It's normal for shinobi to be highly specialized in a single ability.
But someone like Kawaki Aoba, who had broken through the limits in multiple fields—reaching not just Kage level, but arguably surpassing even that—was a true anomaly.
Since they had encountered him, the Kage of the respective villages couldn't simply ignore his presence. Some degree of diplomacy was inevitable.
The Hidden Sand Village had only recently surrendered to Konohagakure, and in a sense, it wasn't far-fetched to regard them as subordinate to the Leaf.
Even so, Hiruzen Sarutobi, ever the tactician, showed Rasa, his younger counterpart, considerable respect, ensuring the man wouldn't feel humiliated.
Hiruzen was counting on Rasa's cooperation during this Five Kage Summit.
Not long after, another Kage arrived—the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village in the Land of Water.
The Third Mizukage appeared middle-aged—slightly younger than Hiruzen—and radiated energy and authority.
However, under the scrutiny of Kenbunshoku Haki, Kawaki Aoba detected a disturbing aura of death from him. His mental fluctuations were weak and subdued—entirely inconsistent with his appearance.
Kawaki Aoba deduced that the Third Mizukage had likely been under control for some time. It wouldn't be long before Kirigakure was forced to consider a replacement.
Speaking of which, the Mizukage's escort seemed to be none other than the future Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
Short in stature—under 1.6 meters—with a youthful, almost childlike face, he appeared unthreatening.
But appearances were deceiving. Despite not yet being the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, Yagura was already a solid Kage-level fighter. Still, compared to Kawaki Aoba, he didn't amount to much. One slap might not kill him, but two certainly would.
By then, most of the Five Great Nations' Kage had arrived. Only two remained.
The hosts of the summit—the Land of Iron's samurai—waited until dusk.
That evening, the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and the Fourth Raikage, A, arrived together. Their arrival suggested a newfound alliance.
These two villages—Iwagakure and Kumogakure—had long been bitter enemies. To see them cooperating was surprising.
But not inexplicable—both villages had suffered at the hands of Kawaki Aoba.
The Third Raikage, father of A, was already under Aoba's control, and at least half of Iwagakure's elite had similarly fallen under his influence.
These two villages held the most hatred for Aoba. The very idea for this Five Kage Summit had been proposed by Ōnoki.
Once the meeting began, the elder Tsuchikage wasted no time directing attention to Aoba.
"I believe everyone here understands why this summit was convened," Ōnoki declared. "There's no need to waste time on small talk."
"Uchiha Madara and a man known as Smoker—these two hidden enemies threaten us all."
"That white-haired man who goes by 'White Cloud' is named Smoker. That's according to recent intel from the underground black market."
"Unfortunately, we haven't confirmed the source of this intelligence—but that's irrelevant."
"What is relevant is that, unlike Uchiha Madara, who's remained in the shadows for decades, this Smoker is a direct, escalating threat."
"Using forbidden techniques to reanimate and control the dead is unforgivable. None of you want to see your village's heroes rise as your enemies, do you?"
As he spoke, the Fourth Raikage's expression darkened. For other villages, this was a hypothetical fear—but for him, it was inevitable.
If he fought Smoker, his own father—the Third Raikage—would eventually stand against him under Smoker's control.
Standing behind Hiruzen, Kawaki Aoba quietly cursed the old man.
Hypocrite. If your village hadn't researched reanimation, I wouldn't have been able to perfect Necromancy in the first place.
Still, from an outsider's perspective, Ōnoki wasn't wrong.
Compared to Madara's dormant schemes, Smoker's immediate and aggressive actions posed the greater threat.
And so, the villages naturally chose the latter as their target.
Kawaki Aoba had never considered exposing Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan to redirect their hatred. Even if they believed it, the ninja world was far too fractured to unite in time, unlike during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Revealing his identity as Smoker was even more foolish.
Thanks to Ōnoki, Smoker was now the number one enemy of the shinobi world. It was as if peace would never come so long as he lived.
Kawaki Aoba stood silently, watching himself become the symbol of global hatred.
Ōnoki's rhetoric reduced Madara to a footnote. Aoba had become the face of all evil.
Worse yet, Aoba gradually realized something even more sinister:
Eradicating him had become a moral imperative for the ninja world.
As for Madara, Ōnoki dismissed him entirely, claiming, "He's a Konoha traitor. Not our concern."
Kawaki Aoba wasn't sure what Hiruzen Sarutobi thought at that moment, but he himself barely restrained the urge to summon his Golden Gundam and pound the old man into the ground.
Did I dig up your village's ancestors or something? Do you have to hate me this much?
If only Ōnoki had known Aoba's real thoughts, he might've shouted back, "You did dig up our ancestral graves!"
To be fair, Kawaki Aoba had considered it. If Yakushi Kabuto could do it in the future, why not him?
However, since Necromancy required intact and freshly dead bodies, Aoba eventually abandoned the idea.
The Five Kage Summit continued. The initial tension had been fierce, but Kawaki Aoba soon noticed a pattern.
Despite Ōnoki's earlier posturing—insisting on cutting straight to the point—when it came to issues affecting each village's self-interest, they still danced around the matter.
Once Smoker was labeled the enemy of the world, the rest of the summit descended into posturing and delay.
The real threat wasn't Smoker, Uchiha Madara, or any one individual.
It was the hypocrisy and division among the ninja villages themselves.
Iwagakure took the initiative, attempting to rally the other four great shinobi villages in a joint effort to confront Smoker—believed to be a dangerous unknown from another land. Kumogakure quickly agreed.
"That's great!" Hiruzen Sarutobi responded with a half-smile. "You two may proceed. The other three villages will provide... moral support. We'll be cheering you on from the sidelines."
Hiruzen's sarcasm was thinly veiled. He added, "In fact, if Iwagakure and Kumogakure succeed, Konoha would even be willing to concede the title of the strongest ninja village. Isn't that right?"
"What about Konoha?" Onoki asked with a frown. "Surely a village of your strength won't sit idle?"
"Of course not," Hiruzen said calmly. "We'll be handling a more pressing threat—Uchiha Madara. He is, after all, a defector from our village, and his power cannot be underestimated."
"To deal with such a threat, it's only logical we mobilize the full strength of the Hidden Leaf," he concluded, with mock innocence. "Wasn't it you who first suggested this course of action, Onoki?"
Hiruzen's pointed response made Onoki's face twitch in frustration. Behind him, Aoba Kawaki—Hiruzen's young yet sharp aide—couldn't help but admire the Hokage's cunning.
Realizing he would get nothing from Hiruzen, Onoki turned toward the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. Compared to the experienced Hiruzen, Rasa seemed like an easier target.
However, Onoki miscalculated.
Regardless of Rasa's political inexperience, Sunagakure was in no position to challenge anything. Having recently suffered a defeat at the hands of Konoha in a border skirmish, they had temporarily lost their autonomy and were under close watch. For now, Rasa had no choice but to follow Konoha's lead.
Onoki and the Fourth Raikage, A, exchanged bitter glances. Their hopes dashed, they turned to the last potential ally: the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure.
"Mizukage-dono," Onoki said slyly, "if I recall correctly, three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of your village were affected by that forbidden genjutsu technique, yes?"
The implication was clear: Kirigakure was also a victim. Didn't they want revenge?
It was a compelling offer. But the Third Mizukage remained calm and answered, "Our losses were unfortunate, but they do not warrant provoking a greater threat that could endanger the entire village."
Though the Mizukage was secretly under the influence of Madara's genjutsu via the Mangekyō Sharingan, he still acted with the composure of a seasoned Kage. Unless Madara had a specific goal, he seldom forced the Mizukage into blatant action.
Even Kirigakure's infamous "Bloody Mist" policy had originated from the Mizukage himself. Did people really think Madara had the time to engineer every cruelty personally?
Still, just as Onoki resigned himself to another rejection, the Third Mizukage suddenly changed his stance and expressed support for Iwagakure's plan.
The reversal caught everyone off guard. Onoki was elated. With the support of Kirigakure, he now had a majority of the Five Kage. He could pressure Konoha and Sunagakure into compliance.
But as Onoki moved to speak, Aoba Kawaki's expression shifted.
He had sensed something—a fleeting disturbance in the Mizukage's mental state. Others might not have noticed it, but to someone who had mastered Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), it was unmistakable.
Combined with the inconsistency in the Mizukage's speech, Aoba became convinced: Uchiha Madara was interfering again.
He leaned toward Hiruzen and whispered his findings, emphasizing that the spiritual signature he detected matched the sensation of high-level Uchiha dōjutsu.
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
Before Onoki could continue, the Hokage abruptly stood up. "We'll adjourn the summit here. I'm feeling unwell, and it's late. We can reconvene tomorrow."
Onoki and the Fourth Raikage voiced their displeasure, but Hiruzen was firm. With no choice, the meeting dissolved for the night.
Later, in private, Hiruzen called Aoba Kawaki aside.
"Aoba," he said seriously, "how certain are you about what you sensed?"
Aoba didn't hesitate. "Hokage-sama, I'm certain. That mental fluctuation was dōjutsu-based, and its purity and power exceeded anything I've ever sensed—even from other Uchiha."
Hiruzen nodded grimly. "Then there's little doubt. Madara has taken control of the Third Mizukage. Silently manipulating a Kage... that man is dangerously audacious."
Aoba could feel Hiruzen's unease. And he understood why. If Madara had targeted the Hokage himself, even someone like Hiruzen might have been unable to resist.
But when Hiruzen looked toward Minato Namikaze, he relaxed slightly. With Minato's speed and the Flying Thunder God Technique, they could escape even Madara, should it come to that.
Fight him? That was out of the question.
Aoba read the Hokage's thoughts with ease. But he remained silent on one point: Hiruzen had misjudged when the Mizukage had fallen under Madara's control.
If the truth were known—that Madara had been influencing things for much longer—it might lead to widespread paranoia, especially against the Uchiha within Konoha.
That would only worsen the village's internal tensions and burden Minato, the likely successor, even more.
Now, with the Third Mizukage under genjutsu and standing beside both the Raikage and Tsuchikage, revealing the truth would be explosive. The Raikage's impulsiveness could spiral things into chaos, while Onoki would never accept that he'd been duped.
For the time being, discretion was the wiser course.
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