Chapter 209: The Five Kage Gather at Three Wolf Mountain
June fifteenth.
Approximately less than two hours remained until the Five Kage Summit to be held in the castle atop Three Wolf Mountain in the Land of Iron. The scheduled time—the conference would begin at 10:00 AM.
Currently, the time was 8:14 AM.
Precisely speaking, one hour and forty-three minutes remained until the Five Kage Summit convened.
Yet Konoha Village's Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato still remained in the village without departing. At home, he'd just finished eating breakfast he'd personally prepared.
His wife Uzumaki Kushina was already six months pregnant. Currently, household chores large and small were mostly handled by Minato. If he was too busy to spare time, his student Nohara Rin would also visit their home to help care for Kushina.
Just as Hyuga Takuma had speculated, Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato didn't plan to waste time on meaningless travel. Mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, he could instantly traverse thousands of miles, traveling to any location bearing coordinates.
When he'd dispatched envoy Sarutobi Asuma to the Land of Iron to negotiate with Iron Country ninja about hosting the Five Kage Summit, he'd already left coordinates in pine forests not far from Three Wolf Mountain.
Therefore—
Minato unhurriedly finished breakfast, changing into thick winter clothing to wear over himself. Only then did he use Flying Thunder God Technique to arrive directly at his office. He didn't sit down but directly extended his hand to press the call bell on his desk. Seeing secretary Yuhi Kurenai push the door open and peek inside, he said, "Kurenai, call more people. Have them invite Hiruko-senpai, both advisory elders, the Hyuga Clan Head, Uchiha Clan Head, and Shikaku—bring everyone to me."
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Yuhi Kurenai accepted the order and departed, calling upon several Kage Guard Platoon members on rotating duty. They split up to summon people. Fortunately, these individuals were all currently in the Hokage Building—no need to run far.
Hyuga Ritsu having an office wasn't because of his Hyuga clan head status but rather his "Ultra-Large Combat Weapon Disposal Squad Captain" position. Uchiha Fugaku originally lacked an office. Even though he served as Police Force captain, during the Third's tenure, he and the previous Uchiha clan head held no place in the Hokage Building.
Only after Minato took office did all this change. Uchiha Fugaku, this Police Force captain, finally gained an office in the Hokage Building—even though he mostly worked from Police Force Headquarters. Having this Hokage Building office served necessary functions.
Like today's situation—receiving advance notice, everyone had arrived at the Hokage Building early, waiting in their respective offices. At least when they came over, they had somewhere to go.
After receiving summons, everyone swiftly rushed to the Hokage's office.
Once everyone assembled, Minato said with a smile, "Hiruko-senpai, both advisory elders, Hyuga Clan Head, Uchiha Clan Head, and Shikaku—village matters will temporarily trouble you all to oversee."
"Hokage-sama, who do you plan to bring to attend this conference?"
Hiruko asked aloud.
"Takuma and Shisui."
Minato spoke two names. The previously scheduled personnel hadn't changed.
"Shisui's capabilities go without saying. But can that kid Takuma manage? For safety's sake, I feel Hyuga Clan Head should make the trip!"
Akimichi Torikaze glanced at Hyuga Ritsu.
As one of Minato's Kage Guard Platoon members, everyone wasn't unfamiliar with Hyuga Takuma. But obviously unlike Uchiha Shisui, who'd already gained everyone's recognition through outstanding performance, how much capability Hyuga Takuma and other Kage Guard Platoon members possessed—everyone lacked concrete knowledge.
"It's merely the Five Kage Summit. Bringing Takuma and Shisui proves more than sufficient."
Minato shook his head. "This conference's purpose is striving to unite with Rock ninja, Sand ninja, Mist ninja, and Cloud ninja—not antagonizing them. No need to trouble Hyuga Clan Head to accompany us for deterrence. Moreover, Kushina's condition currently makes fighting inconvenient. Jiraiya-sensei refuses to return. So we still need Hyuga Clan Head guarding the village."
Sunagakure's previous encounter made all villages take warning. While participating in the Five Kage Summit, they'd also leave sufficient defensive forces in villages as much as possible, preventing Sunagakure's tragedy from repeating.
Konoha's current situation—the Nine-Tails jinchuriki was six months pregnant, her body heavy, obviously unable to engage in combat. Meanwhile, Jiraiya seemed addicted to wandering outside. Even Minato personally reaching out hadn't managed to summon Jiraiya back. So counting through possibilities, Hyuga Ritsu remaining to guard the village proved an extremely necessary choice.
"In any case, village matters are temporarily entrusted to everyone."
Minato glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "Already 8:40. One hour until the conference begins. Also, I'm getting unbearably hot. I need to depart... Takuma, Shisui, enter!"
Following Minato's summons, Hyuga Takuma and Uchiha Shisui, who'd been waiting outside the door, pushed it open and entered together.
Like Minato, Hyuga Takuma and Uchiha Shisui currently both wore thick white winter clothing. Sweat beads slid down both their foreheads. After all, this was June—Konoha's weather proved exceptionally sweltering.
Everyone present maintained silence at this moment. Minato had already made his decision. Voicing opinions now would be causing trouble. Obviously, no one planned to make themselves uncomfortable.
Just like this, everyone watched Minato don his Hokage's conical hat, using Flying Thunder God Technique to take Hyuga Takuma and Uchiha Shisui with him. After the three figures vanished, Hiruko—highest-ranking person among those present—waved his hand. "Everyone disperse! Each attend to your own matters. How long the Five Kage Summit will last remains uncertain. So everyone be careful."
The group departed one after another, leaving Minato's secretary Yuhi Kurenai to tidy the office.
Hyuga Ritsu didn't linger in his Hokage Building office, departing directly. He disliked sitting in cramped offices—confined spaces always gave one a feeling like squatting in a cell.
Moreover—
His Ultra-Large Combat Weapon Disposal Squad Captain's primary work couldn't be conducted indoors. Because of jinchuriki losing control and rampaging risks, work couldn't unfold in the village's core district. He had to go to forests at the village's edge or even outside the village.
Of course, if not training Nohara Rin, no need to run that far.
Today exemplified this. Because Minato was attending the Five Kage Summit, Nohara Rin went to help care for Kushina. Three-Tails control training paused. Hyuga Ritsu, Akiba, and Aika needn't go too far for training.
Hyuga Ritsu arrived at the agreed location.
In a small training ground near the river, one with pure white eyes, one with crimson eyes—two young women both keeping black long hair were competing in hand-to-hand taijutsu. "Bang bang" striking sounds echoed through the training ground. Naturally, Akiba didn't employ pressure points. She and Aika were purely polishing their respective fist and foot skills—warming up for upcoming sparring.
Both their movements proved quite beautiful.
Hyuga Ritsu stood beside, not speaking, quietly watching the young women spar.
These recent days, he'd basically spent time together with the young women. But this didn't mean he was carefree every day enjoying this beautiful, leisurely life. He was adjusting his condition according to requirements provided by the White Snake Sage, preparing to learn Ryūchi Cave's sage techniques.
Ryūchi Cave's sage techniques differed from Mount Myōboku's—no need to spend time training and learning. Only an instant was needed to complete sage technique initiation. But behind high efficiency lay the price of nine-deaths-one-life ultra-high risk.
Throughout past generations of Ryūchi Cave's contractors, those who'd truly mastered sage techniques numbered fewer than one hand's fingers. Even Orochimaru, after understanding the high risks learning sage techniques required bearing, ultimately chose abandonment. He possessed so many methods to grow stronger—no need to gamble his life specifically for learning sage techniques.
Hyuga Ritsu merely relied on his Level 4 Physical Regeneration superpower to possess sufficient confidence approaching sage technique training. But he similarly didn't dare be careless, still adjusting his body and mind condition according to methods the White Snake Sage described. Only after adjusting to optimal condition would he travel to Ryūchi Cave to truly begin sage technique training.
After mastering sage techniques and further improving his own strength, he could attempt hunting Nagato and Missing-nin Anonymous.
His Ōtsutsuki bloodline still lacked the final Uzumaki and Uchiha bloodlines to achieve completion. Conveniently, Nagato and Missing-nin Anonymous were precisely the advancement materials he needed. One was an Uzumaki clan descendant strictly selected by Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu. The other was an Uchiha who'd opened Mangekyō Sharingan. Both were excellent-quality advancement materials.
Speaking of which—
He now faintly sensed that merely gathering all these scattered Ōtsutsuki branch bloodlines remained insufficient to truly recreate Ōtsutsuki bloodline. The Kaguya, Senju, and Kaguya clan bloodlines he'd previously seized all proved quite ordinary quality.
Wanting to truly complete "atavism" might still require finding ways to remedy defects left previously.
Hyuga Ritsu sank into contemplation, not even noticing when the young women finished sparring. Only after smelling that faint mint fragrance did he suddenly awaken, seeing the young woman's delicate smile, white with pink undertones.
Aika stepped back, smiling as she looked at Hyuga Ritsu. "Senpai, what were you thinking about so absorbedly? Akiba and I called you several times without response?"
"Exactly. Ritsu-nii, your vigilance is too poor!"
Akiba chimed in.
Hyuga Ritsu smiled without answering, asking instead, "You finished sparring? Who won?"
Land of Iron.
The sky loomed dark. Here, one couldn't see the rising sun—only endless dark clouds stretching as far as eyes could see. Snowflakes like willow catkins drifted down from these pitch-black cloud layers.
"Whew! Finally cool. Almost died from heat just now."
Hyuga Takuma inhaled deeply of cold air. His entire person felt comfortable. But he didn't lose vigilance either. The next instant, he opened his Byakugan. Veins at his eye corners bulged like small snakes. Scenery within a radius of over ten kilometers entirely entered his vision.
Two seconds later, he spoke. "Hokage-sama, everything around us is normal. Haven't detected any chakra fluctuations."
Immediately after—
Shisui, who'd climbed to the treetop, jumped down. Light as a cat, treading on accumulated snow without causing any disturbance, he looked at Minato. "Hokage-sama, Three Wolf Mountain lies to our northwest. Visually estimating straight-line distance—approximately twenty kilometers."
"Then let's depart."
Minato gave the order.
He personally led the way, lifting his foot to walk, treading upon thick accumulated snow in the pine forest. He left shallow footprints—unless looking carefully, one fundamentally couldn't see them. Hyuga Takuma and Uchiha Shisui followed closely behind. Three strings of faint footprints continuously extended through the pine forest, advancing northwest.
In less than ten minutes, they'd traversed this twenty-kilometer distance.
This heavy snow blocking mountain environment ultimately brought certain influence. Otherwise, they could have further shortened this time.
In a flash—
The three arrived at Three Wolf Mountain.
True to its name, this was precisely a strange mountain resembling three wide-open wolf-head mouths. Atop this mountain peak's highest point stood a rather magnificent mountain castle, like bedrock under wind and snow's buffeting—utterly immovable.
"Hokage-sama, I can't see clearly inside the mountain castle. A barrier is obstructing my vision."
Hyuga Takuma attempted investigating this mountain castle's internal reality. Unfortunately, a barrier interfered—he didn't know where the Land of Iron's samurai had found professional personnel to set up barriers.
The Land of Iron possessed no ninja.
Rather, they had a group calling themselves "samurai." They similarly utilized chakra but didn't research ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu like ninja. They chose using chakra to temper their own bodies and swordsmanship.
Actually, they could be directly equated with taijutsu ninja.
"If you can't see, don't look."
Minato slowed his pace, unhurriedly walking toward the mountain castle ahead. Simultaneously, he instructed, "Takuma, after entering the castle, find a suitable opportunity to glance inside. Try as much as possible not to let the samurai notice."
This was, after all, samurai territory.
Blatantly using Byakugan to observe proved very rude—easily provoking unnecessary conflicts and disputes. But not looking, knowing nothing about the mountain castle's circumstances, also made one feel uneasy. So weighing considerations, the best method was secretly glancing once.
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
Hyuga Takuma agreed.
Just then—
"Creak, creak"—sounds of accumulated snow being trampled arose. Three samurai wearing armor armed almost to the teeth, long swords at their waists, appeared before the three.
"Hokage-sama, by General Mifune's order, we've come to welcome you."
The samurai's resounding voice rang out.
Minato responded in a clear voice, "Much obliged. Please lead the way."
The samurai turned around, striding toward the mountain castle. Minato's trio followed closely. Simultaneously, Minato didn't forget explaining to Takuma and Shisui, "The Land of Iron's samurai possess a superior-subordinate system different from us ninja. Standing at all samurai's pinnacle is their 'General.'"
"So basically their Kage?"
Hyuga Takuma interjected.
"Can be understood that way."
Minato nodded.
He continued, "The current General's name is Mifune—a very formidable samurai. In the past, he once fought Hanzo the Salamander. Though he lost by one move, he survived from Hanzo the Salamander's hands."
"That amazing? Fought that Demigod and survived?"
Hyuga Takuma's face showed surprise.
Uchiha Shisui similarly pricked up his ears.
Amegakure's leader Hanzo the Salamander—because of his powerful strength, he'd earned the nickname "Demigod," ranking among the ninja world's top-tier elite. The title "Legendary Sannin" itself came from Hanzo the Salamander.
"That's right. This General Mifune's strength proves extremely powerful. After meeting him shortly, you two restrain yourselves. Don't use your eyes to look around carelessly." Minato instructed.
The three guiding samurai maintained silence from beginning to end, merely leading them through the mountain castle's entrance, stepping into this territory belonging to samurai.
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