[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.
Third Person POV
Land of Iron, Year 42.
...
...
The meeting between the Kages would take place in a large fortress administered by the samurai. As they got closer, the snow began to be seen more and more.
The ninjas seemed not to care about the increasingly dropping temperature as they approached the designated location. But Damayo was different and immediately started complaining about the climate change.
"Hey, it's too cold!? Give me more blankets and a cloak to protect me from this damn weather!" He began shouting from the window of the basket carried by the hired ninja, who did nothing but transport him using his strength.
Meanwhile, Alpha, who was responsible for Damayo's belongings, nodded, opening the scroll and handing over the requested items to him.
Minato observed in silence as he saw Damayo's son sigh, looking at him. He knew his father tended to complain a lot, but the boy was calmer and seemed to be enjoying the sight of a country covered in snow, probably something he had never seen before. At least it was clear that the future ruler of the Land of Fire would be someone a little more sensible than his father, who seemed to care only about his own needs and ignored everything around him, despite not being truly evil.
Thus, the group, consisting of five ANBU squads with a maximum of 20 members each—except for Minato's group, which had 24—along with Damayo and his son, as well as the Hokage with two guards, finally arrived at the front of the fortress. An elderly man, standing next to a middle-aged man, was waiting for them, surrounded by several samurai.
"Ah, I see you have finally arrived with the Hokage of Konoha. It is an honor to welcome you at last," said the old man.
"You must be Takeshi Manaka, the current leader of the country. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi," the Hokage said, approaching the middle-aged man.
"Yes, Lord Hokage. This is my apprentice, Mifune. We are here to receive you during your visit," he spoke as the Hokage nodded and introduced Danzou and Orochimaru.
"Please, Damayo-sama," the man requested as soon as he saw the basket approaching.
The carrier stepped forward, kneeling as Damayo emerged, wrapped in layers of clothing, yet still appearing uncomfortable with the cold. His son followed shortly after, maintaining a calmer demeanor.
"Welcome to the Land of Iron, Damayo of Fire," the man greeted, bowing his head slightly in a gesture of respect.
"Alright, just take me somewhere warm," Damayo demanded.
"Of course, it will be done," the man replied, requesting that they follow him as he turned back to the Hokage.
"Only the two personal guards and one advisor for Damayo will be allowed into the meeting. All other ninjas will remain outside, along with those from the other villages participating," he stated as the escort acknowledged the instruction, returning to their men.
"Wait outside," the Hokage ordered, while the four squads remained on alert outside the building, ready in case anything happened.
As the Hokage and the others entered the fortress, an ANBU ninja approached them.
"I am responsible for overseeing all movement," said a ninja who was the leader of all the squads, belonging to one of the Hokage's own units. Alpha and the other leaders nodded in response to his command.
Minato watched with interest, realizing that even among ANBU teams, there was a hierarchy.
"There are many of them around us..." Minato heard Hanabi say beside him.
"Yes, it seems that three Kages arrived before us," Minato commented, also sensing the presence of more than 300 ninjas around them with his Observation Haki, able to identify strong presences. After all, each Kage could bring a little over 100 ninjas and two personal guards to participate in the meeting.
"Let's go." The squad leader commanded, and all five squads vanished, choosing a location in a nearby forest to wait for the meeting to conclude, which would likely take days.
All those ninjas remained stationed in various spots around the castle, hidden just like them, ready to act in case anything happened. After all, the meeting was unlikely to be that simple. When negotiating matters of war, tensions could flare among powerful ninjas like the Kages. It was likely that the villages together would make demands that the Hokage would not be able to accept.
But he couldn't be sure of anything until the meeting was over, a meeting he would not participate in, which was quite expected.
At the same time, Minato could easily begin to feel the sense of anger and hatred among those groups of ninjas distanced from them, all directed solely at them. When he turned his attention to it, it became obvious that the so-called "Cycle of Hatred" would continue consuming all the shinobi of the world, war after war, without end.
Even though this war seemed to have brought little benefit to Konoha, the village had solidified itself as a powerhouse due to the threat of power it represented at the beginning. This was clear when the village had defeated the other four most powerful villages in the world in a three-front battle. The nations' goal was to weaken Konoha's strength and seize its resources, but in the end, that did not happen.
Meanwhile, the Hokage entered the fortress along with Damayo, his son, and his two advisors, following them into a large hall. There, several chairs were arranged around a circular table, with the flags of each country representing the respective participants. Present were the Tsuchikage, the Raikage, and the Kazekage, with the only exception being the Mizukage, who had not yet appeared.
"Isn't it the Hokage of Konoha, the one they say is the Shinobi God and the most powerful Hokage...," mocked the most powerful ninja of Iwa, the Tsuchikage, upon seeing the Hokage. He immediately ridiculed the title of Hokage, as Sarutobi was known as the Shinobi God in his village, which the Tsuchikage found to be a complete joke.
The Hokage did not respond, remaining silent while his guards displayed different expressions upon hearing this. Orochimaru smiled, seeming to enjoy the remark. Danzou, on the other hand, had an expression of anger at hearing someone mock the Hokage, but the Tsuchikage was indifferent to his displeasure. To him, Danzou was just a child compared to his power. However, the two advisors of the Tsuchikage wore expressions of anger upon seeing Danzou glaring at the Iwa Kage in such a manner.
Seated in another chair, the Raikage had a glint of rage in his eyes as he looked at the Hokage due to their loss in the war, but he said nothing. He bore a bandage across his chest due to the damage inflicted by Minato during their fight when the latter was still a teenager. That injury had left a mark of shame on the battlefield, and he had been out for a long time recovering before returning to fight again. Though he was still recovering from that wound, he would never forget Minato Namikaze and his strange abilities in that forest where they had clashed.
His son, A, standing behind him, still young, had a look full of resentment. He did not hide his hostility toward Konoha and, at the same time, clenched his teeth, clearly showing his anger.
Another of the Raikage's guards remained silent.
The Kazekage also had a glint of anger in his eyes, despite remaining silent, just like his advisors. One of his advisors, Chiyo, had been expecting to see Sakumo Hatake among the Hokage's counselors, but she was disappointed. She didn't know if she would have been able to bear being in the same room as that man after all he had done—after he had killed her son and daughter-in-law, leaving Sasori an orphan. She harbored hatred for him more than anything, and her eyes showed something similar as she looked at the Konoha ninjas present. Orochimaru had spent most of the war stationed at the southern camp on the western border, causing many problems for the Suna ninjas.
And as the Fire Damayo entered with his son, unlike the other Kages, the eyes in the room began to focus on the other Damayos already present. It was a different gaze from the hatred and anger the ninjas shared among themselves. The three Damayos looked curiously at the Fire Damayo and his son.
They were completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere. As long as no one fought there, they didn't care. They seemed more interested in other things.
"Look at you all, you're all fat!" the Fire Damayo mocked the other three feudal lords from different countries. The three Damayos present were enormous, seated in armchairs near their respective Kages, while a single advisor was permitted to stay with each Damayo.
Some trusted men had brought their own families, like the Stone Damayo, an old man who had brought his son, who appeared to be around 30 years old. Just as the Fire Damayo had brought his young teenage son, the others had brought older men, likely advisors who had worked with them throughout their entire lives.
"Look who's talking, you're huge too. Anyway, after this is over, let's play some Go. I'm sure it will be interesting," one of the Damayos said. After all, Go was similar to Shogi and was the popular game among the ninja world's aristocracy. The nobles often played it in their free time.
"Whatever. Prepare to lose a lot of money and land," the Fire Damayo replied, heading to his seat alongside the Hokage.
Meanwhile, outside, all the ninjas remained silent, keeping an eye on the castle and also on the other groups belonging to the other Kages.
"It looks like they've finally arrived," Minato murmured softly as a group of ninjas was finally seen approaching.
The group from Kiri had finally arrived at the location—over 110 ninjas, with six of them carrying their Damayo on a large platform. Minato found it a bit excessive.
Takeshi, who was responsible for the Land of Iron, left the castle, placing his apprentice in charge of handling the situation and any conflicts inside the Kage meeting room while he personally received the Mizukage from Kiri.
After all, before the Hokage's arrival, everything had been calm, but with Konoha's presence, tensions could rise. Every single one of the three Kages present had fought against Konoha, and Mifune would have to pacify any conflict before the meeting began.
"Mizukage..." Takeshi greeted the man wearing the blue Kage hat, representing the Land of Water, as the Mizukage greeted him in return and ordered his men to step back, leaving only those who would participate in the meeting.
"It looks like it's about to start," Minato heard Echo mutter beside him.
"Shouldn't there be an Uzumaki here too?" Mikoto suddenly asked, making Minato look at her in surprise. After all, she rarely commented on such topics. Minato nodded, agreeing. Konoha should have brought an Uzumaki at the very least, but that hadn't happened. They had been allies in the war, so it was very strange.
Meanwhile, the Mizukage entered the building, accompanied by his men, following Takeshi to the meeting room. The man finally stepped into the hall a while later, glancing around—especially at the Konoha representatives—with anger before taking his seat.
"Well, now we can finally begin the meeting to officially put an end to the Second Shinobi War once and for all," Takeshi said, as everyone nodded.
The meeting began immediately, with no one complaining about the journey, as no one wanted to spend much more time among their enemies.
Unlike the Damayos, who seemed more interested in playing and drinking than actually resolving the matter, all four Kages were there to settle the situation once and for all. And so, the meeting began.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 227 - ANBU Leader.
Chapter 232 - The Dark Side of Konoha
Chapter 242 - We need to get stronger... 04.
Chapter 251 - After Everything, Are We Weaker?
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