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Tsunade understood the urgency of the situation and did not linger. She left the Hidden Sound Village at once, taking Shizune with her.
During this time, Midorima did not remain idle. He personally wrote a detailed letter addressed to Mei Terumī.
Tsunade had mentioned how awkward and isolated Mei's position had been during the previous Five Kage Summit. Even so, Midorima still hoped she would attend the next one.
Akatsuki was the Hidden Mist's enemy. After the horrors of the "Bloody Mist" era, the Mist Village no longer possessed the strength to confront Akatsuki on its own. If they wanted any real chance of punishing or defeating the organization, they would need to form a genuine alliance with the other great villages.
Given Mei's personality, Midorima believed that if the summit offered any concrete benefit to the Hidden Mist, she would not let personal frustration or embarrassment prevent her from attending.
Jūgo took Midorima's handwritten letter and departed for the Hidden Mist. With that task complete, Midorima finally gained a rare period of genuine rest.
Nonō Yakushi was still recovering in the Hidden Sound Village. Tsunade had already examined her condition, so Midorima chose not to disturb her. His own medical skills were nowhere near Tsunade's level, and he had not made any meaningful progress in that field for quite some time.
Kabuto, meanwhile, had moved all of Orochimaru's experimental data from its previous hiding place into the village proper. He spent nearly every waking hour immersed in the laboratory.
Tayuya occasionally spent her free time chatting with him, though their conversations almost always turned to Kimimaro and Orochimaru. Her expression grew increasingly downcast during these talks, to the point where Midorima nearly blurted out that Orochimaru still had ways to return.
Fortunately, reason prevailed, and he kept the information to himself.
Reviving Orochimaru was not a decision to be made lightly. Even if he could be brought back, there was no guarantee he would not immediately cause new problems.
Three days after Tsunade left the Hidden Sound Village, Shizune returned specifically to deliver the Hokage's decision.
"The Hidden Leaf and Hidden Sand have temporarily ceased hostilities. A second Five Kage Summit will be held in the very near future."
"I thought the fighting between the Leaf and Sand would continue longer," Midorima said, surprised.
"Not necessarily," Shizune replied. "Prolonged war benefits neither village. Even during the first Five Kage Summit, both sides had already begun looking for a way to negotiate. The problem was that neither had a face-saving excuse, and public opinion—especially in the Sand—strongly opposed any ceasefire. That stalled the process. Now, the Leaf's involvement in rescuing the One-Tails jinchūriki has given both sides a convenient stepping stone toward peace."
"Where will the meeting be held this time? Still in the Land of Iron?" Midorima asked.
"No. This time it will take place in the Hidden Leaf Village," Shizune said seriously.
Midorima blinked, then immediately understood the reasoning.
In the original story, after the Leaf had been devastated by Akatsuki and Danzō had temporarily taken over as Hokage, the village had lost much of its diplomatic leverage when choosing summit locations.
The previous Five Kage Summit had been held in the Land of Iron because the Leaf was actively at war with the Sand, and neither the Cloud nor the Stone wanted to meet on Leaf territory. A neutral location had been the only viable option.
Now, by volunteering to host the summit themselves, the Leaf was clearly trying to use the occasion to achieve a full reconciliation with the Hidden Sand.
Everything would depend on how the other villages responded.
Four days later, Shizune returned to the Hidden Sound Village once again, this time bearing the responses from the other four great villages. Without exception, all had agreed to attend and were already en route.
"In addition," Shizune added at the end, "the Hokage would like to meet with you personally. After all, aside from Itachi, no one understands Akatsuki better than you do."
Midorima gave a small, knowing smile. In truth, even Itachi probably didn't understand Akatsuki as thoroughly as he did—let alone Pain.
Once the decision to travel to the Hidden Leaf was made, Midorima wasted no further time. He set out immediately.
Anyone familiar with the geography of the ninja world knew that the Land of Fire sat roughly at the center of the map, with roughly equal distance to each of the five great villages. However, the Hidden Sound Village was located right next to the Leaf, making the journey significantly shorter.
Midorima had visited the Hidden Leaf once before. On that occasion, only a handful of people had known of his presence. Now, those who had met him—Danzō, Orochimaru, and Kimimaro—were all dead. Neither Shizune nor Tsunade would reveal his earlier visit. To the ordinary residents of the Leaf, this would be his first time entering the village.
From the moment he stepped through the gates, Midorima could feel the heavy tension in the air.
Even with Shizune escorting him and carrying an official letter from the Hokage, the gate guards still subjected him to thorough questioning.
Patrol squads passed frequently along the streets, every shinobi visibly on high alert.
"Are those Uchiha clan members?" Midorima asked quietly, nodding toward a group of patrolling shinobi.
"No," Shizune replied in a low voice. "They weren't even allowed to participate in the war against the Sand."
Midorima's brows furrowed.
During every previous Great Ninja War, the Uchiha clan had served as one of the Hidden Leaf's primary combat forces. Yet in this conflict with the Sand, they had been deliberately excluded. That could only mean the clan was being systematically marginalized, and the rift between them and the village leadership had grown even deeper.
He had hoped to prevent the situation from reaching such extremes, but reality had proven otherwise. The conflict between the Hidden Leaf and the Uchiha clan had not been avoided—only delayed by a few years.
"What a shame," Midorima sighed softly. "If it had been delayed a few more years, there might have been a real chance to resolve it peacefully."
If Tsunade had remained Hokage longer, and if Akatsuki had not specifically targeted Itachi, the escalating confrontation might still have been prevented.
"No, Lady Tsunade is still very grateful to you," Shizune said, shaking her head.
As the two continued walking and talking, a commotion suddenly erupted up ahead.
Midorima and Shizune moved closer to see what was happening. Through a gap in the crowd, they watched three older boys surrounding a single younger one. After just a few exchanges, the lone boy effortlessly knocked all three attackers to the ground, standing over them with the clear attitude of "you three are the ones surrounded now."
Sasuke?!
Midorima didn't even need to see the boy's face clearly. The distinctive spiky hair was more than enough to identify him.
"What's with that attitude?! Just because you can beat us doesn't mean we'll leave you alone!" one of the beaten boys shouted, sporting a fresh black eye.
Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced coldly at the boy behind him. "Anytime."
Without another word, he pushed his way out of the crowd and walked off.
The surrounding villagers remained silent until Sasuke had disappeared down the street. Only then did the murmurs begin—most of them carrying thinly veiled criticism of Sasuke, even though he had clearly been the one provoked.
"Looks like Sasuke's situation in the Hidden Leaf isn't very comfortable either," Midorima muttered under his breath.
Shizune forced a weak smile and quickly changed the subject. "For this visit, you'll be staying at Lady Tsunade's residence again. Is that acceptable?"
"Anywhere is fine," Midorima replied casually, though his mind was still occupied with thoughts of Sasuke.
The environment had changed completely compared to a few years ago. Whether the Uchiha clan could avoid this crisis was something even Midorima could not predict with certainty.