Land of Iron. Cold wind howled.
A massive samurai statue stood silently at the entrance to the conference hall. Inside the steel-structured building, the air was so heavy it could be wrung out.
The second Five Kage Summit was being held here.
Hiruzen sat at the head seat, with Orochimaru standing calmly behind him.
A faint, unreadable smile curled on Orochimaru's lips, and his golden serpent-like eyes swept across the room, full of curiosity and scrutiny.
As Hiruzen's most brilliant student, bringing Orochimaru to the summit was a clear signal.
The other four Kage sat to either side, with their respective successors or important figures behind them. Behind the Third Raikage stood his tall, white-haired son A, eyes sharp like blades. Behind the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki was his steady-eyed, broad-faced son Kitsuchi. Next to the Kazekage stood the composed and capable Rasa. The Mizukage sat with the cold poise typical of Kirigakure.
A screen divided the center of the chamber, the atmosphere frozen stiff.
"No need for empty words!" The Raikage struck first. His thick arm slammed onto the table, the dull thud making the teacups rattle. "Kamiyama Ryo of Konoha forcibly stole our Scroll of Forbidden Jutsu, disregarded the Five Great Villages' accord, and used a natural disaster-level technique to coerce Kumo! Hokage, Konoha must give the entire shinobi world an explanation!"
Ōnoki floated cross-legged, arms folded. His aged face was dark with his usual scheming tone. "Hmph. Was one God of Shinobi not enough for Konoha? Now you have an Asura who can summon meteors and split stars? Hokage, are you aiming to dominate the world again by breaking the balance?"
The Kazekage said nothing but slowly placed the intelligence report from Kumo on the table, the detailed account of Ryo's actions. His sharp gaze spoke volumes. Silence itself was pressure.
Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled heavily. His eyes were weary but unwavering. He set down the pipe and spoke in a calm, steady voice.
"An explanation? Raikage, you know the truth better than anyone. If your people hadn't tried to abduct our Nine-Tails jinchūriki Uzumaki Kushina, Ryo would have had no reason to retaliate. Protecting our jinchūriki and repelling intruders is justified. Kumo instigated the conflict and was defeated. You have only yourselves to blame."
"Excuses!" A shouted. "You have no proof regarding the jinchūriki! But Ryo's theft of the Scroll and use of meteors to threaten us is undeniable. The entire shinobi world knows!"
Ōnoki immediately followed, his voice shrill. "Raikage is right! Hokage, forget the cause. The result is what matters. Kamiyama Ryo has power capable of destroying a village. That power is uncontrolled, and it rests in your village. That is the greatest threat to peace! Think back to Hashirama and Madara. People like that only bring disaster!"
The Kazekage finally spoke in a low tone. "Konoha must eliminate this unstable element. His existence keeps everyone up at night. For the balance and peace of the shinobi world, action must be taken."
"Eliminate him?" Hiruzen's gaze sharpened as he met the eyes of the Four Kage. "How? Ryo is a Konoha shinobi. He has served the village with great merit. He is a hero. Konoha will not abandon its own, nor betray its heroes under unreasonable pressure. That would break the heart of every Konoha ninja!"
Hatake Sakumo's tragedy must never be repeated. If they betrayed Ryo now, morale would collapse entirely.
"Then you're saying Konoha is willing to go to war with the Four Great Villages over Kamiyama Ryo?" Ōnoki's voice rose, full of blatant threat. "Hokage, think carefully! The wounds of the Second Great Shinobi War haven't even healed. Can Konoha handle a new, full-scale war? Once it starts, your people will be the ones dying!"
"War?" The Raikage sneered, muscles tensing, lightning sparking faintly across his body. "Kumo's warriors don't fear war! To cleanse this disgrace and secure the future of the shinobi world, Kumo is prepared to fight!"
"Iwa agrees," Ōnoki said coldly.
"Suna agrees," the Kazekage added solemnly.
"Kiri agrees," the Mizukage followed in the same tone.
The combined pressure of the Four Kage crashed down like a mountain, suffocatingly heavy.
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed slightly, flickering with hidden thoughts.
Hiruzen took another deep breath, smoke curling as thoughts raced through his mind.
The tragedy of Sakumo. The hope carried by the new generation—Orochimaru, Ryo, Minato, Kushina. The cost of war. Ryo's rebellious, uncontrollable nature. All of it clashed in his heart.
He saw the Raikage's eyes burning with desperation. He saw Ōnoki's scheming pressure. He saw the Kazekage's silent insistence. He felt the Mizukage's icy bloodlust.
This was not a bluff.
The Four Great Villages had become frighteningly united in their fear of Ryo's strength.
If he refused, war was nearly certain.
Could Konoha fight?
The new generation was strong. Promising.
But the enemy was the Four Great Nations. A war now would dwarf the previous one, thrusting Konoha into the eye of the storm once more.
Countless lives would be lost. Hard-earned strength drained again.
Even with Ryo… could he face four nations alone?
Even if he could… what would remain of Konoha?
They could not fight. Not now. Konoha needed time to recover, to allow the new generation to truly rise.
And Ryo… he was too powerful. So powerful that he eclipsed everyone else's light. So powerful that even Hiruzen's buried fears began to stir again.
That young man had no respect for rules. Not even for him, the Hokage.
If… if this was an opportunity…
Hiruzen exhaled a long, heavy breath and extinguished his pipe.
The wrinkles on his face deepened. His weariness was undeniable, but in the depths of his eyes, a flicker of calculation surfaced.
He looked up, voice heavy with compromise but painted as painful sacrifice.
"Everyone…" His voice echoed in the silent hall. "Peace in the shinobi world was hard-won. Konoha… also does not wish for war."
He paused. The gleam of triumph flickered in the eyes of the Four Kage.
The Raikage's tense muscles relaxed slightly. Ōnoki's old face revealed a hint of satisfaction.
"Ryo's power is indeed overwhelming. His actions have caused unrest among the villages," Hiruzen conceded. "To show Konoha's sincerity in maintaining peace, to give you all an explanation, and to avoid an unnecessary war…"
He paused, as if making a monumental decision.
"Konoha… agrees to have Kamiyama Ryo give up his status as a shinobi. He will retire early. From now on, he will no longer be an active Konoha ninja and will not be allowed to act in any official shinobi capacity or participate in any village affairs or wars."
The hall went silent. Then came the sound of collective exhalation.
The Raikage stared at Hiruzen, eyes sharp. "Give up his shinobi status? Retire? That's too soft! What if he uses that destructive power again, even as a civilian?"
"Retirement means he will no longer be under Konoha's shinobi system or its command," Hiruzen explained calmly. "It also represents Konoha's symbolic restriction of his power. If he, as a civilian, disrupts the shinobi world's order, it will no longer be Konoha's internal matter, but a threat to the entire shinobi world. At that point, Konoha will not shelter him… and may even act accordingly."
The responsibility was cleverly shifted outward.
Ōnoki narrowed his eyes. "So he loses the 'Konoha shinobi' title, but he remains in the village."
"Correct," Hiruzen replied frankly. "This is the greatest concession Konoha can offer. We cannot, and will not, hand over Ryo or destroy his power. Retirement is the limit of what we can accept. Any more, and there will be no room left to negotiate."
His gaze turned sharp.
"If so, then Konoha does not fear war. To protect our village's honor and our comrades, we will never back down!"
His final words were a warning—draw the line here.
The Four Kage exchanged glances.
The Raikage still looked unwilling, but Hiruzen's declaration reminded him of that scorched battlefield at the Kumo training grounds. Of the sword that split a meteor.
If Konoha were forced into a corner and fought back… with Ryo on their side, Kumo would be the first to suffer.
Ōnoki stroked his beard, eyes flashing.
Stripping Ryo of his official title weakened the legitimacy of his actions and detached him from Konoha's military structure.
More importantly, this planted a seed of internal instability—an immensely powerful individual no longer bound by village laws? That would surely strain Konoha's leadership.
Perhaps this would destabilize Konoha more than just crippling Ryo outright.
"Hmph," Ōnoki snorted. "Since the Hokage is so 'selfless' and willing to let your top combat power retire for peace… Iwa will accept this solution."
"Suna accepts," the Kazekage said briefly.
"Kumo…" the Raikage ground his teeth, "…accepts!" He slumped back into his chair, chest heaving.
The humiliation still burned, even if half the goal was met.
The Mizukage gave a small nod.
A summit that nearly triggered the Fourth Great Shinobi War was defused by Hiruzen's compromise.
Konoha paid the price of Ryo's "retirement" to secure peace.
As the meeting ended, the Four Kage departed with their entourages. Before leaving, Ōnoki cast Hiruzen a meaningful glance.
"Hokage, I hope you handle your 'retired' Asura well. Don't end up crushed by your own stone."
The sarcasm was blatant.
Hiruzen's face remained unreadable. He said nothing.
Once the last Kage left, only the Konoha contingent remained. But the oppressive air lingered.
Hiruzen stared at the empty chairs in silence, then slowly relit his pipe. Smoke rose, veiling the turmoil in his eyes.
Orochimaru stepped forward, voice carrying his usual raspy charm.
"Sensei, this outcome… heh, interesting."
His snake-like pupils gleamed with amusement, gaze cutting through the smoke to land on Hiruzen's face.
"Forcing Ryo-kun to retire… quite the gambit. A move full of risk and opportunity. So… how will you convince that wild Asura to accept such a 'benevolent' arrangement? And what of Tsunade-hime…"
He trailed off, his tone laced with implication.
Hiruzen didn't answer right away. He simply looked out the window at the vast, snowy mountains of the Land of Iron.
Cold wind howled past the iron buildings, whistling mournfully.
"Return to Konoha," Hiruzen said after a long silence. He crushed out his pipe. His voice was exhausted, but left no room for argument.
"Yes, Sensei." Orochimaru bowed slightly, his smile still lingering like a snake coiled in shadow.
The return trip felt longer than the journey there.
Hiruzen sat in the carriage with his eyes closed, but his brows remained furrowed.
Have Ryo give up his identity as a shinobi?
That young man who disregarded rules, who didn't even fully acknowledge him as Hokage?
Tsunade saw Ryo as a younger brother. With her temper, how would she react to this?
She would never accept it easily.
And Kushina… what would the people close to Ryo think?
This was no different from planting a bomb inside Konoha.
Ryo's power was Konoha's deterrent—but also its danger.
On the surface, this compromise was made under pressure. But deep down, Hiruzen couldn't deny…
It was also an opportunity.
A chance to suppress Ryo, limit his influence, and reestablish his own authority.
Without official status, Ryo's words and actions could be more easily framed as unstable rather than tolerated as exceptional.
But… would he comply?
Hiruzen's head throbbed.
That young man could split meteors. Would he care about a mere "shinobi title"?
Tsunade would definitely side with him.
Force? That thought was immediately discarded.
Not only would the entire village resist, but Ryo's strength alone could turn any attempt into catastrophe.
That would only hasten Konoha's collapse.
He had to find another way… a method that would make Ryo "willing" to accept it—or at least not retaliate immediately.
And he had to placate Tsunade… and those close to Ryo.
Hiruzen's mind spun through possibilities, weighing pros and cons.
Leverage his care for Kushina and Mikoto? Offer some ceremonial "advisor" title? Use public opinion again, like back then…
He rubbed his aching temples, fatigue surging through him like a tide.
Outside the carriage, the icy mountain winds of the Land of Iron howled on.
Hiruzen knew, once they returned to Konoha, an even trickier, more dangerous game had just begun.
How would he resolve it?
He stared out the window at the blurring snow-covered scenery, his gaze deep and uncertain.
(To be continued.)