Chapter 293: The Uncomfortable Truce
The Land of Iron (鉄の国, Tetsu no Kuni), a neutral country ruled by samurai, lay perpetually covered in harsh ice and snow.
Today, this nation, which had always maintained strict neutrality and refrained from involvement in the Ninja World's endless conflicts, welcomed a group of profoundly non-neutral guests.
Boom!
A loud bang, accompanied by violently crackling blue Lightning Release chakra.
Raikage A, a massive figure of muscle and raw power, accompanied by his two bodyguards, descended from the sky in an extremely crude, explosive manner, crashing heavily into the snow and sending ice shards flying everywhere. He used his Lightning Release Chakra Mode even for travel.
"Hmph, this damned place is still so cold!"
A flexed his terrifying muscles beneath his flak jacket, white mist escaping his lips in aggressive puffs.
Beside him were the dark-skinned, perpetually languid-looking Darui and the short red-haired C, both looking exhausted by their leader's speed.
"Raikage A, aren't we being a little too high-profile, sir?" Darui yawned, looking half-asleep despite the seriousness of their mission.
"High-profile?"
A's eyes, sharp and intense, widened in genuine surprise.
"When has Kumogakure ever needed to be low-profile in its actions! We act! We move!"
Just then, a mocking, thin voice came from another direction.
"Heh heh, a brute indeed, still so impatient and loud. It seems you've held the position of Raikage for far too long for nothing."
A's head snapped around, his massive neck barely moving. His gaze was instantly locked onto the new arrival.
He saw the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, a small, floating figure, drifting lazily in from another direction, carried by his Jutsu of Lightened Earth.
Behind him followed the massive, loyal bodyguard Akatsuchi and the fierce, younger granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.
"Old man," A bared his white teeth, his smile full of undisguised malice and long-standing rivalry.
"You're not dead yet? I thought the journey alone would have shattered your bones."
"You, with one foot in the grave, still have the guts to go out?"
Ōnoki snorted, raising his chin, about to deliver a scathing retort, but a familiar, sharp twinge of pain in his lower back made his facial muscles twitch slightly.
"As long as you, a muscle-brained, hot-headed idiot, are still alive, how could this old man possibly go first? I need to ensure you don't burn the world down by mistake."
Ōnoki endured the discomfort, refusing to back down verbally.
Boom!
Arcs of fierce, blue Lightning Release Chakra instantly erupted from A's body, enveloping him in crackling electricity.
"Old man, do you want to fight right here and now!"
"Afraid of you?"
Ōnoki also immediately adopted a fighting stance, floating higher, his hands ready to form a devastating Particle Style (Dust Release).
The atmosphere instantly became thick with volatile, lethal chakra. Swords were half-drawn.
Darui sighed heavily, rubbing his neck. "Seriously, what a pain."
On the other side, Akatsuchi nervously stepped forward, pleading, "Calm down, calm down! Both Kage! We're here for a meeting of mutual survival! Not a duel!"
"Stop it, both of you."
A calm, authoritative voice cut cleanly through the tension from the nearby gate.
Mifune, the General of the Land of Iron and its leader, slowly approached, surrounded by a disciplined squad of heavily armored samurai.
"This is the Land of Iron. It is neutral territory. It is not your village."
"The talks are about to begin. Please, both Kage, proceed to the venue, or you will be removed."
A snorted coldly, the sound echoing in the chamber. He retracted the Lightning Release from his body, the sparks dying down.
"Lead the way, samurai."
A took the lead, his huge body striding forcefully towards the castle. Ōnoki pouted, adjusted his robes with dignity, and followed suit, floating silently behind him.
The Emergency Summit
Under Mifune's silent, watchful guidance, everyone passed through a long, ancient corridor and finally arrived at a huge, circular meeting hall.
A and Ōnoki each found a heavy stone seat, sitting as far apart as possible, neither looking at the other.
Mifune bowed slightly. "Please wait a moment, both Kage. Representatives from the other Villages and factions will arrive shortly."
With that, he led his samurai out of the meeting hall and closed the heavy, iron-bound door, sealing the tension inside.
The entire meeting hall instantly fell into a suffocating, hostile silence.
Seeing Mifune leave, Ōnoki's cloudy eyes shifted slightly, and he spoke coldly to the Raikage.
"Brute. Don't forget why we're here today. This is not about your pride."
A's muscles instantly tensed, but he didn't lash out. He knew the old man was right.
"Old man, I don't need you to teach me! I know the threat!"
"Hmph. Let's hope so." Ōnoki issued a final, low warning. "If, because of your stupidity, this necessary Shinobi Alliance fails, the next to be annexed by Konoha will be your Kumogakure!"
A snorted coldly, leaning back in his chair. "You'd better not throw out your old back and collapse at a critical moment!"
"Even without you saying it, I will ensure this Shinobi Alliance happens! The Uchiha will not conquer the world!"
Their conversation ended there, the animosity remaining fierce. But the brief exchange had already established a critical consensus between them: Uchiha Akira must be stopped.
A moment later, several more groups of people were successively led in by the samurai guards.
They were representatives from smaller Shinobi Villages, like Kusagakure (Grass Village) and Takigakure (Waterfall Village).
Upon seeing the two Great Kage—the Raikage and the Tsuchikage—already seated, the leaders of these small Shinobi Villages all instantly fell silent. They meticulously found seats on the outermost perimeter, avoiding eye contact.
They clearly understood that they were not the protagonists of today's meeting. They were merely here to take sides, or rather, to seek desperate protection from the approaching Uchiha storm.
After a while longer.
The door to the meeting hall was pushed open again.
The newcomer was striking: she wore a black trench coat embroidered with ominous red clouds. She had short, vivid blue-purple hair, and a cold, indifferent, almost ethereal expression.
It was Konan, the envoy from Amegakure (Village Hidden by Rain).
Amegakure. This Village, constantly caught between the great nations and ravaged by constant proxy wars, had been unusually peaceful in recent years under the control of the shadowy Akatsuki.
Everyone looked at Konan, curiously observing her. Her presence meant that the Akatsuki organization was now formally involved in the Shinobi Alliance talks.
Konan ignored everyone's curious, assessing gazes. She walked directly to the round table, sat down in an empty seat, and then softly said.
"Amegakure, by your invitation, has arrived. We are here to listen."
Everyone who was essential had come. The pressure was mounting.
A glint flashed in Ōnoki's cloudy eyes. He nodded once.
"Very good."
Then, Ōnoki broke the silence, formally opening the proceedings.
"Since most of the essential parties have arrived, it is time for this emergency meeting to begin."
Ōnoki's gaze slowly swept across the room.
"Presumably, the purpose of gathering you all here should be clear to every single person in this room."
Ōnoki's voice deepened, his expression extremely solemn.
"Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Uchiha Akira."
"Not long ago, he unilaterally waged war and, with overwhelming force, annihilated Sunagakure."
No sooner had Ōnoki finished speaking than Raikage A slammed his massive hand on the table.
Bang!
The hard, stone table cracked like a spiderweb, the sound snapping the attention of every delegate back to the center.
"Old man, stop with the useless, timid talk!"
A's voice was filled with irritation and pure, boiling fury.
"Who in the entire Ninja World doesn't know what that bastard Uchiha did! We know the facts!"
"He killed the Fourth Kazekage! He wiped a Great Shinobi Village off the map entirely! Such an atrocity severely impacts the order of the entire Ninja World! It cannot be tolerated!"
A stood up, his colossal figure radiating a terrifying sense of oppression that instantly swept across the room.
"Uchiha Akira not only annexed the Village but also laid claim to the Daimyō! That newly appointed, spineless puppet of the Land of Fire... he is Uchiha Akira's dog!"
Ōnoki then chimed in, reinforcing the narrative.
"The Raikage is correct."
"Clearly, Uchiha Akira's ambition is absolute: to unify the entire Ninja World, making everyone kneel at his feet in forced subservience!"
These stark words made the faces of all the representatives from the small Shinobi Villages present turn pale, their fear escalating instantly.
[Even the Daimyō are controlled?]
Ōnoki's tone became even heavier, emphasizing the terrifying scale of Konoha's power.
"Uchiha Akira's threat has exceeded everyone's wildest imagination. His personal strength is likely the most terrifying the world has seen since the First Hokage."
"But even more frightening is that Konoha, under his cold leadership, is expanding and consolidating resources at an unprecedented rate."
"Sunagakure currently has over two thousand prisoners in Konoha, who have become Konoha's forced laborers, building his super fortress."
"At the same time, Sunagakure's vast wealth and resources, accumulated over decades, have all fallen into Konoha's hands!"
"Konoha is growing stronger every moment! While we stand here, bickering, fighting individually!"
Ōnoki stood, levitating higher, surveying everyone present, his gaze pleading for understanding.
"Everyone, think carefully. Ponder the choice before you."
"Sunagakure is already history. They are gone."
"If we don't unite now! If we still harbor thoughts of fighting separately, of acting independently... then who will be the next to be annexed?"
"Will it be Kumogakure? Or my Iwagakure?"
"Or... every single one of the small independent Villages represented here!"
Ōnoki's words, driven by fear and desperate logic, struck heavily at everyone's hearts.
Fear, cold and paralyzing, spread through the meeting hall.
That was the terrifying, undeniable truth. Even Sunagakure, a Great Nation, couldn't withstand Konoha's initial military might. These small Shinobi Villages probably wouldn't even have the right to struggle in front of Konoha. Their time was running out.
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