Chapter 108: Five Kage Summit? A Persuasion Summit!

Chapter 108: Five Kage Summit? A Persuasion Summit!

"They are indeed audacious, but their ability to take on a jinchuriki is not to be underestimated. Moreover, I've heard that even the Kazekage has fallen victim to their treacherous ways." Kazekage Gaara's sister, Mizukage Mei Terumi, said as she glanced at Gaara.

"Akatsuki is a group of powerful rogue ninjas whose combined strength could overthrow the ninja world," Gaara said, a hint of bitterness in his voice as he recalled his own encounter with them. "The tailed beast within me was extracted, and if it weren't for Granny Chiyo..."

"How is Naruto doing now? Has he been rescued?" Gaara asked, his gaze fixed on Konoha's escort, Tetsutetsu.

Tetsutetsu's expression darkened as he replied, "Not yet, but I believe he will be back soon."

"I see..." Gaara's face mirrored the same darkness.

"Damn Akatsuki! First they go after Gaara, and now Naruto!" Kankuro, Gaara's brother and bodyguard, seethed with anger.

"Regardless, the shinobi of Sunagakure will fully cooperate with Konoha to make Akatsuki pay," Temari, Gaara's other sibling, asserted.

"Thank you for your support, Sand Village," Tetsutetsu said, touched by their commitment.

"Hurry up and take us to see the Hokage! I don't have time to waste here! Every minute we delay is another minute of danger for Naruto, held captive by those Akatsuki bastards!" Raikage Ay added impatiently.

Tetsutetsu didn't dare delay and quickly led the four Kage and their bodyguards on a swift journey through Konoha.

Soon, they arrived at a large house on the outskirts of the village.

As they entered, they saw Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, wearing the distinctive Hokage hat and looking solemn as she sat in the main seat. Behind her stood dozens of people, each dressed differently but with their faces hidden under hats.

The display caused the four Kage to furrow their brows.

"Hokage, you have quite the entourage," Raikage remarked. "Are you afraid we might make a move against you in your own village?"

"Raikage, I believe Hokage-sama is taking precautions against Akatsuki. After all, their abilities are mysterious, and they are incredibly powerful," Mizukage offered in Tsunade's defense.

"Please, take a seat," Tsunade said, gesturing for the four Kage to settle down. "I'm glad you all responded to my invitation to come to Konoha. This gathering will be a pivotal moment in reshaping the ninja world..."

"Hokage, cut the small talk! We're here for the Five Kage Summit to eradicate Akatsuki, right? Have you found their base? I want to teach those audacious bastards who dared to kidnap Bee a lesson!" Raikage interrupted, his voice booming.

"We found one of their bases before, but their key members weren't there," Tsunade replied with a frown.

"Where was their previous base?" Raikage asked eagerly.

"In the Rain Country," she answered.

"That small country? Damn them! And what about Bee? Did you find him when you wiped out their base there?" Raikage continued, his voice laced with concern.

"Unfortunately, we didn't," Tsunade said, shaking her head regretfully. "It seems they've hidden the jinchuriki well, even my village's Uzumaki Naruto remains missing."

"Naruto..." Kazekage Gaara inhaled sharply, still struggling to accept the reality of Naruto's abduction. "Hokage-sama, your letter only mentioned that Naruto was taken by Akatsuki. Now that I'm here, can you tell me the specifics? Why, knowing Akatsuki's intentions, would you let them take Naruto? I can't understand... With Konoha's strength..."

"This time... we were negligent," Tsunade admitted with a sigh. "There was an important event in Konoha, and the ANBU weren't operating at full capacity. Akatsuki took advantage of this gap and lured Naruto out by impersonating one of his acquaintances."

"That Naruto, he's too careless!" Gaara exclaimed, his worry for his friend evident. "Hokage-sama, we must find Naruto immediately! If they extract the tailed beast from him..."

"So, this Five Kage Summit is about uniting our villages to search for Akatsuki, right? We're on board with that," Mizukage said. "I'll have Ao and Konoha's remaining Byakugan users join the search. With their abilities, we should be able to locate Akatsuki quickly."

"Damn it! I thought Konoha had found Akatsuki, but it turns out coming here was a waste of time!" Raikage slammed his fist on the conference table, his frustration evident. He longed to confront Akatsuki and release the pent-up anger within him.

"Wasting time isn't right," a mysterious figure clad in black and hidden under a hat spoke up from behind Tsunade. "When everyone shares a common goal, unity is the best choice. And beyond that, the ideal choice is to become one, to truly merge together. That's how we'll deal with Akatsuki—it'll be a piece of cake."

"Hmm? What do you mean, Hokage?" Raikage asked, intrigued.

Raikage swept his gaze over the man, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The other Kage from the different villages also knitted their brows, clearly perplexed by the suggestion.

"It means exactly what it sounds like," the man behind the Hokage continued. "We hope that the Kage will lead their respective hidden villages to join Konoha, and then Konoha will merge with the Empire we belong to. In that way, we will all be one big family, and there will be no distinction when it comes to dealing with the Akatsuki organization. It will be a perfect union."

"Damn it!" Raikage lost his temper, his power spiraling out of control as he smashed the conference table with a punch. He glared at Tsunade, the Ninja World's Kakashi, and the black-clad man who had just spoken, shouting, "What kind of joke is this?! Are you suggesting that we merge with Konoha? Is this the real reason you convened the Five Kage Summit?!"

"At a time like this, with the jinchuriki of our villages captured, you don't seem worried at all. Could it be that the existence of Akatsuki... is also part of your scheme? Are you using this organization to pressure us into a merger?" Oonoki, the Tsuchikage, said with a deep frown.

"And when did Konoha become so high and mighty?" Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, added, her face a mask of astonishment. "Are they planning to challenge the four of us with the power of a single village?"

"What is the meaning of all this, Hokage-sama? And what is this Empire you speak of?" Gaara, the Kazekage, felt that something was amiss. At the same time, he kept his eyes fixed on the man who had just spoken.

The man who was the center of attention slowly removed his traveler's hat, revealing a thin face.

Upon seeing his face, Oonoki exclaimed, "You're Uchiha Sasuke! Weren't you supposed to be dead? How is this possible?!"

"Uchiha Sasuke? Uchiha?" Mei's expression changed as well, recognizing the famous name.

But there was more.

Two more figures beside Sasuke removed their hats.

"You're Uchiha Itachi! And Uchiha Sarutobi!"

"Damn it! So, you're connected to the Akatsuki after all!"

"You bastard, Deidara! How did you end up in Konoha?!"

"And you're... Kisame Hoshigaki?"

The assembled Kage stared at the figures standing behind the Hokage, their eyes widening in shock as each one removed their hat.

One of the ninjas standing behind the Tsuchikage suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening in realization, "They're all members of the Akatsuki! I understand now! Akatsuki must have been established by Konoha! Those cunning Konoha ninjas set up Akatsuki to retrieve the tailed beasts and then use the threat of the organization to force us into a merger! It all makes sense now! This is all a plot by Konoha!"

Hearing this accusation, the people from the four villages exchanged glances, their faces reflecting their fear and suspicion.

Could this truly be a scheme orchestrated by Konoha? These people are terrifying! And we walked right into their trap, coming here alone! We're in danger!

As this thought crossed their minds, yet another figure removed their hat, causing the Raikage's eyes to bulge. "You! It's you, Bi! What are you doing here? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Have you defected to Konoha?!"

In the next moment, someone else beside him revealed their face.

"Hey, this guy looks just like me."

The Raikage's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's true! The face, the hair, the beard... but he's more robust than the Raikage... Could it be?! Could it be?!"

A group of Raikage's bodyguards stared at the man from the Empire, their eyes widening in shock before one of them finally exclaimed, "Could he be the Raikage's brother?! The love child of the Third Raikage?!"

"What? The Third Raikage had a love child?! Damn that old man! How could he hide something like this from me and Bi?!" The Raikage roared in anger and disbelief.

The entire room descended into chaos, but even that was not the end of the surprises.

"He looks just like the Kazekage!"

The shinobi from Sunagakure cried out as they spotted another familiar face among the Empire's delegation.

"Does the Kazekage have a brother?"

"Temari, Kankuro, what's going on here?"

The shinobi of Sunagakure turned to Gaara's siblings, seeking answers.

However, Temari and Kankuro could only respond with bewilderment, "We... we don't know either!"

"How can he look so much like Gaara... Did our father have another child out there?"

"Damn it! This is too confusing!"

"Hey, is this my sister? Dad, what's going on? You owe me an explanation!" Ninja World Kurotsuchi stared at the woman who looked just like her, equally shocked.

"Kurotsuchi! Don't be ridiculous!" Oonoki's face darkened at the implication.

"I... I don't know anything about this! It has nothing to do with me! Dad! Kurotsuchi! You have to believe me! Aside from Nanami, I swear I've never had any other woman!"

Yellow Earth, who had accompanied Oonoki as his bodyguard, turned green at the accusation.

"Something's not right here! Hokage-sama, what is the meaning of all this?!"

Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, furrowed her brows, her gaze fixed intently on Tsunade as she demanded an explanation.

"Hey, is there a need to get so worked up? Didn't your spies in Konoha report this to you? The Empire, the Martial Arts Tournament... Haven't you heard anything about this at all? It's been over a month already," Uchiha Sasuke remarked.

"Martial Arts Tournament... Empire... another world, huh? I think I've heard something about this before, but..." Raikage Ay muttered, processing this new information.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end