376. Envoy from Kumogakure

A few days passed after the Akatsuki assault,

"Senpai! I can't do this." Yamato plops on the ground with exhaustion clearly visible on his face.

"Just hold for a bit more. We are almost done with restructuring the terrain." Kakashi tries to placate him.

"You said the same thing yesterday, the day before yesterday, and even the day before that." Yamato stares at Kakashi with a wronged face.

"Well…"

Kakashi scratches his head. An idea pops into his head, and he turns to Yamato with bright eyes.

"And there he goes again!" Shisui chuckles as Kakashi praises Yamato to the high moon.

"Yamato… I have high hopes for you. Among the entire Konoha… No, the entire shinobi world, you are the only person who possesses the legendary Wood Release currently. Only you are capable of this task." Kakashi pats Yamato's shoulder.

"I believe in you, Yamato. If you finish the task in the next three, no two days, then I will take you to the exclusive VVIP resort in the Land of Hot Water. It will be the most luxurious vacation you will ever have in your life." Kakashi continues to pat Yamato's shoulder.

"Isn't he talking about Izuna Nii-san's resort? All of us can visit and enjoy it for free with that card." Shisui takes out a black card from his pocket.

"He is duping Yamato Senpai again!" Itachi shakes his head.

"Senpai… if… if that's what you want, then I will complete it in the next two, not within one day." Yamato takes out a bunch of chakra pills from his storage. He swallows them all in a gulp and sits cross-legged to restore his chakra.

"Looks like I overdid it!" Kakashi scratches his cheeks with a wry smile.

"Well, at least he is motivated, so it's a win overall." He chuckles dryly. Itachi and Shisui shake their head.

Hmm…

The group turns around and stares in the distance.

"This chakra! Is it someone from the Land of Lightning?"

Soon, a shinobi in the Hidden Cloud attires appear in their vision. He notices the group standing at the foothill of a mountain.

The cloud shinobi hurriedly moves towards the group. He waves a green messenger flag to relay his intentions.

"So, he is a messenger." Kakashi and the rest lower their guard.

Soon,

Huff… Huff…

The cloud messenger approaches them while panting.

"I… huff… huff… have a message… huff… huff… from the Raikage-sama. You must be Kakashi Hatake. Please escort me to the leaf village." The messenger takes out a scroll from his pocket.

Kakashi looks around and notices no one except the messenger in front of him.

"Are you alone?" He asks the messenger.

"No… my teammates are still resting at the village a few miles ahead." He looks around and remarks.

"The terrain around Konoha has changed a lot, so it took us longer to figure out the correct path."

"Let's return to Konoha. There are things we would also like to talk about." Kakashi escorts the messenger to the village while Yamato, Itachi, and Shisui stay behind to help rebuild the terrain.

-------------------

Back in Konoha, at the Hokage Office.

Tsunade reads the scroll and ponders.

"So, the Akatsuki also attacked Kumogakure. They captured the Eight-tails jinchuruki Killer B."

Tsunade ponders as she lays the scroll on the table.

"Yes, Bee-sama fought valiantly and took down one of the Akatsuki members; but unfortunately, he was ambushed by another Akatsuki member." The envoy grits his teeth.

"I understand Kumo's stance towards this. Konoha was also attacked by the eight members of Akatsuki. You can still notice the traces of battle outside the periphery of Konoha." Tsunade nods at him.

'What kind of battle did Konoha fight to drastically change the landscape?' The envoy couldn't even comprehend the scale of the battle.

'I better report this news to Raikage-sama after I return.' The envoy makes up his mind.

"I need to discuss with the Elder Council before making a decision. So, it's better if you wait for a while." Tsunade turns to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, escort him to the guesthouse of Konoha."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Kakashi bows and leaves with the Kumo messenger.

Tsunade writes a letter to summon the members of the elder council.

A few minutes later, inside the meeting room.

"What should we do with this situation?"

The elder council ponders as they recall the contents of the scroll.

"So, eight-tails who is Raikage's younger brother got captured by the members of the Akatsuki. But didn't Akatsuki suffer a devastating defeat under our hands and most of their members fell in battle? Even their leader, Pain, died in the previous battle." One of the elder council members remarks.

"Pain wasn't the mastermind behind the Akatsuki. The real mastermind is still out in the open." Tsunade reveals a little bit of information about the situation.

'Revealing Madara's name will create panic among them. That's a name which can't be taken lightly even in Konoha's current situation.'

"So, what's your decision, Lady Hokage?" One of the elder council members directs the question to Tsunade.

"Since it's the Raikage who initiated the Hokage Summit, then I don't see a reason to refuse it. Akatsuki has been a major threat to the shinobi world for a while. If we can make a united stand amongst the five nations; then it will only benefit us. Also, the Hokage Summit would be held in the Land of Iron, a neutral territory of the Samurais. So, there won't be any conspiracies involved." Tsunade announces her decision to the elders.

"Then please make sure that Konoha has a leading position in the meeting. We are currently the strongest shinobi Nation out of all Five Nations. So, it's given that Konoha receives the most benefit out of this meeting." One of the elderly council members reminds her.

"Konoha won't suffer a loss in the negotiation. For now, we should prepare for the possibility of a war. It's better safe than to be sorry later."

"Very well! We will make arrangements with the clan leaders." The elder council members agree with Tsunade and the meeting concludes.

Tsunade returns to the Hokage Office.

"Summon Kakashi and his team!"

A few minutes later,

Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrive in the room.

"You summoned us Hokage-sama!" Kakashi salutes Tsunade.

"Team seven, I have an S-Rank mission for you. I want your team to escort me to the Land of Iron."

Tsunade writes down a mission letter and issues it to Kakashi.

"Land of Iron! It has been a while since I last went there." Naruto recalls his previous trip to the Land of Iron.

"I went to the Land of Medicine with Izuna Nii-san. We visited Land of Iron on our way." Naruto crosses his arms as he recalls the trip from his memories.

"Oh, I remember that! Back then you were a lot cheeky brat!" Tsunade grins at Naruto.

"Now… now… don't bother yourself with the small stuff." Naruto waves his hand in an attempt to change the topic.

"Also, Minato will be the other guard!" Tsunade remarks.

"DAD! Dad is going with us?"

"Of course! Minato is also a former hokage and has much more information about our enemies. So, he will play a vital role in the meeting. This might be the first time when all shinobi nations will put aside their difference and work together for once. If this happens, then the long-awaited dream of the peaceful days of my idiotic grandfather might become a reality."

Hashirama's face appears in Tsunade's vision.

'Don't be mean to Grandpa, little Tsuna." He bashes at Tsunade's angry expression.

Knock… knock…

Someone knocks on the door of the Hokage Office.

"Come in!"

Mei enters the room with Team Three.

"I am so exhausted!"

She plops down on the sofa in the Hokage Office.

"Did you also receive the letter?" Tsunade asks her.

"I did! That unruly A want to hold a Kage Summit in the Land of Iron. Looks like he suffered a heavy blow with the loss of eight-tails and his younger brother. It was enough for him to let go of his ego and ask for help." Mei shakes her head.

Ayaka waves her hand at Naruto and Sasuke and chats with them.

"I will have three escorts. Izumi and team three will escort me from Konoha and Ao and Chojuro from the Mist. Since it's a long journey from Kirigakure, we will teleport to Konoha and will start the journey from there. This way, it will be more convenient for us." Mei reveals her plan.

"That's fine with me. Having additional people will make the journey less jarring and boring." Tsunade agrees with Mei.

"I will return home for now. Tatsuya and Kanna might be looking for me. I left them in their grandma's care." Mei massages her forehead and stands up.

"I will also come with you, Mei Nee-san!" Ayaka follows her.

"Me too!" Hanabi and Yakumo also follow her.