Three days later, Naruto, accompanied by his two companions, set off toward the Land of Iron.
For Sasuke and Neji, this was effectively their first time traveling far from home—especially to a country like the Land of Iron, which rarely opened its doors to shinobi. Though both tried to maintain their usual cool exteriors, in truth they looked like curious children, quietly fascinated by everything around them.
All three were taijutsu-oriented fighters, so their travel speed needed no further comment. Before long, they reached the border of the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron, also known as the Land of Samurai, was—as the name implied—a country comprised entirely of samurai.
It was one of the very few nations in the shinobi world with its own independent culture, authority, and considerable military strength.
A land proclaimed to be permanently neutral.
It was said that agreements with the shinobi had preserved this neutrality through all three Great Shinobi Wars—the Land of Iron had never been drawn into conflict, nor had it suffered any devastation.
Its territory lay near the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, and bordered the Lands of Fire, Waterfalls, and Rice Fields. Among the "smaller" nations outside the Five Great Powers, it was considered one of the largest.
Due to its harsh climate—perpetually snowbound, covered year-round in blizzards—it was a land of bitter cold. In this sense, it resembled the Land of Snow, though in military terms it was far more formidable.
The Land of Iron boasted countless samurai whose combat power rivaled shinobi. The strongest among them were on par with jōnin. Their commander, the Land of Iron's General, possessed strength not inferior to the Kage of the Great Nations.
He was the famed samurai leader Mifune, once defeated in a single strike by Hanzō of the Salamander, the "Demi-God" of Amegakure.
Unlike shinobi, whose only iron tools were their forehead protectors and weapons, the samurai of the Land of Iron were fully armored. They wore layered silver plate armor, resembling the chakra armor of the Land of Snow but covering far more of the body—though without the same chakra-augmenting functions.
Their military might was nothing to scoff at.
Even the Five Great Nations were cautious not to provoke them.
In fact, if the Land of Iron were to go to war now, setting aside the Land of Fire, only the Lands of Earth and Lightning could stand against them. The current strength of the Lands of Water and Wind would see them overwhelmed almost instantly.
"I hate this kind of weather," Sasuke muttered with disgust.
Large, goose-feather snowflakes fell from the sky, quickly layering on their bodies. They had barely crossed into the Land of Iron when Sasuke voiced his irritation.
As a Fire Release shinobi, of course he disliked snow.
It interfered with his abilities.
Not that the effect was significant for someone like Sasuke—but that didn't stop him from hating it.
Neji, on the other hand, was unfazed. As a pure taijutsu fighter, snow or no snow made little difference to him. He didn't rely on elemental ninjutsu in combat anyway.
"If you don't like it, then let's just hurry up," Naruto said, patting Sasuke's shoulder.
The capital of the Land of Iron was built upon three towering mountains known collectively as the "Three Wolves."
From a distance, the sight was truly imposing.
The architecture of the Land of Iron's capital resembled that of Hozuki Castle, with a style similar to Osaka Castle or a grand Tenshukaku. The difference was that the Land of Iron's structures carried a majestic grandeur, without the oppressive aura of a prison fortress like Hozuki Castle.
After all, Hozuki Castle was meant for housing criminals.
"Forgive the wait, distinguished guests of Konoha," came a voice.
Greeting them was an elderly man with his head wrapped in cloth.
"I am Mifune, General of the Land of Iron."
"We have already prepared hot tea. This way, please."
Having lived in the same era as Danzō, Mifune naturally knew of him.
Yet in Naruto's party, Danzō was nowhere to be seen.
So Konoha's Hokage isn't attending the Five Kage Summit? They really aren't worried about offending the others?
Still, Mifune said nothing. His role was merely to host the summit, not to dictate its agenda.
As long as he remained impartial and avoided offending any of the Five Kage, he had fulfilled his duty.
It wasn't his concern which representatives the villages chose, or whether they quarreled among themselves.
Mifune led the three to their accommodations, where they rested while awaiting the start of the summit.
Compared to shinobi villages, the Land of Iron's facilities were far superior. Having never been ravaged by war, the nation remained prosperous.
Seated with his eyes closed, Naruto expanded his sensory perception outward until he had mapped out nearly all the powerful presences within the Land of Iron.
They hadn't rested long before a samurai arrived with news: the Five Kage Summit was about to begin.
Following their guide through layers of checkpoints, they arrived at a grand, ancient-style building.
The heavy stone doors opened to reveal a massive circular chamber.
At the center, Mifune was already seated. On the walls behind him hung five large characters: Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, and Lightning. Below each character were seats clearly reserved for the respective Kage.
Beneath "Earth" sat none other than the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales. His appearance was that of a frail, hunched old man.
But anyone who underestimated him—or dared speak to him disrespectfully—would be obliterated in an instant.
As the saying went: "The people you must never provoke are old men, children, and women."
The shinobi world was no different. In this case, Ōnoki embodied that principle to perfection.
On his left stood a plain, kind-looking fat man. True to Iwagakure's tradition of deception, appearances were misleading—this was Akatsuchi, one of Iwa's strongest fighters, famed as the "Unrivaled Shield of the Tsuchikage."
On Ōnoki's right stood a black-haired girl in a red vest. Unlike the typical kunoichi disguising themselves in plain clothes, she was dressed neatly, almost formally. She could only be the future Kurotsuchi.
Beneath "Wind" sat an old acquaintance: the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. His face was still wrapped in bandages. Standing beside him were Maki and another unknown jōnin from Sunagakure.
When Naruto glanced his way, Rasa gave a subtle nod in acknowledgment.
The seats beneath "Water" and "Lightning" remained empty—the Mizukage and Raikage had yet to arrive.
So Naruto led Sasuke and Neji to the seats beneath "Fire."
"Tch, Konoha actually sent a bunch of brats," Ōnoki sneered the moment they sat down. "Has Konoha run out of capable men?"
The old Tsuchikage's favorite pastime was mocking the younger generation—especially those from Konoha.
In the original story, since Danzō attended personally, Ōnoki had targeted Gaara, the youngest of the Five Kage.
Naruto merely answered his sneer with a wide grin. Then, in the same tone, he replied:
"Tch, and Iwa actually sent an old fossil."
"Has Iwagakure run out of people too?"