Naruto: After Seclusion Becoming Naruto Grandfather

The Five Kage Summit was hastily convened in the Land of Iron. The urgency of the situation left no time to notify Mifune, the leader of the samurai, in advance.

This unannounced gathering sparked outrage among the samurai of the Land of Iron.

"This is an affront to our sovereignty!" one samurai fumed.

"Mifune, these ninja have gone too far!" roared Iai Okisuke, Mifune's second-in-command. "Today, they hold their Five Kage Summit on our land without so much as a word of respect. Tomorrow, what's to stop them from marching an army of shinobi to destroy us outright?"

He continued, his voice filled with indignation, "Have they forgotten that not long ago, we samurai were their greatest and only rivals?"

Behind Okisuke, a group of elite samurai stood with similarly furious expressions, their silence a testament to their agreement.

Mifune observed the anger simmering in his men, a trace of helplessness flickering in his eyes. If he had the choice, he would have expressed his own anger toward the Five Kage's blatant disregard.

But—

He couldn't.

"Enough!" Mifune's sharp tone silenced the room.

"You're no longer children. Don't you understand that against true power, anger means nothing?"

He paused, his voice steady and commanding. "The ninja possess strength far beyond that of the Land of Iron. Against a single shinobi village, we might hold our ground with sheer will. But against all five great villages united, what chance do we stand?"

Mifune's gaze swept the room, his words hammering home the grim reality. "And now, with the rise of this Shin-Konoha, tensions among the great nations are at their peak. If we so much as voice our displeasure, the Five Kage could easily turn their combined might against us. Do you understand what that would mean?"

Okisuke fell silent, his anger extinguished. He knew Mifune spoke the truth.

The samurai were relics of an era long past, overshadowed by the rise of ninjutsu and chakra. Despite their efforts to master chakra, they lacked access to the ninja's most critical tools—jutsu.

Without jutsu, even the strongest samurai could only rival an elite ninja at best. Against shinobi from the great villages, they were powerless.

Okisuke remembered a tale that had once spread terror among the samurai. During the Third Raikage's reign, even after losing an arm to Uzumaki Chito, the Raikage had fought for three days and three nights against Iwa shinobi, slaying thousands.

The Land of Iron, with its eight thousand samurai, bordered the Land of Lightning. The implication was clear: the Raikage, in his prime, could annihilate their entire country given enough time.

Faced with the combined strength of the five great nations, what could the Land of Iron possibly do?

A bitter smile crossed Okisuke's face, and despair seeped into his voice. "Are we to let them trample our land without consequence?"

Mifune closed his eyes, his stillness akin to that of a statue. Minutes passed in silence, thick with tension.

When he finally spoke, his voice was resolute.

"Of course not. We are samurai. We shed blood with honor. We do not bow to these despicable shinobi."

His words reignited a flicker of hope among his men.

"But patience is necessary. We endure now so that one day, we may rise with dignity."

Okisuke's eyes briefly lit up, though doubt lingered. "Can we truly achieve that? Can we rise again?"

Mifune's gaze was unwavering as he answered. "Yes, we can. Because we are not alone."

The samurai exchanged puzzled glances, uncertain of what their leader meant.

"Not alone?" Okisuke repeated, his brow furrowing. "Who could possibly aid us?"

Mifune allowed himself a faint smile, his expression tinged with nostalgia.

"You've likely heard of our ally, though perhaps you don't know the full story. I speak of Uzumaki Chito, the force behind Shin-Konoha."

The room grew silent as Mifune continued, his voice steeped in memory.

"When I was young, Konoha was still in its infancy, born of the efforts of Uzumaki Chito, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara."

"To establish their fledgling village's strength, Konoha sent Madara and Chito on missions to demonstrate their power to neighboring nations. The Land of Iron was among those visited by Uzumaki Chito."

Mifune's gaze grew distant, as though reliving the moment.

"Unlike Uchiha Madara, who used ninjutsu to dominate other nations, Uzumaki Chito chose a different path with us. He respected our ways and tested his strength through swordsmanship, challenging the samurai of the Land of Iron directly."

This revelation stunned Okisuke and the others. They had never heard such a tale.

"Who won?" one of the samurai asked, unable to contain his curiosity.