Ch.134 Five Kage Summit!

Neji never imagined that his clan harbored such a secret, and for a moment, his emotions were conflicted.

On one hand, he was happy to know that the Byakugan, like the Sharingan, could evolve to a higher level of dojutsu. On the other hand, he was worried that, as a branch family member, he had no right to know such a secret.

That's right.

Even a genius like Neji, who was hailed as the prodigy of the Hyuga clan, immediately thought of his own unworthiness to learn such secrets.

The rigid hierarchy of the Hyuga clan was deeply ingrained in the minds of its members.

Even brothers would have vastly different statuses due to the division between the main and branch families.

The mysterious man smiled. "Are you hesitating?"

Neji shook his head. "You may not know this, but I am just a branch family member."

The mysterious man said indifferently, "So what?"

"So…" Neji lowered his head and said, "Even if the clan really hides the secret of the Tenseigan, it's not something a branch family member like me can inquire about."

"Oh, is that so!" The mysterious man chuckled and said, "I thought you had the resolve to break the chains of fate, but it turns out you're just a foolish bird content to stay in its cage."

With that, the mysterious man turned to leave, without any hesitation.

Seeing the man's figure about to disappear into the night, Neji seemed to realize something. He took several quick steps forward and called out, "Please wait!"

The mysterious man didn't stop. "I'm not interested in hearing the self-pity of a branch family member."

Chasing after him, Neji apologized, "I'm sorry."

Only then did the mysterious man stop. "For you, the opportunity to change your fate will come only once. Would you capture it, or just let it slip? Now, tell me your answer!"

Clenching his fist, Neji said, "I want to capture it!"

"Good, that's the attitude of a strong person!" Nodding, the mysterious man continued, "The method to reach the moon, or rather the way to communicate with the moon, is undoubtedly in the hands of the main family. You need to figure out how to obtain that information."

Neji listened intently. "And then?"

"Then contact me, and I'll take you to the moon!" The mysterious man paused and added with a smile, "Of course, you can try to go there yourself, but let me warn you, the people living on the moon, who share a bloodline with your Hyuga clan, might not be very friendly toward you."

"I understand."

Neji nodded.

He knew that the man was using him.

But regardless, the man had pointed him toward a path, a hope named 'Tenseigan'!

Neji wasn't afraid of hardship or trials; what he feared was having no direction for his efforts. As for betraying the main family? That wasn't an obstacle for him. If he'd had the chance, he would have long sought revenge against the main family for his father's sake.

After quickly sorting through his thoughts, Neji asked, "If I find any clues, how should I contact you?"

The mysterious man chuckled. "No need to worry, I'll contact you."

With that, the mysterious figure vanished into the night.

"Tenseigan…"

Neji murmured to himself as he turned and headed back to the training field.

Waking up the unconscious Tenten and Lee, Neji said, "You two must be exhausted. You should head home and rest early!"

Rubbing her head, Tenten asked, "Neji, just now…"

Neji waved his hand. "I'm fine. It was you two who passed out."

Tenten and Lee exchanged puzzled glances, but seeing that Neji was unharmed, they relaxed and, after chatting for a bit, each went home.

...

Meanwhile…

Shinji arrived at a secluded spot, removed his mask and Akatsuki robe, and finally dispelled the Transformation Jutsu.

Originally, Shinji wasn't sure if he should approach Neji in his Akatsuki identity, but when he saw how far Neji was pushing himself in his training, he realized that, had he not been nearby, Neji might not have survived.

So, he had no choice but to use the Transformation Jutsu and intervene.

The Byakugan could see through masks but not the Transformation Jutsu. Or more precisely, it could detect the presence of a Transformation Jutsu but couldn't reveal the true form underneath.

And that was enough.

"Tenseigan…"

Like Neji, Shinji was pondering the Tenseigan.

As far as he knew, there were two methods to obtain the Tenseigan.

The first was to combine many Byakugan into a Giant Tenseigan, like the one on the moon.

The second was for the Ōtsutsuki on the moon to transplant a high-purity Byakugan from the Hyuga clan, evolving it into an ordinary Tenseigan.

The first method was out of the question. The number of Byakugan required to create a Giant Tenseigan was staggering. The Giant Tenseigan on the moon was formed from the Byakugan of tens of thousands of members of the Ōtsutsuki clan. In the current ninja world, even without considering the Caged Bird seal, there simply weren't enough Byakugan to gather.

That left the second method.

"I wonder if Neji could fuse a Tenseigan by transplanting a Byakugan from the Ōtsutsuki clan?"

Shinji had been considering this idea for a while.

There were still eight or nine years left before Ōtsutsuki Toneri's appearance in the original timeline. Surely, other members of the Ōtsutsuki clan still lived on the moon, so there would be plenty of materials for experimentation. He could test each theory one by one.

As for those lunatics obsessed with destroying the world, Shinji didn't care about their fate at all!

Over the next few days, envoys from the various nations began arriving in the Hidden Leaf.

The first to arrive was the Fourth Mizukage, who came in person. This gesture of respect toward the host, the Hidden Leaf, was so significant that the Third Hokage himself greeted him.

Soon after, the Fourth Raikage, the Third Tsuchikage, and the Fourth Kazekage also arrived in the village.

At this point, the entire village was buzzing with excitement.

In fact, when the Hidden Leaf initially sent out invitations, they only expected a few elders from each village to attend the meeting.

But to their surprise, all four Kage gathered.

What was supposed to be a routine discussion had turned into a full-blown Five Kage Summit.

It's important to note that in the history of the shinobi villages, the Five Kage Summit had only been convened a handful of times, and each time it was to discuss major issues like the distribution of Tailed Beasts or responding to wars.

In the Hokage's office.

Kakashi reported, "Hokage-sama, we have arranged temporary accommodations for each envoy and strengthened security."

The Third Hokage nodded, his expression serious.

Koharu Utatane remarked, "This is a bit unusual."

Homura Mitokado agreed, "Yes, it's quite unusual."

Kakashi speculated, "Perhaps the other villages have also recognized the threat posed by the Akatsuki, which is why they're so eager to attend this meeting."

Clearly, the higher-ups in the Hidden Leaf were surprised by the other villages' responses and concerned about any hidden agendas.

But their worries were unnecessary.

The Fourth Mizukage suspected that the Hidden Leaf was involved in manipulating the Third Mizukage through the Sharingan. When Uchiha Itachi joined the Akatsuki, the suspicion shifted to the Akatsuki itself, which is why the Mizukage rushed to the meeting.

For the Hidden Sand, while the disappearance of the Third Kazekage remained a mystery to other villages, they had already identified Sasori, a member of the Akatsuki, as the prime suspect. That's why the Fourth Kazekage decided to attend in person.

The situation for the Hidden Stone was simpler. With one of his prized disciples having joined the Akatsuki, the Third Tsuchikage felt obligated to make an appearance, even if it was just a gesture.

As for the Hidden Cloud, once they learned that several of their shinobi had gone missing recently, and the incidents were potentially connected to the Akatsuki, the Fourth Raikage, with his temperament, couldn't possibly sit idly by.

The Third Hokage clasped his hands behind his back. "There's no need for speculation. Tomorrow, we'll know their intentions. Kakashi, you are in charge of security for the summit. Make sure nothing goes wrong!"

"Yes!"

Kakashi bowed and accepted the responsibility.

...

At the Mist Village envoy's residence…

"Mizukage-sama, here's the information you requested."

A Mist shinobi handed a document to the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura.

Glancing at the document, Yagura said, "Seven-year-old Uchiha Sasuke has already awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan?"

The Mist shinobi replied, "Yes. Of the two surviving Uchiha, Uchiha Sasuke awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan at first, and during a recent mission to the Land of Demons, he advanced to the Three-Tomoe."

The Fourth Mizukage furrowed his brows.

After taking office, he had studied the Uchiha clan and knew very well what it meant for a seven-year-old to awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

He then glanced at the second page. "Why is Uchiha Shinji rated so highly? Hasn't he failed to awaken the Sharingan?"

"Well…" The Mist shinobi hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Though Uchiha Shinji hasn't awakened the Sharingan, he ranks at the top of the Hidden Leaf's Shinobi Academy in both ninjutsu and taijutsu. He also excels in medical ninjutsu, which is why we've raised his evaluation."

Yagura didn't comment but fell silent for a moment before instructing, "Have our people get close to Uchiha Sasuke. I want to know the secrets of the Uchiha clan!"

The Mist shinobi immediately responded, "Understood!"

...

At the Hidden Grass envoy's residence…

"Why are all the Five Kage here?"

"Isn't this supposed to be about dealing with the Akatsuki? Or are the Five Great Nations planning another war?"

"If they were preparing for war, they wouldn't have invited us!"

Several Hidden Grass shinobi gathered to discuss.

Initially, they hadn't been too concerned. But upon arriving in the Hidden Leaf and realizing that all five Kage had personally attended, they understood the gravity of the situation.

One of them speculated, "Maybe the Akatsuki really is that dangerous!"

Another agreed, "Right. Those guys are all S-rank criminals. Even the Five Great Nations must find them troublesome!"

They had already received the basic intelligence on the Akatsuki provided by the Hidden Leaf.

According to the intel, all Akatsuki members were elite shinobi at the Jonin level, something they had already witnessed firsthand.

"There are three Mangekyō Sharingan users in the Akatsuki. There must be some connection between them and the Uchiha clan. Don't we have spies in the Hidden Leaf? Have them try to get close to the surviving Uchiha. We need to uncover this secret!"

"Agreed!"

...

At the Hidden Sound envoy's residence…

Having dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, Kimimaro bowed to the figure in front of him, dressed in the attire of a Sound shinobi. "Orochimaru-sama!"

Orochimaru smiled. "Are you adjusting well to life at the Hidden Leaf's Shinobi Academy?"

Kimimaro hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer the question.

Orochimaru's smile grew even wider. "It seems you've come to enjoy life at the Academy!"

Kimimaro quickly shook his head. "I wish to stay by your side!"

Orochimaru replied, "I need you to remain here."

Kimimaro's expression grew resolute. "Then I will stay!"

Nodding in satisfaction, Orochimaru inquired about Sasuke's recent activities.

After learning the details of the mission to the Land of Demons, Orochimaru couldn't help but lick his lips. "He's truly the child I've set my sights on!"

Originally, Orochimaru had his eyes on Uchiha Itachi.

However, Itachi's mere gaze had frozen him in place, forcing Orochimaru to abandon his plans to steal Itachi's body.

It wasn't in Orochimaru's nature to give up easily, but the gap between their abilities was simply too vast. Only after acknowledging this fact did he turn his attention to the seven-year-old Sasuke.

Yet, Sasuke had not disappointed him. Awakening the Three-Tomoe Sharingan at such a young age suggested that, in time, he might surpass Itachi.

Kimimaro asked, "Orochimaru-sama, do you have any new instructions?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "No. Just continue to keep an eye on Sasuke for me. Don't get involved in anything else!"

"Understood!"

After Kimimaro left, Orochimaru pulled out the Hidden Leaf's dossier on the Akatsuki.

At first, he hadn't taken the intel too seriously. After all, he had once been a member of the Akatsuki himself.

He knew that the true terror of the organization wasn't the S-rank criminals but its leader, Pain!

Pain possessed the fabled Rinnegan, and even Orochimaru had to admit that Pain's power far surpassed his own.

But seeing that all four of the other Kage had arrived in the Hidden Leaf, turning the event into a Five Kage Summit, he began to take the matter more seriously.

"Could it be that the Akatsuki really does have two or three more Mangekyō Sharingan users hidden within it?"

Orochimaru had already thought highly of the Akatsuki, but now it seemed he hadn't been cautious enough. If the Hidden Leaf's intel was correct and there were indeed two or three more Mangekyō Sharingan users within the Akatsuki, then the organization was powerful enough to threaten an entire Great Shinobi Village.

...

The next day…

The summit officially began.

In the center of the room was a round table with five empty seats, reserved for the Five Kage.

An outer ring held another round table, where representatives from smaller villages like Hidden Waterfall, Hidden Rain, Hidden Grass, and Hidden Sound were seated.

Soon, the Five Kage took their seats, and the main event began.

As the host, the Third Hokage was naturally the first to speak.

He cleared his throat and said, "I welcome you all to the Hidden Leaf, where we've gathered to discuss a strategy for dealing with the Akatsuki…"

Before the Third could finish his sentence, the Fourth Raikage, with his usual impatience, interrupted with a shout, "Enough with the pleasantries! Let's get straight to how we're going to deal with the Akatsuki! Those bastards dared to target my village, and I won't let them off!"