At the summit venue, the Five Kages all wore solemn expressions. The guards behind each Kage remained hidden behind flags, secretly watching the unfolding scene while their bodies tensed with nervousness. This level of meeting was undoubtedly a top-tier event in the Ninja World—something many ninja could only dream of witnessing in their entire lives.
Sasori, as the initiator, spoke first: "I called this meeting, so I'll speak first. Listen up."
"The Five Kages have certainly changed," Onoki immediately interrupted Sasori, continuing indifferently. "To become a Kage at your age is truly admirable, Lord Kazekage. Pity, though—you seem to lack basic manners."
Sasori scoffed coldly and retorted, "Even an old man half-buried in the dirt still clings to the position of Tsuchikage. I guess Iwagakure is already on the verge of ruin."
Onoki laughed bitterly in anger, "Haha, what arrogance. I wonder which village it was that nearly got wiped out during the Second and Third Battles when enemies reached their doorstep."
Knowing Terumi Mei as family, Sasori couldn't ignore her request. He shot Onoki a cold glance and turned his focus back to the matter at hand. "I believe each of your villages already knows about the existence of the Akatsuki Organization. Their threat is extreme. Take Sunagakure's One-Tail, for example—it was captured by them. If my intelligence report hasn't failed me, the Akatsuki has already captured at least six Tailed Beasts. Yet judging from your current attitudes, none of you seem concerned. Are you waiting until all Tailed Beasts have been gathered before finally deciding to unite?"
Long ago, during the Second Battle and Third Battle, Iwagakure's two Jinchuriki had already left the village. Naturally, the stubborn old man Onoki had no concern for their fates, instead scoffing coldly, "This is a disgrace to the Five Great Countries—that we cannot secretly recover our own Jinchuriki once they've been taken, nor could we seek help from other nations so quickly after the loss."
Sasori, though already anticipating the mentality of each Kage, still muttered out of frustration—"Outdated thinking."
No wonder Big Brother Kurotsuchi never saw the Five Great Countries as an obstacle. That deep-seated arrogance never faded, instinctively believing that a mere organization could never pose a significant threat to the Five Great Countries, not realizing just how formidable the Akatsuki's backing truly was.
Had Anya not reshaped her body and gained a renewed appreciation for life—no longer wishing to create excessive bloodshed—Sasori never would have held this Five Kage Summit at all. He could've simply launched a full-scale assault on the Five Great Countries. If necessary, he would've deployed his entire puppet army, combined with the Aburame Clan's Kekkaijin: Pot of Poison Jutsu, turning the entire Ninja World into scorched earth and starting from scratch.
Unaware of Sasori's inner thoughts, Terumi Mei couldn't help but mediate.
She continued, "Regardless of whether this is outdated or not, from the perspective of the Mizukage, we indeed have been too passive. But even if our Tailed Beasts are stolen, we cannot immediately view it as a direct threat. Controlling a Tailed Beast requires technology, knowledge, and time—resources a hastily formed organization like the Akatsuki clearly lacks."
Onoki nodded in agreement, "A Jinchuriki must grow and adapt alongside their Tailed Beast, and even then, losing control is common. For the Akatsuki to capture so many Tailed Beasts, it's impossible for them to quickly turn this into actual combat power."
Tsunade, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. "Actually, it's not impossible. The First Hokage and also Madara Uchiha were both capable of perfectly controlling Tailed Beasts."
Sasori cut in, "Actually, Raikage A can do that too, can't he?"
Upon hearing these words, Raikage A instantly erupted. His astonishing killing intent surged, spreading throughout the venue. Enraged, he slammed his fist onto the table and roared, "Cut the nonsense!"
In an instant, the guards hiding behind their respective country flags rushed out, weapons drawn from their sheaths. The situation immediately turned tense, on the verge of exploding.
Sasori's eyes turned cold, and a frosty smirk spread across his lips. "Perfect. I hate beating around the bush."
Mabui, seeing Sasori's expression, felt a chill down her spine. Having worked with him for so long, she understood his character better than anyone else. Clearly, he had murderous intent in his heart. Once conflict started, considering Sasori's capabilities, the entire Hot Spring Country could be reduced to ruins. Moreover, Anya wasn't here—no one would be able to stop Sasori.
"Cough cough," Mabui lightly coughed twice, drawing everyone's attention. After giving Sasori a warning glance, she spoke to remind them, "This is the site for discussions, not for your personal duels. I believe, none of you came here with the intention of fighting, did you?"
Though seemingly addressing the Five Kages, her words were aimed at subtly alerting Sasori.
Given Sasori's nature, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to propose the Five Kage Summit. Most likely it was Anya's idea, which undoubtedly carried deeper meanings, definitely not meant to trigger a battle here.
Indeed, after her words, Sasori, previously filled with murderous intent, was the first to sit back down.
The other Kages signaled their guards to retreat as well. The situation froze again.
Outside Konoha village, the Six Paths of Pain had already assembled.
After completing a formation on the ground, Animal Path, one of the six, soared into the sky like lightning, diving straight down toward the village and directly shattering its protective barrier.
Deva Path Pain coldly watched this unfold and muttered, "From this moment on, let the world know pain."
The barrier specialist responsible for protecting the village shouted urgently, "Enemy intrusion detected!"
The numerous ninjas of Konoha, previously enjoying some leisure time, quickly entered combat readiness. However, what greeted them was centipede-like creatures emerging from the earth, giant rhinos charging about on land, and monstrous birds flying swiftly through the sky.
Konoha, only just recovering three years ago from the devastation caused by Orochimaru's attack, once again suffered heavy damage. Buildings lay in ruins, streets were riddled with craters, dust filled the air, and shinobi lay silently covered in layers of white paper, dying without a sound.
Anya entered Konoha village and, faced with this tragic scene, remained indifferent. Instead, he muttered, "Painfully unoriginal. Is this just copying Serpent Master's moves? Using summoned creatures as vanguard? How dull."
At that moment, a mechanical wasp puppet flew over to Anya.
With a casual gesture, Anya drew the soul hidden within the wasp into his spiritual space.
Anya asked, "What did you find?"
"Guided by me, Might Guy has taken Tenten, Neji, and Lee out of the village on a mission. They're not here right now. Big Brother Kurotsuchi is merely an Elite Jonin. Why do you care so much? Even if they were all present, facing Pain would be pointless."
Anya scoffed lightly. "He's no ordinary Jonin. If he'd still been in Konoha and gone off the rails, not caring for his own life, even the Six Paths of Pain could be crushed beneath each of his feet."
Sasori felt a chill run through him. If that was true, even he could be in danger when facing Might Guy. He hadn't thought Konoha had such a secret weapon up its sleeve.
"Sasori, you remember the list I gave you, right? Just ensure their safety."
Sasori asked curiously, "What about you?"
"Time to finish this." With these words, Anya stepped forward and headed deep underground toward Konoha's depths.
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