"Hiruzen, how could you allow Kushina to leave Konoha? She's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Sending her to another country will only add chaos to the upcoming Five Kage Summit."
Back in Konoha, the advisors were once again babbling on.
Uzumaki Kushina's Jinchuriki status wasn't exactly top-secret information. Even if the other nations didn't have concrete intelligence confirming she was the Jinchuriki, they could guess it just from her Uzumaki surname and her red hair… In fact, over a decade ago, the Hidden Cloud had sent a team to Konoha to try and kidnap Kushina. Because their own Jinchuriki couldn't control the Eight-Tails, they desperately needed the Uzumaki clan's power.
The Uzumaki clan's special abilities in dealing with Tailed Beasts were practically public knowledge in the ninja world, so Kushina's Jinchuriki status was something even a guess could confirm.
That was precisely why letting Kushina leave Konoha seemed so reckless.
The Third Hokage just sighed wearily. Did they think he didn't understand such a simple concept? But ever since the Fourth Hokage's unfortunate demise, Kushina, who had gradually been becoming a "good wife and mother," was reverting to her original nature.
"I did my best to dissuade Kushina, but you know her temperament… If we judge solely based on her strength as a ninja, there's no problem with her attending the Five Kage Summit. Right now, she's got her own little schemes in motion."
"To showcase the newly formed organization's usefulness? This is truly one wrong step after another," Mitokado Homura said, shaking his head.
The list of ninjas the Third Hokage had chosen to attend the Five Kage Summit were all highly skilled, so there was nothing inherently wrong with it. The Third Hokage's safety was certainly guaranteed… He was also bringing along the world's best Byakugan. Ambushing him under these circumstances was impossible, and if it came down to a 10v10 team fight, who was afraid of whom?
It was a good list…
Except for Uzumaki Kushina.
"If it's to demonstrate the presence of her organization, wouldn't Habara, Kakashi, and Tenzo be enough, along with Aburame? Kushina doesn't need to participate personally. Can she really bear to leave her infant son?" Koharu Utatane argued.
"You make good points. Why don't you go and try to convince Kushina?" the Third Hokage countered, not bothering to argue with them.
The two advisors immediately shook their heads. Yes, they were very good at nagging the Hokage, but they also knew they couldn't persuade Kushina.
"Hiruzen, you must keep Kushina here, no matter what."
The two delivered their "ultimatum" to the Hokage and then promptly fled. Undoubtedly, being an advisor was a more comfortable position than being Hokage.
Despite not holding out much hope, the Third Hokage decided to try one last time to persuade Kushina. He summoned her to the Hokage's office and used little Naruto as emotional leverage.
At present, very few people in Konoha knew the secret that the Nine-Tails had undergone mitosis, and that both mother and son Uzumaki were Jinchuriki. Judging from the previous conversation, at least those two advisors were still unaware of this fact.
Protecting Naruto wasn't just about protecting the hero's son; it was also crucial to protect the other Jinchuriki, who currently had no means of self-defense. So, could Kushina really bear to leave her child at this time?
When Naruto was mentioned, Kushina's attitude indeed became serious. "Lord Hokage, about little Naruto, I've already thought about what to do…"
She then told the Third Hokage how she planned to protect Naruto.
The Third Hokage immediately made a constipated face. Kushina's idea was a terrible one. She had even thought of a way to "betray her teacher and destroy her ancestors." It seemed she was truly determined to go to the Five Kage Summit… How many unnecessary complications had she stirred up for this decision?
It could be said that Uzumaki Kushina was past the stage of being overly protective of her son, Naruto. He was a boy, so what was the harm in a little roughhousing? Even if he was still a baby…
And there was nothing really wrong with her mindset. After all, she was alive and well, and Naruto was alive and well. Therefore, her current attitude towards her son was definitely different from the attitude she would have had when she saw her grown-up son in chakra spirit form after sixteen years.
And so, a day later, Lord Orochimaru was tossed back to the Land of Rice Paddies, while Master Jiraiya, who had been stationed there for over half a year, was recalled to Konoha for "emergency leave."
During his leave, Uzumaki Kushina shoved a bewildered Naruto into Jiraiya's arms…
The Minato couple deeply respected Jiraiya. Not only was Naruto's name taken from the protagonist of Jiraiya's novel, but they had already agreed that they hoped Jiraiya would teach their child ninjutsu in the future.
Since such an agreement had been made, it was time for this "grandfather" and "grandson" to start bonding early. Everything had to start from childhood, right?
Jiraiya: a lecher, single, and an old man, was completely flustered after receiving the infant. This truly proved that Kushina's idea was terrible. Even grabbing a random toad from Mount Myoboku would probably be better at taking care of a child than Jiraiya.
But then again, while Jiraiya found the situation ridiculous, what did Orochimaru do to deserve this? One moment, the Snake Sage was happily researching the ultimate mysteries of the ninja world, and the next, he was kicked to the front lines.
One person's joy is another's sorrow.
But what could be done? She was the Fourth Hokage's wife, and the Fourth Hokage was gone. They had to give her some face.
In July of Konoha Year 49, the Five Kage Summit was about to begin. In Konoha, ten ninjas, led by the Third Hokage, were finally ready to depart.
Early that morning, the group quietly left Konoha and headed towards the Land of Iron. Although the Five Kage Summit was practically common knowledge in Konoha… after all, it was something the Hokage advocated, a matter of great pride, so it had spread… the Hokage's movements were absolute top secret. This was for security reasons.
After leaving Konoha, even within the Land of Fire, they specifically chose small, less-traveled paths. If you were to ask who among this group was the most nervous, it would naturally be Hyuuga Hiashi. As the team's reconnaissance ninja, the Hokage's safety rested on his shoulders. He had to be completely aware of the situation along the way.
If something went wrong, he would be held responsible, regardless of his status as the Hyuuga clan head.
Several days later, the Konoha group left the borders of the Land of Fire and stepped into the Land of Iron. After entering another country, Hiashi became even more tense. His Byakugan never stopped scanning his surroundings, making him look like a thief ready to break into an old residential complex.
The Five Kage Summit was said to be for peace talks, but what if a fight broke out?
Okay, actually, Hiashi didn't need to be this nervous, because there was a large contingent of Konoha ninjas not far away in the Land of Rice Paddies, and the Hidden Cloud forces had been cleared out of that area.
After entering the Land of Iron, they soon encountered the samurai who had come to greet them… Naturally, the samurai's movements had already been detected by Hiashi.
"Are you the esteemed Hokage of Konoha and your party, who have traveled far for the Five Kage Summit? I am Taira Mune, a samurai of the Land of Iron. Please follow me," the leading samurai said upon seeing the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage adjusted the straw hat on his head, greeted the samurai, and said, "Please lead the way."
Habara, on the other hand, was curiously observing the samurai. Unlike ninjas, the samurai were all clad in heavy armor, making them look quite different from the squishy ninjas. It seemed the samurai profession could take more damage.
The Land of Iron was the samurai country of the ninja world. This country basically didn't participate in the struggles between ninjas, and it was a permanent neutral country in the ninja world. The ninjas fought their own battles, but they generally didn't bother the samurai country… The climate here was harsh, the environment was poor, the country was small, and the population was sparse. The samurai kept to themselves, minding their own business, and were very self-aware, which was why they could remain "permanently neutral."
While Habara was observing the samurai, the samurai were also discreetly observing the Hokage's group.
To them, the Hokage's party looked a little strange. The ten people's attire was distinctly divided. Half of them wore black armor and carried two swords on their backs, while the other half wore standard Konoha Jonin attire. Based on their outfits alone, it looked like Konoha had split in two.
Habara and his group had a pretty strong presence…
"Have any of the other parties arrived yet?" the Third Hokage asked as they walked.
The samurai leader, who had been imagining various scenarios in his head, immediately replied, "Not yet. The Hokage's party is the first to arrive."
The Third Hokage nodded, acknowledging the information. Konoha was the initiator of this Five Kage Summit, and could be considered half the host, so it was only natural for them to arrive at the venue first.
After several hours, under the guidance of the samurai, the Konoha group reached a fortress built on a high mountain. This was the location of the Five Kage Summit.
Habara looked at the fortress and felt it resembled the Immortal Bastion.
Hiashi observed for a while and signaled that there were no problems. Only then did the Third Hokage enter the fortress.
Afterward, the Third Hokage met the Land of Iron's general and the leader of the samurai, a man named "Atsumori." After exchanging some pleasantries, Atsumori personally led the ten members of the Hokage's party to a waiting room.
This was a pre-meeting holding area. Until all parties had arrived, the Hokage and his group would not enter the meeting room.
After they had waited for a while, Hiashi suddenly spoke, "Someone has arrived… It should be the Hidden Stone group. The number is exactly ten."
To prevent any accidental fights between the parties, the five major ninja villages were naturally kept in separate waiting areas.
Subsequently, the Kage of each village arrived one after another. Just as the final deadline was approaching, the Hidden Cloud party arrived, just in the nick of time.
Another fifteen minutes later, led by teams of samurai, the various factions finally entered the meeting room.
The five great ninja villages had gathered. The Five Kage Summit officially began.
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