Ch.135 Quarrel

The Third Hokage's expression darkened.

Seated in the outer circle, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado both furrowed their brows, their faces filled with discontent.

The Hidden Cloud had repeatedly attempted to undermine the Hidden Leaf, from sending spies to kidnap Uzumaki Kushina to more recently having their envoys try to abduct Hyuga Hinata, the main family's young heiress. These incidents left the Hidden Leaf in an awkward position.

Had the Hidden Leaf not been struggling with a weakened state and lacking in power, a war with the Hidden Cloud would have already erupted.

But now was clearly not the time for a battle of pride. The Third Hokage suppressed the flash of anger in his eyes and calmly said, "Raikage, please be patient!"

The Fourth Mizukage suddenly spoke up, "I agree with the Raikage. Let's skip the formalities. Since the five Kage have gathered, let's get straight to the point!"

The Fourth Kazekage nodded slightly, "Indeed, let's dispense with the pleasantries."

The Third Tsuchikage let out a small laugh.

The representatives of the smaller villages in the outer circle glanced at each other, confused.

No one had expected that this Five Kage Summit would be so tense from the start, with several villages seemingly ganging up on the Hidden Leaf.

Standing on the sidelines to maintain order, Kakashi and Asuma exchanged worried looks, both sensing the rising tension.

Although the Hidden Leaf had been the victor of the Third Shinobi World War, it was a hard-fought victory. Many young and strong shinobi had died, and it was only thanks to the sudden rise of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, that the village had managed to stabilize the war effort.

Now, both the Fourth Hokage and his wife were gone. Although shinobi of Kakashi's generation had grown stronger, they still lacked a figure like the Fourth Hokage who could command absolute authority.

Moreover, the Uchiha clan's extermination had caused the village to lose a significant portion of its power.

Anyone could see that the Hidden Leaf was no longer as strong as it once was. While it might still rank as the strongest of the Five Great Nations, its advantage was no longer as clear.

Facing the aggressive attitude of the other Kage, the Third Hokage remained composed and said, "Very well, let's get straight to the point."

He then instructed his attendants to distribute documents.

These documents detailed the crimes of the Akatsuki as collected by the Hidden Leaf, including reports of missing ninja, the escape of the demon from the Land of Demons, and the recent attack on the Hidden Grass envoy.

After reviewing the documents, the Raikage couldn't hold back and shouted, "These scoundrels are completely lawless!"

The other Kage also wore grim expressions.

There were many bounty hunter organizations in the shinobi world, but none had ever dared to offend the Five Great Nations.

The Akatsuki not only attacked shinobi from the Five Great Nations but also released the demon sealed in the Land of Demons and attacked the Hidden Grass envoy.

These crimes were an eyesore to the Five Kage.

The Fourth Mizukage set down the documents and asked the Third Hokage, "Why are there so many Uchiha in the Akatsuki?"

Suddenly, the room fell silent.

Everyone, even the representative from the Hidden Rain Village, turned their gaze toward the Third Hokage.

It was clear that after receiving the invitation from the Third Hokage to discuss countermeasures against the Akatsuki, Pain had sent a team under the guise of the Hidden Rain Village leadership.

In essence, the Akatsuki itself was participating in this discussion aimed at opposing them!

Feeling the weight of everyone's gaze, the Third Hokage, who had mentally prepared for this, cleared his throat and shook his head. "Regrettably, we in the Hidden Leaf are also in the dark about this. We only know that Uchiha Itachi, after murdering the Uchiha clan, defected and joined the Akatsuki. As for the other Uchiha members in the Akatsuki, we have no information."

"Hmph!" The Fourth Mizukage snorted.

The Third Hokage asked, "Does Mizukage have any further questions?"

"It's not that I don't believe the Hidden Leaf," the Fourth Mizukage replied, slowly scanning the room. "But isn't the Mangekyo Sharingan a rare dojutsu among the Uchiha? How could there suddenly be so many Mangekyo users in the Akatsuki? And you claim the Hidden Leaf doesn't know anything? Who would believe that?"

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, scowled. "Exactly! I heard that there was a genius in the Uchiha clan named Shisui Uchiha. Where is he?"

The Third Hokage sighed, shaking his head. "Shisui committed suicide."

The Fourth Mizukage sneered. "Suicide? You're telling me 'Shisui of the Body Flicker' would take his own life? A genius like him would kill himself?"

The Third Hokage's expression darkened.

Shisui's death couldn't simply be labeled as a suicide, as it involved the village's internal strife with the Uchiha clan and Danzo's underhanded attack that stole Shisui's eye.

This scandal couldn't even be disclosed internally, let alone discussed at a Five Kage Summit.

But if they didn't explain it clearly, claiming it was a simple suicide obviously wouldn't convince the other Kage.

Seeing the Third Hokage hesitate, the two Leaf elders, Koharu and Homura, who were sitting in the outer circle, wore strained expressions. The Fourth Mizukage pressed on, "Please, Hokage, give us the truth. Did Shisui Uchiha really die?"

The other Kage also appeared deep in thought.

If Shisui hadn't died, then perhaps one of the Mangekyo Sharingan users in the Akatsuki could be him.

The Third Hokage quickly responded, "Shisui is indeed deceased. We have his final letter as proof!"

"A letter means nothing!" The Raikage roared. "We want evidence! Where is Shisui Uchiha's body?"

The Third Hokage replied calmly, "Regrettably, we were unable to find his body."

Evidence could be provided—Danzo could reveal the Mangekyo Sharingan he had stolen from Shisui. But doing so would tarnish the Hidden Leaf's 'Will of Fire.'

So, the Third Hokage could only bear the pressure.

The Fourth Mizukage squinted. "I know full well how powerful Shisui Uchiha was. If there's no body, then we of the Hidden Mist Village will not believe he's dead."

After listening for a while, the Third Tsuchikage sneered, "Sarutobi Hiruzen, could it be that this Akatsuki is a creation of the Hidden Leaf? Did you orchestrate the fake deaths of Uchiha elites to secretly join this organization under the guise of a bounty hunter group, to oppose us?"

The Third Hokage countered, "Onoki, if that were the case, why would the Hidden Leaf call for this meeting?"

The Third Tsuchikage retorted coldly, "Who knows what kind of scheme you're hatching!"

The Third Hokage shot back, "Don't forget, your own disciple is a member of the Akatsuki. Was that also arranged by the Hidden Leaf?"

Before the Third Tsuchikage could respond, the Fourth Raikage waved the documents in his hand. "Look at these people! They're all your villages' defectors. It's your responsibility that an organization like the Akatsuki, full of renegade shinobi, has emerged!"

The Akatsuki included defectors from the Hidden Leaf, Hidden Stone, Hidden Mist, and Hidden Sand, but none from the Hidden Cloud, so the Raikage felt justified in his outburst.

The Third Tsuchikage protested, "Raikage, you can't make such accusations!"

The Fourth Raikage glared at Onoki. "Tsuchikage, wasn't Deidara your disciple?"

Onoki crossed his arms. "Whether or not Deidara has joined the Akatsuki is only the Hidden Grass Village's claim. Without concrete evidence, the Hidden Stone will not acknowledge it!"

The Fourth Kazekage immediately chimed in, "Indeed. Without solid proof that Sasori has joined the Akatsuki, we of the Hidden Sand will not acknowledge it either!"

The Fourth Mizukage didn't speak, but his smirk made his stance clear.

Seeing this, the Third Hokage shook his head slightly.

Although the Third Shinobi World War had ended seven or eight years ago, the hatred among the Five Great Nations had not subsided much.

They were all still filled with suspicion and animosity toward one another.

In such a climate, trying to unite the villages would be extremely difficult.

After more pointless arguments, the first meeting of the summit ended in a stalemate.

...

At the barbecue restaurant…

Shinji smiled at the group. "Today's meal is on me. Feel free to eat whatever you want!"

"Shinji's treating us? Then we won't hold back!"

"Bring on the food!"

"Time for a feast!"

Everyone cheered excitedly.

Shinji sat down and, while casually grabbing some food, asked Shion, who was seated beside him, "By the way, Shion, what was discussed at the Five Kage Summit today?"

It was clear that the real reason Shinji had invited everyone to this meal was to get information from Shion.

As the priestess of the Land of Demons, Shion, being the leader of her country, had naturally attended the Five Kage Summit.

Hearing the mention of the summit, everyone turned their attention to Shion.

White and Karin, in particular, were more interested in the results of the meeting, as the main topic was how to deal with the Akatsuki.

Shion sighed, "It was just a lot of arguing. Nothing was decided!"

Sasuke was surprised. "Arguing?"

Shion nodded. "Yes."

With his mouth full of food, Naruto mumbled, "Even the Kage argue just like we do?"

Shikamaru replied, "Of course. Adults argue too!"

Shinji silently pondered, "The Akatsuki hasn't done anything too outrageous yet. Even with their attacks on various villages, it's more a blow to pride than a serious threat. Given the lack of trust among the Five Great Nations, it's unlikely they'll unite against the Akatsuki anytime soon."

In the original timeline, the Five Great Nations only united because the Akatsuki had gone too far—targeting the Tailed Beasts and openly declaring war during a Five Kage Summit.

Only then did the nations decide to form the Allied Shinobi Forces.

For now, the Akatsuki was merely causing minor disruptions, making it difficult for the Five Great Nations to come together.

White and Karin also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

...

In the Hidden Rain Village…

Following closely behind Sasori, Hiruko walked through a narrow, rain-soaked alley toward the central tower of the Hidden Rain Village.

Hiruko asked, "Where are we going?"

Sasori answered, "To meet the leader."

Hiruko's spirits lifted.

He was genuinely curious about the leader who had managed to unite dangerous individuals like Sasori and Deidara into the Akatsuki.

Soon, they reached the top of the tower and saw a figure standing tall in the rain.

The figure slowly turned around. "Sasori, you may leave."

Without a word, Sasori departed.

Hiruko finally got a good look at the figure standing in the rain, and his attention was immediately drawn to the strange, spiraling eyes in the person's sockets.

"I am the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain," the figure said after a pause. "Sasori mentioned that you wished to see me?"

"Yes!" Hiruko quickly nodded.

Then he froze for a moment, realizing he had answered far too quickly and in a strangely submissive tone.

Pain gazed at Hiruko. "What did you want to tell me?"

After taking a moment to collect himself, Hiruko explained, "I agreed to join the Akatsuki on the condition that the organization helps me complete an experiment."

"What experiment?"

Hiruko explained that he needed several shinobis with Bloodline Limit for his experiment.

Pain nodded. "I'll assign someone to assist you. From now on, you are a member of the Akatsuki. You may leave."

After Hiruko left, Konan stepped out of the shadows. "Kakuzu's team failed."

Pain frowned slightly. "What happened?"

Konan shook her head. "We don't know yet. It's possible that someone else got to the target first."

Pain tilted his head. "Are you suspecting him?"

"There's no one else who would interfere with our plans!" Konan said, her expression dark. "He's still building his power. We need to stay vigilant."

The Akatsuki had its own intelligence network.

The escape of the demon from the Land of Demons had caused quite a stir in the shinobi world, and Konan had naturally heard the details. From the information, she suspected that Tobi was behind it.

Pain nodded. "The Five Great Nations have also started paying attention to us."

Konan asked worriedly, "What will they do?"

Pain replied calmly, "Don't worry. Those fools will never learn to truly understand each other."

When he received the invitation from the Hidden Leaf, Pain had already foreseen the outcome.

In his view, if the Five Great Nations could come together in mutual understanding and cooperate because of this, then perhaps they still had some value.

But he believed the chances of that were slim.

He had already seen through the true nature of the Five Great Nations. These arrogant shinobi only knew how to wield their power and had no idea how to understand one another.

Because of this, they would easily start wars for their own selfish desires. They would coldly destroy villages, towns, and even entire countries! Whether victorious or defeated, they would never learn from war.

They would only gather their strength, preparing for the next war!

Only by making them feel deep pain…

Only by making them lose their loved ones, their friends, their families…

Would they finally know pain, understand pain, and learn what peace truly meant!

Otherwise, it would all remain empty words!