Shizune smiled. "Because I trained under Lady Tsunade and am also a medical ninja, I place great importance on precision and meticulousness. The same principle applies in combat."
"That's why the ninja tool I rely on the most is..."
Naruto's eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat.
"Poison Senbon?!"
"Exactly," Shizune replied with a smile. "There are two reasons I use poisoned senbon as my primary weapon. First, Lady Tsunade trained me extensively in poison creation, application, and antidotes, making it one of my greatest specialties. Second, I'm not suited for large-scale, direct combat. Poison mist, poisoned senbon, and hidden needles suit my fighting style much better. They may not look flashy, but they can end a battle with a single strike."
Naruto fell into deep thought.
"Instead of chasing the perfect Wind Release technique right away, maybe I should begin with something smaller..."
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"A Wind Needle?!"
Shizune nodded.
"That's right. Since you're training to compress and condense Wind Release chakra to its absolute limit, creating Wind Needles is an excellent way to practice. Besides, they'll also be incredibly effective in real combat."
Naruto grinned excitedly.
"Thank you, Sister Shizune! I understand now!"
Tsunade nodded in agreement.
"Shizune is absolutely right."
"Naruto, you've already mastered several powerful large-scale Wind Release techniques. Under your Wind Release Chakra Mode, techniques like Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and Wind Release: Pressure Damage possess terrifying destructive power."
"However, your greatest weakness is still the ultimate compression and concentration of chakra."
"If you can compress your Wind Release chakra into countless tiny Wind Needles, just like senbon or miniature spikes, it will greatly help you develop your next Wind Release technique."
Hearing Tsunade agree with Shizune filled Naruto with confidence.
"Alright! I'll definitely master this technique before the Five Kage Summit ends!"
Tsunade and Shizune exchanged smiles.
"That's quite an ambitious goal," Tsunade said. "After all, the Five Kage Summit isn't a casual gathering."
Shizune chuckled.
"But if anyone can do it, it's probably you, Naruto."
Without wasting another moment, Naruto immediately began training.
He had already mastered transforming Wind Release chakra into razor-sharp blades capable of slicing through almost anything, such as Wind Release: Wind Cutter and Wind Release: Vacuum Sword.
Now, he needed to compress those blades even further until they became tiny, dense Wind Needles.
It was far more difficult than it sounded.
Creating ordinary Wind Needles wasn't particularly challenging for Naruto anymore.
The real challenge was compressing the chakra to an unimaginable degree.
The Wind Needles he could currently produce were still unstable. Although they could pierce stone walls and solid rock, they were nowhere near the level Naruto envisioned.
To him, they resembled rough bone spikes rather than the flawless, indestructible golden needles he imagined.
This wasn't simply a matter of sharpening metal.
It was like compressing an entire iron rod directly into a tiny needle while preserving all of its strength.
Fortunately, Naruto's foundation was exceptional.
The countless harsh training sessions imposed by the system had given him an enormous chakra reserve and astonishing chakra control.
Throughout their journey, Naruto constantly followed Tsunade's and Shizune's advice, repeatedly compressing his Wind Release chakra into thinner and thinner needles.
Although progress wasn't immediate, every increase in compression noticeably enhanced the needles' power.
The improvement wasn't something that only appeared after mastering the technique.
Every single step forward made the attack deadlier.
Tsunade and Shizune watched as Naruto's Wind Needles gradually became more refined.
At first, they left holes as thick as a finger in solid stone.
Soon, the holes became no larger than an embroidery needle.
Eventually, they became so tiny they were almost impossible to detect with the naked eye.
Although the visible damage continued to shrink, the true destructive power increased dramatically.
The compressed needles possessed terrifying armor-piercing ability, incredible penetration, and even the potential to ignore defensive techniques altogether.
Witnessing Naruto's astonishing rate of improvement left both Tsunade and Shizune even more impressed.
Even while traveling day and night, the journey to the Land of Iron still required nearly two weeks.
As they crossed the border, Naruto gradually noticed that the customs, architecture, and atmosphere were completely different from those of the Land of Fire.
They had finally arrived in the Land of Iron.
The Land of Iron was recognized throughout the ninja world as a completely neutral nation.
Unlike the Five Great Nations, it had no hidden villages or ninja.
Instead, its military strength consisted entirely of samurai.
The leader of the samurai was Mifune, a warrior whose strength was renowned across the continent.
Every samurai wore heavy armor that completely covered the body, along with protective masks that made them appear nearly invincible on the battlefield.
Most samurai specialized in swordsmanship, especially the secrets of Iaijutsu.
Although they weren't ninja, they could still manipulate chakra to a certain extent.
The strongest among them infused chakra into their swords, greatly increasing the power of every slash. Some could even release devastating chakra sword waves.
Not long after entering the country, Tsunade was recognized by the guards.
The samurai immediately informed Mifune, who personally came to welcome them.
"Hokage-sama, welcome to the Land of Iron."
Naruto carefully observed the legendary samurai leader.
Bandages covered his head, a long beard framed his stern face, and a sharp gaze reflected years of experience. Dressed in heavy armor with a long sword resting at his waist, Mifune radiated both stability and overwhelming strength.
Even though he wasn't a ninja, Naruto could clearly sense how powerful he was.
Tsunade smiled politely.
"Leader Mifune, we should be the ones thanking the Land of Iron for hosting the Five Kage Summit."
Mifune calmly replied,
"Although the Land of Iron remains neutral, matters concerning the ninja world affect us all. We share a common history with the Five Great Nations. Hosting this summit is simply our duty."
"Hokage-sama, this way, please."
"Thank you."
Shizune asked,
"Have the other Kage already arrived?"
Mifune nodded.
"The Raikage, Tsuchikage, and Acting Kazekage have already arrived. Only the Hokage and Mizukage were missing, though the Mizukage should arrive shortly. I've already sent men to escort her."
"I see," Tsunade replied.
Mifune briefly glanced at Naruto, slightly furrowing his brow without saying anything.
Naruto guessed the samurai leader was simply surprised that someone so young had been chosen as a Kage Guard.
He couldn't help feeling a little competitive.
"Let's see what the other Kage Guards are like."
"There's no way they're all stronger than me... right?"
Soon, they continued toward the summit venue deep within the Land of Iron.
Rows of heavily armored samurai stood at attention as Tsunade's group entered the massive fortress where the Five Kage Summit would be held.
The Tsuchikage, Raikage, and Acting Kazekage were already waiting near the entrance.
Naruto looked around excitedly.
He immediately recognized Acting Kazekage Baki.
Standing beside him were two bodyguards—Yura, a Hidden Sand jonin, and...
"Gaara!"
Naruto waved enthusiastically.
Gaara looked toward him.
For perhaps the first time in public, a faint smile appeared on his usually expressionless face.
"So it's you, Naruto."
"I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon."
Even Baki looked surprised.
He had brought Gaara because the Hidden Sand Village lacked powerful shinobi, and because he firmly believed Gaara should become the next Kazekage.
That decision made sense for Sunagakure.
But Konoha was different.
How could Uzumaki Naruto, someone so young, serve as a Kage Guard?
Even during its weakest years, Konoha possessed countless elite shinobi.
Veterans like Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were still alive.
Legendary figures such as Jiraiya remained active.
The younger generation included Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, and Asuma Sarutobi.
Compared to them, Naruto still seemed too young to attend such an important summit.
Still, Baki wisely kept those thoughts to himself.
Naruto then turned toward the remaining representatives.
This was his first time seeing both the Tsuchikage and the Raikage in person.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, known as "The Two Scales," was famous for his political cunning and had once been called an "old fox" by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
To Naruto, however, he simply looked like a short old man with a long white beard.
His guards were his son, Kitsuchi, and Gari, the Explosion Release user.
The Fourth Raikage was the complete opposite.
Tall, muscular, and incredibly imposing, he towered over everyone nearby.
His guards were Darui, the veteran shinobi who had served him for years, and C, the white-haired sensory ninja whose lazy expression reminded Naruto a little of Kakashi.
Naruto's excitement only grew.
"Besides Gaara and me, everyone here is a famous veteran ninja."
Just then, Mifune spoke.
"The Mizukage has arrived."
Naruto turned around.
The familiar figure approaching was none other than Mei Terumī.
She now wore the Mizukage's ceremonial hat, making her status unmistakable.
She had officially become the Fifth Mizukage.
Naruto smiled brightly.
"Big Sister Mei!"
Mei returned his smile.
"Naruto... it's been a while."
Although only a few months had passed since the Three-Tails incident, those months had completely transformed the Hidden Mist Village.
Following Mei's advice, the truth surrounding Yagura's death had remained classified. Officially, he was said to be gravely ill and unable to govern.
While Mei initially ruled in his place, she gradually took charge of nearly every aspect of the village.
Under her determined leadership, the Bloody Mist era finally came to an end.
The persecution of Bloodline Limit clans ceased.
Exiled shinobi were welcomed home.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were rebuilt.
The village abandoned its isolation and restored trade and diplomatic relations with the other great nations.
Although recovery was still ongoing, the Hidden Mist Village had finally begun returning to normal.
As a result, during preparations for the Five Kage Summit, Lord Gengetsu formally recommended Mei Terumī as the Fifth Mizukage.
Without an officially recognized leader, no village could maintain authority for long.
From that day onward, Mei became the legitimate ruler of Kirigakure.
The real circumstances behind Yagura's death remained secret, while the public accepted that he had simply become too ill to continue ruling.
Mei's popularity rapidly increased, and the entire Hidden Mist Village warmly accepted its new Mizukage.
Her two bodyguards were the veteran jonin Ao and the sensory ninja Chōjūrō.
Both Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage quietly frowned.
Naruto already had close ties with the Hidden Sand Village, and now he also shared a friendly relationship with the new Mizukage.
If those three great nations formed an alliance, it would place both Iwagakure and Kumogakure at a significant disadvantage.
Although the Hidden Stone and Hidden Cloud Villages had been bitter enemies for many years—even the Third Raikage had died fighting Iwagakure—the political landscape had changed.
Now, despite their history, both villages silently understood one another.
Their shared objective was clear: find a way to counterbalance the growing influence of the Land of Fire.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)