The heavy double doors at the far end of the summit hall swung open with a low, resonant groan that echoed off the high stone walls and iron beams.
Every head in the room turned at once.
The Fourth Raikage, A, strode in first—his massive frame completely filling the doorway, white cloak billowing behind him like a thunderhead, the lightning-shaped helmet catching sharp glints of lantern light with every heavy step.
His chakra pressure rolled ahead of him like an approaching storm front; the air itself seemed to thicken, growing heavier and more electric. Samurai guards along the walls instinctively straightened, fingers brushing closer to their katana hilts.
Darui walked at his right—tall, dark-skinned, one hand resting lazily on the hilt of his massive cleaver sword, expression bored but eyes sharp and watchful. C followed at his left—white hair tied back neatly, sensor eyes already sweeping the room in quick, silent assessment.
'Man, I wish Samui were here,' Naruto thought as he sat back, arms crossed, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth.
The Raikage's delegation moved to their assigned section without a word, A's heavy boots thudding against the polished stone floor.
The samurai moderator—Mifune—stepped forward to the center of the pentagon-shaped table arrangement.
His armor clinked softly with each measured step, katana sheathed at his side, face calm and unreadable behind his stern features.
"The Five Kage Summit will now begin."
He struck a small brass gong hanging from a stand beside him.
The clear, resonant tone rang out—pure, piercing, cutting through the lingering tension like a blade through silk.
Everyone settled into their seats.
Mifune continued, voice calm and formal.
"The agenda is clear: the Akatsuki organization and their continued threat to the tailed beasts, and the rogue actions of Uchiha Sasuke—specifically his assault on the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee, and his evasion of all pursuit."
A leaned forward immediately, forearms resting heavily on the table, voice low and dangerous.
"Let's start with the obvious. Sasuke attacked my brother. Abducted him. The Akatsuki wants the Eight-Tails. And the Leaf sits here with one of its own missing-nin running loose. Where is he now?"
Tsunade leaned forward in her seat, voice steady and measured.
"Sasuke's gone rogue. He's chasing power. He's chasing revenge. We don't know what his ambitions are now since he killed his brother—the one he wanted to kill since he was still in our village."
Ōnoki snorted from his floating platform of rock, cane tapping once in the air with a dry *clack*.
"Why haven't you done anything to stop him yet? He's still one of your own. I thought you were more competent, Tsunade."
Tsunade brushed the insult off with a flat, unimpressed look.
"The kid is no longer our problem. As soon as he went with Orochimaru, his ties with our village were severed—and they will stay severed until he brings himself in. I don't think we should be worrying about him. The Akatsuki is an enemy every one of us has personally been attacked by."
Gaara spoke next—quiet, measured, voice carrying clearly despite its softness.
"She speaks the truth. The Akatsuki is the real threat. Sasuke is just being used by them."
A's glare shifted to Gaara, then snapped back to Tsunade.
"And so what? I can't sit here talking about the Akatsuki when incompetent Leaf ninja are sitting next to me."
The second the words left his mouth, Kakashi and Yamato moved—bodies blurring at blinding speed, kunai already drawn, positioning themselves between A and the Leaf table in an instant.
Darui and C reacted just as fast—Darui's cleaver half-unsheathed in a metallic rasp, C's hands already forming seals, chakra flaring faintly around his palms.
The hall tensed instantly—samurai guards gripping hilts tighter, other delegations rising slightly in their seats, chairs scraping against stone.
Mifune sighed heavily and raised one hand, palm out.
"Break it up!" His voice cut through like steel. "Raikage, your words of insult are not appreciated in this summit. If you continue to provoke, we will have to ask you to leave."
A huffed, lightning sparks fading from his fists with a final snap. He sat back heavily, arms crossed, glaring daggers across the table.
Kakashi and Yamato backed off immediately, returning to their posts behind Tsunade.
Darui and C did the same—sword sheathed with a soft *click*, seals released.
Naruto sat back in his chair, watching the entire exchange with a faint sigh.
'Such drama. You'd never see something like this in Earth politics.'
They continued to discuss the Akatsuki and their threat. Tsunade leaned forward in her seat, hands folded on the table, voice steady and authoritative as she laid out the intel.
She explained everything Naruto had gotten from Konan: the true scope of the Akatsuki's plan, the moon's eye, the tailed beasts as keys, and—most importantly—the man pulling the strings.
"Madara Uchiha is alive," Tsunade said flatly. "Or at least someone claiming to be him. He's been manipulating the Akatsuki from the shadows. The one we thought was Pain was just a puppet. The real leader is this 'Madara.'"
The room went still.
A's arms crossed tighter, lightning flickering faintly along his shoulders. Mei's playful smile faded into a frown. Ōnoki's floating platform dipped slightly as he leaned forward. Gaara's eyes narrowed, calm but alert.
Ōnoki broke the silence first, voice dry and skeptical.
"Madara Uchiha? He'd be over a hundred years old by now. I'm sure you understand that, Tsunade."
Her forehead vein twitched visibly.
"I don't want to take criticism from a man who's one step in the grave already."
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed, but he didn't bite back.
Mifune raised a hand, voice calm but firm.
"Calm down, both of you. Now please explain, Fourth Hokage Tsunade—where does this information stem from?"
Tsunade exhaled through her nose.
"A certain ninja from our village defeated the person we thought was the head of the Akatsuki. Through that, we obtained detailed information from a member who was close to him."
She paused, letting the weight settle.
"She claimed he was being manipulated by a man who called himself Madara Uchiha. And to top it all off—he had a Sharingan. Our ninja ran into this person during one of our attempts to capture Sasuke."
Mei tilted her head, long auburn hair shifting.
"And you trusted her? What if she was just lying to steer you away from the real truth?"
Tsunade met her gaze evenly.
"We interrogated her thoroughly. Everything she claimed checked out. Not to mention the person we thought was the leader had the Rinnegan—"
"What?!" Ōnoki cut in sharply, cane slamming once against his platform. "That can't be true."
Tsunade didn't flinch.
"You can ask any of my ninja up there." She turned her head and looked upward. "In fact, the person who beat the Rinnegan bearer is right there."
Every Kage, every guard, every aide turned.
All eyes lifted to the upper balcony where Naruto stood—arms crossed, leaning casually against the railing, staring down at his own fingertips.
He'd been speaking internally to Kurama, half-listening to the debate, when he suddenly felt the weight of dozens of gazes pinning him in place.
He looked down.
"What?" he asked, voice carrying easily across the hall.
Silence.
A's eyes narrowed further. Mei's lips curved into a slow, intrigued smile. Ōnoki's brow furrowed deeper. Gaara simply watched, expression unreadable.
Tsunade's voice cut through.
"Naruto Uzumaki. He's the one who defeated Pain. He's the one who got the intel. And yes—he saw the Rinnegan with his own eyes."
Naruto shrugged one shoulder.
"She's not lying," he said simply. "Pain was Nagato. Nagato was controlled by someone calling himself Madara."
The hall stayed quiet for a long beat.
Mifune tapped the gong once—softly—to refocus attention.
"Then let us proceed. The Akatsuki threat is confirmed. The question becomes: what do we do about it?"
TO BE CONTINUEd