"The shadows have arrived one after another. Who's still missing?"
One of the samurai of the Iron Country asked. Beside him, Mifune rolled his eyes.
"You little devils… you can't even remember the Five Great Nations of the ninja world?"
The younger samurai scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Well… we're a neutral country. We don't deal much with the Five Great Nations, so why are we expected to memorize all of them?"
Hearing that, Mifune's expression instantly darkened.
"Idiot! Do you think neutrality works just because we claim it?"
"If we didn't have enough strength to back it up, forget the Five Great Nations—even the tiny neighboring countries would be eyeing our borders!"
The scolded samurai froze for a moment, then rapidly bowed his head.
"I understand, Mifune-sama!"
Looking at him, Mifune sighed helplessly. They really don't understand the weight of strength…
He exhaled deeply.
"Stay sharp. The only one who hasn't arrived yet is the Mizukage of the Hidden Mist."
"You should at least know who the Mizukage is, right?"
"Don't embarrass me."
His tone was harsh, but internally he was worried—worried these kids would act foolishly and anger the Mizukage.
Just as he finished speaking, the faint patter of rain echoed.
"Mifune-sama! The samurai of the Iron Country truly are heroic!"
The sudden voice stunned Mifune. He quickly turned toward Shigure.
A moment later, he saw the three figures accompanying Shigure.
Hinata wore a full eye-covering bandage and a Mizunokuni-style kimono, looking more like a traditional attendant than a shinobi.
But the chakra rolling off her body was unmistakable—she was absolutely a ninja.
Beside her stood a man whose outfit bore the unmistakable Uchiha clan crest.
Mifune froze.
Uchiha…?
Wasn't the Uchiha clan supposed to be extinct?
How could another one appear now?
And more importantly—this man's aura was overwhelming, the kind that made people instinctively avoid meeting his eyes.
Mifune swallowed, shifting his gaze to Shigure.
So this is the rumored Sixth Mizukage…
Shigure stood there smiling softly. No killing intent, no pressure—he looked almost painfully ordinary.
Which only made him more terrifying.
Someone that powerful shouldn't be capable of suppressing his chakra so flawlessly.
Mifune forced a smile.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mizukage-sama. Compared to the Hidden Mist, the Iron Country is still lacking. Our samurai are far inferior to Mist's shinobi."
This old man really did know how to speak.
No wonder a place as small as the Iron Country could remain independent.
Shigure stepped closer.
"I've always had an interest in samurai. Seeing them today… I'm impressed."
"There's no issue of who's stronger or weaker—each path has its strengths."
Shigure smiled and placed a hand on Mifune's shoulder.
"They're already here."
Mifune nodded, face stiff.
Only someone like this Mizukage would dare refer to the other Kage as "those guys."
Shigure nodded.
"Good. Since they're all here, I won't have to wait. I dislike waiting."
With that, he walked toward the meeting hall without needing Mifune's guidance.
The moment he reached the door, he paused.
Even without touching it, he felt the heavy pressure gathered inside.
An oppressive wave of chakra.
Shigure smirked.
Trying to pressure me? Seriously?
He pushed the door open slowly. The instant the gap widened, his pupils narrowed.
His gaze swept sharply across the four seated Kage.
Behind them—
their guards lurked in the shadows.
Watching. Calculating.
Waiting.
Shigure's gaze settled on the Raikage.
Four Kage seated together on one side of the room—
And he alone placed opposite them.
Trying to isolate me?
Or had they already formed a temporary alliance and planned to force him to submit through a seating arrangement?
Outside the door, Mifune tilted his head in confusion.
Why didn't the Mizukage enter?
But the moment he looked inside the room, he paled.
"This is bad!"
He rushed in immediately.
"Lord Mizukage! That is not the intended seating arrangement!"
Shigure raised a hand, stopping him mid-sentence.
"It's fine. Actually—"
A faint smile curved on his lips.
"I prefer it this way."
Under Mifune's stunned gaze, Shigure walked straight to the isolated seat at the far end and sat down calmly.
Then, lifting his head, he met the eyes of the four Kage opposite him—unblinking, unbothered.
"Mifune-sama, please take your seat as well."
Still smiling, Shigure added, "Let's finish this boring conversation quickly."
At that moment, Tsunade understood the situation immediately.
Even before the talks officially began, Shigure had already thrown down the gauntlet.
A seating arrangement meant nothing on its own—but it placed the Hidden Mist in direct opposition from the very start.
It wasn't just a matter of being on opposite sides.
With Shigure placed alone at the end of the table, the layout looked less like diplomatic negotiation…and more like prisoners facing their interrogators.
The Raikage's expression darkened.
Shigure calling the Five Kage Summit "boring" made it clear he had no intention of participating in civil discussion.
Does this brat really intend to pick a fight with all four villages at once?
Once Mifune took his seat, Shigure immediately spoke again—preemptively.
"Well then, let's begin. Which one of you will explain the agenda of this Five Kage Summit?"
He looked genuinely puzzled, as if he had absolutely no idea what they were here to discuss.
Mifune quietly wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Usually, this sort of situation required tacit understanding.
No one voiced the sensitive matters directly; everyone maintained courtesy for the sake of diplomacy.
But the Mizukage had no intention of following protocol.
He wanted to strip the veneer off immediately.
Whoever spoke first would be the one Shigure targeted next.
The rest could simply sit back and watch.
It was a subtle but undeniable form of pressure—
forcing the four Kage to declare their stance openly.
Who would dare to be the first?
The Raikage's jaw tightened, his mouth twitching several times before he held himself back.
If the other villages truly sided with the Hidden Cloud, he could confront Shigure without hesitation.
But he wasn't confident they wouldn't abandon him the moment conflict started.
This seating blunder had already pushed the meeting into a stalemate before it had even begun.
This was a mistake…
But now there was no turning back.
He exhaled heavily.
"Lord Mizukage, there is no need to rush. This is our first formal meeting, after all."
"Though we may have heard of one another, we have not been properly introduced. Allow this old man to go first."
"The old man is the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure—Ōnoki."
"The ninjas of my era are nearly all gone. Seeing you young—"
"Shut up."
Shigure cut him off without the slightest courtesy.
"Too much talking. I'll ask again—"
His eyes sharpened.
"What exactly do you want to discuss?"
(End of Chapter)
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