Chapter 114: Investment

The hall remained quiet for a while, until Ōnoki finally spoke up slowly:

"So you're saying that these 'Sage Eyes' are like the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan, in that some abilities might be similar, while others differ?"

"Hmph, who knows if it's even true," the Fourth Raikage said coldly. "The Sage Eyes have always been a legendary power that doesn't appear in any records—not even in the Warring States Period. Now all of a sudden they show up, and not just one pair, but two? How is that possible?"

"Believe it or not." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I only came to this Five Kage Summit to share that intel with you—so you don't all fall into the mystery man's trap."

"This incident can't be separated from your Konoha." The Fourth Raikage continued his accusations. "I can overlook Root and Danzo's issues, but why do those puppets use Konoha's signature jutsu and forbidden techniques? Danzo's corpse even had a Mangekyō Sharingan, plus Wood Release and Flying Thunder God. Hokage, you owe me an explanation!"

Without waiting for Tsunade to respond, the Fourth Raikage turned his gaze on the other Kage, his expression livid:

"And as for your villages—all the Akatsuki members who've been exposed are S-rank rogues from your ninja villages. Each of you owes me an explanation as well."

Seeing how the Fourth Raikage was dumping blame on them, the other Kage all looked grim. Chiyo lacked any confidence to speak, but Ōnoki had no patience for the Fourth Raikage's attitude. He shot back sarcastically:

"Hard to believe such words come from a Kage. Since when are rogue-nin's deeds tied to their home village? Did we fail to destroy his records or forget to place a bounty on him?

"If that's the logic, shouldn't your Kumogakure first owe Konoha an explanation? To my knowledge, the Second Hokage died thanks to rogues from your village, but I don't recall any explanation on your part. Also, if my memory isn't mistaken, the ninja tools used by Kinkaku and Ginkaku are still sitting in Kumogakure. Aren't such lethal weapons supposed to be handed over to Konoha?"

"What did you say?!" the Fourth Raikage roared, eyes bulging.

Ōnoki gave a scornful snort:

"Kid, your hotheadedness can't compare to your father's. If you want a fight—be it a one-on-one duel or an all-out war—I'm game."

Tok tok tok…

Right as the Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki were about to start a shouting match, Mifune rapped on the table, speaking in a calm tone:

"Lord Raikage, Lord Tsuchikage, please compose yourselves. The topic of this Summit is how to handle Akatsuki, which has crossed the line."

"Hmph!"

The Fourth Raikage snorted as he sat back down. Without mincing words, he said,

"I doubt the intel the Hokage's provided. My suggestion is that we unite and attack Amegakure, and wipe out this terrorist group formed of S-rank defectors from your villages."

"I disagree."

Ōnoki folded his arms and said evenly:

"I do know a bit about Akatsuki. It's a mercenary band of S-rank rogues who gather on the black market for secret commissions. I even worked with that organization a few times. They deliberately stayed mysterious. Now, all of a sudden, they're making a splash, even revealing the location of their main base. It's far too suspicious."

"I used to think they stayed low-key because they were preparing something, and now they've come into the open. But Tsunade-hime's intel explains my doubts—there may well be a hidden 'third party' wanting us to move against Akatsuki on their behalf."

"That's just your conjecture." The Fourth Raikage responded.

"Perhaps so."

Ōnoki seemed unbothered:

"But I trust Tsunade-hime's intel. Also, Iwagakure has no grudge or feud with Akatsuki. We won't be joining any crusade."

"Hmph, I hope you won't regret it when they set their sights on Iwa!" the Fourth Raikage snapped.

"If it comes to that, I'll accept it as bad luck." Ōnoki retorted slyly.

The Fourth Raikage's veins bulge on his forehead.

Tsunade, propping her chin on her hands, spoke seriously:

"I also believe Jiraiya's intel. Of the villages here, only he managed to infiltrate Amegakure and have a conversation with Akatsuki's leader. Setting aside whether that leader was lying, if the Konoha Crush, the Bloody Mist business, and Kumo's destruction were all Akatsuki's doing, it implies that whoever manipulated Danzo's corpse to use the Flying Thunder God is indeed an Akatsuki member."

"We didn't fully detail this when we released information last time. Besides suffering heavy casualties, Konoha lost the Scroll of Seals and a Wood Release test subject." Tsunade wore a solemn look. "That happened in August, while the Kumogakure incident was at the end of December—only four months apart.

"If in four months they could master the Flying Thunder God—a jutsu that only our Second Hokage and Fourth Hokage ever knew in sixty-one years of Konoha's history—and let Danzo's corpse wield Wood Release, then they must also have learned plenty of other forbidden jutsu from the scroll."

"Even if we all unite to assault Amegakure, taking down an Akatsuki that can use Flying Thunder God wouldn't be easy. If they don't actually know the Flying Thunder God, it indicates a hidden third party and would push Akatsuki entirely against us. Maybe wiping them out would be good—but if the assault failed, we'd be open to revenge anytime from that second set of Sage Eyes."

Hearing that, everyone except the Fourth Raikage fell silent. The Raikage snarled:

"What—are you scared, Hokage? And do you really think a rogue band with the Sage Eyes will just stay quiet as hired guns?"

"You think what you like. In any case, Konoha isn't joining any campaign against Akatsuki," Tsunade said, rolling her eyes to show her position.

Realizing that neither Iwagakure—whose power was second only to Kumo—nor Konoha supported attacking Akatsuki, and that her own side had only lost one Kazekage and some forces (and her own grandson, Sasori, was in Akatsuki), Chiyo immediately chimed in:

"I believe the Hokage isn't talking nonsense. And because of Orochimaru, my Sand Village suffered grievous losses in the Konoha Crush, leaving us extremely short on manpower. We just can't pull it off."

At that, the Fourth Raikage's dark face grew even darker.

Seeing that three villages opposed striking Akatsuki, Genshi—who'd considered using them to handle Akatsuki—had no choice but to give up the idea, saying slowly:

"Although Kirigakure only recently ended the Bloody Mist era and is also short on manpower, if there's a joint move against Akatsuki or the mysterious third party, we'll abide by majority rule."

A pleasant way of putting it, but its subtext was also that Kirigakure would abstain.

"Hmph, you'll all regret this!"

The Fourth Raikage smacked the table to pieces and left without looking back. The other five Kage, knowing he was blowing off steam, ignored it.

"Hokage, I'd like to propose a deal."

Just as Tsunade was about to leave with Izayoi and Hatake Kakashi, Chiyo suddenly called out to her.

"A deal?" Tsunade eyed Chiyo with some distaste.

Chiyo didn't mind Tsunade's attitude. She gave Kakashi a deep look and said to Tsunade:

"We in Sunagakure are willing to deepen our alliance with Konoha, and in times of dealing with external threats, we can even let you take command."

"What's your condition?" Tsunade asked.

"We want a complete barrier system," Chiyo replied gravely. "If that mysterious third party truly exists and is planning to plunge the ninja world into war, they'll eventually set their sights on my Sand Village and on Iwa. We need a barrier capable of withstanding meteor strikes."

Hearing that, Ōnoki—who'd been about to leave—drifted over, smiling:

"Tsunade-hime, we in Iwa would also like to make a similar deal with Konoha."

"Count Kirigakure in if possible," Genshi added, walking over as well.

Normally, Tsunade would have mocked them for daydreaming. But recalling Akatsuki, the mysterious man, and the sight of Kumo turned into a giant meteor crater, Tsunade frowned and fell silent. Quickly, she reached a decision.

"If you want a deal, send someone to Konoha to negotiate." That was all she said before leaving with Izayoi and Kakashi.

Exiting the venue, they didn't linger in the Land of Iron and set out for Konoha at once. The other large villages did likewise. None of the Five Kage knew if, while they were away from their home villages, Akatsuki—or that mysterious third party—might take the opportunity to attack.

Flickering behind Tsunade, Izayoi gazed straight ahead, but his thoughts drifted back to the Land of Iron. A slight grin curved his lips:

They're getting smarter. Lord Raikage, don't let me down…

After tasting the profits of war, Izayoi found himself a bit addicted. At first, his initial goal had been to gather 990,000 points before Shippūden concluded so he could upgrade his Ōtsutsuki Bloodline (Red) to some unknown level—and he'd be satisfied.

But now he felt his ambitions could grow bigger, aiming to upgrade two of his red-tier talents to unknown new levels. To do that, he'd have to continue making things rough on the ninja world.

After all, if aliens ever arrived, those who shared ties with the Ōtsutsuki—like Izayoi—would be on the front lines. Right now, he was merely asking them for an "investment."

~~~

Patreon(.)com/Bleam

— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!