Lying inside Kakashi's ninja pouch, Rorin sensed someone tailing them and activated his Byakugan to scout the area.
Soon enough, he discovered that the ones following behind were Jiraiya and Uzumaki Naruto, causing him to grin.
"Looks like I'm not the only one sneaking along."
After confirming it was Jiraiya and Naruto, Rorin relaxed and went back to sleep inside the pouch.
By evening, the group stopped to rest. Rorin quietly ate dry rations inside the ninja pouch, since the smell of ramen would definitely give him away.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Naruto were also resting nearby, eating bread.
"Naruto, this time we'll mainly be waiting outside the conference venue," Jiraiya said.
"Huh?! Does that mean we can't enter the actual meeting?" Naruto asked disappointedly.
Jiraiya slowly shook his head.
"We came here to prevent unexpected situations. As for the Five Kage Summit itself, leave that to Tsunade."
Naruto didn't say anything more and quietly continued eating his bread.
...
The next day, everyone hurried onward once again.
After traveling for half the day, they finally arrived within the Land of Iron.
Snow was still falling there, and the weather was freezing cold.
Rorin had long since prepared a small blanket and wrapped himself in it comfortably.
Kakashi rubbed his hands together and breathed warm air into them. Since he hadn't prepared a cloak beforehand, he was freezing.
After traveling for nearly two more hours, they finally arrived at the summit venue, where a samurai from the Land of Iron was already waiting at the entrance.
"Welcome. We have been expecting you."
Tsunade adjusted her Hokage hat and nodded slightly before following him inside with the others.
Meanwhile, atop the long wall above the venue, Jiraiya and Naruto hid themselves there.
Tsunade had arrived first and took her seat at the center of the southern side. Kakashi and Nara Shikaku remained waiting above the venue.
As time passed, representatives from the other four great ninja villages gradually arrived.
Once the Five Kage were seated, spotlights focused onto the circular conference table while the rest of the hall remained in darkness.
Mifune sat at the northern central seat as the "moderator" of the summit and began the opening remarks.
"First, please place your Kage hats before you."
The Five Kage all set their hats down on the table.
"In response to the Raikage-sama's request, the Five Kage have gathered here today. I am Mifune. Now then, the Five Kage Summit shall begin."
Hearing the summit officially begin, Rorin climbed out of Kakashi's ninja pouch, hopped onto Kakashi's head, and looked down at the Five Kage below.
The moment the meeting started, Gaara spoke first.
"I'll speak first. Listen carefully."
Ōnoki glanced around the room.
"The Five Kage really have changed quite a bit. So many unfamiliar faces."
He then turned toward Gaara and put on a kindly smile.
"To shoulder such responsibility at such a young age... truly impressive. Your father certainly raised a talented young man, didn't he, Kazekage-sama? Though it seems he forgot to teach you manners."
"That's exactly why I'm sitting here as Kazekage," Gaara replied calmly.
Ōnoki burst into laughter. "What an arrogant brat."
Terumi Mei, seated beside Gaara, stepped in to mediate.
"Tsuchikage-sama, please don't interrupt. Kazekage-sama, continue."
Gaara continued speaking.
"What makes me different from everyone here is that I am both the Kazekage and a jinchūriki. I was once one of Akatsuki's targets and have fought them directly. In my view, they are an extremely dangerous group."
"You all only began discussing how to deal with Akatsuki after your tailed beasts were taken. In my opinion, it's already too late."
As soon as Gaara finished, Ōnoki spoke up.
"When a jinchūriki is captured, a great nation should quietly reclaim them in secret. Isn't that right, Kazekage-sama?"
The Fourth Raikage A frowned slightly. Ōnoki's words were obviously aimed at mocking him.
Hot-tempered as always, A slammed his right fist onto the table.
"Quit your endless babbling!"
At once, the guards behind the Kage rushed forward to protect their leaders.
The hall lights instantly lit up.
Each guard stood before their own Kage, warily eyeing the others.
"This is a place for discussion. Please refrain from such discourteous behavior," Mifune sighed helplessly.
The Five Kage then ordered their guards to stand down. A pulled his fist free from the shattered table and sat back down with his arms crossed.
"The reason I called this summit," A began, "is to hold all of you accountable."
"As far as I know, Akatsuki is made up entirely of rogue ninja from your villages. Not only that, even some former village leaders among you have cooperated with Akatsuki."
As he said the latter half, he deliberately looked toward Ōnoki.
A then began recounting how Orochimaru and the previous Kazekage had collaborated to launch an attack on the Hidden Leaf Village.
Gaara and Tsunade both remained silent.
Tsunade, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke.
"First of all, we gathered here today to discuss countermeasures against Akatsuki. Not to fight among ourselves. Please remember that before speaking."
Terumi Mei then said, "Simply treating Akatsuki as a major threat because they captured tailed beasts seems like a bit of an overreaction. Controlling tailed beasts requires tremendous skill, knowledge, and time."
"A jinchūriki must grow together with their tailed beast. Even then, control is still difficult," Ōnoki added.
Hearing this, Tsunade slowly raised her head.
"What if they never intended to control the tailed beasts in the first place?"
The moment those words were spoken, the other three Kage aside from Gaara froze in shock.
"Hokage, what exactly do you mean by that?" A demanded, standing and slamming the table again.
Tsunade pressed a hand against the table, her expression serious.
"According to the intelligence we've gathered, Akatsuki's true objective in collecting the tailed beasts is not to control the Nine Tailed Beasts."
"The main reason I came here today is to share two critical pieces of information."
"First—the true leader behind Akatsuki is Uchiha Madara."
The entire room erupted in shock once more.
"Are you saying Uchiha Madara is immortal?" Ōnoki blurted out.
Tsunade continued.
"Second—after collecting the tailed beasts, Akatsuki intends to combine the power of all nine and resurrect the Ten-Tails."
Tsunade then explained the details of the "Eye of the Moon Plan."
Everyone's expressions darkened. None of them had imagined Akatsuki's ambitions were this terrifying.
"Hokage, are you absolutely certain this information is accurate?" A asked while glaring intensely at her.
Tsunade slowly nodded.
A froze for a moment before his eyes reddened.
"If that's true... then Killer B is already..."
After everyone had time to process the information, Tsunade spoke solemnly.
"Therefore, I propose that during this battle against Akatsuki, we establish something unprecedented—a united Shinobi Alliance formed from all five great ninja villages."