Hearing this, Tsunade nodded in agreement.
"So, Tsunade-sama, have you decided to bring this matter up to the other four Kage during this Five Kage Summit?" Rorin asked thoughtfully.
"Do you think there's something wrong with that?" Tsunade frowned slightly as she asked.
Rorin raised his head slightly and met Tsunade's gaze.
"My personal opinion is that we should first secure a reliable ally."
"One person's strength is always limited. At times like this, the key is finding a dependable ally. Even if the Five Great Ninja Villages don't fully unite in the end, we'll still have some insurance."
Tsunade pondered for a moment before asking, "You mean notifying the Kazekage, Gaara, first?"
Rorin smiled faintly. "That's just my personal opinion. I haven't interacted much with the other villages' Kage, so I don't know them well. But I know Gaara fairly well, and I believe he'll be a trustworthy ally."
"Besides, Gaara himself is a Jinchūriki. He's already one of the Akatsuki's targets."
After thinking it over several times, Tsunade finally made her decision.
"Alright then, Rorin. How about you go inform Gaara?"
Rorin didn't refuse. After saying goodbye to Tsunade, he used Flying Thunder God to head to the Hidden Sand Village.
...
Inside the Kazekage's office.
After listening to Rorin's explanation, Gaara lowered his head in thought.
"So our enemy is Uchiha Madara, huh? The Eye of the Moon Plan… no wonder they've been targeting the Jinchūriki."
"Yeah, that's the situation. What do you think, Gaara?" Rorin asked softly.
Gaara slowly raised his head.
"The Hidden Sand Village agrees to form a Shinobi Allied Forces and fight the Akatsuki together."
Rorin smiled slightly. "In that case, I'll head back and report your response to Tsunade-sama."
Gaara raised a hand to stop him.
"Rorin, what worries me is whether the other three great villages will care at all. If it's only our two villages pushing for a Shinobi Allied Forces, our voices may not carry enough weight."
Rorin shook his head before replying confidently,
"They'll agree."
...
Afterward, Rorin bid Gaara farewell and returned to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Once he finished reporting to Tsunade, he learned that Tsunade's escorts for the Five Kage Summit would be Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru.
Looks like I'll have to tag along too, Rorin thought to himself.
Just then, Jiraiya pushed the door open and walked in. Upon seeing Rorin, he grinned.
"Yo, bone kid, you're back too?"
"Long time no see, greasy old man!" Rorin replied with a smile.
After the two exchanged greetings, Jiraiya turned toward Tsunade and spoke seriously.
"Tsunade, something happened last night. Kisame Hoshigaki was rescued."
Everyone froze for a moment before Tsunade spoke up.
"What exactly happened?"
"It was my student who rescued him," Jiraiya answered honestly.
Hearing that, Rorin immediately understood—it was Nagato who had rescued Kisame Hoshigaki.
"Your student… you mean Pain?" Tsunade asked slowly, her brows furrowed.
Jiraiya nodded lightly. "Yeah."
"Then why didn't you stop them?" Tsunade asked in confusion.
Jiraiya slowly shook his head.
"By the time I arrived, they had already rescued Kisame Hoshigaki. I couldn't stop them."
"But I've already confirmed it. This time, they won't make the same mistakes again. I trust him!"
Tsunade rubbed her forehead. Fortunately, before Kisame Hoshigaki was rescued, she had already obtained important intelligence from him.
"If that's the case, then forget it," Tsunade said helplessly. Things had already reached this point, so there was no point dwelling on it further.
After that, neither Rorin nor Jiraiya stayed any longer, and both left separately.
Back home, Rorin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Why didn't Nagato mention this to me beforehand? Did he not want me getting involved?"
"And now that Kisame's been rescued, will he support our plan?"
But since Kisame Hoshigaki had already been rescued, Rorin stopped thinking about it. He decided to leave the matter to Nagato and Itachi Uchiha.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Today was the day Tsunade and the others would depart for the Land of Iron to attend the Five Kage Summit.
Early in the morning, Rorin found Kakashi at the Memorial Stone. Using Sukunahikona, he shrank his body and hid inside Kakashi's ninja pouch.
At noon, at the Hidden Leaf Village gates.
Many ninja had gathered to see Tsunade, Kakashi, and Nara Shikaku off.
Among those seeing them off was one of Rorin's Shadow Clones.
After Tsunade finished saying her farewells, she waved her hand, and the four of them set off together toward the Land of Iron. The three traveled while Rorin relaxed comfortably lying down.
Naruto Uzumaki watched the departing figures of Tsunade and the others, his eyes lighting up.
He then walked into an alley.
Poof!
The Shadow Clone disappeared, and elsewhere, Naruto Uzumaki's real body, after receiving the information, immediately perked up.
Very quickly, Naruto spotted Tsunade's group and swiftly hid himself.
After the three passed by him, Naruto stomped his foot and was just about to chase after them when someone grabbed his shoulder.
Naruto turned around in shock and saw Jiraiya's stern face.
"Pervy Sage!" Naruto cried out.
"Naruto, do you really insist on going to this Five Kage Summit?" Jiraiya asked steadily.
Naruto thought for a moment.
"Yeah. I want to go!"
Jiraiya shook his head.
"If that's the case, then hurry and follow me. If we wait any longer, we'll lose sight of them."
With that, Jiraiya slowly moved forward and followed after them.
"Alright!" Naruto shouted enthusiastically.
Naruto quickly caught up to Jiraiya and asked,
"Pervy Sage, didn't Granny Tsunade tell you to stay behind in the village? Why are you following too?"
Jiraiya laughed and shook his head.
"Sitting around in the village waiting isn't my style. This Five Kage Summit has caused a huge stir. The Akatsuki might show up too."
...
Hidden Sand Village.
"Kankurō-sama, Temari-sama, the Kazekage-sama's safety is in your hands," a high-ranking Sand ninja said while looking at the three of them.
"Understood," Temari replied calmly while slowly fanning herself with her folding fan.
"Honestly, Gaara doesn't even need bodyguards," Kankurō muttered.
"Let's go," Gaara said indifferently before turning around.
The three of them then headed out of the village together.
...
Hidden Cloud Village.
Raikage's office.
The Fourth Raikage, A, sat with one leg crossed over the other, listening to his subordinate's report with a serious expression.
"Since everything's been arranged, it's about time I departed as well," A said.
He then stood up and landed in front of Cee and Darui.
"We're leaving. Cee, Darui, keep up!"
The moment he finished speaking, A smashed straight through the office window, taking the unconventional route out of the Raikage's office!
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