Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 122: The Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron

The Fourth Raikage and the other Kage chose the Land of Iron for the summit due to mutual distrust.

Holding the meeting in a neutral territory ensured no one could stage an ambush or underhanded attack, making the samurai-controlled Land of Iron the best option.

Now, representatives from the major villages, adorned in their respective Kage robes, sat around a large round table. The summit, organized under the mediation of Mifune, aimed to discuss strategies to confront the growing threat of the Akatsuki.

The Akatsuki had been capturing the jinchūriki and tailed beasts of each village with alarming success. Their actions had bolstered their power to a point where they could no longer be ignored by the Five Great Nations.

The Kage suspected the Akatsuki's intentions extended far beyond simple power grabs. It was more plausible that the organization sought to destroy the Five Great Nations altogether and establish itself as the supreme authority in the ninja world.

However, mistrust and differing priorities hindered discussions from progressing smoothly.

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Among those present, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, appeared the most detached.

He believed that the Akatsuki's interest in capturing weaker beasts, like the One-Tail Shukaku of his village, was minimal.

"If other villages lose their tailed beasts, the Sand Village would become the strongest force beneath the Akatsuki. Why should I worry?"

Confident in this self-serving logic, Rasa calmly sipped his tea, seemingly unbothered by the gravity of the summit.

This nonchalant attitude starkly contrasted with the tense atmosphere around him, earning him several disapproving glares.

The Fourth Raikage, in particular, struggled to contain his anger. His clenched fists emitted audible cracks, and veins bulged on his forehead. It took a nudge from his assistant to stop him from physically confronting the Kazekage.

"That insolent fool! I'll knock some sense into him!"

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The elder Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, finally broke the silence.

"Well, Fourth Raikage, you called us all here. Why not get to the point? Or should I assume you have nothing to say?"

"If that's the case, I'll take my leave. I'm too old to waste time with pointless bickering," he added, his tone dry.

The Raikage's eyes narrowed as his anger shifted toward Onoki.

"Hmph! You act so unconcerned, yet your village lost two jinchūriki to the Akatsuki. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Of course it does," Onoki replied calmly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here."

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As tensions escalated, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, took the initiative to steer the discussion back on track.

"Since no one else is willing to start, allow me to share what I know about the Akatsuki," Mei began.

Her composed demeanor immediately commanded attention, and the room grew silent as all eyes turned to her.

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"First, I must confess that discussing this makes me uncomfortable. It highlights the failures of my own village," Mei admitted.

"But for everyone to fully understand the Akatsuki's capabilities, I believe it's necessary."

She paused, her tone growing more serious.

"This all began with the Uchiha Clan's massacre. After annihilating his entire clan, Uchiha Itachi defected from the Leaf Village and joined the Akatsuki.

"Some time later, Itachi appeared in the Mist Village, where he encountered our Fourth Mizukage.

"During their battle, Itachi gravely injured the Mizukage, but the true danger came afterward."

Mei's voice lowered, and the room's tension deepened.

"Itachi used his genjutsu to take control of the Mizukage, turning him into a puppet. For years, our entire village was unknowingly under Itachi's manipulation."

A collective gasp rippled through the room.

"Even worse, we remained oblivious to this until Ao, using his Byakugan, detected the genjutsu."

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"Hah! So that's why your village is so weak!" the Fourth Raikage scoffed, his disdain evident.

"Imagine letting your own Kage become someone's puppet. What a disgrace!"

His words stung, and the Mizukage's guard, Chōjūrō, couldn't hold back.

"You—!" Chōjūrō began, drawing his weapon.

Fortunately, Ao grabbed his arm, preventing him from escalating the situation further.

Mei, however, wasn't one to back down.

"Raikage, my purpose in sharing this is to highlight the Akatsuki's capabilities. Itachi's genjutsu was so powerful that even a perfect jinchūriki like our Mizukage couldn't resist.

"Let me ask you, Raikage: are you certain you could withstand Itachi's genjutsu?"

Her pointed question caught the Raikage off guard, but his pride wouldn't allow him to admit any weakness.

"Hmph! If he dares to face me, I'll crush him!"

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Mei smirked at the Raikage's bravado.

"Well then, if you're so confident, why did you call this summit? Surely your 'almighty' Cloud Village can handle the Akatsuki alone, can't it?"

Her sarcasm wasn't lost on anyone.

The Raikage growled but said nothing, realizing he'd been cornered.

Onoki, meanwhile, was growing impatient.

"Enough! Are we here to bicker or to strategize? If this continues, I'll leave," the Tsuchikage warned.

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The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, who had been silently observing the proceedings, finally spoke up.

"I agree. This petty infighting is a waste of time," she said, her tone sharp.

"If we can't set aside our differences to deal with the Akatsuki, then this meeting is pointless."

Her words brought a tense but necessary silence to the room.

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To Be Continued…

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