Two days later.
The day of departure arrived.
At Konoha's main gate, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in place.
Though short in stature, he wore the white Hokage robes, with twelve ANBU guards following closely behind him.
His gaze was deep.
As he looked out toward the dense forest beyond the village, his mind churned endlessly.
Yes.
The strange behavior Danzo and the others had shown during the jōnin meeting a few days ago still left him feeling faintly uneasy.
Because of that incident, he had even held an in-depth discussion with Nara Shikaku afterward.
At present—
Most of the village's authority had been temporarily handed to Yamanaka Inoichi.
Half of the Ino–Shika–Chō, ANBU, the Interrogation and Torture Division, the Sealing Team, the Intelligence Division, and the Sarutobi clan members loyal to him were all placed on high alert.
Even the civilian shinobi who had taken refuge under the Hokage were secretly issued instructions.
Once Hiruzen left Konoha, everything was to follow Yamanaka Inoichi's command.
Especially ANBU.
Half of them were dispersed to closely monitor Danzo, Orochimaru, and the others.
If anything unusual occurred, Yamanaka Inoichi was authorized to mobilize all nineteen forces under Hiruzen's control at any time.
If that still proved insufficient, he could use summoning techniques to relay the situation directly to Hiruzen.
By then—
With Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique, Hiruzen and the others could return almost instantly.
By all logic, this level of preparation could already be considered airtight.
And yet…
For reasons he couldn't explain, Sarutobi Hiruzen's right eyelid had been twitching violently these past few days.
A constant sense of unease gnawed at him, leaving him unable to sleep properly at night.
No matter how complete his arrangements were, he still couldn't truly relax.
Time passed slowly.
Half an hour later—
Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya arrived first.
They were followed by Nara Shikaku.
The last to arrive was Uchiha Kai.
Unlike Hiruzen, none of them brought guards.
Which was perfectly normal.
In a world of high-level shinobi, people like them were powerhouses in their own right. They didn't need so-called protection.
Hiruzen bringing guards was little more than ceremonial.
Seeing everyone arrive, Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke slowly.
"Ah, good."
"Since everyone is here, it's time to depart."
"Oh, right."
"Minato—have you secretly planted Flying Thunder God kunai outside the village?"
His expression was solemn as he looked at Namikaze Minato.
Yes.
Minato's Flying Thunder God was their final line of safety.
The Land of Iron was far from Konoha. If something truly went wrong back in the village, only the Flying Thunder God could bring them back in time.
And now, another possibility crossed his mind—
What if Danzo went mad and used some large-scale sealing technique to cover all of Konoha?
Because of that, Hiruzen felt he had to prepare for the worst.
In truth, it wasn't paranoia.
He knew the personalities of his three old comrades all too well.
And this time, Orochimaru was involved as well.
Better safe than sorry.
Namikaze Minato was momentarily stunned.
Clearly, he hadn't expected Hiruzen to raise this point now.
Still, he nodded calmly.
"Don't worry, Hokage-sama. I secretly placed three markers outside Konoha."
"Good." Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded slowly. "In that case, let's go."
With that, he boarded the carriage first. The others followed.
Once everyone was inside, an ANBU took the reins, while the rest formed an escort as they headed toward the Land of Iron.
Strictly speaking, this was unnecessary.
All of them were shinobi—traveling on foot would have been much faster.
But no—
When the Hokage traveled personally, appearances had to be maintained.
Along the way, no one spoke.
Yes.
Though they all came from the same village, their relationships with one another were far from simple.
Sarutobi Hiruzen needed no explanation.
Nara Shikaku, though accompanying him, was primarily focused on self-preservation.
Jiraiya was hesitant and conflicted.
Though he still respected Hiruzen as his mentor, the things Hiruzen had done were too much. Now, he simply chose to play dumb.
Namikaze Minato was openly opposed to Hiruzen, yet maintained good relations with Jiraiya—and an even better one with Kai.
As for Kai?
Aside from Minato, his relationship with everyone else could only be described as terrible.
So—
With such a group sitting in the same carriage, the atmosphere was, unsurprisingly, harmonious in the strangest way.
Over the next three days, each person remained lost in their own thoughts.
And in that awkward silence, the group finally arrived at the Land of Iron on the afternoon of the third day.
The Land of Iron.
Everything was draped in silver, as though winter had arrived all at once.
Its leader, Mifune, wore layered samurai armor, a white bandage wrapped around his head, a long beard flowing down his chest, and a katana at his waist. His expression never wavered from its stern composure.
After a brief exchange of formalities, the Konoha delegation was arranged into a separate courtyard.
Through Mifune, they also learned the current situation.
Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure had already arrived.
Kumogakure's situation was more complicated, but a message had been sent—they would arrive tomorrow.
That night—
Kai saw many familiar faces.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
As well as Sunagakure's elders, Chiyo and Ebizo.
There was also the baby-faced Yagura. Judging by his bearing, he was most likely the Fourth Mizukage.
The only thing Kai wasn't certain about was whether Yagura was currently under the influence of a Sharingan.
At present—
Obito had yet to fall into darkness.
Uchiha Madara had no personal grudge against Kirigakure.
Yagura had brought only two ANBU with him.
Neither Terumi Mei nor Ao—figures who would later become famous—were present.
As for Iwagakure—
Ōnoki.
Kurotsuchi.
Akatsuchi.
And the two jinchūriki, Rōshi and Han.
All familiar faces.
Though everyone had met and exchanged polite words that day, no one discussed serious matters.
All real negotiations were reserved for the Five Kage Summit itself.
Kai didn't go out that night.
He stayed in the lodging with Minato and Jiraiya, enjoying the snowy scenery, chatting by the fire, and warming themselves.
As for Sarutobi Hiruzen and Nara Shikaku—
One was the Hokage, the other the chief strategist.
Naturally, they couldn't afford such leisure.
They were busy establishing contacts with the other villages.
Then—
The next day arrived.
Kumogakure finally appeared.
The newly appointed Fourth Raikage, A.
The Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B.
Along with Dodai, Mabui, and the rest.
Seeing this, Kai understood.
There were no surprises in Kumogakure's leadership.
In the end, the Fourth Raikage had taken command.
It was worth noting—
That very night, A came to visit personally.
On one hand, it was to express gratitude.
If not for Kai, he would have died on the battlefield long ago.
But more importantly—
He was making his stance clear.
As the man who had killed his father, Kai was someone A was determined to kill one day.
So—
He would repay the debt of gratitude.
And then, when the time came—
He would take Kai's life without hesitation.
As for this?
Kai simply shrugged.
He accepted the repayment—
And named his price.
Kumogakure's ninja tool trade.
The Fourth Raikage fell silent.
Completely.
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