This time, the Five Kage Summit was convened at record speed. Given the growing threat, every village had already prepared emergency protocols in case they needed to return home at a moment's notice.
The attack on the Hidden Cloud Village was a stark reminder that no village was safe. The Fourth Raikage had now seen firsthand the power of the Akatsuki, and with the number of tailed beasts they had already captured, their strength was undeniable.
No single village could stand against them alone.
Konoha itself had barely survived, nearly wiped out by the leader of Akatsuki alone.
Even from a distance, the devastation was visible—the skies above Konoha still thick with smoke. There was no way to hide what had happened, and word spread quickly.
Meanwhile, the Hidden Mist had managed to conceal its Jinchūriki.
That left only the Hidden Stone and the Hidden Sand still exposed.
But after witnessing Akatsuki's full display of power, fear took hold.
If Akatsuki decided to launch a full-scale assault on any one village, survival was uncertain. The destruction of Konoha had made that clear. No one wanted their home to be next.
With that in mind, the Five Kage wasted no time.
The summit was once again held in the Land of Iron—this time without any delays or unnecessary formalities.
For once, every Kage arrived precisely on time.
On a main road leading into the Land of Iron, several paths converged. The first to emerge was Tsunade, accompanied by Kakashi and Shizune.
And, of course, tagging along was a lively and energetic girl—Sakiya.
At the same time, from other directions, the remaining Kage arrived:
Gaara and his team from the Hidden Sand.
The Fourth Raikage, Ai, leading the Hidden Cloud delegation.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, representing the Hidden Stone.
And the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, heading the Hidden Mist's group.
As the five teams gathered in one place, a brief silence fell over them.
For the first time, the weight of what lay ahead truly settled in.
Everyone seemed to be debating whether they should say hello.
For a while, an awkward silence settled over the group. No one spoke, yet they all moved forward together, walking side by side in unspoken agreement.
Time passed, and still, not a single word was exchanged among the five teams. The silence felt heavier with every step.
Sakiya, sucking on a lollipop, glanced around curiously, trying to figure out what was going on.
For some reason, the Konoha team had ended up right in the center of the group, as if by some invisible force.
She tilted her head, watching the others. Everyone wore serious, unreadable expressions. No one spoke.
Not understanding the tension at all, Sakiya shrugged, popped the lollipop back into her mouth, and started bouncing along, humming an unfamiliar tune.
The sudden contrast was jarring.
The once-stoic march of the five Kage was now accompanied by a cheerful, humming girl skipping along without a care in the world.
It didn't take long for everyone's eyes to drift toward Sakiya.
The Kage remained composed, but their guards kept glancing toward the Konoha group, clearly thrown off by the scene.
And then, of course, there was her.
The strange girl with the blindfold.
Walking with an air of absolute confidence, completely unfazed by the presence of five Kage and their entourages, she sucked on her lollipop and hummed a tune like she was on a casual stroll.
It was... unsettling.
Kankuro, unable to contain his curiosity, leaned in toward Temari and whispered, "Why aren't we saying anything? And why aren't they saying anything?"
Temari rolled her eyes and whispered back, "How should I know?"
She promptly turned away, ignoring him.
Though their conversation was hushed, everyone here was far from ordinary. Most of them had picked up at least part of it.
The truth was, no one really knew why they were all so silent.
It was as if the first one to speak would somehow lose.
Eventually, the deadlock was broken by Ōnoki, who chuckled heartily.
"Hahaha! It's not that we don't want to talk—we just don't see the need."
Raikage grunted in agreement. "No point in small talk. We all know why we're here."
And with that, the silence was finally broken.
Terumi Mei smiled playfully. "Raikage, you really are direct. But I suppose that's for the best. After all, we were once enemies. Now, we only stand together because our interests align—there's no need for unnecessary pleasantries."
Tsunade crossed her arms, her expression calm. "Then let's save the talk for the meeting."
Gaara nodded. "We don't have time to waste."
No one disagreed. The situation was too dire for small talk. Every second they delayed gave Akatsuki more time to act—and that was something none of them could afford.
Kankuro and the others seemed to relax after realizing this, but their attention was soon drawn to someone who still seemed completely carefree.
They glanced at Sakiya, lost in thought.
While everyone else followed the unspoken rules of formality and restraint, she simply did whatever she pleased—skipping along, sucking on her lollipop, humming to herself.
They were all bound by protocol, their actions dictated by the weight of the moment. But she? She had completely ignored all of it, acting as if none of this truly mattered.
The more they thought about it, the more they started to question themselves.
Kankuro, watching her absentmindedly lick her candy, suddenly felt a realization dawn on him.
The real fool here… might be me.
---
The moment passed quickly.
Soon, Mifune and a group of samurai arrived to escort the Five Kage to the same stone tower where their last meeting had taken place.
No formalities. No wasted time.
They took their seats, and Mifune immediately declared the meeting in session.
Raikage was the first to speak. He pushed hard for the position of coalition commander, listing off the many strengths of his village.
The first to object was Ōnoki, just as expected. His reasoning hadn't changed—he didn't trust Raikage's leadership.
Terumi Mei also voiced her doubts.
Arguments broke out instantly.
The room filled with heated voices, everyone talking over one another—until Tsunade, who had been silent until now, finally lost her patience.
With a sharp crack, she slammed her fist against the table and stood up.
"The Five Kage Summit! Another Five Kage Summit! And yet none of you have changed at all!"
Her glare swept across the room.
"We're at war! We don't have time for this! Can't any of you put your egos aside?"
Raikage scoffed, unfazed. "Big words. If you're so willing to compromise, why don't you back down?"
Tsunade met his gaze, took a slow breath, and exhaled.
"Fine. I'll step back. I won't fight for the position."
The room went still.
Terumi Mei's eyes widened. "Lady Hokage—!"
Even Gaara looked uneasy.
After all, the position of commander could only go to one of the three senior Kage—Tsunade, Raikage, or Ōnoki.
Gaara and Mei were too young, too inexperienced. They hadn't even considered stepping up for the role.
Both of them had hoped Tsunade would take the lead.
Ōnoki's shrewd gaze flickered, recognizing Tsunade's intent.
Meanwhile, Raikage hesitated.
Because if Tsunade was willing to step back, then if he refused to do the same…
The tension in the room thickened.
Tsunade locked eyes with Raikage, waiting.
For a moment, no one spoke.
---
Outside the chamber, Sakiya stood on the steps, peeking through a small gap in the cloth. She twirled her lollipop, watching the scene with mild disinterest.
Honestly, she wasn't too concerned with the meeting itself.
Instead, she had been paying attention to the two figures lurking in the shadows.
Well, she had only spotted one so far.
Her eye gleamed with excitement as she zeroed in on the figure trying to slip into the center of the room.
She smirked, licking her candy once before popping it back into her mouth.
"Hmph~ Took you long enough."
____________
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