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The next day, at noon, the second round of the Five Kage Summit began.
The original venue was rubble. The talks relocated to the Iron Country's Shogunate palace. The Five Kage had, for the moment, set aside their differences. Their guards and entourages waited outside the palace walls.
BAM!
The first sound of the new session wasn't diplomacy. It was a fist hammering the table, a roar echoing through the ornate halls.
"Damn that Uchiha Sasuke!!!"
Outside the doors, Shikaku Nara heard it clearly. Right on schedule, he thought. The Raikage's putting it all on the table.
The other four Kage were silent. The Raikage snarled. "Well?! Say something! That short brat couldn't possibly be Obito Uchiha! Who else fits the description? It has to be Uchiha Sasuke!!"
Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage, stroked his beard. "Raikage, speculation isn't proof. None of us saw the face under that mask."
"The Uchiha are extinct!!!" the Raikage bellowed. "Who else could it be?! Kazekage! Mizukage! Tell me! Who?!"
Gaara's voice was calm. "The Uchiha were once a great clan. It's not impossible there are other survivors we don't know about."
Mei Terumī spread her hands. "Kiri was isolated for so long. My knowledge of the Uchiha is limited. The Hokage would be the authority on this."
Tsunade rested her chin on her folded hands, choosing her words. "Truthfully, before becoming Hokage, I spent years wandering. I wasn't close to the Uchiha. And since taking office, I've seen Sasuke only a handful of times. If a similarly built person wore a mask… I couldn't tell."
She met the Raikage's glare. "I know how this sounds. Like I'm protecting one of my own. But if it truly was Sasuke… he's fourteen. Fourteen, and he defeated five Kage? It's… hard to believe. I'd rather believe it was another Uchiha, one who's been hiding in the shadows all along."
Seeing the near-unified front, the Raikage's face flushed with fury. "You… all of you… you planned this, didn't you?!"
Ōnoki raised a placating hand. "Now, now, A. What's done is done. Arguing over his identity changes nothing. We know this 'X' exists. We know he's a threat to all five nations. Uniting to face that threat is what matters. Don't you agree?"
The Raikage grunted, crossing his massive arms. "Fine. For now. But I'm not done with Uchiha Sasuke."
Mifune, leader of the samurai, spoke next. "This incident was a warning to us as well. If this enemy truly plans war in three years, the samurai will not be spared. Therefore, I am not here today as a neutral mediator. I am your ally. Please, speak freely. Whatever decision is made, the samurai will stand with you."
All eyes turned to Ōnoki, expecting the elder statesman to begin.
But Ōnoki looked at Gaara. "Kazekage. You speak first."
Gaara was taken aback. "I… Is that appropriate? You are the most senior here."
Ōnoki offered a tired, knowing smile. "My combat experience may exceed yours. But my thinking… it may be stuck in an older era. Let's hear from the new generation first."
Gaara still seemed hesitant, honored.
Ōnoki chuckled. "During the first session, you were the first to challenge this old man. Show me that same spirit."
Gaara stood and gave Ōnoki a deep, respectful bow. "My apologies for my discourtesy then, elder."
Ōnoki accepted it with a simple nod. "Speak."
Gaara sat, clasping his hands before him. "The assailant at the summit is an unidentified Uchiha. For convenience, we designate him 'Uchiha X,' or simply 'X.' X demonstrated power surpassing the combined might of the Five Kage. He declared he would launch a war to conquer the Five Great Nations in three years."
He paused, letting the weight of that settle. "But let me be blunt. No single individual can defeat the combined might of the Five Nations. Because the Five Kage are just the strongest representatives. Behind us… are tens of thousands of shinobi."
Ōnoki nodded slowly. "Correct. Even Uchiha Madara in his prime would not have dared such a boast. Sas—that boy's power is formidable, but upon reflection, it may not exceed Madara's."
"Therefore," Gaara continued, "I conclude that X must command a force capable of rivaling the shinobi armies of the Five Nations. Does everyone agree?"
After a moment of consideration, the other Kage nodded.
"The problem," Gaara said, his voice growing firmer, "is that X operates from the shadows. We know nothing of his forces. He knows everything about us. To prepare for the threat in three years, we need drastic measures."
Mei leaned forward. "How drastic?"
"Formal alliance between the Five Great Villages and the samurai," Gaara stated. "And if possible, we bring every minor village and nation into the fold."
Ōnoki waved a hand. "That's a given. The very purpose of this second session. I doubt anyone here objects."
"But not just a formal alliance," Gaara pressed. "That only adds numbers. We must integrate. Share resources. Intelligence. And…" He tightened his clasped hands, his gaze intense. "…technology."
Mei frowned. "Resources and intelligence, I understand. But 'technology'?"
Gaara met her eyes. "The secret techniques of every village."
Silence.
Then, a collective stir of disbelief.
Ōnoki's lips twitched upward. Ah, youth.
Mei's voice was careful. "That… is asking the impossible. Secret techniques are a village's lifeblood. Their most vital secrets."
"Hence 'sharing,'" Gaara countered. "If every village offers its treasures, no one loses. We all gain. It's mutual benefit!"
A scoffed. "Easy for you to say! What happens after the war? If we turn on each other again? Our generations of accumulated knowledge, handed to a future enemy! And let's be real—not all secret techniques are equal. Some villages have deeper 'heritage' than others. It's not a fair trade!"
"So the fear begins," Gaara said quietly, his voice heavy. "The fear of hidden agendas. Mutual suspicion. Holding back. I didn't want to say it, but I'm afraid… I'm afraid the war will be lost before it even starts. Lost to our own distrust."
The gravity of the proposal hung in the air. No one spoke. The second round of the Five Kage Summit had reached a deadlock.
Meanwhile, outside the Shogunate.
The snow fell in silent, relentless sheets.
It fell on the bodies of samurai scattered through the mountain pass, their blood stark and vivid against the white.
The sole survivor trembled, back against icy rock, staring at the dark-haired figure walking calmly through the storm. "Y-you… who are you…?"
The boy's face, marked by six faint whisker-like lines, was colder than the blizzard itself.
"Ugly weaklings."
CLANG!
He planted his bloodied ninjato in the snow before the palace gate. He lifted his head. Blood-red eyes, devoid of warmth, locked onto the terrified samurai.
"Tell the Five Kage."
The voice cut through the wind, final and absolute.
"Uchiha Madara… has arrived."
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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