Chapter 107 – The Five Kage Summit
Land of Iron
Conference Room
Today marked the opening of the Five Kage Summit. The five shinobi who stood at the pinnacle of power in the ninja world were now seated around a round table.
They were:
Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi
Third Tsuchikage, Onoki of the Two Scales
Fourth Raikage, A
Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi
Fourth Kazekage, Rasa
Even someone like Danzo—who wielded near-absolute influence in the village—had no choice but to stand behind Hiruzen in this setting.
Only the Kage had the right to sit at this table. This summit could easily reshape the future of the shinobi world.
Among those seated, only Hiruzen and Onoki remained from the previous generation. The others were all new faces.
Take, for instance, the Fourth Raikage "A." Before today, none of the other Kage had even seen him. He looked barely into adulthood—a newly minted leader.
However, the shinobi standing behind him was someone everyone did recognize: the Eight-Tails jinchūriki and Kumogakure's long-standing second-in-command—Killer B.
The young man now seated in the Raikage's chair was none other than the son of the late Third Raikage: Yeyue Ai. After the Third Raikage was killed by Hatake Kazane, Kumogakure, under Killer B's command, had fully retreated into the Land of Lightning.
In the aftermath, when the village lacked clear leadership, it was Killer B who rallied support behind Yeyue Ai, the Third's son.
And Ai did not disappoint. He publicly held a challenge in the village and defeated every contender who dared question him.
In Kumogakure, strength ruled all. Since Ai defeated all rivals, he rightfully inherited the name "A" and became the Fourth Raikage.
As for Rasa, there was no need for introduction. He had repeatedly led Sunagakure in repelling Kumogakure's invasions, proving through battle that he deserved the title of Kazekage.
—
As General Mifune of the Land of Iron officially declared the summit in session, the room—which had been calm—fell into another heavy silence.
Everyone was waiting. Waiting for someone else to speak first.
Especially Hiruzen Sarutobi. As the representative of the victorious nation, he was here to reap the rewards of victory.
The silence stretched until the youngest among them—the Fourth Raikage—couldn't sit still anymore.
He hadn't come here to play the patience game with a bunch of old men.
"This war may have ended in our defeat, but if you want reparations from us, Konoha must hand over Hatake Kazane. He killed my father. I must avenge him!"
Yeyue Ai slammed his palm on the table, his eyes blazing with hatred as he glared at Hiruzen, every word laced with unshakable resolve.
"That's right! Hatake Kazane killed my son—he must die! If not, I will seek vengeance, even if it means another war!"
This time, it was Onoki who spoke, his tone equally unyielding. He made it clear: unless Konoha gave up Kazane, there would be no peace.
"Hatake Kazane must die. He killed the heads of two of Kirigakure's noble clans. Our village is prepared—we're ready to go to war at any moment."
Fourth Mizukage Yagura stood abruptly. Ever since Kazane had humiliated him, his authority had plummeted. Whispers behind his back now called him the "weakest Mizukage in history."
As long as Kazane remained alive, he couldn't sleep at night.
His entire reason for attending this summit was to force Konoha into surrendering Kazane.
Faced with pressure from three of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, Hiruzen's expression darkened. He instinctively turned to glance at the silent Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Gone was the excitement he'd felt at the beginning of the meeting. It was now obvious that this entire summit had been orchestrated—its true purpose was to corner Konoha.
And Rasa, sitting silently to the side, seemed to be here just for the spectacle.
In truth, Rasa was only here to make up the numbers. Though he bore the Kazekage title, real power in Sunagakure lay with the Elder Council led by Chiyo.
What he said didn't really matter. He didn't even care to speak. All he wanted was to watch the other four villages tear each other apart.
Best case scenario, they'd fight among themselves, giving him time to outlive Chiyo and Ebizō.
When it came to endurance, he was confident. He was still in his twenties. Those two relics were nearly sixty.
If he could just outlast them, then Sunagakure would truly be his.
"Impossible. Hatake Kazane is a shinobi of Konoha. Konoha will never abandon its own."
Hiruzen responded firmly.
No matter how much political strife existed within the village, outside threats always demanded a united front.
"Then Konoha must prepare to face a declaration of war from three major villages!"
Onoki snapped back, his stance equally resolute.
In truth, before this summit even began, he had already exchanged letters with the other two villages. Today's confrontation was all part of his plan.
Hatake Kazane's growth had been too fast—terrifyingly so.
Onoki had lived through the era of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha. Watching another prodigy rise to such a level filled him with dread.
Back then, Hashirama had distributed the Tailed Beasts and helped create the village system.
But there was no guarantee Kazane would make the same choices once he reached that level.
Onoki had no desire to once again live in a world where someone else held the lives of all in their hands.
So the moment the Third Raikage was killed by Kazane, Onoki began preparing for this day.
He knew Hiruzen well—better than most. He was confident the Hokage would make the "right" choice.
"If Konoha hands over Hatake Kazane, we of Kumogakure are willing to pay 500 million ryo in silver as war reparations."
The Fourth Raikage spoke again, this time calmly and with deliberate emphasis.
He didn't care about Kazane's future power—he simply wanted revenge for his father.
No price was too high for that.
"If Konoha hands over Hatake Kazane, Iwagakure will also pay 500 million ryo in reparations."
"Kirigakure is likewise willing to pay 500 million ryo."
Onoki and Yagura echoed the sentiment.
If they could solve the Kazane problem with silver, no amount would be too much.
And this was exactly what Onoki had counted on.
He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply.
Hiruzen was a politician—pure and simple. If the pros and cons were weighed properly, there was almost nothing he wouldn't sacrifice.
Faced with such tempting offers from three powerful villages, Hiruzen did begin to waver.
Behind him, Danzo lightly tapped the back of his chair—a silent signal, urging Hiruzen to accept. After all, Kazane would likely kill them if given a chance, specially Danzo.
Five hundred million ryo was a staggering amount, no matter the village.
Even for wealthy Konoha, it equaled roughly five years' worth of mission revenue.
For the less affluent villages, it might represent ten years—or even more.
With that kind of money, Konoha could buy itself ten years of peace.
And Hiruzen was very tempted.
Blinded by the glittering promise of silver, he failed to consider the obvious truth: the three defeated villages had already been so heavily damaged, they couldn't possibly launch another war in the next ten years.
Or perhaps he did realize it… but simply chose not to think about it.
"Well then," Onoki spoke up again, "since it seems difficult for you to make a decision, Hiruzen, how about we postpone the summit for seven days?"
"By then, I trust you'll give us all an answer we can accept."
He could see that Hiruzen was shaken.
But if they pressed him now, pride alone would force him to refuse.
Better to let him return, reflect, and convince himself it was the best move for the village.
Because Onoki knew—better than anyone—that for Hiruzen Sarutobi, there was little in Konoha he wouldn't sacrifice...
except himself.
TN/ Dang, I feel like our boy Kazane would literally fought everyone.