445 410. Kage Summit Part-3
"Please refrain from any further violent action in this conference." Mifune turns towards the Kages.
"Let's continue our discussion."
Everyone takes their seats and the meeting resumes.
A scrutinizes every Kage and speaks.
"Konoha, Kiri, Suna, Iwa… Rogue shinobis from your villages make up the Akatsuki! And that's not all! From our investigations, we know that among you, including your previous Kage, there are those who used the Akatsuki!" A's gaze lingers on Onoki for a few seconds.
Hmph…
Onoki snorts at him.
"I don't trust you. I had no intention of even discussing this with you. However, the reason I even convened this summit is that we as five great nations have weakened significantly over the years except for…" A turn in Konoha's direction.
"… Konoha, who is as strong if not stronger than before? However, Konoha is also the source of the trouble. It was an elder of Konoha, Danzo Shimura, whose actions led to the formation of Akatsuki and he was also the person manipulating other nations in dark during the second and the third shinobi war." A clenches his fist.
"As such, Konoha should take responsibility for the actions of its shinobis." He turns towards Gaara.
"Konoha isn't the sole guilty village. Sunagakure hired Akatsuki during the third shinobi war to wreak havoc on smaller nations and even and even used the Akatsuki to destroy Konoha. I am speaking of Orochimaru! And as a result, Suna lost to Konoha and became the dog of Konoha."
Crack… crack…
Temari clenches her fist and jumps from her seat.
Swish…
Rasa extends his hand and stops her. He shakes his head. Temari returns to her seat with fury. She turns around and notices the clenched fist of Rasa.
"Enough!" Tsunade slams on the table.
"Hokage-sama, please follow the rules of the convention." Mifune reminds her.
Tch…
Tsunade clicks her tongue. A ignores her and turns his attention to Mei.
"The most suspicious is the Hidden Mist village. You Kiri does not conduct diplomacy. There are even rumors that the mastermind behind Akatsuki originated there! Not only that, Yagura Karatachi, the previous Mizukage, even provided financial aid to the Akatsuki."
Mei clenches her fists and lowers her head.
The deeds of her predecessor were always a matter of shame for her. When she was a kid, Yagura was her idol. She always strived to become a shinobi like Yagura. However, those ideals were shattered when Yagura turned Kiri into Blood Mist. The reign of terror, the violence of shinobis, and the slaughter of innocents left her heartbroken. Her ideals and the perfect image of Yagura shattered, replaced with a twisted demon who plunged her village, her home into chaos and bloodbath. That's why when Yagura died, her broken heart was laid to rest. She pledged to herself to overcome the mess and wash away the infamy her predecessor left.
"Since it has come this far, I will speak honestly."
Ao raises his head and murmurs.
"Don't tell me, is lady fifth going to reveal the…"
"There was a suspicion that someone was manipulating Yagura, our Fourth Mizukage. And recently…"
She turns towards Tsunade, who nods at her.
"… the identity of the suspect was revealed to be Obito Uchiha, a former member of the Uchiha clan, and…"
She turns in Minato's direction.
The latter sighs and nods at her.
"… the student of Lord Minato."
BANG…
A disregard the warning from Mifune and slams his clenched fist on the table, shattering it into bits.
"Each and every one of you…"
He turns towards Konoha in anger.
"Especially Konoha… is responsible for the current state of the shinobi world. Your elder schemed behind others' backs and waged war, and your shinobi developed forbidden ninjutsu and tilted the scale of power. And currently, as we speak… the shinobi from your village are seeking a method to destroy the world."
"Hold your tongue, Raikage!" Onoki interrupts him.
"As much as I would like to slander Konoha with you and seek joy from it, the Kumogakure is also not some innocent sheep. Your village disregarded the disarmament efforts and sought powerful tools and ninjutsu to gain power. Even though Danzo manipulated the scenes, ultimately the second shinobi war was your doing. Your shinobi secretly invaded the Land of Fire to mine chakra ore from their nation and develop a powerful weapon to eradicate other nations."
Tch…
"You are spouting some baseless words when we all know that the real culprit behind this current situation is none other than Konoha." A scoff at Onoki's words.
"If you want to blame someone, then Konoha should be the one to take the blame." He adds.
Crack…
Tsunade clenches her fist.
'These two are in cahoots. Singing the same tune, do they think the rest of us are deaf?'
"Before we proceed further with this act of shifting responsibility, I would like to make a statement." Minato, who was silently sitting the entire time, walks out from the shadows and stands beside Tsunade. Even Rasa follows his lead and stands behind Gaara.
Minato turns to Mifune.
"As the former Kage, I meet the criteria to voice my opinion at this convention, right?"
Hmm…
Mifune opens his eyes and stares at Minato before glancing at the face of the other Kages.
"Kumogakure asked the Land of Iron to hold a Kage summit, there was no mention that it could only be the current Kage."
"Thank you, Lord Mifune!" Minato nods in gratitude.
Tch…
A click his tongue.
"What is it that you want to say, Fourth Hokage?"
Minato turns towards A and Onoki.
"The leader of the Akatsuki is MADARA UCHIHA."
Silence ensues in the hall as A and Onoki are too stunned to say anything. Even Mifune, the moderator of the meeting, loses his calm.
"Are of sure that?" Onoki questions him with a trembling voice.
The past memories of his encounter with Madara Uchiha flash past his mind.
"Hasn't he been dead for several decades?" A question the legitimacy of Minato's statement.
"Yes, Raikage is right. He died long ago. There is no way he is leading an organization." Onoki shakes his head.
"Hey, Minato, are you making things up?" A glare at Minato.
"I am not making things up. The information is reliable." Minato replies to him.
"You people must have heard about the recent attack of Akatsuki on Konoha, right? Akatsuki lost most of their members during that battle, although Konoha also suffered some losses. However, we were able to secure some information during the exchange. And this information is one of those?" Minato answers their doubts.
"Then Madara… is he an immortal?!" A ask in shock.
"Perhaps!" Minato replies in a slightly uncertain tone, since he has seen a lot of strange things lately.
"To think… he was really a monster." Onoki gasps in shock.
If Izuna's name instills some fear and trepidation in the heart of these battle-hardened shinobis, then the name of Madara Uchiha is the very epitome of terror and a never-ending nightmare.
"Fourth Hokage, if what you are saying is true, then Akatsuki is too great of a threat to be left alone. Madara alone can wipe entire nations on his own. As such, we must seek ways to eliminate his threat."
Hmm…
Mifune looks around at the expression of all Kages.
Ahem…
He clears his throat to get their attention.
"Everyone, I want to speak on behalf of the neutral actions. The actions of five great nations have always been a cause of concern for smaller nations that seek survival and resources for their people. The turmoil of the previous war has threatened the stability of the entire world. Now, even though peace has ensued in the world; Akatsuki, another such volatile factor threatens to disrupt the peace of the world. So, during such times…"
"What are you trying to say?!" A interrupts him.
"Calm down." Mifune turns to A and continues.
"Why don't we turn this calamity into a fortune? It's extremely rare for all five Kages to assemble. What do you say? Until the threat of Akatsuki is eliminated, why not establish the world's first…"
BOOM…
Suddenly, an explosion occurs in the vicinity of the conference hall.
"What? What was that noise?" The Kages are startled by the sudden noise.
"Huh? That noise!"
Mifune hurriedly turns to his subordinates.
"Gazef, hurry and assess the situation." He signals one of the samurai captains.
"Yes, Mifune-sama!" Gazef swiftly leaves the room.
BOOM…
Another explosion occurs and the entire building trembles violently.
"This is!"
All Kage stands up from their place.
