Naruto: The new beginning

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"You brats sure got here early," Ōnoki grumbled as he finally arrived with Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi.

"Yeah, well, unlike the Tsuchikage, we're young and don't have mobility issues," Yagura quipped with a polite smile but the moment he was called a brat, he was instantly offended.

Maybe it was a height thing he hated being treated like a kid.

Unlike certain women who used jutsu to maintain a youthful appearance, his frustrations were genuine.

Ōnoki hadn't planned to be late.

But as they neared the summit location, he had insisted on walking the rest of the way himself.

"A Kage should never look weak! I can walk just fine," he had declared confidently.

And then promptly threw his back out in the middle of a blizzard.

So, after enduring searing back pain and his granddaughter's merciless mockery, he had finally made his way inside.

Understandably, his mood was terrible.

So, as soon as he entered, he decided to pull rank and remind the others of his seniority.

After all, technically, everyone here was younger than him.

He hadn't expected the Mizukage, whom he had never even met before, to immediately snap back at him.

"Hmph. The Five Kage sure has changed. I can't believe Kiri chose such a rude brat as its leader," Ōnoki sneered.

Yagura, who technically stood taller than the old man (if only barely), scoffed. "Speaking of poor decisions shouldn't Iwa have retired you by now? Or is your entire village so incompetent that they can't find a single person to replace you? That's just sad."

The tension skyrocketed.

Ōnoki smirked. "Sharp tongue for such a small fry."

But he wasn't actually mad. He had been in this game too long to be rattled by words alone.

Still, as the leader of Iwagakure, he couldn't back down. He had to hold his ground.

The argument escalated, much to Naruto's delight he loved a good show.

He was so entertained that he completely forgot to examine the Raikage's legs.

Minato sighed, about to step in, but before he could, Mifune entered the chamber finally breaking up the bickering.

Ōnoki grudgingly took his seat.

Mifune stepped forward, two fully armoured samurai flanking him.

Naruto, sizing them up, casually noted that if a fight broke out, he could probably take them down in seconds.

Behind them, Takigakure's leader, Shibuki, followed and took his place as an observer.

Fū, for once, behaved and quietly stood behind him.

Mifune spoke loudly, "Now that everyone is here, let us begin. Please place your hats on the table in front of you."

One by one, the Kage removed their hats and set them down in a neat row blue for Water, green for Wind, red for Fire, brown for Earth, and yellow for Lightning.

Naruto couldn't help but stare at Gaara's green hat.

So Gaara's been wearing a green hat this whole time? What was the First Kazekage thinking? Did desert people just really crave greenery that much?

The guards all jumped up to the second-floor balcony, giving them a perfect view of the meeting while keeping them out of direct participation.

Fū, Hōen, and Yōrō also joined them.

Takigakure's participation was a special case, so no one really cared that Shibuki had brought three people.

Or maybe they just didn't take them seriously.

After all… their combat ability was questionable at best.

Mifune continued, "This summit was called at the request of the Tsuchikage. As host and moderator, I, Mifune, will oversee this meeting. Takigakure's leader, Shibuki, will be present as an observer."

The Five Kage nodded in acknowledgement, giving Shibuki a shred of courtesy.

Shibuki himself didn't care much.

Though he dreamed of strengthening his village, he knew Takigakure wasn't on the same level as the Five Great Nations.

His only priority here was ensuring Fū's safety.

Mifune's expression hardened.

"The Five Kage Summit… officially begins."

And with that, he took his seat, allowing the Kage to begin their discussion.

Ōnoki was the first to speak.

"Since I initiated this summit, I'll start."

He glanced around the table.

"In my letter, I made it clear—the purpose of this meeting is to address the growing threat of the Akatsuki."

He leaned forward.

"By now, I assume your intelligence teams have noticed. Iwa's Four-Tails and Five-Tails jinchūriki have been missing for over a month. It's safe to say they were taken by Akatsuki."

Ōnoki's eyes narrowed.

"So tell me how are your jinchūriki holding up?"

The Raikage slammed his palm onto the table.

"Enough with this bullshit! My investigation revealed that Akatsuki is made up of your own traitorous shinobi! How the hell am I supposed to trust any of you? What is your game here?!"

Fortunately, thanks to recent experience controlling his strength, the table survived.

Gaara remained calm.

"As a jinchūriki myself, I can confirm that Sunagakure's traitor, Sasori of the Red Sand, was a member of Akatsuki. He and another attacked Suna, but Sasori was killed. The other fled and I believe he was an Iwagakure rogue shinobi."

Temari and Kankuro, watching from the balcony, tensed.

Was it really okay for Gaara to be so open about their situation?

Ōnoki remained unfazed.

"That would be Deidara. He was once my student an extremely troublesome one. I would love to capture him myself. I assume the other villages are dealing with similar problems."

His tone sharpened.

"And that is why we're here. We all have defectors in Akatsuki. We all have suffered losses. We should be united against this threat."

A growled, unconvinced.

"Easy for you to say, you old bastard! I know Iwa used Akatsuki before! Don't act innocent!"

His glare shifted.

"And you, Mizukage! Kiri's been secretive for decades but the moment you started working with Konoha, Akatsuki's movements increased! You expect me to believe that's a coincidence?!"

Yagura stayed silent.

Admitting he had been mind-controlled would be… bad for Kiri's reputation.

Gaara frowned slightly.

"Tsuchikage, what does he mean—'Iwa used Akatsuki'?"

Ōnoki sighed.

"It's simple, Ever since the last war, the shinobi world has been relatively stable. But stability comes at a cost. Our military budgets were cut, and unlike wartime, missions alone don't generate enough money to maintain all our ninjas. Yet we couldn't afford to be weak, either. So, mercenary groups like Akatsuki became… convenient."

He leaned back.

"It was cheaper to hire them for war missions than to invest in training our own forces."

Silence filled the room.

Gaara, deep in thought, clenched his fist.

Budget cuts… Suna knows those all too well.

The Wind Daimyō had always been reluctant to fund Sunagakure, preferring to hire Konoha's shinobi instead.

It got so bad that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had resorted to gold mining to keep the village afloat.

And in the end… he still ended up getting himself killed over money.

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