Darui nodded, looking at the assembled group.
"Indeed, we don't have time to stand still."
"Even as we speak, Madara Uchiha is preparing for war, step by step!"
The Raikage nodded. When it came to the Uchiha, his initial attitude was one of disdain. However, the terror of Kanon's recent attack had made the Five Great Nations realize that the Fourth Great Ninja War was no mere game.
The assassination of a Daimyō was already a grave incident; the simultaneous murder of the Daimyō of the Five Great Nations right in front of the Kage was an unprecedented event in history. The Uchiha situation had reached a critical extreme. In the wake of this terrifying declaration of war, no shinobi could afford to ignore the conflict any longer.
"Fine!"
"We will hold a joint meeting of the Allied Shinobi Forces in three days!"
"Notify every village to attend!"
…
In Konoha...
The villagers breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that Naruto had been summoned to Mount Myoboku by Fukasaku. Once war broke out, the Nine-Tails had to be kept absolutely safe.
"Why did the Great Toad Sage summon you?" Tsunade asked.
"Giant Gramps Sage gave me a prophecy..." Naruto muttered.
"The same kind Jiraiya was told about?"
"So, what did the Great Toad Sage say?"
"Well..."
"It seems I'm going to a resort island and meeting an octopus."
Everyone was bewildered. An octopus?
"What on earth is that supposed to mean?" Kakashi asked, perplexed.
"Apparently, the octopus will assist me."
"It seems Giant Gramps Sage doesn't know the specifics either."
"Also... he told me I would fight Sasuke and Kanon."
"Fight Sasuke and Kanon?" Kakashi and Sakura looked down, their spirits dampened.
"But I've already prepared myself mentally."
"Naruto..." Sakura looked at him with concern.
"Sakura, don't worry. I'll handle things with Sasuke."
…
Three days later.
"Everyone arrived quickly." The Raikage sat in his office, looking over the guests.
"I didn't expect Kumogakure to suffer such a calamity as well..." Mei Terumī remarked, looking at the surrounding areas still under reconstruction.
"Tch! That Uchiha bastard!" The Raikage gritted his teeth.
"The situation is urgent; let's skip the sarcasm..." Gaara spoke softly. Sunagakure had also been attacked, and the Daimyō had died right before his eyes. His expression was solemn. As the youngest Kage, his voice currently carried less weight than the others.
"But Princess Tsunade, are you truly alright now?"
"Wouldn't this have been a good chance to let the younger generation take over?"
"After all, you are getting up there in years." Ōnoki teased Tsunade, who was sitting beside him.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Gramps of Both Scales!"
"Putting Danzō aside for a moment, I'm relieved Tsunade-sama could return to the post of Hokage," Mei said with a smile and a nod.
"Enough with the pleasantries. Let us begin the meeting!" Mifune proposed.
Before the meeting commenced, Shikaku Nara, standing behind Tsunade, handed a document to everyone. It contained all the information regarding Kanon during her time in Konoha, including Danzō's two assassination attempts and the various jutsu she had demonstrated.
The Raikage and the others frowned as they read. The report detailed the darkness Kanon Uchiha had endured in Konoha, information known to the village elders, without omitting a single detail. It was utterly foul.
BANG!
The Raikage smashed the table with a single punch.
"That bastard Danzō! That old man Sarutobi truly accomplished nothing!" the Raikage roared, cursing openly.
"Indeed," Ōnoki added with a slight nod. As the leader of an opposing nation that had initiated the Third Great Ninja War, and thus a perpetrator himself, Ōnoki naturally had no kind words for Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Tsunade lowered her head. Everything Kanon had suffered happened before her tenure. Her master had truly left her a difficult mess to clean up... especially regarding Danzō. She had heard the man had already been killed by Kanon, while the fates of Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane remained unknown.
"Kanon's intent was good, but she was subjected to too much evil. She is extremely dangerous now..." Gaara said, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Yes..." Mei said, finding the report hard to believe. For a young girl to have experienced so much... any one of the incidents the fifteen-year-old Kanon endured would be enough to make a person collapse.
"Sigh, she truly is a child of misfortune." Mifune shook his head before looking back at the group. "Let's return to the main topic. First, regarding the Jinchūriki of the Eight and Nine-Tails."
Because Konoha's failures had molded Kanon into what she was now, Tsunade was the first to state her position and share all available intel.
"Next is the intel on the enemy's headquarters and combat strength."
"Our personnel have located a site suspected to be the enemy HQ, but it could be a trap."
"We can only continue gathering intelligence," Tsunade said softly.
Seeing Tsunade's cooperation, A turned to the other Kage.
"We have also formed a reconnaissance team and are currently gathering info."
"It seems we should exchange information between villages immediately," Mei suggested.
"Then let's form a separate unit specifically for consolidating intelligence."
"A good idea. No withholding information!" Ōnoki reminded them.
"Of course!" the Raikage nodded. "If the nations only consider their own interests now, Akatsuki might beat us to the punch!"
"Then where should the key Jinchūriki be hidden?" Ōnoki asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. As expected of the older generation of Kage, his perspective was sharp.
"Hidden?" Tsunade frowned. "Naruto and B are significant assets! Why hide them?!" Tsunade was instantly displeased.
Ōnoki nodded slightly; Tsunade's reaction was exactly what he expected.
"I thought so too, but in this war, those two are the enemy's targets."
"Especially Kanon Uchiha. She is even more inscrutable than Madara Uchiha."
"We still haven't figured out where the limit of her strength lies."
"To be safe, they cannot be allowed to fight. This was decided in the last meeting."
Ōnoki couldn't resist another jab at Tsunade: "By the way, the Princess was sick and didn't attend that one."
Tsunade's expression turned angry. What kind of decision was that?
"The enemy is the Uchiha! And Madara Uchiha is among them!"
"If we hold back our strength and miss the chance for victory, there won't be a second chance!"
"We must commit our total combat strength—"
She was cut off by Gaara before she could finish: "This war is for the Five Great Nations to join forces and protect those two."
"The Hokage cannot act on her own; we decide based on the majority opinion."
"You young brat, Naruto is..."
"I know that guy well. He's too reckless for the sake of his comrades, and that's exactly why we have to do this."
Mifune, representing the neutral nation, spoke up: "Before discussing combat strength, if the Five Kage cannot reach an agreement, victory will be impossible."
"I agree, Tsunade-sama," Shikaku Nara whispered, nodding behind her.
"Fine, have it your way!" Tsunade gritted her teeth.
"The sharp-tongued Slug Princess is still her old self; that's proof of your recovery," Ōnoki teased again.
"Then we are in agreement on the hiding place for the Eight and Nine-Tails, Hokage?" The Raikage stared at Tsunade.
"Understood. Move on to the next topic."
"A hiding place has already been found," the Raikage said with a slight smirk. "A certain location in Kumogakure that Akatsuki has never visited would be most suitable."
"It is a treasured, secret land."
…
In Konoha.
Naruto had received an S-rank mission to travel to a certain location in Kumogakure alongside Guy, Yamato, and Aoba Yamashiro.
Today was the day of departure. Naruto pushed open the door of his wooden hut, his previous home having been destroyed during the Pain incident.
"Alright!"
Now, just as the Great Toad Sage had predicted, he was heading out to find the octopus and undergo training to control the Nine-Tails' power. And then, he would find Sasuke and Kanon once more.
Aoba and Yamato looked at Naruto and smiled.
"Well then, let's head—"
Suddenly, Guy appeared before Naruto like a whirlwind.
"My young friend! We depart now!"
"Toward the peak of youth!"