Chapter 43 Five Kage Conference

As most people were engrossed in the chat room, enjoying the unfolding scene, Nara Shikamaru remained attentive.

He kept his gaze fixed on the light screen, unwilling to let his guard down even for a moment, fearing he might miss crucial information amid distractions.

Battle after battle ensued, each lacking suspense, and the preliminaries for the third test concluded smoothly.

Among the twelve players who successfully advanced to the official competition of the Chūnin exam were Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Luffy, Zoro, Ash, Accelerator, Mikoto Misaka, Gaara, Hyuga Neji, and Nara Shikamaru himself.

Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen, adorned in his Hokage robe, addressed the gathered participants: "Allow me to explain the details of the upcoming competition."

"As previously mentioned, you will be participating in a formal competition that will be witnessed by esteemed members of the ninja community."

"You all represent the martial prowess of your respective nations, and it's my hope that you will showcase your skills to the best of your abilities."

"To facilitate this, the official competition will commence in a month's time."

"Eh--" exclaimed both Luffy and Naruto simultaneously, expressing their surprise.

Naruto glanced at Luffy, then turned to Sarutobi Hiruzen, saying, "I thought we would start right away!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen chuckled gently before explaining, "This period of time is designated for preparation. We need to inform the daimyo of each nation and summon the high-ranking officials from every ninja village to witness the official competition."

However...

Sarutobi Hiruzen's attention was caught by a crucial detail. This boy, Yakushi Kabuto, was not just an ordinary Genin. He was an enemy combatant captured during the Battle of Kikyo Mountain, later adopted by Jōnin Yakushi Nonoyu of the Medical Department.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sarutobi Hiruzen instructed, "You are responsible for keeping an eye on him. If there is any sign of trouble, report to me immediately!"

With the qualifiers concluded, all the ninjas began to disperse and make their way. Sarutobi Hiruzen remained behind, observing the now-empty venue as he took a puff from his cigarette.

Just as he was about to relax, Nara Shikaku approached him with urgency. "Master Hokage, there's a problem!"

Surprised by the sudden alert, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his attention to Nara Shikaku, ready to address the emerging issue. The reminder from Nara Shikaku snapped everyone in the ninja world back to attention, bringing them out of their momentary lapse in awareness.

["It's too slow!"] An impatient voice echoed in the dimly lit conference room.

Fourth Raikage's eyes widened in recognition. "This is..."

In the light of the holographic display, his identity was revealed. Alongside him sat Onoki of Iwagakure, Rasa of Sunagakure, and Terumi Mei, Kirigakure's nominal Marine Admiral, whose power rivaled that of the Marine Marshal. Completing the assembly were Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage of Konoha.

Now, the shadows of the five major ninja villages in the world were gathered here.

["My apologies!"] Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed, extinguishing his cigarette before taking his seat. Placing his Hokage hat on the table, he spoke with a smile, "I lost track of time watching those kids compete."

The impatient Fourth Raikage rapped his knuckles on the table, his voice resonating with authority. "Now that we're all here, let's begin..."

["Let the Five Kage Conference commence!"]

Upon hearing these words, the entire ninja world erupted into murmurs. Though they had anticipated it, the confirmation that the Chūnin exam was a pretext for this meeting stunned them. It signaled that the five shadows of the future had indeed discovered the existence of gods and were now deliberating on countermeasures.

["Wait a moment!"]

Onoki slowly raised his head, interrupting the Fourth Raikage's speech. His gaze shifted to Terumi Mei as he spoke, "Before the Five Kage Conference begins, I request that Miss Terumi Mei provide an explanation and compose a letter of invitation for us to convene the conference."

"And...emphasize discretion."

"Ensure utmost secrecy, even from those we trust the most!"

This Chūnin exam, originally not on their agenda, had become a crucial component. It was Terumi Mei's sudden letter that had alerted them to the impending gathering of the Five Shadows, to discuss pivotal matters concerning the future of the ninja world. She had designated Konoha as the location and proposed using the Chūnin exam as a covert cover for the meeting.

The envelope containing the invitation was encrypted with the highest level of security and would be destroyed after reading. Terumi Mei's seriousness in this matter left no room for negligence. Each of the other four Kage deployed a Shadow Clone to maintain their duties while their main forms utilized the Transformation Technique to infiltrate as envoys for the exam.

[Sarutobi Hiruzen also deliberately disseminated news about an upcoming event in Konoha, scheduled for one month later, to politicians, daimyo, and film actors from various countries.]

[This was done to create confusion among the audience and to establish a time discrepancy. However, not knowing the target of the alert left Onoki feeling impatient.]

[Terumi Mei remained silent, but her gaze fixed on Sarutobi Hiruzen. He then formed a mudra with both hands, causing a faint translucent ripple to appear in the surrounding air.]

["Alright!"]

["A barrier has now been set up here. Within a radius of five kilometers, except for the five of us, anyone who approaches will be immediately detected."]

["If anything happens, do not hesitate to speak up!"]

["Understood!"]

[Terumi Mei nodded, then turned to address the others with solemnity: "Roger, the Pirate King. I believe everyone here is familiar with him."]

["Nonsense!"]

[Although Roger was once a renegade ninja from Kirigakure, his exploits were widely known throughout the ninja world, particularly regarding the legendary treasure known as "One Piece."]

[Many young adventurers were inspired by his tale, igniting the age of navigation.]

["That treasure is actually a fake!"]

[Terumi Mei revealed a shocking secret with a chuckle: "In truth, there is no treasure at all. It was all a ruse orchestrated by Roger to deceive a certain individual."]

["To be more precise, Roger had entrusted the great secret treasure to us from the very beginning."]

["What does this mean?"]

[The Fourth Raikage asked, his brow furrowed.]

[Terumi Mei took a deep breath and continued in a grave tone: "You must be wondering why I emphasize secrecy and urge you not to disclose this to anyone."]

["Because..."]

["We may have been under surveillance for a long time!"]

["What?"]

[The other four were visibly shaken by this revelation.]

[Terumi Mei remained composed as she continued: "According to the information provided by Roger, he learned from an external source that, although the gods were currently unable to intervene directly in the ninja world, they had visited thousands of years ago and left behind an unknown black object."]

["This object was responsible for monitoring the ninja world."]

["Even certain wars, such as the conflict between Uchiha Madara and the First Hokage Senju Hashirama, were secretly influenced by this unknown black object."]

["Because this object possesses a degree of intelligence."]

["To some extent, it could be considered the offspring of that god."]

["Thus, Mr. Roger referred to it as..."]

["Zetsu!"]

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

[Support me and get advance chapter through my patreon:patreon.com/void667]