"Stronger than General Mifune?"
The samurai was utterly shocked. In his mind, Mifune was already the strongest warrior in the shinobi world. Anyone who could surpass Mifune would have to be one of the absolute elites—like Hanzo of the Salamander from Amegakure, the leaders of the five great villages, or the legendary Sannin.
But this young-looking man named Byakuya… could he really possess such strength?
Seeing the expression on his subordinate's face, the samurai captain shook his head with a bit of helplessness. He found it hard to believe his men were so surprised—this was common knowledge among shinobi. It only highlighted how isolated the Land of Iron was from the outside world.
The shinobi world belonged to shinobi, after all. The fact that samurai had managed to protect the Land of Iron all this time was already a remarkable feat. But truthfully, today's so-called "samurai" were nothing more than shinobi wielding katana. Their tactics and training systems no longer differed from those of the shinobi.
Sitting in the carriage, Byakuya and Yahiko overheard the conversation between the samurai. Byakuya had nothing more to say about these rigid traditionalists. After the rise of the shinobi villages, the era of samurai had long since ended. The Land of Iron had only preserved itself by maintaining neutrality.
Once Akatsuki's influence expanded further, this neutral country would surely be dealt with as well.
A few hours later, Byakuya and the others successfully arrived at the summit location. The Five Kage Summit was to be held in a fortress deep within the Land of Iron—a naturally defensible stronghold guarded by over a hundred samurai.
Soon, they saw General Mifune standing at the gate of the fortress.
Mifune was clad in Sengoku-era armor, his head wrapped in layers of bandages. He was a thin, frail-looking old man who seemed like he might topple over with the wind.
Byakuya glanced at Mifune and recalled his memories of the man. In his youth, Mifune had challenged Hanzo of the Salamander but lost due to a disparity in strength. However, Hanzo had spared his life, impressed by Mifune's unyielding conviction. Over the years, Mifune had honed his skills through relentless training and achieved Kage-level power.
Unlike the Five Kage or the Sannin, Mifune's fighting style resembled that of Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake—swift and lethal taijutsu that left shinobi no time to weave hand signs.
Upon seeing them, Mifune walked over and said, "Are you Yahiko, leader of Amegakure? And this is Jōnin Byakuya and Konan-dono?"
Yahiko nodded slightly. "I am Yahiko. Thank you, General Mifune, for coming to greet us in person. There's no need for such formalities."
Mifune smiled. "You're too modest, Yahiko-dono. Since Amegakure has traveled so far to participate in the Five Kage Summit, it's only right that I extend a proper welcome. Over the past years, the northern continent's stability owes much to Amegakure and the Akatsuki."
Hearing this, Yahiko shifted into political mode. "It's all been a collective effort. Without the recognition and cooperation of other nations, we wouldn't have been able to maintain peace in the north. By the way, General Mifune, have you considered joining the Akatsuki Alliance?"
Mifune shook his head and replied, "The Land of Iron is a neutral country. If we were to join the Akatsuki, we would no longer be in a position to mediate conflicts among the nations. It's truly a difficult position to be in."
After a pause, Mifune seemed to recall something and asked, "Yahiko-dono, may I ask—how is Hanzo-sama doing these days?"
Yahiko fell silent and looked toward Byakuya.
He honestly had no idea. It had been years since he last saw Hanzo, and he didn't even know whether the man was alive or dead.
Byakuya stepped forward, stared at Mifune for a few seconds, and said, "My teacher is in decent health. Before I left the village, he mentioned you. He told me to ask whether you still hold onto the conviction you once had."
Mifune's face lit up with a smile. "To think Hanzo-sama still remembers someone as insignificant as me… I haven't forgotten his teachings. I've always stood by my beliefs, mediating the disputes among nations as the leader of a neutral land."
Byakuya's eyes locked onto Mifune, and his tone turned sharp, "Mediating conflicts only works when both sides want to negotiate. But what if a full-scale war erupts in the shinobi world? Where will the Land of Iron stand then?"
"This…" Mifune didn't know how to respond.
Unlike other samurai, Mifune was well-informed. He knew of the masked man who hunted the tailed beasts, and he knew that Akatsuki wasn't exactly a peacekeeping organization.
Officially, Akatsuki was subordinate to Amegakure. But in reality, Amegakure answered to Akatsuki. The same applied to the Grass Country, Hot Springs Country, Land of Steppes, and Land of Snow.
Even Kirigakure and Sunagakure had economic ties to Akatsuki. The leaders of those regions had either been installed by Akatsuki or were financially dependent on them. If you added up all these forces, Akatsuki already surpassed any single Great Village in terms of influence.
But to truly be considered on par with the Five Great Nations, Akatsuki still needed to prove itself through war.
What Mifune didn't know was whether that war would be against the Great Villages—or against the masked man's organization. Now, as the leader of Akatsuki, Byakuya was beginning to pressure him to pick a side.
After a long pause, Mifune slowly said, "The Land of Iron will always remain a neutral nation. Even if a massive war breaks out, I will do everything I can to mediate and maintain peace in the shinobi world."
Byakuya suddenly smiled and replied, "Seems you're stronger than my teacher after all. Hanzo abandoned his ideals long ago. You, on the other hand, have never wavered. I look forward to seeing how you conduct yourself in the coming war."
Hanzo… once lost his conviction?
Mifune was shaken by this revelation. But what truly unsettled him was Byakuya's calm mention of an upcoming war.
He asked in confusion, "Byakuya-dono, are you so certain that war will break out? That masked man—does he really have what it takes to challenge the Five Kage? Wasn't he already defeated by you? What threat does he pose?"
"It's because I know him that I know war is inevitable."
Byakuya paused, then continued, "General Mifune, have you ever thought about this, twelve years ago, the masked man tried to capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. All these years have passed—do you really think he's done nothing since then? Perhaps the attack on the jinchūriki was just a ruse. His real goal… may be to gather the Five Kage in one place."
"To gather the Five Kage…"
Mifune mulled over Byakuya's words. Then he chuckled softly and shook his head. "Byakuya-dono, you're too cautious. No one in this world could possibly stand against all five Kage."
Byakuya shrugged, clearly unconcerned. "I'm just speculating. No need to worry about it, General. Besides, I came here hoping to find a worthy sparring partner. Just treat me like a regular genin."
"Who would dare treat you like a genin…" Mifune silently complained to himself.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the distance. The Konoha delegation had arrived, walking down the path toward them.
Among the arrivals were Tsunade, Jiraiya, Yamato, Kakashi, and several Konoha teams.
Upon seeing the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, Mifune put on his diplomatic smile and stepped forward to greet her.
Yahiko and Konan looked toward Jiraiya and smiled as they said, "Long time no see, Jiraiya-sensei. How has your health been?"
Seeing his two disciples, Jiraiya was very happy and said enthusiastically, "My health has been very robust. I recently published a new book. If Yahiko is interested, you can take a look. Konan, you better not—sensei's books aren't suitable for girls."
Hearing this, Yahiko and Konan both looked a bit embarrassed, as they knew well the reputation of "Make-Out Paradise."
At that moment, Jiraiya noticed that Nagato was not present and asked with some confusion, "Konan, why didn't Nagato come this time? Isn't he attending the Five Kage Summit?"
Yahiko nodded and explained, "Nagato is staying behind in the village, and his position is very special. If something were to happen to him outside, the entire ninja world would fall into danger."
Jiraiya's expression suddenly turned serious.
"That's true. Nagato is the Child of Prophecy. If something happens to him, it would be bad news for the ninja world. It's just a pity we couldn't see him. I wonder when I'll be able to meet him again. There will be a chance. After this meeting, why don't you come visit Amegakure?"
Yahiko and Konan invited Jiraiya.
Jiraiya shook his head and said, "We'll see about that. I don't even know if this meeting will produce any results. Even if it does, tracking down the Masked Man will be very difficult. These are truly troubled times."
"Jiraiya nii-san, don't always sigh so much..."
Byakuya came up to Jiraiya, patted his shoulder, and said, "The Masked Man was once a defeated opponent of mine. Even if he's developed new ninjutsu over the years, he's no match for me."
"Byakuya..."
Looking at Byakuya beside him, Jiraiya's expression was complicated.
"My worries aren't just about the Masked Man, but also Orochimaru. I'm worried that Orochimaru will continue down the wrong path."
Seeing Jiraiya fall into gloom, Byakuya comforted him, "Don't worry, Jiraiya Nii-san. Next time we meet, I'll make sure to kill Orochimaru outright—bone-crushing and turning to dust. I won't let him keep making mistakes."
"Maybe skip the 'turn to dust' part..."
After Byakuya's reassurance, Jiraiya felt even more conflicted. At most, he wanted to use a strong fist to awaken Orochimaru's love for Konoha and then have Orochimaru come to atone at his teacher's grave.
Byakuya wouldn't even spare Orochimaru's soul.
Seeing Jiraiya's awkward expression, Yahiko and Konan quickly approached to chat with their teacher to change the topic to the past, leaving Byakuya with no chance to join in, so he went over to Kakashi's team.
Seeing Byakuya's figure, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat.
He had just talked with Kushina-sensei a few days ago and knew that Byakuya was the mastermind hiding behind the Masked Man, likely making many secret deals with him.
Over ten years ago, during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, Byakuya was already lurking in the village.
Many major ninja world events since then bore Byakuya's shadow. Even this Five Kage Summit might be part of Byakuya's plan.
Thinking this, Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine.
Unlike Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura had a much warmer attitude toward Byakuya. Naruto knew about the promise between Byakuya and Kushina, while Sakura knew nothing but had a fearless spirit.
Byakuya approached Kakashi's side, frowned, and said, "Strange, where has your squad's Sasuke run off to?"
Sakura answered, "After the Chūnin Exams, Sasuke was taken by Shisui-sama to receive the Uchiha's inheritance. I haven't seen him in quite some time."
"I see..."
Byakuya nodded and looked at Naruto, saying, "Naruto, your chakra has stabilized a lot. It seems you've grown a lot recently and your strength has even surpassed Kakashi."
"Naruto's strength has surpassed Kakashi-sensei?"
Sakura was very shocked, then looked at Naruto, who gave a bitter smile and said, "After training under Pervy Sage, I reached a reconciliation with the Nine-Tails. With the help of Kurama's power, I can indeed defeat Kakashi-sensei, but that's not my true strength."
"You are the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, so Kurama's power is naturally yours."
Pausing, Byakuya continued, "Also, Kurama's power can be considered an external force, but natural energy doesn't count, right? I can sense the energy of Mount Myōboku on you."
"Byakuya-sama can tell that?"
Naruto was very surprised.
Byakuya nodded and said, "Although I haven't studied Sage Jutsu, I have fought against ninjas who mastered natural energy, so I naturally recognize the aura of Sage Jutsu."
"With your current strength, you can hold your own against the Masked Man."
Mentioning the Masked Man, Kakashi's expression stiffened as if he had heard a trigger word. He came over to Byakuya and asked, "Byakuya, have you recently scouted the Masked Man's whereabouts?"
"Not yet, but I suspect the Masked Man will appear at the Five Kage Summit."
"The Masked Man will appear at the Five Kage Summit?"
Kakashi's face changed slightly, then he asked Byakuya, "What exactly does the Masked Man want this time? Why is he targeting the Jinchūriki? Is his goal to provoke a ninja world war?"
Kakashi appeared to be asking the Masked Man but was actually questioning Byakuya.
Byakuya glanced at Kakashi and said calmly, "I don't really know what the Masked Man is thinking, but having fought him for so many years, I can guess some of his thoughts."
Byakuya grinned, "He seems disappointed with the ninja world for some reason, which is why he hunts the Jinchūriki to take revenge on the Five Great Shinobi Countries. But what he really wants by collecting the Tailed Beasts, only he knows. If you want to know more information, Kakashi Jonin, you might as well defeat the Masked Man to learn the truth. That would be a contribution to the ninja world. I don't have the Sharingan, so even if I defeat him, I can't uncover the truth."
'Should I still make a move on Obito…' Kakashi silently recited.
He knew he was definitely going to face Obito. Only he, who possessed another Kamui Sharingan, could defeat Obito.
But he didn't know what he should do after defeating him.