Chapter 61: I'll Give You an Explanation
Stelle had initially assumed the negotiations would be held in the Land of Lightning. To her surprise, while she remained unafraid, the other Kage were not. They refused to set foot in the country, retreating even after having nearly reached its borders.
Thinking it over, their reaction made perfect sense. They were the leaders of their respective nations, traveling to a foreign land to sign an accord. Yet, before the summit could even begin, one of their number had been assassinated en route. Who among them would dare to walk so openly into that hornet's nest now? What if they encountered another band of radicals, backed by dozens of elite jōnin, who decided to finish the job?
It was no wonder the future Five Kage Summits would be held in the neutral territory of the Land of Iron. The decision was almost certainly a direct consequence of the wariness that settled over the great nations after Senju Tobirama was ambushed.
However, it was too late for a detour now. Concluding the negotiations and securing reparations was the most pressing matter. After some deliberation, the Tsuchikage and the others settled on a new location: the Land of Rain.
As a small country wedged between three great powers, the Land of Rain had become little more than a strategic buffer zone—the epicenter of the war's flames. The recent conflict had left vast swathes of its territory in ruins. The ensuing chaos, coupled with the lack of a wise leader, had allowed countless factions to spring up, turning the tiny nation into a hotbed of perpetual conflict. One day, a man might lead a dozen followers to capture a city and drive out its lord. The next, that same lord's loyal subordinate might rally twenty men to reclaim it, only to hand the keys back to his master. The political landscape was as volatile and fragmented as the Warring States Period.
But the moment word spread that the Kage of the Five Great Nations were converging on their soil for a summit, an abrupt quiet fell over the land. This was no joke. Shinobi from every major village were still garrisoned at the borders, effectively surrounding the Land of Rain. If any local faction dared to act recklessly and disrupt the proceedings, they would be annihilated.
The lord of the designated city began his preparations with a heart full of trepidation. He spared no expense, lavishly decorating the meeting hall and bringing out his finest food and drink. Whether he could afford it was secondary; appeasing these living calamities was his only priority. Otherwise, he wouldn't live long enough to spend any of his money, anyway.
Soon, Stelle arrived in the Land of Rain, accompanied by Hiruzen Sarutobi and their retinue. The country was scarred by war, with signs of ruin flanking their path at every turn. Stelle recalled that Hanzō and Hiruzen were contemporaries. By now, the infamous shinobi should have already begun his campaign to unify the Land of Rain, but the fact that the Five Great Nations had yet to sign a truce likely kept him from making any major moves.
When Stelle's group arrived, the Kage from the other villages were already present. As the city lord's attendants guided them into the meeting room, every head turned. The collective weight of their gazes pressed down on the Konoha delegation.
"My apologies for the delay," Stelle said, offering a disarming smile as she took the last remaining seat. She looked every bit the part of a soft, unassuming girl, easily bullied. Behind her, Hiruzen and the others stood like statues, assuming the posture of guards.
Every nation had spies in the others' hidden villages. It was no secret to these Kage that the girl before them was Uchiha Madara's disciple. They wouldn't be fooled by her delicate, noble-like appearance; her Flame Release was rumored to be powerful enough to crush any of her peers in Konoha. She had blazed a trail of glory across the Land of Wind's battlefields, sending their shinobi fleeing in terror and earning the moniker "Purple Flame Princess." It was only natural that such a prodigy would be chosen as the Hokage's successor.
Still, they had come prepared to make Konoha bleed, and their words were anything but polite.
"Hmph. Konoha must truly be out of talent, leaving such a crucial meeting to a little girl," the First Kazekage, Reto, began his verbal assault, eager to make a scene.
Though the other two First Kage were not as sharp-tongued, the contempt in their voices was just as apparent.
Only the Second Raikage, A, sat in grim silence. The rebellion led by Kinkaku and Ginkaku had inflicted devastating losses upon the Land of Lightning. The two brothers had not only assassinated Senju Tobirama but had also murdered their own First Raikage. Fearing their plot would be exposed, they had even preemptively killed several of the village's moderates who were caught off guard.
While Senju Tobirama had managed to take Kinkaku, Ginkaku, and their hundred-man jōnin squad down with him, it was still a catastrophic loss for Kumogakure. A hundred elite shinobi—how many years would it take to train their replacements?
Kumogakure could have handled these negotiations with ease, simply securing the resources or ninjutsu they desired from Konoha. If another nation had grown dissatisfied and attacked, they could have simply followed behind and picked up the scraps. But thanks to those two brothers, a perfect situation had soured into a crippling disadvantage. The Second Raikage could only trail behind the other Kage like a chastened subordinate, waiting for them to finish their business with Konoha before he even had a chance to speak.
He was terrified that the conditions set by the other three would be so exorbitant that Konoha would be left with nothing. By the time it was his turn, there would be no resources left to squeeze out. He almost wanted to beg them to show some mercy and leave a little for him.
"What you seniors say is true," Stelle replied, her gentle, placid smile never wavering. No matter how they ridiculed her, she refused to show a flicker of anger. "I am indeed quite ignorant, so I ask for your forgiveness. I have come on behalf of Konoha to negotiate a truce. We have come with the utmost sincerity."
"This war was started by your Konoha," the Mizukage declared. "You owe our nations an explanation."
"The Land of Wind was at peace, focused only on developing our economy, yet you attacked us without provocation!" Reto slammed his hand on the table. "You brought indelible pain to our people. The blood of our shinobi will not have been shed in vain. If Konoha cannot provide a satisfactory answer, I have no issue with continuing this war."
"Senju Tobirama slaughtered countless shinobi from our Hidden Mist Village on the border of the Land of Water," the Mizukage, Byakuren, added, his voice cold. "That is a blood debt. How will Konoha soothe the pain of our villagers who have lost their loved ones?"
The Kage attacked in unison, their expressions promising renewed conflict if their demands were not met. They acted as if they had Konoha pinned, completely at their mercy.
Stelle's fists clenched beneath the table, the smile on her face finally beginning to strain. "But the one who started this war was clearly that man in the black robes. Our First and Second Hokage died to save the ninja world. Who knows if he still has accomplices? We should be uniting to deal with them."
"Hmph. What 'man in black robes'? What 'Sōjin'?" Byakuren sneered. "I've never heard of them. Who's to say this wasn't just some enemy your Konoha made on its own, coming to settle a score? And you're still trying to use it to cover up your own ambitions." He could, in fact, find a few scant lines about Sōjin in his nation's oldest records, but so what? The man had been killed by Hashirama and Madara. They could simply deny everything. How else were they to appease the families of the dead? Tell them their sons and daughters were nothing but cannon fodder, killed by Konoha for a cause that no longer mattered?
"Exactly," Reto chimed in, his voice dripping with avarice. "You clearly intended to conquer our four nations. If not for the sudden appearance of this mysterious figure interrupting your advance, your armies might already be at the gates of the Hidden Sand Village." The Kazekage was desperate for progress. His nation was poor, the land barren, its potential for development capped. If he could seize a piece of fertile land from the Land of Fire and secure hundreds of millions in resources, he could finally build a future for his people.
The four Kage were in perfect sync, relentlessly suppressing Konoha's position and diminishing its sacrifices. The more they spoke, the more pleased they became, their excitement growing with every word. The feeling of being free from the oppressive weight of the two Senju brothers was truly wonderful. It was like heaven. The delegation across from them was composed entirely of the new generation; dealing with them felt as easy as breathing.
On Konoha's side, only Stelle spoke. The others remained silent, their faces impassive, like emotionless guardian machines. Even Danzō, normally the most impulsive among them, kept his mouth tightly shut, though the muscles in his jaw were knotted with rage.
Finally, after the Kage had finished listing a series of demands, each more ridiculous than the last, Stelle stood up. She tilted her head, and a chilling, eerie smile spread across her face.
"Fine," she said, her voice dropping to a low, dangerous purr. "I'll give you all an explanation."
The moment the words left her lips, the guard team behind her retreated in perfect unison, clearing a space. Four special kunai, forged from chakra-conductive metal and covered in complex seal formulas, appeared in Stelle's hands.
She raised her arm, and with a flick of her wrist, the kunai shot out, embedding themselves in four corners of the room. Then, she clapped her hands together forcefully.
Instantly, four walls of crimson fire erupted from the ground, using the kunai as anchors. They rose with impossible speed, sealing the ceiling and forming a barrier that trapped the four arrogant Kage inside.
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