Chapter 92: Five Kage Summit

Torifū acknowledged the order. The summit was indeed 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?

After much thought, he couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped trying. He'd just do as his teacher said.

...

A few hours later, the Five Kage Summit officially began. It appeared to be merely a gathering of five middle-aged or elderly ninja, yet every action taken at this meeting would impact the entire Ninja World. War or peace hung in the balance with a single thought. For the Five Great Nations, war merely meant a waste of resources and lives, but for smaller nations, it could mean the risk of annihilation.

Thus, smaller nations constantly swayed between the Five Great Nations, acting as clear-cut opportunists. After all, if you weren't strong enough, you could only survive by clinging to a powerful ally. One misstep, and your country could become a battlefield, which would be truly tragic.

The Kage arrived at the conference room Tobirama had prepared earlier. A pentagonal table stood in the center of the room. This meeting was very serious. Aside from Tobirama and Torifū standing behind the Hokage, each of the other Kage had only one person behind them, usually their successor.

The group of old foxes immediately understood when they saw Torifū, a child. This was the Hokage's disciple or groomed successor. But they all wondered if a seven or eight-year-old child was too young; was it really appropriate for him to attend such a meeting? After all, sparring matches were sure to follow. However, none of the Kage said anything. The Hokage's disciple surely had some capability. But compared to their own successors, he was likely far behind, given the age difference. Nothing to fear.

Once all the Kage were seated, Hashirama, as the host, was the first to speak, offering some welcoming remarks as an opening. The other Kage also expressed that they had come to contribute to the peace of the Ninja World. Everyone's pronouncements were incredibly righteous, but no one knew what they truly thought in their hearts.

"Since everyone yearns for peace, I trust today's summit will be much more pleasant."

Hashirama then got straight to the point and presented his idea. "I hope everyone can sign a Ninja World Peace Treaty, guaranteeing that no more wars will be wantonly ignited from now on."

At these words, the four Kage, who had just been speaking so grandly, suddenly fell silent. They all had their own calculations. For instance, annihilating a smaller nation to increase their own strength. In fact, many wars that were about to break out were forcibly stopped because Hashirama proposed holding a summit. It could be said that he indirectly saved the lives of smaller nations.

"What? Are you all reluctant?" Hashirama was somewhat displeased by the Kage's reaction. They had just been acting so righteous. Why were they all silent now?

Just then, Kazekage Reto spoke calmly. "Hokage-sama, Sunagakure can sign the peace treaty."

Hearing Reto say this, Hashirama's mood improved significantly. If no Kage signed the treaty, then this meeting would have been for nothing. But Reto continued, "However, everyone understands Sunagakure's situation. We have endless yellow sand; our land cannot be farmed."

"Water resources are also scarce, and the lives of our villagers are not even guaranteed."

Reto shook his head and sighed, "I can sign a treaty to ensure peace in the Ninja World, but who can guarantee the lives of my Sunagakure villagers?"

Reto spoke very truthfully. What Torifū saw in Sunagakure was exactly this: the villagers lived very difficult lives, yet they hadn't lost hope. The people lacked food and clothing; even bathing was a luxury, yet they still lived vibrantly.

Hashirama also deeply sympathized with Sunagakure's plight. All the Kage knew about the Land of Wind's situation. It had always been barren land where crops could not be grown. Simply providing food would only be a temporary solution, allowing the people of Sunagakure to eat for a few months or years. Hashirama wanted to find a better way to solve this problem, but he couldn't guarantee that Sunagakure wouldn't turn on them in the future.

Just then, Torifū leaned close to Hashirama's ear and whispered a method, audible only to Hashirama. Hashirama nodded after hearing it, his face clearly showing no more hesitation. He then spoke, "I can use Wood Release to create a forest for you. You would only need to fertilize it diligently, and in a few years, you would have a large expanse of arable land."

Reto was overjoyed at these words. This was indeed a good method. If it truly was as the Hokage said, then Sunagakure would finally have a foundation. Even if the yield was small, it was still better than nothing. Once Sunagakure could stably produce food, its strength would undoubtedly rise steadily!

"Then I thank Hokage-sama. I represent Sunagakure in signing the peace treaty." Reto spoke words of gratitude, but his mind was already calculating the future. But how could the method Torifū proposed allow Sunagakure to become rich and strong so easily? After all, none of these Kage were truly benevolent; once they became prosperous, they would want to wage war. If it truly was as Hashirama said, then it would be akin to aiding an enemy.

The forest created by Wood Release, after a few years of consolidation, could indeed grow crops, and the yield would even be higher in the first few years. But that was only for the first few years. Wood Release was, after all, a ninjutsu, and it would slowly decay. The land would also gradually decline. Although it could still be cultivated, the yield would definitely be much lower than before. It might barely fill stomachs, but thinking of storing it as a resource for war was probably thinking too much.

The other Kage, seeing Kazekage Reto sign the treaty so readily, were momentarily unsure what to do. Signing it would undoubtedly reduce their villages' potential to develop by plundering smaller nations. But if they didn't sign, they didn't know how the Hokage would react. If it caused their villages severe damage, it wouldn't be worth it.

"Mizukage-sama, Tsuchikage-sama, Raikage-sama, are you not planning to sign the treaty? Didn't everyone just say they wanted to maintain Ninja World peace?" Hashirama spoke calmly, yet it sent a chill down the spines of the Kage he addressed. They were all individuals of equal standing, but in front of the Hokage, they dared not presume superiority, for their strengths were not on the same level.

"Iwagakure will sign the treaty."

Ishikawa was the first to speak. He didn't make any demands or complain, simply signed the treaty directly. The Mizukage, after struggling for a long time, also reluctantly signed the treaty, presumably coerced by Hashirama's strength.

Just then, the Raikage spoke, "Hokage-sama, did you capture the Eight-Tails in the Land of Lightning? This matter requires an explanation from you." The Tsuchikage and Mizukage couldn't help but sigh. Almost all the tailed beasts from various countries had been successively captured by Konoha within a few days. Everyone knew it, but no one brought it up. What was the use of saying anything now that they had already been captured? Without the backing of strength, the Raikage's question seemed particularly ridiculous.

"The Eight-Tails was indeed captured by Konoha."