Chapter 280: Kage Summit

[Lord Tobirama must have discovered this very early on as well.]

[Your chakra is special.]

[You can move between any world unnoticed. No matter what happens, you're everyone's last hope.]

Standing at the scene of the Six Kage Summit, behind Tsunade, Link could still hear Orochimaru's words from the main-world laboratory echoing in his mind.

"What's wrong?" Uchiha Sasuke asked quietly, a bit puzzled.

"Nothing." Link still felt a bit odd about this sudden sense of expectation (?), importance (?), or trust (?). It felt like everyone was placing all their hopes on him.

How ridiculous.

"…Alright." Sasuke didn't press any further, but he silently noted Link's unusual expression.

As always, Utakata stood behind them like a shadow, saying nothing.

Everyone else in the room—the various Kage, all top-notch ninja—could certainly hear Link and Sasuke talking under their breath. Their glances carried a hint of curiosity.

This so-called Hokage from another world had brought along two guards with no headbands and was chatting freely at a formal occasion like this, without permission from any of the Kage present.

If the people in this room hadn't already been overpowered into submission, someone would surely have scolded them by now.

Ignoring those in power is its own form of disrespect.

[Is that other-world Konoha really this undisciplined?] x5

"Ahem…" The "second" Sarutobi Hiruzen, seated in front, cleared his throat to break the silence. "Answering the summons by Lady Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of this other-world Konoha, the Six Kage have gathered here."

He paused, his mind filled with conflicting thoughts. In that other world, his student—who had hemophobia, of all things—had become Hokage? And the Fifth, at that?

Who was the Fourth Hokage there? Why did she arrive with such odd guards, and two people who weren't even affiliated with Konoha? And why was "Lord Tobirama" beside her calling this meeting in the first place?

Where was "Lord Hashirama" that Minato had mentioned?

His head swirled with questions, but he didn't dwell on them aloud for too long. "I am the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and I'll be moderating this conference. Now, the Six Kage Summit will begin."

"Allow me to speak first." The Fourth Raikage, A—who had only recently ascended to the position—slammed a hand on the table. "What will it take to get my brother, Killer B, back?!"

"Raikage, kindly shut your mouth." The newly named Fourth Kazekage, Rasa—just officially instated the day before—replied in a cold tone.

Having been the first village to lose the war, Sunagakure had experienced firsthand the power of those two "monsters."

Magnet Release, puppetry, poison—none of it could threaten those two masters of Wood Release, because the battle ended before Sunagakure's forces could even get in attack range.

They had seen forest-like trees and vines erupting from the ground—by then, the fight was already over.

The Fourth Raikage rose in fury, chakra flaring in his body.

Crack, crack— Wooden branches shot up from the floor, coiling around him. The chakra he'd just gathered was instantly drained, leaving him unable to move.

His bodyguards tried to intervene but got tangled by the same wooden bindings.

[So it really was Wood Release. That kid is another "Hashirama" reincarnated, just like Lord Tobirama?]

The "second" Sarutobi Hiruzen glanced at the boy sitting beside Tsunade.

[Edo Tensei… truly something else.]

"Let me speak," said the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki—known as the "Fence-Sitter." His expression was grim. "What exactly are you people trying to do?"

He was referring to the group calling themselves Konoha from another world.

Other than the Raikage—who was still bound and trying to roar through a gag of wood—everyone waited silently for "Tsunade" to answer.

Senju Tobirama rapped his knuckles on the table, drawing their attention. "The war ends here. Any objections?"

The entire room fell silent.

With just a glance from Tobirama, the "second" Hashirama understood and released the Fourth Raikage and his guards.

"Konoha has no objections," said the "second" Sarutobi Hiruzen, speaking first.

"Sunagakure/Iwagakure/Kirigakure also have no objections," came three more responses in turn.

The Fourth Raikage took a couple of heavy breaths. "What could we possibly say?!"

Those two "monsters" had shown up on the battlefield, each using Wood Release to capture everyone in sight. Both of his village's Jinchūriki had been hauled off like chicks by wooden dragons. Their power was terrifying beyond words.

On top of that, these foes didn't even reside in this world, making any sort of threat or leverage worthless. They could appear and vanish at will.

"One more thing: Sunagakure will hand over its One-Tail Jinchūriki," Senju Tobirama added flatly.

Aside from the One-Tail's host, the monk Bunpuku—who wasn't on the battlefield—and the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki, Kushina (an ally), all other Jinchūriki had been transferred to the main world, supervised by the "first" Hashirama.

Since Uchiha Madara's goal back in the main world was the collection of Tailed Beasts, they figured it was best to store them safely in advance. That way, even if he returned from another world with newfound power, they'd still stand a fighting chance.

Unfortunately, the Funa-tsū technique's area of effect wasn't that big. Individual Jinchūriki could be transported, but wild beasts like the Three-Tails were trickier.

As for creating any new Jinchūriki, there were no suitable candidates at the moment—it requires a special aptitude.

Rasa's expression twisted, but he swallowed his anger and said, "Fine."

In truth, Sunagakure had never relied heavily on its Jinchūriki anyway. Worried about a potential rampage, they had long kept the monk Bunpuku sealed away in isolation. Sending him off wouldn't really change anything.

"Oh, right. You also need to provide a wind-style specialist for us," Tobirama remarked, remembering Link's request. His tone suggested that this wasn't a negotiation, but a demand.

Between those two Hashiramas, the dimensional-travel technique, and their intelligence advantage, it was practically unstoppable. It was obvious who was in charge.

"Understood." Rasa practically forced the word through his teeth.

As the first village to lose, Sunagakure hadn't had a single ninja make it back home—everyone captured, now detained in the Land of Fire. Their feudal lord had repeatedly asked when the war would end. They'd gambled on a quick operation to gain some leverage, but now had no position to refuse anything.

Seeing Rasa like this, the Third Mizukage—whose reign had turned the village into a "Blood Mist"—fell silent as well, worried that Tobirama might next demand something else from Kirigakure. Their Three- and Six-Tails Jinchūriki had been seized, and their front lines against the Uchiha clan had collapsed completely. On the way here, he had even seen whole swathes of new forest sprouting along the shore.

He had no idea that even if the main-world Konoha hadn't shown up, his days as Mizukage were numbered. The war's failures and his bloody policies had already sparked unrest in the village. The war ending basically spelled the end of his leadership.

Across the table, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki sat with both arms folded. "You're powerful enough to ignore our pride and positions. But I assume there's something you want, beyond all this. If we refuse… what are you going to do about it?"

~~~

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