Will Shimura Kizaru of Konoha be participating as well?
As he looked over the list of attendees Konoha had sent ahead, Tsuchikage Ōnoki felt both anticipation and unease stir in his chest.
Of course, part of him was curious. He wanted to see for himself the so-called prodigy who had crushed Kumogakure's forces and even captured the Third Raikage alive.
But at the same time, that was exactly what made him wary.
If Konoha was bringing Kizaru along as the Hokage's bodyguard... then what exactly were they planning?
Would they use the meeting as cover to spring some kind of trap?
The moment Ōnoki recalled Kizaru's record against Kumogakure, along with the Third Raikage's humiliating fate, a chill crept through him.
Still, this was a formal summit between villages. And Hiruzen Sarutobi, for all his scheming, still possessed a reputation in the ninja world that carried weight.
After a moment of silence, Ōnoki suppressed his doubts and chose to move forward as planned.
He would remain cautious, prepare for the worst, and attend the meeting anyway.
At the gates of Konoha, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stood in his ceremonial robes and looked at the two-tailed cat perched lazily on Kizaru's shoulder with a deeply strange expression.
"Kizaru... are you really bringing it with you?"
"Sensei, don't tell me you want to leave Matatabi behind in the village?" Kizaru said while scratching the cat lightly behind the ears, soothing her as she bared her fangs with visible displeasure. "That sounds pretty scary, you know."
Hiruzen fell silent.
After thinking it over for a second, he immediately gave up on the idea.
Leaving a completely unsealed tailed beast with free rein inside the village while both he and Kizaru were away?
No matter how calm he looked on the surface, Sarutobi Hiruzen absolutely did not want to imagine that outcome.
"…Bring her with us."
After saying that, Hiruzen placed the pipe back in his mouth, took a slow drag, then turned and began walking.
This time, besides Kizaru serving as his personal escort, Hiruzen had also brought along two ANBU squads and two administrative aides responsible for the formal record of the talks.
The preparations were more than thorough.
They had departed in the morning, but because the team also had to move at a pace the two civilian-level administrative assistants could handle, it took the entire day to reach the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
After spending the night in a border town, the group resumed their journey at eight the following morning and officially entered the Land of Grass.
Just like Kumogakure had done when crossing into the Land of Thunder before, neither Konoha nor Iwagakure had informed the Land of Grass in advance this time either.
They simply entered in secret.
And in truth, everyone understood that even if Kusagakure noticed, they would not dare object.
Deep within the Land of Grass, on a broad plain with clear visibility in all directions, a newly built earthen structure stood alone in the open.
Both sides arrived before the agreed time.
Ōnoki walked at the front of Iwagakure's group. Behind him were four shinobi from Iwa: two elite jōnin acting as guards, and two aides responsible for recording the contents of the negotiations.
Konoha's side mirrored the same setup.
Hiruzen Sarutobi led the group, with Kizaru and a jōnin from the Sarutobi clan following behind him, while the two administrative assistants walked at the rear.
As the two sides approached each other, Ōnoki's gaze immediately fell on Kizaru.
The man stood out far too much.
His height alone was already enough to make him impossible to ignore.
Just like the intelligence reports said…
He's tall.
But then Ōnoki's eyes shifted upward—
—and landed on the creature resting on Kizaru's shoulder.
His steps stopped on the spot.
The expression on his face changed instantly.
That… that's Kumogakure's Two-Tails!
And it's not sealed?!
A violent wave rose in Ōnoki's heart.
So it was true.
Kizaru really had subdued the Two-Tails and kept her at his side without even using a jinchūriki seal.
After a brief pause, Ōnoki slowly withdrew his gaze and looked toward Hiruzen.
His tone turned heavy.
"Hokage… what exactly is the meaning of this?"
The moment he spoke, the four Iwa shinobi behind him all tensed and stared at Konoha's side with obvious caution.
Hearing that, Hiruzen also came to a stop.
He folded his hands behind his back and smiled as if nothing were wrong.
"And what, exactly, does the Tsuchikage mean by that question?"
At that moment, Hiruzen knew exactly what Ōnoki meant.
And Ōnoki knew Hiruzen knew.
Two old men talking in circles.
Kizaru, who was supposed to be standing guard, watched the two of them with half-lidded eyes, idly petting Matatabi as if he were settling in to enjoy a show.
"Konoha brought Kumogakure's tailed beast to a diplomatic meeting," Ōnoki said coldly. "Are you trying to intimidate Iwagakure?"
"Hahaha!" Hiruzen laughed, looking far too relaxed. "You give us too much credit, Tsuchikage. My student here is simply too willful. He insisted on bringing the Two-Tails along, and at my age, I can hardly keep him in line anymore."
Then he glanced at Kizaru from the corner of his eye, the faint smugness on his face not even remotely hidden.
"If the Tsuchikage feels strongly about it, perhaps you could help me discipline him."
That old man…
Ōnoki's eye twitched.
Then he glanced once more at Kizaru, who was casually stroking a tailed beast like it was some ordinary village cat, and the irritation in his chest only deepened.
Why did a monster like this have to be born in Konoha?
He let out a silent snort, then decided to shift the conversation.
"And what does the Hokage intend to do with the Two-Tails?" Ōnoki asked. "When the First Hokage, Lord Hashirama Senju, distributed the tailed beasts among the great villages, he did so for the balance of the ninja world. Even now, that decision is worthy of admiration."
Old fox.
Hiruzen's smile did not change, but inside, he cursed him once already.
Using the First Hokage's name to pressure him right from the start.
Instead of answering, Hiruzen casually turned his eyes toward Kizaru.
Since Ōnoki wanted to start talking like that, then Konoha might as well let the person least suited for diplomacy answer.
Kizaru, who had been content to stay out of it, noticed Hiruzen's subtle signal and immediately looked helpless.
"Eh? Me?"
He scratched the back of his head, then looked over at Ōnoki.
Ōnoki, meanwhile, saw the exchange clearly and his guard rose even further.
What was that supposed to mean?
Were they preparing to stop pretending and just start a fight?
Then Kizaru smiled.
"Tsuchikage-sama, that's kind of a sad thing to say." He gave Matatabi another lazy scratch under the chin. "The Two-Tails was a present Kumogakure gave me the first time we met."
He paused on purpose, his smile widening just slightly.
"So now I'm kind of curious, you know… when I meet Iwagakure properly, what sort of present will the Tsuchikage prepare for me?"
Ōnoki nearly choked.
A present?
What shameless nonsense!
What kind of village gives away a tailed beast as a gift?
…Although, technically, Konoha had once handed them out themselves.
That thought only made him angrier.
Ignoring Kizaru entirely, Ōnoki glared at Hiruzen instead.
Kizaru, however, was not done.
"Thinking about it now, I really admire Uncle Raikage," he said in that same light, infuriating tone.
The veins at Ōnoki's temple jumped.
Admire him?
You captured the man alive, dragged him back to Konoha, and let the entire ninja world laugh at Kumogakure's humiliation.
And the worst part was that the Third Raikage was still wandering around the Land of Fire under Konoha's watch like some bizarre sightseeing attraction.
The mere thought of it made Ōnoki's mood turn even darker.
"Kizaru," Hiruzen said, finally stepping in, though there was no real sternness in his voice, "don't be rude."
Then his eyes shifted toward Ōnoki, and this time his tone became more deliberate.
"The Tsuchikage came here today in good faith. We are here to discuss an alliance."
The meaning was obvious.
Enough probing. Enough posturing. Get to the point.
Ōnoki understood the signal immediately.
He suppressed the irritation in his chest and finally spoke like an actual village leader.
"What the Hokage says is correct." His expression turned serious. "I came here today for the sake of long-term peace between our two nations."
He paused, then continued.
"I hope that Iwagakure and Konoha can establish a true alliance and work together to stop Hanzo's growing ambitions in the Land of Rain."
Hiruzen nodded with a smile.
"That is precisely what Konoha wishes as well."
At last, the tension between the two sides eased by a small degree.
Ōnoki turned slightly and gestured toward the earthen meeting hall ahead.
"Then, Hokage… this way."
Hiruzen raised a hand in return.
"Please."
And with that, Hiruzen led his people forward, following Ōnoki into the earthen structure where the talks would finally begin.
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