Uchiha Hikaru, like everyone else, showed his surprise—but inwardly, he was carefully listening to Jiraiya's account.
When he heard about the Great Toad Sage's prophecy, Hikaru finally let down his guard.
He understood that prophetic powers had their limits.
What he feared most was that the Great Toad Sage and the Sage of Six Paths would be as powerful and terrifying as some fanworks described them.
If that were the case, then everything Hikaru had done would be fleeting and futile—unable to change destiny.
But now, since the prophecy didn't mention him at all, it proved they weren't as omniscient as imagined.
At the very least, they couldn't foresee or control everything.
They couldn't act like the Heavens themselves, maintaining the order of this world.
And under such conditions, an outsider like Uchiha Hikaru might indeed be able to influence them—to change the original course of the story.
With that realization, his heart gradually calmed.
He understood there was no need to be overly guarded.
He could continue pursuing his goals and exploring this world.
At that moment, Jiraiya's loud voice snapped Hikaru out of his thoughts.
After finishing his tale, he couldn't help but show off the summoning contract he had signed.
Excitedly, he formed the hand signs for the Summoning Technique, then slammed his palm to the ground, shouting:
"Ha! Behold the great Jiraiya-sama! Summoning Technique!"
With a loud poof, smoke billowed out.
When it cleared, a tadpole sat in the center of the summoning circle.
Everyone looked at it, then at each other—and burst out laughing.
Even Uchiha Hikaru couldn't help but let out a silent chuckle.
Afterward, he began giving Jiraiya some training pointers—as payment for bringing him useful intel.
The others also resumed their training.
Meanwhile, after days of travel, Mito Uzumaki and her group finally arrived at the location of the Five Kage Summit.
At that point, the other four Kage had already gathered. Mito Uzumaki was the last to arrive.
With everyone now present—and since shinobi weren't ones to waste time—the second Five Kage Summit of the ninja world officially began.
Compared to the first summit, many of the faces had changed.
The First Shinobi World War had claimed the most Kage in history.
The Second Raikage and Second Hokage were ambushed by the Gold and Silver Brothers and killed together.
The Second Tsuchikage and Second Mizukage perished in mutual combat.
Only the Second Kazekage, Shamon, had survived.
Though this war wasn't as cruel as those to come, the ones who died were all top brass.
As the meeting began, each nation's Kage took their seat, their expressions grave and serious.
They all understood—this summit would determine the direction of the ninja world for the foreseeable future.
Everyone participated with utmost caution and focus.
After a moment of silence, it was Mito Uzumaki who broke the stillness.
Looking at the gathered Kage, she said, "Everyone, the reason we called this summit isn't to just sit here and stare at each other."
She paused, then continued:
"We all know that this war has to end now. None of us can keep fighting."
Seated next to her, Kazekage Shamon nodded in agreement.
He added, "That's right. The fact we're sitting at this negotiation table means we've all come to terms with that."
"So let's bring this war to a close."
But the Raikage, ever the hothead, slammed the table and roared:
"Bullshit! And what about our Second?!"
"He was killed during peace talks with the Hokage!"
Mito Uzumaki knew full well how shameless the Hidden Cloud Village could be—like a gang masquerading as a shinobi village. You couldn't expect much righteousness from them.
But this? This kind of brazenness took her aback.
Not only had the ambush also killed the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju…
But more importantly, the attackers had come from the Hidden Cloud.
She hadn't even gotten around to demanding justice—and now the Raikage had the gall to flip the blame.
For a moment, she was speechless.
Of course, had she known the Cloud would later try to kidnap Hinata under the guise of peace, then frame the Hyuga for killing the messenger when it failed—she might not have been surprised at all.
As soon as the Raikage finished, the Third Mizukage and Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, began arguing as well.
Their predecessors had died together in battle, and such deep hatred couldn't be resolved just by talking.
The summit, which had just settled into calm, now turned heavy—like the air itself had frozen, suffocating all within.
And that's when Mito Uzumaki finally exploded.
Her eyes turned sharp as blades, glowing with a fearsome light as she locked eyes with the Third Raikage.
"Third Raikage, are you trying to twist the truth?!"
Her voice was cold and unwavering, radiating an unshakable resolve.
Golden chakra began to surge around her—like she was bathed in wrathful fire, awe-inspiring and terrifying.
For Mito, the death of Tobirama Senju was like a thorn lodged deep in her heart.
He had been killed during peace talks. How could she accept that?
Originally, for the greater good, she had held back.
But now, the Third Raikage's accusations made her fury erupt like a volcano.
Not only had the murderer come from the Hidden Cloud—but the Raikage now dared to smear the Second Hokage in return.
This upside-down, truth-twisting farce shattered the last of her restraint.
She was ready to fight, to seek justice for Tobirama Senju.
Seeing this, the Third Raikage wasted no time gathering chakra.
He knew how powerful Mito was and dared not underestimate her.
At this tense moment, Uchiha Ang's eyes suddenly lit up, spinning into the pattern of Uchiha Hikaru's Mangekyō Sharingan.
Then, a violent blaze erupted from his gaze—slicing through the air before dissipating into nothing.
Though brief, the flames struck dread into everyone present.
The place where the fire had passed was left with tiny black cracks—slowly mending themselves.
Everyone there was an elite Jōnin or higher—they instantly recognized those black scars as spatial rifts.
And those who had once witnessed the terror of Madara Uchiha couldn't help but shudder inwardly.
That nightmare... had returned.