Naruto: Drop System

On the seventh day, the day of the Five Kage Summit.

Tsunade was still wearing her green robe as usual, but the character embroidered on it was not the usual "gamble" (賭) but rather a large "Fire" (火).

At the same time, she was rarely seen wearing the Hokage hat.

"Shizune, Karin, I'm leaving the day-to-day matters to you."

Facing Shizune, who wore a traditional black kimono, and Karin, who wore a more modern black suit—two totally contrasting styles—Tsunade instructed them:

"If you can't manage by yourselves, get Ino, Hinata, or Sakura to help."

Sarutobi Asuma's death had deeply affected Team 10, particularly their leader, Nara Shikamaru, who had yet to emerge from the shadows of grief. That team was on indefinite leave, much like Team 7 had been back when Uchiha Sasuke left. Who knew how long it would take for them to get back on mission.

As for Team 8, there was nothing to say: Yagyu was acting as Tsunade's personal guard on this trip to the Land of Iron, leaving Hinata and Aburame Shino effectively on leave as well.

The same went for Sakura.

"Yes, Lady Hokage,"

Shizune and Karin responded in unison, nodding obediently.

Having given her final instructions, Tsunade donned her Hokage hat and stepped out of the Hokage's office.

In the corridor beyond, Yagyu—dressed in a black cloak—and Uchiha Sasuke—clothed in a pure white upper robe, dark blue trousers, and the Kusanagi Blade at his waist—had been waiting for quite some time.

"Lady Hokage, anything else you need?"

"Nothing. Are your preparations set?"

"Yes. I've used Multiple Wood Clone Technique to monitor all of Konoha, inside and out. Whether the Akatsuki approach the village or that masked man sneaks in with his space–time ninjutsu, I can spot them immediately."

After hearing Yagyu's report, Tsunade nodded with satisfaction:

"Excellent. Let's go then."

"Right."

With that, Yagyu placed one hand on Tsunade's shoulder and the other on Uchiha Sasuke's—who had stepped closer of his own accord. The trio's figures vanished in an instant, leaving not even the faint buzzing of insects in their wake.

By the time they reappeared, they had left the vast Land of Fire behind, emerging in the wintry Land of Iron, blanketed in snow.

Without pausing to look around, Tsunade and Sasuke turned toward the direction where many chakra signatures converged. Immediately, they caught sight of a city larger than any of the Five Great Shinobi Villages but with an ancient style—the Samurai City renowned throughout the ninja world, manned entirely by samurai rather than shinobi.

Thus, the three headed for that city of samurai. Before long, numerous armored figures opened the gates wide, welcoming the Fifth Hokage's arrival. Mifune himself came out to greet Tsunade, then led Yagyu's party to a certain hall in the Shogunate.

Inside, twelve people were already waiting.

"Hmph, you're late."

The hot-tempered Fourth Raikage folded his arms, letting out a cold snort and reprimanding them:

"Hokage, you're the one who called for this Five Kage Summit, yet you arrive last. How irresponsible."

"Heh… no, you were too slow," Tsunade countered, flashing a smug grin. "I only left Konoha a few minutes ago. If I hadn't taken your schedules into consideration, we could've started the summit six days ago."

"Tch!"

The Fourth Raikage darted a glance at Yagyu, standing beside Tsunade, and snorted again. This time, however, he held his tongue. He did owe Tsunade a debt from years ago—Shizune had once saved Darui's life. Plus, bickering with a woman in front of everyone would only make a laughingstock of him among the Kage.

"Since Princess Tsunade is here, let's start the Five Kage Summit at once."

Hovering cross-armed in midair, Ōnoki said so, though for some reason he felt an ominous unease he couldn't quite place. Naturally, Mifune had no idea of such feelings. Seeing Ōnoki speak, he immediately raised a hand for silence:

"Kage, please proceed to the Assembly Hall!"

With that, Mifune led the five Kage to the venue, which had already been readied.

Swish—

In a darkened chamber, a beam of light abruptly shone upon a round table.

On the tabletop lay five hats, each a different color and each emblazoned with a different character—"Wind," "Fire," "Water," "Earth," and "Lightning"—signifying the five chakra natures.

Then the light split into six beams, illuminating the five Kage and Mifune, all of them wearing grave expressions.

A short distance behind each Kage stood their respective personal guards, alongside the samurai guards of the Land of Iron.

The Hokage's guards were the famed Wood-Release ninja Yagyu and the Uchiha clan's last survivor, Uchiha Sasuke.

The Kazekage's guards were Sunagakure's "big princess" Temari and Gaara's older brother Kankurō. From time to time, Temari cast Yagyu tender, longing glances. Were it not for the seriousness of this summit, she'd probably be at his side whispering sweet nothings.

The Mizukage's guards were Chōjūrō—one of the Third Generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who wielded the twin blades Hiramekarei—and Ao, an elite jōnin on Konoha's Golden Bingo Book, having taken a Hyūga branch family's Byakugan. Ao was on high alert, cold sweat beading on his brow, because he noticed Yagyu occasionally glancing his way. Though Yagyu's face remained impassive, his gaze conveyed the sense of a dead man walking. Recalling the rumored Team 8 and the Hyūga heiress among Yagyu's teammates, Ao realized that the Byakugan in his right eye could be why Yagyu had singled him out.

The Raikage's guards were Darui—who wielded the Black Lightning style and Storm Release—and the Raikage's younger brother, Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, one of the few perfect Jinchūriki in the world. For all his coarse manner, the Fourth Raikage was a "fool in wise man's clothing" and the only one who truly listened to Yagyu's earlier warnings. The other Kage—Gaara, Mei Terumī—had already lost their Tailed Beasts. Meanwhile, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki was at Mt. Myōboku training in Sage Mode, and Konoha had stationed many of Yagyu's Wood Clones to guard the village. Should the Akatsuki attempt something, Yagyu—connected to his clones—could instantly bring Tsunade and Sasuke back to defend with the Flying Thunder God.

Thus, only Iwa and Kumo still possessed Jinchūriki. Having lost Yugito Nii to the Akatsuki—and upon hearing Samui's reports—the Raikage understood the Akatsuki's power, so he brought his brother along. Yet Ōnoki had left the Five-Tails host, Han, behind in Iwagakure, thinking that'd help protect the village—maybe so, but it was also a potential problem. If the Akatsuki took advantage of Ōnoki's absence, they might assault Iwagakure to capture the Five-Tails, inflicting heavy losses on a Kage-less village.

While seeing Killer Bee and Kitsuchi (Ōnoki's son), Yagyu quickly deduced the possibility. In his mind, it was a prime example of pride going before the fall. As the only Kage who had repeatedly allied with the Akatsuki for tasks, Ōnoki was dangerously overconfident—so much so that Yagyu believed he would soon regret it deeply.

He knew all this because he'd just received intel from Hiruko in real time.

"I am Mifune, General of the Land of Iron. It is an honor to host this Five Kage Summit."

Mifune cleared his throat, announcing gravely:

"The one who called this Summit is the Fifth Hokage of the Land of Fire's Hidden Leaf. Our subject is the Akatsuki. Now, let me declare: the Five Kage Summit… officially begins!"

Meanwhile…

"I declare that our Tailed Beast seizure operation is fully underway!"

At the very moment Mifune proclaimed the start of the Five Kage Summit, in some dark chamber, a figure with a pair of purple ripple-pattern eyes bursting with terrifying ocular power issued the order in tones of absolute authority. Seven thought-forms promptly vanished one by one.

In the Land of Earth, a swirl of distorted space appeared out of nowhere, and three twisting forms tumbled out.

"The Four-Tails Jinchūriki is close by. He's yours to deal with."

Uchiha Obito spoke in a calm voice, leaving only that before disappearing again into the Kamui dimension—too fast for Deidara to protest. In the blink of an eye, Obito was gone.

"What's with Tobi? Why's he changed so drastically?"

Deidara still couldn't wrap his head around Obito's altered personality. He fretted that something awful must have happened to his "only disciple." Kisame, though, merely smiled silently. He sensed a powerful chakra source nearby and grinned:

"Deidara, stay put here for me. I'll deal with the Four-Tails host alone."

"Suit yourself."

Folding his arms, Deidara maintained his usual haughty look:

"If you can't beat old Rōshi, just yell for help, and this master artiste will come to the rescue… un!"

Before Deidara could finish that last grunt, Kisame had already vanished, leaving Deidara on the verge of a meltdown. In the end, he simply bore it—there was no helping it; he was the youngest member in the Akatsuki, and even Tobi, who once respected him, had changed drastically. Life was rough.

Also in the Land of Earth, beyond the ring of mountains around Iwagakure…

On a certain cliff, six cloaked figures adorned with red clouds—both men and women among them—stood gazing down.

White Zetsu emerged halfway from the ground, reporting:

"Han's position is right in the center of Iwagakure."

"Mm."

Tendō Pain nodded. Surveying Iwagakure below, he said blandly:

"Seems Iwagakure doesn't have a barrier."

"Probably they didn't manage to grab that part of the Uzumaki scrolls."

White Zetsu offered:

"When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, multiple countries looted the Uzumaki clan's sealing arts. But their collections were incomplete; only Konoha possesses the clan's full legacy."

At those words, Nagato recalled what he and his parents had uncovered about their own heritage, renewing his hatred for the major nations that so often brought war and death upon small countries. Quietly, he repeated a signature line:

"In that case… let them know true pain."

With those words, the six Paths of Pain darted forth in unison.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

In a flash, the Asura Path appeared overhead within Iwagakure. Its mechanical arms launched a barrage of rockets toward the Five-Tails Jinchūriki, Han, blasting the village in a deafening roar.

Smoke instantly choked the air. Because of Yagyu's presence, Konoha had escaped such an onslaught—but in exchange, Iwagakure was fated to taste the Rinnegan's power. It would be a one-sided slaughter. Even if Ōnoki were present, Pain's Six Paths would likely prevail—made easier still by the Preta Path's absorption ability countering Dust Release. Though formidable, Dust Release had a lengthy startup. And with Ōnoki gone, Iwagakure was virtually helpless.

Meanwhile, across the sea on a large island in the Land of Water…

In a dense forest reminiscent of primeval wilderness, a handsome young man wearing a blue haori was instructing a pretty, tea-brown-haired kunoichi on ninjutsu. From time to time, she gave him lovelorn glances, clearly enamored. At first glance, the two looked like a perfect couple, but in truth they were mentor and disciple.

"So you're the Mist Village rogue ninja, the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata?"

As the two enjoyed this peaceful life together, an uninvited voice called out. Turning toward it, they saw a white-haired youth clad in a black cloak patterned with red clouds, a gourd-like war fan strapped across his back, stepping slowly from the forest. More striking than his handsome face or his odd attire was the pair of three-tomoe Sharingan in his eyes.

Seeing them, Utakata's face changed abruptly. Unleashing a terrifying chakra, he shouted:

"Hotaru, run!"

"No need. My target's you, not her."

The ninja known as "Hundred Faces" smiled faintly.

In an instant, the forest scene around Utakata shifted from vivid clarity to hazy blur. Hotaru at his side vanished.

Utakata realized he was caught in a genjutsu. He roared, channeling tailed beast chakra, but discovered he couldn't break free. Alarm flickered in his eyes—his adversary was a genjutsu master.

Without hesitation, he entered partial Tailed Beast Transformation, turning into a black-red beast lunging at Hundred Faces. Calmly, Hundred Faces unsheathed the Flame War Fan from his back.

A few minutes later…

Hundred Faces stood on top of a scorched, unconscious Utakata—his skin ravaged and peeling—and said in an aloof tone:

"Too weak!"

At the same time, far away in the Land of Earth, Kisame Hoshigaki and Pain's Six Paths looked down upon the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchūriki they had just subdued. All of them offered the same evaluation:

"Too weak!"

...

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