The Fire Country Conference Hall, located in the northern part of the Hidden Leaf Village, which was rarely opened except for the occasional military meetings convened by the Fire Country's Daimyo, was surprisingly open for a meeting.
A profoundly influential conference was about to commence here.
The attendees were not numerous; only five people were seated around the round table in the center of the hall.
They were the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Mizukage of the Hidden Mist, Yuki no Setsuna, the Third Kazekage of the Hidden Sand, the Third Tsuchikage of the Hidden Stone, Onoki, and the Third Raikage of the Hidden Cloud, A.
These were the Third Kages of the five great ninja villages of the current ninja world.
The five Kages sat in their positions.
Apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, the initiator of this conference, the other four Kages each had two guards standing behind them.
Behind the Third Raikage A stood Darui, an elite Jōnin of the Hidden Cloud Village, and the elderly elder Ranshi.
This was no place for showing respect to the old and caring for the young; even though Elder Ranshi was older than Onoki, he was not qualified to sit as he was the guard of the Third Raikage.
Behind the Third Kazekage stood his disciple, the future Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and a scantily clad female ninja, Pakura, the scorch-style ninja of the Hidden Sand.
Onoki was accompanied by his son, Kurotsuchi, and his most loyal guard, Akatsuchi. The three of them stood like carved wooden statues, silent since entering the conference hall, their minds secretly plotting.
The Third Mizukage, Yuki no Setsuna, narrowed his eyes, his face betraying no emotion.
Before coming to the Hidden Leaf, Yuki no Setsuna had carefully considered and decided to bring the two strongest fighters of the Hidden Mist Village besides himself.
His disciple, the designated successor for the next Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, and the current patriarch of the Kaguya clan, Kimimaro Kaguya.
Apart from the ninjas responsible for guarding each village, the ninjas gathered in this conference hall were almost the strongest wave of power that the ninja world could openly display at present.
...
The Third Raikage, A, was impatient. Seeing that no one had spoken for so long, he could no longer contain himself.
"Bang!"
He slammed his hand on the table, causing the Kages' hats to tremble.
"Hokage, what exactly did you call all the Kages here for?"
"It can't be that you summoned us here just for a mere Chunin exam, to hold a Kage Summit like the First Hokage back then, can it?"
"Even if it is a Kage Summit, everyone is here, shouldn't it have started by now?"
"Sitting here in silence like this, I'm getting truly impatient!"
A's words were direct, not only expressing his dissatisfaction to Hiruzen Sarutobi but also voicing the doubts of everyone present, using the name of the First Hokage as a reference.
Who said the Raikage were all brutes?
No one who could sit at a negotiation table was simple.
Hearing this, everyone present immediately turned their gaze to the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"Everyone!"
"Please be patient for a moment!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and glanced at the guards standing behind the other four Kages, gently waving his hand.
"You all brought your guards, and even..."
"Among them are the successors you have carefully selected."
"In an occasion like this, the future Fourth Hokage of my Hidden Leaf has no reason not to be present."
"So..."
Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Onoki, whose expression had suddenly turned grim, and casually dropped a sentence.
"Let's start after Orochimaru arrives!"
Onoki clenched his large hands, making a creaking sound, and let out a heavy grunt, but ultimately did not object.
Since Onoki, who had direct conflict with Orochimaru, did not speak, there was no need for others to do so.
The conference hall fell silent once again.
...
"Heh!"
After an unknown amount of waiting, a light laugh suddenly rang in everyone's ears, and Orochimaru appeared out of thin air beside Hiruzen Sarutobi.
"This junior just went out for a moment to pick up the other guard accompanying Teacher Hiruzen."
"I apologize for making everyone wait for so long!"
"Senior Madara, please come in!"
Perhaps because he had achieved the Six Paths, Orochimaru's voice had become more magnetic, making people want to listen attentively.
Because of this, when those present clearly heard the name "Madara," their expressions all changed in unison.
Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had already been informed by Orochimaru, straightened his posture and sat upright.
The others were even more startled, their gazes shifting to the entrance of the conference hall.
"Tap... tap..."
Steady footsteps approached rhythmically, tapping the ground, and finally stopped at the entrance of the conference hall.
"The Third generation of Kages?"
With the help of the Gelel Jutsu and Orochimaru's powerful life force, Uchiha Madara, who had returned to his prime, slowly walked to Orochimaru's side, his gaze condescendingly sweeping over the five Kages before finally resting on Onoki.
"Onoki, even you have become a Kage. The current five great ninja villages, apart from the Hidden Leaf, are truly declining generation by generation!"
As soon as Madara spoke, Kurotsuchi, standing behind Onoki, was instantly enraged.
This young man knew nothing of Uchiha Madara; he only knew that this sudden appearance insulted his father and the Kage.
"You..."
Onoki grabbed Kurotsuchi's arm, which was pointing at Uchiha Madara, sweat beading on his forehead.
"Father?"
Kurotsuchi's angry accusation was interrupted. His arm was squeezed painfully by Onoki, and he cried out in pain, looking at his father with surprise.
"Uchiha... Madara!"
"You're still alive?"
Onoki stared intently at Uchiha Madara, shook his head with his back to his son, and motioned for him to step aside.
Uchiha Madara's eyes coldly glanced at the arm Kurotsuchi had pointed at him earlier, then let out a disdainful sneer.
"Oh?"
"Just like you back then!"
"Onoki, is this what you call your 'Will of Stone'?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the horrified Onoki, then withdrew his gaze.
Everything that followed had little to do with him as the Hokage, and he was too lazy to care.
Moreover, Orochimaru's current strength had reached a level he could not even imagine, and with the addition of a formidable figure like Uchiha Madara, he wouldn't be able to intervene even if he wanted to.
The Third Mizukage, Yuki no Setsuna, was similar to Hiruzen Sarutobi at this moment, appearing as if asleep, with his eyes looking at his nose and his nose at his mouth.
However, the occasional twitch of his lips betrayed his not-so-calm inner state.
"Lord Orochimaru truly is..."
"A man of grand gestures!"
Orochimaru smiled at everyone and kindly introduced:
"Everyone!"
"Perhaps some of you are not clear about the identity of the junior standing beside me, allow me to introduce him to you all with great honor."
"Uchiha Madara, one of the founders of the Hidden Leaf."