Inspired by Kitsuchi's direct example and the rumors secretly spread by the Raikage, Sunagakure and Kirigakure, who had already decided to closely follow Seiki's lead, quickly agreed to the proposal for the Kage Summit.
As the host nation, the Land of Iron was also happy to see this happen.
After all, they were under tremendous pressure from the Demon Disaster. When the Five Great Hidden Villages arrived, they would surely help clean up the monsters along the way, right?
...
On a small road in the Land of Iron that now felt unfamiliar.
After casually eliminating the surrounding monsters, Danzo sighed with deep emotion, "I'm back here again. This time, I'll reclaim everything I lost last time!"
Kinoto followed behind him. Upon hearing Danzo's "grand declaration," he couldn't help but glance downward and secretly thought in shock, "Didn't Hokage-sama take a serious beating last time? Could he actually be planning to get it back from someone else's losses?"
Tatsuma felt excited—he had a general idea of Hokage Danzo's plan. "No wonder he's the Hokage. His brilliant strategy to benefit from both sides is simply perfect!"
When they arrived at the meeting location, the flags of the other four Hidden Villages had already been raised high.
"Should the Puppet-insects have already taken effect by now?" Danzo muttered inwardly while looking at the flags.
This was exactly why he deliberately slowed his pace—to avoid being accidentally harmed by the Puppet-insects!
"Hokage-sama, welcome to the Land of Iron!" The samurai who greeted them maintained perfect composure, not even hinting at the absurd memories still lingering in his mind.
"Please follow me. I'll show you to your resting quarters!"
"No need." Danzo lifted his gaze toward the sky. "It's still early, and time is pressing. We won't be resting. Please go inform the other four Kage and see if they're available. If they are, we can start the meeting early."
The receptionist samurai looked slightly surprised, but nodded obediently. "Understood."
Danzo adjusted his Hokage hat and strode toward the conference hall.
Pushing open the door, he took his seat on Konoha's side before closing his eyes to rest.
Not long after, footsteps from outside signaled the arrival of others.
The first to enter was the Raikage, who sat down heavily and sarcastically remarked, "You old geezer might be late, but you sure are eager to start the meeting!"
Danzo merely chuckled, his eyes filled with pity. He saw no point in arguing with a man who was already as good as dead.
The next three groups entered and found their seats.
Among these three Kage, Danzo only looked toward Kitsuchi. "Didn't Onoki come?"
Kitsuchi replied in a heavy voice, "My father has been severely injured and remains unconscious. I'm temporarily acting as Tsuchikage."
Danzo sighed while shaking his head. "What a shame. Even the last familiar face is gone. Time sure does fly."
Kitsuchi ignored him and scanned the room. "Since we're on my topic now, let me say once again—the Akatsuki organization is a cancer upon the entire shinobi world! If we ignore them just because the disaster hasn't reached our own borders yet, we'll eventually suffer the consequences!"
Everyone's expressions darkened. Obviously, since they had all come here, they understood the severity of the situation.
However, before they could speak, Danzō stood up and declared solemnly, "You're absolutely right. The damage caused by the Akatsuki organization cannot be ignored. On behalf of Konoha, I'm the first to support this alliance!"
Everyone looked at him in surprise. A narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I also agree with this alliance, but the problem is how we should unite! The Akatsuki won't just conveniently expose themselves for us to attack!"
Danzō tapped the table lightly. "Didn't I already send you photos? Amegakure is where the enemies are hiding!"
"Oh right, right!" A chuckled awkwardly, secretly feeling ashamed. He had nearly forgotten Danzō was a traitor, having actually voiced his true thoughts.
Rasa suggested, "Perhaps we could infiltrate Amegakure and secretly remove the Genjutsu on Hanzo. This would not only add a powerful fighter to our side, but also allow us to use Hanzo's great influence in Amegakure to dismantle the Akatsuki's forces there."
"I think that won't work..." Mei Terumi interjected. "I think that's unwise. We shouldn't reveal the fact that we've discovered the Akatsuki's base just for the sake of obtaining Hanzo. Our top priority right now is to find that person who can use the Kuchiyose no Jutsu without the Blood Summoning Contract!"
Kitsuchi spoke up, "That Aizen is also crucial. If we don't kill him while we have the chance, his powerful Genjutsu will bring us great trouble once he escapes!"
A shook his head. "I think we should focus on dealing with that parasite member. Those monsters look just like him. If we capture him, we might be able to research and find a way to control those monsters!"
As the minutes ticked by, the tension in the room began to rise.
Raikage and the others were waiting for Akatsuki and Danzō to make the first move—they didn't seem to sense the ambush nearby. Therefore, they could only wait for the enemy to strike first.
Danzō himself was also puzzled in his heart. Wasn't this supposed to be a staged battle to lure Seiki Shimaseki over? Could it be that the Puppet-insects hadn't taken effect yet?
Both sides held their ground, feigning civility while waiting for the right moment to strike.
As a result, this meeting proceeded in an incredibly "normal" manner, something no one had anticipated!
"Damn it! I didn't come here to waste time in meetings!"
"Get a move on already! What the hell are those Akatsuki idiots thinking?"
A narrowed his eyes slightly. "Could I have guessed wrong? Is it possible that the Akatsuki aren't planning to attack during the meeting, but instead genuinely want to use this conference to lead us to Amegakure?"
He had thought they were playing three moves ahead, but turns out they were just one step in?
Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, A interrupted, "Excuse me, Hokage-sama, can you tell me exactly how you got these photos?"
Rasa and the others were somewhat surprised; they hadn't expected the Raikage to show his hand so soon?
However, when they thought about this endless meeting, they decided not to stop him.
Danzō's eyebrows slightly furrowed. "Obviously, they were taken by my men secretly infiltrating Amegakure!"
"Is that so?" A snorted. "Taking photos right in front of the enemy, under the nose of someone as mentally strong and perceptive as Aizen. Your subordinate truly is remarkable. Could you introduce him to us?"
Danzō paused, then smiled. "Oh? So it's finally beginning, is it?"
A looked perplexed. "What do you mean?"
"Fine then!" Danzo spat toward A, muttering something no one else could understand. "I won't say a thing! Go ahead, hit me if you dare, you bastard!"
"Only the Four Controlled Kages are under control. Their Kage Guards probably don't know anything about it. According to the original plan, A will chase and hunt me down. During the chase, I'll drag the other three into the conflict, turning it into a chaotic battle among five people. Once Seiki Shimaseki appears and tries to stop the fight, these four will immediately form a formation to seal him!"
Danzo mused silently, "Better I reveal the truth before they do. But I still can't say they're being controlled—not yet. I mus—"
Annoyed by the unexpected spit landing on him, an enraged A abruptly stood up, grabbed the table in front of him, and smashed it straight down onto Danzo, sending him flying.
As Danzo soared through the air, his eyes widened. You really hit me?!
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