Chapter 996: Chapter Eleven: The Earth Kage, the Old Schemer

Sasuke and his group were lying in wait on the first floor of the tower, a vast chamber with stone platforms built along both sides, used for samurai vigilance or patrols.

At this moment, Sasuke and his four companions hid behind the stone platforms pressed against the walls; the low wall ahead provided perfect cover, while the platforms offered an unobstructed view.

The five of them crouched behind the low stone wall, exposing only their heads; dozens of samurai stood below, but with Kurenai and White Zetsu as sensory specialists, the likelihood of the samurai detecting them was minimal.

Three of the Kage had already entered the tower, and none came alone—each brought two trusted subordinates, an unwritten rule of the Kage Summit: no more than two attendants permitted.

The Lightning Kage, Wind Kage, and Water Kage had all entered the tower; the Daimyo of the Land of Iron showed great respect by dispatching his top general, Sanzen, to preside over the meeting. Sanzen was renowned among ninja—merely surviving his duel with Hanzo was enough to cement his fame.

Who was Hanzo? He was the ninja known as the “Half-God.” Only Hashirama Senju had ever been called the God of Ninja.

During the Second Shinobi World War, Konoha had been defeated by the Rain Village, but Hanzo was simply too formidable—the Rain Army collapsed, yet their leader, Hanzo, remained undefeated, so Konoha did not demand harsh war reparations.

Surviving a duel with Hanzo proved Sanzen was no mere nobody; moreover, after his defeat, he did not beg for mercy, which further elevated his reputation.

The samurai general Sanzen was currently receiving the three Kage, awaiting only the Fire Kage and the Earth Kage.

Slow, measured footsteps echoed through the first floor of the tower; an old man entered, flanked by two ninja. Upon seeing this, a samurai immediately stepped forward.

“We’ve been awaiting you.”

The samurai spoke without deference or arrogance; the old man lowered his eyelids, saying nothing. His identity was obvious—Tobirama had arrived.

On the stone platforms of the first floor, Sasuke, White Zetsu, and the others watched.

“That old man in the middle is Tobirama.”

White Zetsu whispered.

“That bastard… is Tobirama!”

Sasuke’s Sharingan had activated to its three-tomoe state; his eyes held nothing but hatred.

About half an hour later.

On the sixth floor of the tower, in a room roughly seventy square meters in size, two conference tables stood—one large, one small.

The larger table formed a semicircle, with five white banners hanging behind it, each bearing one character: Water, Wind, Fire, Earth, Lightning. The five Kage were seated:

Water Kage—Terumi Mei (a seductive woman, an enemy of Su Xiao).

Wind Kage—Gaara (once captured by Su Xiao, had his tailed beast extracted and died, later revived by Chiyo using a forbidden technique—Chiyo sacrificed her life; he is Su Xiao’s mortal enemy).

Lightning Kage—A (currently no grievance with Su Xiao).

Earth Kage—Mū, the Two-Scales (the one who hired Akatsuki most frequently).

Acting Fire Kage—Tobirama (formerly an enemy of Su Xiao; current stance unclear).

The five Kage had already taken their seats, faces expressionless. Behind the five white banners stood their bodyguards—ten in total.

At the open end of the semicircular table, a half-meter-long table was placed; behind it sat Sanzen, flanked by two samurai.

Sanzen faced the five Kage; he held the presiding position, but not the foremost one. As a neutral nation’s representative, he could only moderate the meeting, not lead it.

“I am Sanzen, the administrator here. The Kage Summit is now in session.”

Sanzen sat upright, his gaze sweeping over the five Kage. As long as they did not attack each other, he needed only to observe.

“I’ll speak first. Listen well.”

Gaara spoke calmly, but in this setting, he had to be firm—every other Kage was present.

“The Kage have changed so much.”

A voice with faint amusement came from the Earth Kage, Mū. He interrupted, subtly belittling Gaara—understandable, since a Kage being captured was deeply humiliating.

“To become Kage so young—truly impressive, Wind Kage. Your father must have raised you well. A pity he never taught you manners.”

Mū’s words sounded like praise, but were not. And could a Wind Kage truly need public compliments? This was clearly the tone of an elder addressing a youth.

Mū, the Earth Kage, was truly a match for Tobirama in cunning—just a few sentences, and he had already put Gaara on the defensive.

Hearing this, Terumi Mei’s lips curled slightly. She and Gaara were both new Kage, and they deeply feared this old veteran who had held the Kage position for decades—so she said nothing.

Gaara showed no reaction to Mū’s words, but Kankurō, behind the Wind banner, glared furiously.

“Indeed. Yet I sit here as Wind Kage.”

Gaara’s father was the Fourth Wind Kage, who died young—and disgracefully—but Gaara would not lower his stance.

“Hah! What an arrogant brat.”

Mū did not anger—he laughed heartily.

“Earth Kage, please refrain from interrupting. Wind Kage, please continue.”

Terumi Mei spoke politely—she sought a temporary alliance with Gaara to avoid becoming Mū’s next target.

“I was once a jinchūriki, captured by Akatsuki. My tailed beast was forcibly extracted—I nearly died. Thus, I consider Akatsuki an extreme threat. I repeatedly requested aid from the other Kage, but all ignored me. Only the Fifth Fire Kage, Tsunade, responded. In truth, each nation only sought unity after their own jinchūriki were taken.”

Gaara cut straight to the point: unite against Akatsuki.

“Ha! If the world learned that the Five Great Nations lost their jinchūriki, it would be a disgrace. The sensible thing is to quietly recover them—seeking help immediately after capture is unthinkable. It’s a matter of face.”

Mū’s words were not mere provocation—they were fact.

“Face… dignity… mutual suspicion… such rotten thinking.”

Gaara rejected Mū’s viewpoint.

“Hmph.”

Mū let out a low, bitter laugh. He couldn’t fathom how such a youth had become Wind Kage. In their era, a Kage like this would have been overthrown by his own people within weeks.

“Regardless of whether it’s rotten, we are indeed too passive.”

Terumi Mei stepped in to defuse the tension.

Only Gaara, Mū, and Terumi Mei were actively debating. Tobirama observed silently, waiting for his opening. The Lightning Kage, meanwhile, was building rage—he would explode soon.

Tobirama’s visible eye turned to the Lightning Kage and immediately sensed an opportunity.

“Even so, we are not entirely at a disadvantage. Akatsuki has acquired many tailed beasts, but controlling them requires technique, knowledge, and time—it’s impossible to rapidly convert them into combat power.”

Terumi Mei’s words sounded reasonable, but she did not know Akatsuki had no intention of cultivating jinchūriki—they only needed the tailed beasts themselves.

“A jinchūriki must grow alongside their tailed beast and adapt to it. Even then, control is difficult. Isn’t that right, Wind Kage?”

No one knew what grudge Mū held against the Sand Village, but from the start, he had relentlessly mocked Gaara.

“….”

Gaara fell silent. Even the most patient man could not endure such relentless mockery from this old schemer.

“Only a handful of people can truly control tailed beasts.”

Tobirama spoke suddenly. Mū’s expression shifted—Gaara might be a brash youth, but Tobirama was a rival-level old schemer.