Chapter 91: First Raikage - A

If he didn't get Dust Release this time, he'd have to find Onoki, and who knew when that would be? But he couldn't be reckless about this; he'd have to find an opportunity during the sparring matches.

"Kazekage-sama, why are you in such a hurry? We can't keep up with your speed."

Mū knelt on one knee to apologize to Ishikawa. As a guard, he had failed to constantly protect the Tsuchikage. Instead, he arrived tardily, more than ten minutes after Tsuchikage had already begun chatting with the other Kage. This was dereliction of duty!

Ishikawa gently waved his hand, lifting Mū up, then sighed softly.

"No need to make such a big deal. What danger could I be in? I was just chatting with Hokage-sama and Kazekage-sama for a bit." In Ishikawa's eyes, Mū was a good child in every way, just a bit stubborn and inflexible; once he set his mind on something, he had to accomplish it.

Like when he insisted on sparring with that ninja from Kirigakure, which resulted in a once handsome young man being literally blown into a mummy. Ishikawa had been extremely worried when Mū was carried back to the village, but thankfully, he had a strong will to live and recovered. And it was said that the kid from Kirigakure was still in a coma. He wondered if Mū would bring it up when he met the Mizukage later. Ishikawa thought it best not to; disputes among the younger generation should be resolved by themselves.

Ignoring Mū, Ishikawa continued to chat with the two Kage at the village entrance.

"This old man shouldn't be the last one to arrive, right? I already set off several days in advance."

Hashirama shook his head. "Raikage-sama hasn't arrived yet; he's the last one."

Ishikawa stroked his beard. "Haha, that's good. I felt that I shouldn't be the last."

Torifū listened to the Kage's conversation from the side. He felt the Ishikawa was like an old child, wondering if he was deliberately acting that way or if it was his natural temperament. Either way, he seemed very easy to get along with.

They chatted for about another half an hour, but the Raikage still hadn't arrived. Hashirama then suggested that Reto and Ishikawa enter the village to rest first, so they could be in their best condition for the meeting.

Reto and Ishikawa both agreed. They had long wanted to see what Konoha Village looked like inside and whether their own villages could compare.

Just then, the sky suddenly became overcast, and the air pressure dropped significantly, feeling like the calm before a storm. Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded in the distance!

Lightning, like tentacles, spread across the sky! A thick bolt of lightning, like a fierce beast, directly struck the ground, scorching the earth and emitting thick smoke! Then, a large hand pushed aside the smoke, and a dark-skinned person emerged from it. He had thick lips and wore a very plain yellow robe, with a purple scarf tied around his neck and a Raikage hat on his head. This entrance truly matched the Raikage's identity. Amidst the lightning and thunder, the First Raikage, A, finally arrived in Konoha Village.

Hashirama breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Raikage arrive as promised; the summit could finally officially begin. Most people from Kumogakure were rather arrogant and ambitious. Tobirama had reported multiple times that Kumogakure had sent spies to Konoha.

But Hashirama, for the sake of peace, had turned a blind eye and ignored it. However, if they didn't even attend the Five Kage Summit, it might mean that Kumogakure would no longer be one of the Five Great Ninja Villages. Even if the Raikage was ambitious and arrogant, he wouldn't dare act presumptuously in front of Hashirama.

Sure enough, as soon as he arrived, he immediately walked up to Hashirama and extended his hand. "Hokage-sama, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Hashirama shook his hand and replied, "Likewise, Raikage-sama, your journey must have been arduous."

The Raikage said nonchalantly, "Not at all. I just encountered some rogue ninja on the way and wasted some time dispatching them."

Hashirama smiled and looked behind him, noticing that, like Ishikawa, he had no guards. So he asked, "Raikage-sama's guards, are they on their way?"

The Raikage shook his head, feigning confusion. "Why would I bring so many guards? I only brought one guard."

Then another thunderclap struck from the sky, and a figure landed steadily. Torifū observed him and realized it must be the Second Raikage. Coming to Konoha Village for this meeting, the other Kage had all brought their most trusted successors, also intending to show off to the other villages.

After all, wherever there were people, there was competition, and as the faces of their respective villages, the Kage naturally couldn't spar in person. So they could only let their disciples do the honors, which is why everyone coincidentally brought their confidantes.

The Raikage put on quite a show, leaving Hashirama momentarily speechless, but thinking about it, it made sense. If Hashirama truly got angry, bringing more guards would only result in more deaths. In a way, the Raikage was even quite astute!

Since the Raikage had also arrived, all five Kage were assembled. Hashirama no longer made everyone stand under the sun at the village entrance. He arranged for ninja to lead the way, taking all the Kage to their temporary lodgings for a rest. The meeting would convene later in the afternoon when the weather was cooler.

Currently, Torifū had nothing to do, so he checked the Character Registry. As he expected, everyone, except for Reto who had already been unlocked, provided 1000 Peace Points. This brought Torifū's Peace Points back up to 93,000. He expected to get even more once the Five Kage Summit concluded.

While Torifū was idle, Naori was completely swamped, arranging various personnel, food, and clothing. Since Konoha was hosting the meeting, they had to be generous and not appear stingy. At first, Naori was flustered and didn't know where to start, but gradually, as she became more familiar, it became much easier. Still, she wasn't as relaxed as Torifū.

...

In the Hokage's office:

"How was it? Did you see the leaders of the other Kage's guard teams?"

Torifū nodded; of course, he had.

"They will all become the Kage of their villages in the future. If there's a war, they will be your formidable rivals."

"Don't worry, Sensei. If they truly dare to offend Konoha Village, I will kill them without hesitation."

To outsiders, this might seem like a baseless boast, a seven-year-old child daring to claim he would kill the successors of other villages. But Hashirama knew that Torifū possessed this ability, having been with him for so long.

"When the meeting convenes later, you will stand behind me and say nothing, but pay attention to the statements of the other Kage."

Torifū acknowledged the order. The summit was certainly not a place for him to speak carelessly. But why did his teacher want him to pay attention to the other Kage's statements? Was it to teach him how to negotiate with other villages?

The Chaos Event, the other Kage, the Summit, the sparring matches...