In the Main World – Land of Iron
"Lord Hokage, we've been waiting for you."
A samurai with bandages around his head and a long beard came up to greet them. "I'm Mifune, the Admiral of the Land of Iron."
As he spoke, he tried his best to keep his surprise from showing. Behind him stood two samurai each a head taller than he was. At only about one meter seventy, he was considered short among samurai. Yet—
Standing next to the Hokage across from him, Mifune actually felt tall and mature by comparison.
Link's childlike face remained composed. He nodded with a cool demeanor: "Much appreciated. I'm Hokage Link."
"The other four Kage have already arrived. Please, follow me." Mifune kept a straight posture and led them inside the venue prepared for the Five Kage Summit.
Normally, one arrives several days early for such a summit; but with all the turmoil in the Land of Fire lately, it was understandable if they turned up late.
They walked through the corridors at a measured pace.
Haven't walked this slowly in quite a while.
Link had grown used to riding in style—carried around by his shadow minions—and felt a bit unaccustomed to simply walking at a normal pace. Each step he took, three or five shadow-forms dashed out, blending with the shifting lights and sounds, silently gaining control of the entire building.
They soon reached a large meeting room, partitioned by curtains with each Kage's name written on them. Between the curtains were slight gaps, and beyond them a U-shaped conference table could be seen.
Following the samurai's instructions, the Hokage's bodyguards, Shizune and Yamato, remained outside those curtains. Link himself stepped in and took his seat. Instantly, all the Kage and their guards turned to look at him.
He was the only one who arrived right on time. And so very young—it was astonishing.
Though most had already heard the intel that Fifth Hokage Tsunade had stepped down, replaced by a twelve-year-old Sixth Hokage, seeing such a child in person felt surreal.
The Fourth Kazekage's reaction was the most restrained—he only stared briefly before looking away. "Since you've arrived, Lord Hokage, let's begin."
Mifune then sat at the head seat. "By the request of Lord Raikage, the Five Kage Summit takes place in the Land of Iron. I am Mifune, charged with overseeing these talks. The Five Kage Summit now begins."
"Bang!"
The Fourth Raikage slammed his hand on the table, glaring directly at Link. "My brother disappeared some time ago, abducted by someone wielding the Sharingan."
At this point in the main timeline, intel that "someone can summon the dead" had only just begun to spread. "Summoning the dead" plus "Sharingan" inevitably pointed at Konoha. Whom else could they suspect?
Link met the glare fearlessly, his tone unpleasant as he retorted, "What are you staring at?"
He'd come here ready for a fight, aiming to settle matters in one fell swoop so the other four Kage would back off. No courtesy or diplomatic politeness—he had no intention of it.
The atmosphere instantly turned ice-cold. One could almost see veins bulging on the Fourth Raikage's forehead, as though he might start a brawl any second.
"Haha…" Onoki let out a chuckle to break the tense mood. "Young folks these days sure are impressive—becoming Kage at so early an age. But—"
"Lord Hokage, you might be a bit too arrogant."
"Lord Hokage, Lord Tsuchikage, let's allow the Raikage to finish first," said Terumi Mei, who—just like in the manga's Fourth Great War timeline—had only recently become Mizukage right before the summit.
Because after the long years of the Bloody Mist era, Kirigakure was severely weakened; there was no suitable candidate until now, forcing an elderly elder to administrate. With that elder too old and immobile to attend, they had finally chosen Terumi Mei for Mizukage. There was simply no one else.
The Fourth Raikage suppressed his anger. "I currently suspect that it was you Konoha shinobi who took my brother and the Two-Tails Jinchūriki."
"And, that Six-Tails Jinchūriki who defected from Kirigakure has always been at the side of that little brat," he went on. "The Iwa shinobi's Jinchūriki also vanished—The Suna shinobi's Jinchūriki is quite close to this brat."
"My subordinates saw the perpetrator wearing an orange mask, using the Sharingan."
"You—"
"You what?" Link stared back at the Raikage, unimpressed. "Going on about 'little brat' so happily?"
He glanced around at the others. He knew perfectly well that before he arrived, the other four Kage likely had discussions. In short, this Five Kage Summit basically turned into them demanding answers from him.
So be it. He had no intention of backing down or saying it nicely. Everyone was so busy anyway; if a fight broke out, so what—he fully intended to show them who was stronger.
Sensing the tension, the Fourth Raikage rose from his seat. Before he could say anything or make any move, numerous shadows emerged from the floor, restraining everyone in place.
"Lord Hokage, do you intend to start a war?" Onoki's expression grew grim.
Attacking at the Five Kage Summit was no small matter.
"You want answers, right? Fine, I'll give you an answer." Link motioned. A pair of shadows lifted his seat higher.
Mifune, perplexed, wondered how the boy's chair had suddenly become so tall. Then he realized it was propped up by two shadows beneath.
"Someone indeed tried to gather all the Tailed Beasts," Link said bluntly, "but that person has already been killed by us."
His manner was not to hamper them by spouting a load of words. Instead, he gave a direct explanation. He couldn't be bothered with arguments.
In truth, he had no desire for war either, because that would waste precious time. Everyone was already overloaded with crises. In terms of pure might, he or First Hokage #1 alone could flatten the other four villages. If it came to a fight, they would likely win within a few days. But the aftermath would be a nightmare.
"How can we be certain?" Onoki pressed. "We only know the kidnapper was a man wielding the Sharingan. How do we know for sure Konoha already took him out?"
"And Jinchūriki, Tailed Beasts—where are they now? Possibly held captive by Konoha?"
"They're in Konoha," Link answered without hesitation. In fact, the Tailed Beasts that Obito had kidnapped, plus the Tailed Beasts from other worlds, were indeed all in Konoha at the moment.
He, Tobirama, and the rest were still deciding what to do with them. They were sealed up using Wood Release in combination with barrier seals, under supervision until a final plan was made.
"?!"
The Fourth Raikage's face instantly twisted with fury.
The Tailed Beasts were in Konoha. Didn't that mean their Jinchūriki had probably died already?
~~~
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