In the Land of Iron, the Five Kage Summit was taking place.
Banners bearing the characters for Wind, Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Water—symbols of the five great nations—hung prominently along the walls.
At the massive circular table, four of the five Kage had already arrived. Only the Hokage of Konohagakure was missing.
Seated at the eastern end of the table was the meeting's initiator, the Fourth Raikage, Ay. Despite the empty sleeve where his left arm had once been, his commanding presence remained undiminished.
Boom!
Raikage slammed his remaining fist on the table, scowling toward the empty chair to his left. "Damn Naruto! How dare he keep us waiting this long? If someone doesn't give me a damn good reason, I won't let this slide!"
"Lord Raikage," replied Mifune, general of the neutral Land of Iron, seated directly across from Ay, "the Hokage encountered an unexpected emergency on his way here. He should arrive shortly. I ask for your patience."
"Hmph! Konoha always seems to be dealing with emergencies," Raikage grumbled, barely restraining his temper.
"The kid hasn't changed," said the elderly Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, from his position at the Iwagakure seat to Raikage's right. "Maybe that's why you lost an arm so young, Ay."
"What did you say, you old dwarf?!" Raikage snapped.
"Lord Raikage, please show some respect!" barked Huangtu and Fūga, elite jōnin of Iwagakure, stepping forward.
Behind the Raikage, his own guards advanced, including the ever-stoic Darui and Troy. The tension in the room thickened.
"Back down, Huangtu, Fūga," Ōnoki said with a chuckle. "I won't argue with a child over such trivial nonsense."
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage," the two jōnin responded, retreating to their places.
Raikage let out a scoff but didn't escalate further.
Seated near the empty Konoha position was the Third Mizukage, Yagura. He, too, was missing an arm—taken by the very same person who had taken Ay's. Cross-legged, Yagura observed quietly, his cold gaze never wavering.
Flanking him were his two elite guards—Hoshigaki Kisame and Mangetsu Hōzuki—the last surviving members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. They had recently earned the ominous nickname "the Twin Demons of the Mist," a title given by none other than Obito, formerly Yamato Arata, the transmigrated soul inhabiting the body of Uchiha Obito.
Opposite Yagura sat the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. His arms were folded, his expression unreadable. His guards, the elite jōnin Maki and Yura, stood silently behind him.
Only when a streak of yellow flashed through the doorway did Rasa raise his head.
"Apologies for the delay," said Minato Namikaze, stepping in with a calm and gentle voice. "I appreciate your patience."
Behind him stood Akimichi Dōntō and Inuzuka Jaw—trusted guards and powerful jōnin of Konoha.
As Minato took his seat and placed the Hokage hat on the table, some eyes in the room turned cold.
Behind the Tsuchikage, Huangtu clenched his fists. Wenya didn't bother to hide the hate in his eyes.
The Battle of Kannabi Bridge at the tail end of the Third Great Ninja War had left a deep scar. A legendary confrontation between Konohagakure's elite squad—Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara—and Iwagakure's top five jōnin had ended in tragedy for the Rock Village. All five of their elites, including Demon Leech, Huo Guang, Ōishi, Suma Shi, and Higashi the Deadman, had been annihilated by one man.
The Yellow Flash.
That one battle had reversed Iwagakure's momentum in the war, forcing them to sign an unfavorable peace treaty with Konoha. Since then, hatred for Minato had run deep throughout the Hidden Stone.
A dark saying still circulated among Iwa's ranks: Whoever kills the Yellow Flash will be the next Tsuchikage. But no one dared to try. After all, you can't become Tsuchikage if you're dead.
Mifune raised his hand. "Now that Lord Hokage has arrived, I declare the Fourth Five Kage Summit officially open. Let all parties speak freely. As the appointed intermediary, I will bear witness to every word and act spoken here."
Boom!!
Raikage's fist struck the table again. "Hokage! My brother, Killer Bee, was attacked by a rogue from your village! He's seriously injured—and the Eight-Tails was taken! Your village owes us an explanation!"
Dōntō and Inuzuka Jaw tensed up behind Minato, but the Hokage gestured calmly for them to hold back.
"I understand your anger, Lord Raikage," Minato said gently, "but rogue ninja exist in every village. None of us can entirely control their actions. I offer my personal apologies to you and to your brother... but if you ask Konoha to take formal responsibility, I must refuse."
"What?!" Raikage shot to his feet, his rage mounting.
"Sit down, Ay," said Ōnoki with a sneer. "You lost, and now you're throwing a tantrum. What, can't handle the heat?"
Raikage snapped, "It didn't happen to you, Ōnoki! Easy for you to mock us from the sidelines!"
Mifune raised his voice: "Please, all of you! This summit is to find peaceful resolutions. If you want war, bring your armies. If you came here to talk, then talk."
"Hmph!" Raikage reluctantly sat back down.
Ōnoki turned to Minato. "Hokage, I don't agree with Ay's tone, but his concern is valid. The Uchiha clan has long been a source of instability. From Madara to this so-called Uchiha Yu... your clan is a disease festering in the ninja world. It's time to cut it out. What say you?"
"Finally," Raikage muttered, "you say something worth listening to! Uchiha Yu must die. The Uchiha clan is too dangerous to ignore!"
"I agree," added Mizukage Yagura flatly.
Only Kazekage Rasa remained silent.
Minato, calm but alert, read the room clearly. This isn't about Uchiha Yu. They want to use this as an excuse to weaken Konoha by pushing the Uchiha clan to the brink of annihilation.
He said firmly, "Condemning an entire clan for the crimes of one individual is not my way. Nor is it Konoha's way. The Uchiha have contributed much to our village. They are comrades, not enemies. I will not support such a decision."
Raikage slammed the table again. "Then we'll unite and launch a crusade against Konoha!"
Tension spiked instantly.
Ōnoki and Yagura stared Minato down. The air crackled with the threat of war.
But Minato leaned forward, elbows on the table, fingers steepled beneath his chin. He looked up slowly, and in his deep blue eyes, a calm but deadly resolve shimmered.
"Then let's settle old scores. After the First Hokage passed, your three villages—Lightning, Earth, and Water—banded together to destroy the Uzumaki clan and seize their sealing techniques. When Konoha was stretched thin, you attacked Uzushiogakure. I lost countless comrades... and my wife lost her homeland."
He paused.
"If you want war now, fine. But understand this: the tailed beasts the First Hokage entrusted to your villages—we will take them back."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The eyes of the Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Mizukage all narrowed in shock. Damn it... he's threatening us with Uzumaki sealing arts!
Minato's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, held the purest bloodline of the Uzumaki clan. And Minato himself was no slouch in sealing techniques.
Rasa finally spoke. "In that case, Sunagakure will stand with Konoha. But, Hokage-sama, we have a condition. When the time comes to reseal Shukaku, our One-Tail jinchūriki, the next host will be my unborn child. If Konoha provides sealing support, we will remain your steadfast ally."
Minato nodded. "The Land of Wind shares a border with Fire. We remember that Sunagakure did not participate in the attack on Uzushiogakure. That was not Kushina's doing—it was mine."
Rasa raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You mastered Uzumaki sealing techniques yourself?"
Minato smiled modestly. "Not as proficient as my wife, but I can manage. Enough to help with your next jinchūriki."
"Then it's a deal," Rasa said.
Ōnoki thought to himself: He looks like a polite gentleman, but Minato is as calculating and ruthless as any of us. Impressive.
Yagura frowned. If this keeps up, Hokage will seize control of the entire summit.
Raikage clenched his remaining fist. Damn it. If we hadn't lost the Eight-Tails, we wouldn't be this cornered.
He growled, "Fine. We'll table the matter of the Uchiha clan—for now. But Uchiha Yu must die. If Kumogakure is to hunt him down on Konoha's behalf, we expect Konoha to participate. If not, we cut ties—and you'll answer for it."
Yagura added, "Uchiha Yu has become a threat to the entire ninja world. Kirigakure will not stand by, either."
Ōnoki and Rasa said nothing. Uchiha Yu hadn't wronged them yet, and they were content to watch the others clash and pick up the pieces.
Minato was about to respond when—
Whoosh!
A spiraling vortex of space-time distorted the air above them. The mood shattered in an instant.
Clatter.
Boots landed on high ground. The room turned silent.
The figure stood tall, eyes glowing beneath his mask. His voice was soft but brimming with power.
"The discussion seems lively. Mind if I join?"
A brief pause.
"I'm the public enemy of the ninja world you're all so eager to kill—Uchiha Yu."
Obito had arrived.