Chapter 300: The Extraordinary Third Five Kage Summit
More than a decade had passed since the end of the Third Great Ninja War.
The people of Konohagakure had long since forgotten what war looked like. Many of the younger generation of shinobi had only ever read about it in history books.
But words could never compare to facing it in person.
Now, everyone truly understood what it meant when war was on the horizon. It felt like dark storm clouds pressing down over the city, so suffocating that even breathing became more difficult than usual.
An unparalleled pressure weighed on every shinobi's heart. The veteran ninja had no idea whether they would still be alive by the time the war ended.
The younger generation, on the other hand, feared nothing because they simply didn't know any better. They were both anxious and strangely excited.
As the Hokage's orders were carried out one after another, Konohagakure brought its long era of peace to an end. Every department shifted into high gear to serve the coming war.
Supplies of every kind were gathered.
Shinobi out on missions were recalled.
The village stopped accepting new commissions, assembled its shinobi army, and redirected every priority toward the coming conflict.
Unlike previous wars, however, Konohagakure had received no support from the Fire Daimyō this time. Everything was being funded from the village's own reserves, painstakingly accumulated over many years.
The rank-and-file shinobi knew nothing about that. To them, this war seemed no different from any of the previous ones.
After an entire afternoon and half the night spent organizing, Konohagakure completed the assembly of its first wave of forces. Every member was at least a chūnin—there wasn't a single genin among them.
Early the next morning, several thousand shinobi departed in four separate divisions to reinforce the northern border of the Land of Fire.
According to intelligence reports, the allied forces of Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure were gathering inside the Land of Rice Fields.
Besides those three villages, the normally neutral samurai of the Land of Iron and Takigakure—having lost its Seven-Tails jinchūriki—had also been forced into the alliance.
Unfortunately for them, Sunagakure had rejected their invitation. Instead, it had chosen to stand alongside Konohagakure. Baki had already sent word back to the village, and Sunagakure would soon dispatch its own forces to join Konoha.
The streets of Konohagakure were filled with villagers seeing off their friends and loved ones.
Watching the scene unfold, Makoto felt as though he had returned to the days of the Third Great Ninja War.
On the morning of the third day, the second wave of assembled forces set out.
This time, it consisted of Konohagakure's true elite, led personally by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya, and Higashino Makoto.
All of the young Konoha Twelve were among them as well. As the outstanding talents the village had cultivated over the years, it was time for them to experience what war truly meant.
Standing among the crowd, Higashino Megumi was once again seeing her son off, just as she had years ago.
The difference this time was that Honoka stood beside her.
Neither of them worried about Makoto's safety. They only hoped this war would end quickly instead of dragging on for years like the Third Great Ninja War had.
As for Higashino Jirō, Yamato, and Uzuki Yūgao, one was responsible for Konoha's defenses, while the other two served in the ANBU. All three were so busy that they simply had no time to come.
Standing on the street, the Third Hokage said gravely, "Minato, Makoto, I'll leave the front lines to you. I hope this war ends as soon as possible. Konoha can't afford to drag this one out."
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya, be careful. Don't go getting yourself killed."
Jiraiya flashed a confident thumbs-up.
"Don't worry, Tsunade. I'm not that easy to kill. Once this war is over... will you finally accept my feelings?"
"Get lost!"
Makoto: "..."
Jiraiya-sama... nicely done.
Raising a death flag right before heading off to war.
You've got some serious guts.
Now go prepare your funeral.
Minato said, "Then, Third-sama, the village is in your hands."
Makoto added, "Don't worry, everyone. This war won't last very long."
After saying their farewells, the army departed immediately, arriving at the front lines on the afternoon of the fourth day.
That same evening, Sunagakure's forces also arrived, personally led by the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, joining up with Konoha's shinobi army.
Across the border, inside the Land of Rice Fields, the forces of the other three great villages had likewise completed their assembly.
...
For a time, the shinobi armies of the Five Great Shinobi Villages converged in one place on an unprecedented scale, drawing the attention of the entire world.
Unlike any previous war, this was not a chaotic free-for-all among the Five Great Nations.
Instead, they had united into two opposing camps.
Kumogakure + Iwagakure + Kirigakure VS Konohagakure + Sunagakure.
The Land of Iron?
Nobody cared about those samurai.
Takigakure?
They were basically just there to cheer from the sidelines.
This time, there would be no intelligence-gathering, no small strike teams, and no deep-penetration sabotage missions behind enemy lines.
The shinobi had abandoned their usual methods, lining up like conventional armies from the Warring States Era and preparing to clash head-on in an all-out battle.
Everyone knew that once the war began, it would be decided in a single decisive campaign.
The fighting wouldn't drag on for long—but it would be unimaginably brutal.
If tens of thousands of shinobi from both sides were thrown into a single battlefield, slaughtering one another, no one dared imagine the bloodbath that would follow.
The main forces of all Five Great Shinobi Villages had gathered here.
Even all five Kage were present in person.
Precisely because of the extraordinary circumstances, both sides exercised considerable restraint.
In the end, at the strong insistence of Konohagakure and Sunagakure, both parties agreed to hold a meeting on the morning of the fifth day after Konoha's jōnin assembly—July 13th—on a plateau along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields.
It was a broad, flat hilltop with little vegetation. The ground was mostly solid rock, and the surrounding terrain was completely open, ensuring that any danger approaching from any direction would be spotted immediately.
Early that morning, elite ANBU squads from every village entered the area to inspect both the meeting site and its surroundings while setting up a simple conference venue.
They kept a close eye on one another, each side wary of the others.
No one was going to let anyone else pull a fast one.
Once they confirmed the area was safe, the ANBU didn't leave. Instead, they remained stationed around the site, forming multiple defensive perimeters.
Anyone who entered without authorization would be executed without hesitation.
At ten o'clock that morning, the Kage of the Five Great Villages arrived almost simultaneously.
Each was permitted to bring only two bodyguards.
In addition to them, the attendees included Mifune, commander of the samurai of the Land of Iron, and Shibuki, the young leader of Takigakure.
The previous leader, Shibuki's predecessor Shibuki—better known as Hisen—had been killed several years earlier after being betrayed by his former disciple Suien.
Later, Suien returned with a group of rogue ninja in an attempt to seize control of the village, and it had been Konohagakure that stepped in to put an end to the coup.
As one of Konoha's allies, Shibuki found himself in an awkward position.
However, having also received an invitation from the other three great villages, he had no choice but to attend. After all, Takigakure had also lost its jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails, making it one of the primary victims as well.
Shibuki knew perfectly well what state his village was in.
Takigakure was only there to make up the numbers—one more aggrieved party to strengthen the moral high ground of the three great villages.
So he behaved with exceptional humility, greeting everyone with a smile.
With that, representatives from seven different factions had gathered for the meeting.
Twenty people in total.
The venue itself was remarkably plain.
There was only a single large heptagonal wooden table, with one chair on each side. Behind every seat stood a flag bearing the emblem of its respective faction.
Naturally, the table had been made by Yamato.
He was one of the Konoha ANBU assigned to the outer security detail, and he had even performed his Wood Release under the watchful eyes of the other villages' ANBU. The table and chairs had then been inspected layer by layer to ensure they were nothing more than ordinary furniture.
The only guard accompanying Minato was Higashino Makoto.
Behind Rasa stood Temari and Gaara.
The little panda's expression was rather peculiar. He clearly hadn't expected his father to bring him along.
Ever since returning from the dead, it seemed his father's attitude toward him had changed as well.
Ōnoki had brought his son, Kitsuchi, and his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.
Three generations of the family had come together.
If all three were killed here, the family line would be wiped out on the spot.
Accompanying Terumī Mei were the "Byakugan Killer," Ao, and a shy, bespectacled young man carrying two unusual weapons on his back.
The two men standing beside Mifune wore full-body suits of armor, looking like Imperial stormtroopers. It was impossible to tell what they looked like.
No one recognized the two people Shibuki had brought, either.
The Fourth Raikage A's bodyguards drew the most attention.
Besides his trusted subordinate Darui, he had also brought the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B.
The guy was actually still alive.
Though he did look rather pale and weakened.
The moment the various delegations met, the atmosphere instantly filled with the smell of gunpowder.
On the surface, however, everything remained perfectly calm.
Everyone had clearly mastered the art of endurance.
Caught in the middle, Shibuki trembled nervously.
After bowing respectfully to Rasa and the others from Sunagakure, he turned and performed equally proper greetings toward the Konoha delegation before saying, "Higashino Makoto-sama, we meet again."
"You're Shibuki, aren't you? I never expected that after all these years, you'd become the leader of Takigakure."
"Thanks to Konoha's assistance. I'm only here because circumstances have forced my hand. I hope you'll understand."
Makoto nodded without saying anything further.
At that moment, Mifune spoke.
"Everyone, please take your seats. Although the venue is rather modest, this is still an official Five Kage Summit. Since I'm the only old man here who's not a shinobi, I'll serve as the mediator. Does anyone have any objections?"
No one responded.
Mifune truly was the most suitable person to preside over the meeting.
As for the Land of Iron supposedly being a permanently neutral nation?
That was fine as a slogan—but nobody really believed it.
The moment the three great villages claimed that Konoha intended to unify the shinobi world by force, hadn't they eagerly rushed to join the allied army themselves?