Chapter 166 - 164: Satō's Bomb

"This tower in Ame... I get the feeling it's not exactly inferior to the Hokage's tower." Tsunade wore the look of someone still making peace with her own conclusion.

Tobirama, who'd come along to escort Azula to the tower where the summit was being held, was far more composed. "Ame was built long after Konoha. It's only natural their tower is more modern and, in principle, more polished than ours."

"But in terms of culture, tradition, and sheer weight of history, it doesn't compare to the place where the very first Kage Summit was held. Where agreements that reshaped the entire shinobi world were struck."

A trace of pride crept into his voice when he spoke of the Hokage's tower. Nothing unusual about that for a shinobi of Konoha.

Azula couldn't resist poking at him, seeing as he'd gotten so chatty today. "For someone who seems dead set against the shinobi world's traditions, I never figured you'd choose antiquity over modernity."

"Hmph!" Tobirama sniffed, still nowhere near forgiving her for the humiliation she'd put him through.

She arched her left eyebrow. "What, do you want to dance again? In front of all the Kage this time?"

'Dance, dance, Uchiha and their dancing,' he lamented inwardly, thinking of Madara whose favorite pastime was apparently dancing, thinking of all the dances he'd shared with Izuna, coming to the conclusion that Uchiha simply loved to dance. Which was... perfectly normal.

The trio walked on without a shred of pressure, passing under the eyes of everyone present until they reached the tower.

"Welcome, Lord Hokage. I am Kanzō, charged with escorting you to the meeting chamber." Kanzō spoke with deference, dipping into a shallow bow before Azula.

Azula nodded back. She could feel the respect through Kanzō's chakra, genuine, not a performance.

Ame's tower was practically modern from Azula's perspective, even compared to early 21st-century Earth. Stairs in a world where people naturally just leaped everywhere. Even an elevator.

Tsunade found the whole experience fascinating, already thinking about requisitioning the tech department to build something similar at the hospital once they got back.

Despite their wandering thoughts, they soon reached their destination. Through their senses, Azula, Tsunade, and Tobirama all knew they were at the very top of the tower, the final floor.

Stepping out of the elevator, what awaited them was a long corridor with a single door at the end, flanked by guards.

Once they reached it, Kanzō stopped and addressed Azula. "After you, Lord Hokage."

Azula nodded and pushed open the door, unable to sense what lay beyond. She was a hundred percent certain that was thanks to the countless seals and barriers woven into the walls. 'I wonder how Sasuke managed to crash the Kage Summit in the future.'

She didn't dwell on it. There were plenty of possible explanations: help from Obito, the Zetsu, any number of things.

The moment she stepped inside, all the Kage were already present, seated around a round table, each with one or two guards standing behind them.

The instant Azula appeared, Ōnoki's first instinct was to let some sarcasm fly about her being the last to arrive, even though she was technically right on time. But when her gaze swept across the Kage and paused on him, lingering just a second longer than it should have, he shut his mouth.

"Hmph!" Azula sniffed, already exhausted before things had even started. She sat down anyway.

"Ahem." Hanzo drew everyone's attention. "Since we are all present, I hereby declare the beginning of this extraordinary Kage Summit."

After Hanzo finished speaking, a heavy silence settled over the room. The Kage exchanged glances, but no one stepped up to break it.

That's when Hanzo decided to add something. "This summit was convened at the request of the Tsuchikage and the Kazekage, largely in response to the growing instability in the shinobi world. With that, Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Kazekage, the floor is yours."

Ōnoki locked eyes with Hanzo. That wasn't part of the plan they'd laid out, but since it didn't put him at a disadvantage, he let it slide.

As for the Kazekage, he stayed silent. Just watched Ōnoki with no intention of speaking, perfectly content to drop his bomb later.

Ōnoki had no choice but to take the lead. "The reason for this summit runs far deeper than simple instability."

"I would say this summit has been called to find common ground regarding all the misunderstandings and disturbances that have arisen recently in the shinobi world, and also to impose a limit so that everyone can feel at ease." When he said 'limit,' he looked straight at Azula, making no effort to hide his target.

A couldn't stop himself from laughing at how desperate Ōnoki looked. "The first and only time a Kage Summit was called, it was to divide up the tailed beasts and completely define the balance of power in the shinobi world. And now here we are, a Kage Summit just so you can whine about being weak and demand that everyone else gets held back. Hahaha."

The Third Raikage made absolutely no effort to hide how much he was enjoying this.

He remembered all too well how, before he'd thrown in with Konoha, Ōnoki played every dirty trick in the book even while they were supposed to be allies.

But ever since his alliance with Azula, everything had flipped. Now he got to watch the Tsuchikage squirm in desperation every so often, and he didn't have to worry about Azula pulling the same kind of cheap moves Ōnoki always did.

"Raikage." Ōnoki was immediately provoked. "I see the barbaric, treacherous nature of Kumo hasn't changed at all. Always looking to stir up more conflict even when we're searching for a path to understanding."

At the same time, his eyes flicked toward the Kazekage as if expecting backup. The Kazekage chose to remain an observer.

This isn't good, Hanzo noted. The Kazekage was silent, and Ōnoki couldn't handle three against one.

Unfortunately, as the neutral party, Hanzo couldn't openly step in to support Ōnoki. Especially not so publicly.

"Enough," Azula cut in, knowing damn well if she didn't, they'd waste her whole afternoon. "I don't have time to sit here watching you bicker. If there's nothing concrete on the table, say so and I'll head back to Konoha."

No one thought she was bluffing. Uchiha didn't bluff. If one of them said something, even on impulse, they'd follow through just to prove the point.

"I heard Konoha is planning a student exchange program with Kumo." Akiko spoke up, catching everyone off guard.

Azula had already sent Kiri the documents as a formality since she'd been planning this for a while, but she hadn't expected Akiko to bring it up here. Her eyes narrowed just slightly. 'Is she raising this now because with all the Kage present, she can push for more "reasonable" terms?'

The thoughts stayed locked in her head as she answered smoothly. "After considerable analysis, I concluded that most conflicts between villages boil down to misunderstanding and prejudice. Children don't carry the same baggage as adults."

"Konoha and Kumo are launching an exchange. We send students to Kumo, Kumo sends students to us. It deepens our alliance. What, are you interested in joining?" She tested the waters, watching Akiko's reaction.

Akiko's voice stayed soft and steady. "From Kiri's perspective, I hope so. Studying in Konoha would only benefit our students. We would learn regardless of the subject."

"If possible, Kiri is willing to participate, though we'd prefer to flesh out the details later in a more private setting." No one could read her state of mind from her tone alone.

To everyone else in the room, the exchange looked like a simple game. Who didn't know Kiri was completely under Konoha's thumb?

But the next words shoved the summit straight from stable ground into freefall.

"Suna is also interested in this kind of cooperation. We would like to know Konoha's thoughts on the matter." Satō dropped the bomb, openly siding with Konoha for the first time, without giving anyone the time to prepare.

(END OF THE CHAPTER)