously knew of this possibility, they just hadn't brought it up yet.
Now, this concern was ruthlessly placed on the table by Ōnoki.
Ōnoki's gaze slowly swept across the various Kage's different expressions, his tone becoming even heavier.
"The Akatsuki's plot, its scale and ambition, are definitely not limited to controlling a few Tailed Beasts."
"What they are planning is surely a world-shaking change sufficient to subvert the entire Shinobi World!"
"Although we have no way of knowing at this moment what they intend to do after putting in all that effort to gather the nine Tailed Beasts..."
"Just the destructive power contained within these nine Tailed Beasts themselves, once controlled and abused by the Akatsuki, would be enough to bring an unprecedented catastrophe to the entire Shinobi World!"