The conference hall was silent for a long time before Ohnoki slowly spoke:
"In other words, the Sage's Eye is similar to the Uchiha clan's Mangekyō Sharingan—some abilities overlap, while others are different?"
"Hmph, who knows if that's even true," the Fourth Raikage said coldly. "The Sage's Eye has always been a legendary ability. There's no record of it even from the Warring States Period. And now, two pairs suddenly appear at once? How is that possible?"
"Believe it or not." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "The reason I came to this summit is to share this information so that none of you fall into the trap of that mysterious man."
"This matter is inseparable from your Konoha." The Fourth Raikage continued accusingly, "I can overlook Root and Shimura Danzo for now, but why are these puppets using Konoha's unique ninjutsu and forbidden techniques? That Shimura Danzo even had a Mangekyō Sharingan and could use Wood Release and the Flying Thunder God Technique. Hokage, you must give an explanation."
Without waiting for Tsunade to speak, he swept his gaze toward the other Kage. "And your villages too. The exposed members of the Akatsuki are almost all S-rank defectors from your villages. You all owe an explanation."
Seeing the Raikage trying to pin blame, the other Kage darkened.
Chiyo didn't have the confidence to speak, but Ohnoki retorted sarcastically,
"Hard to believe those words came from one of the Five Kage. Are all Kage from the Hidden Cloud just monkeys who skipped class? Since when does a village bear full responsibility for its defectors? What, because we didn't burn their files or issue bounty orders?"
"In that case, shouldn't your Kumogakure first give Konoha an explanation? The Second Hokage died at the hands of traitors from your village, and you've never accounted for that. And if I remember correctly, the ninja tools used by Kinkaku and Ginkaku are still in your hands. Shouldn't the murder weapons be returned to Konoha?"
"What did you say!?" The Fourth Raikage immediately stood up, furious.
Ohnoki sneered, "Boy, you've got power, but you're still green compared to your father. If you want a fight—one-on-one or a full-out war—I'll gladly accompany you."
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Mifune tapped on the table and gently interjected:
"Lord Raikage, Lord Tsuchikage, please show restraint. The topic of this summit is how to deal with the Akatsuki organization, which has crossed the line."
"Hmph!" The Fourth Raikage snorted and sat back down, still fuming. "I don't trust the Hokage's intel. My suggestion is a joint assault on the Hidden Rain Village to completely eliminate this terrorist organization of S-class defectors from your villages."
"I disagree."
Ohnoki crossed his arms calmly.
"I'm familiar with the Akatsuki. They are a mercenary group of S-rank defectors who work the black market, taking on top-secret missions. I've even cooperated with them a few times. They've always stayed in the shadows. But now they're suddenly high-profile and have exposed their base. That's suspicious."
"I thought their secrecy meant they were preparing something, and now they're revealing themselves? Princess Tsunade's intel explains it—it might really be a third party manipulating events."
"That's just speculation," the Fourth Raikage replied.
"Perhaps," Ohnoki said indifferently. "But I trust Tsunade's info. There's no enmity between Hidden Rock and Akatsuki, so we won't join a crusade."
"Hmph. I hope you won't regret it when Akatsuki turns on your village!" the Raikage growled.
"If that happens, I'll consider myself unlucky," Ohnoki replied with a sarcastic smile.
The Raikage's forehead veins bulged.
Tsunade rested her chin on her hands.
"I trust Jiraiya's intel. After all, of all our villages, only he infiltrated the Hidden Rain and spoke directly to Akatsuki's leader. Whether he lied or not, if the Konoha Collapse Plan, the Blood Mist, and the attack on the Hidden Cloud were all done by Akatsuki, then the person who controlled Danzo and used the Flying Thunder God Technique must be among them."
"We didn't fully disclose this before, but in addition to our heavy losses, Konoha's Book of Seals and a Wood Release experiment subject were stolen." Tsunade's tone turned solemn. "That happened in August. The Cloud Village incident was in December—only four months apart."
"In just four months, they mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique—something only the Second Hokage and the Fourth ever used—and even activated Wood Release through Danzo's body. They must have already gained control over other techniques in the Book of Seals."
"Even if we attacked the Hidden Rain together, it would be difficult to destroy Akatsuki if they possess Flying Thunder God. And if they don't, then it proves there's a mysterious third party—and we'd be pushing Akatsuki to fully oppose us. If we fail, we risk retaliation from the second pair of Sage Eyes."
At that, all the Kage except the Fourth Raikage fell silent.
He burst out, "Are you afraid, Hokage? Do you really believe an organization with the Sage's Eye will keep acting like mercenaries?"
"Think what you like," Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Konoha will not participate in a crusade against Akatsuki."
With both the Hidden Rain and Konoha—the second and third most powerful behind the Cloud Village—refusing to join, Chiyo spoke up:
"I believe Hokage's words. Sand suffered heavy losses in the Konoha Collapse, and we're still in transition. We're not in any shape to fight."
The Raikage's face turned even darker.
Seeing that three villages refused to join the attack, the Mist representative—who had planned to use this chance to take down Akatsuki—gave up.
"Although the Mist just ended the Blood Mist era and is in transition, if a joint attack happens against Akatsuki or the mysterious party, we will follow the majority's decision."
Which really meant: the Mist also abstained.
"Hmph. You'll all regret this!"
The Fourth Raikage slammed the table and stormed out without looking back.
The others ignored his tantrum.
"Hokage, let's make a deal," Chiyo called out just as Tsunade prepared to leave with Izayoi and Kakashi.
"What kind of deal?" Tsunade asked, clearly unimpressed.
Unbothered by her tone, Chiyo looked at Kakashi, then said:
"We of the Sand are willing to strengthen our alliance with Konoha. When dealing with foreign enemies, we're even willing to relinquish command."
"And your condition?" Tsunade asked.
"We want a complete barrier system," Chiyo said firmly.
"If that mysterious third party really exists and plans to provoke war, they will eventually target Sand and Rock. We need a barrier that can withstand meteor showers."
At that, Ohnoki—who had been preparing to leave—floated back and smiled.
"Princess Tsunade, Rock would also like to make a similar deal."
"If possible, count the Mist Village in as well," added the Mist representative.
Normally, Tsunade would scoff at these requests.
But after recalling the Akatsuki and the mysterious man, and the massive crater that Cloud became...
Tsunade frowned slightly.
Then she made her decision.
"If you want to negotiate, send someone to Konoha."
With that, she left with Izayoi and Kakashi.
They didn't linger in the Land of Iron and immediately began the return journey to Konoha.
The other villages did the same.
None of the Five Kage dared to risk staying away from home for too long—uncertain if the Akatsuki or that mysterious figure would take the opportunity to attack.
Izayoi followed Tsunade, eyes facing forward—but in truth, his mind had already returned to the Land of Iron.
The corners of his lips curled slightly.
He thought to himself: he was getting smarter.
Back in the Land of Iron.
After the samurai finished protecting the Five Kage, they returned to their posts.
One lone samurai walked to a secluded place—and his body transformed into a clone of White Zetsu.
The Akatsuki had been watching the summit.
After losing a clone in Konoha—possibly to Izayoi's Wood Release or the mysterious enemy—Black and White Zetsu didn't dare use Mayfly Technique. Instead, they replaced a samurai ahead of time and spied in plain sight.
Izayoi hadn't noticed this clone initially—and that's what bothered him.
The Five Kage Summit could not remain hidden from Black and White Zetsu.
Since the meeting was to deal with Akatsuki, of course they would prepare a counter-strategy.
Since Mayfly Technique couldn't be used, they relied on impersonation.
But unlike in the original timeline, there would be no dramatic declaration of war.
In the original story, Obito declared war only after securing 100,000 White Zetsu, Kabuto's Edo Tensei army, the Gedo Statue with seven tailed beasts, and with Kamui and Rinnegan as backup.
Now, Nagato is still alive, and he holds power in Akatsuki.
Even though he arrogantly calls himself "God," Nagato would never dare provoke the Five Great Nations before the Three-Tails is resurrected.
And this outcome of the summit would likely please him.
As long as the Five Great Nations didn't unite, he had nothing to fear.
That result was exactly what Izayoi had expected.
In the original story, the Five Great Nations only united because they shared a common enemy.
The Mist was manipulated by Obito, their Fourth Mizukage turned into a tool of bloodshed—deep hatred resulted.
The Sand had their Jinchūriki Gaara taken. If Chiyo hadn't sacrificed herself, Gaara would have died.
Konoha was devastated by Pain. Had Nagato not revived the dead, Konoha's strength would've been the weakest of all.
The Cloud believed Killer Bee had been captured, prompting the Raikage to call the summit.
And the Rock lost two Jinchūriki—while Ohnoki himself had been humiliated by Madara.
When Obito revealed the Moon's Eye Plan, they all had to unite.
But now, even though Akatsuki is a huge threat, there's still that unknown man with the Sage's Eye.
As long as even one Kage believed in that mysterious figure's existence, the Ninja Alliance would never be born.
Without Obito masquerading as Madara, and with Ohnoki knowing Deidara (his disciple) is in Akatsuki, he won't take the initiative to destroy them.
Even if Deidara was listed as a traitor, all of Iwagakure knew that was just a diplomatic front.
After seeing the crater in the Cloud Village, Sand and Mist—the weakest two—had no reason to send troops. If they won, Konoha or Iwa might turn on them next.
From the start, the Cloud was left isolated and helpless.
"Still not ready, Lord Raikage? Don't let me down," Izayoi thought.
After experiencing the immense profit of war, he was hooked.
Originally, his goal was to rack up 990,000 points before Shippuden ended—to max out his Otsutsuki bloodline (red) once.
But now?
Izayoi felt his ambitions could go even further.
He wanted to upgrade both red entries to unknown levels.
And to do that—he had to stir up the ninja world even more.
After all, when the true alien invaders come...
It'll be people like Izayoi—tied to the Otsutsuki—who'll face the threat on the front line.
All he's asking for now—is investment.