Naruto: The new beginning

----

Out of everyone present, Minato was probably the only Kage who didn't have to worry about budget cuts.

For one, Konoha's relationship with the Fire Daimyō had always been strong possibly because the Land of Fire was wealthy enough that funding the village never felt like a burden.

This was also why, during past wars, every other village had tried to take a bite out of Konoha.

Furthermore, thanks to Orochimaru and Rasa's "contributions," Konoha had skyrocketed in prestige among major political figures.

Missions flooded in constantly if anything, Konoha suffered from a shortage of manpower.

There were even times when Minato wished he could send Izumo and Kotetsu on missions just to lighten the load.

But seeing how much those two loved their jobs, he didn't have the heart to take that away from them.

Konoha's recent collaborations with the Land of Snow have also boosted its economy.

Between new technology and a lucrative film industry, Konoha was far from struggling.

Yagura could somewhat relate.

Whenever he requested funding from the Water Daimyō, the man always looked reluctant… but never actually refused.

So in the end, the money always came through.

A, however, didn't dwell on these thoughts at all.

He flat-out refused to believe Ōnoki's justification.

"Enough with the excuses, Tsuchikage!" he growled. "The fact remains you had ties to Akatsuki! For all we know, you sent your so-called 'student' to join them!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Raikage brat!" Ōnoki snapped. He was really getting tired of this guy. "Your village constantly chases after jutsu, stealing bloodlines left and right! We had to hire Akatsuki just to keep up!"

"You blame us?!" Raikage shot to his feet, kicking his chair aside. Lightning flickered across his body as he glared down at the old man, looking seconds away from throwing hands.

Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi immediately leapt down to shield Ōnoki.

C and Darui did the same for Raikage

The other guards followed suit.

Naruto and Shisui drew their kunai.

Kankuro's chakra strings glowed faintly.

Temari opened her fan.

Zabuza unsheathed his massive blade.

Mei prepared to spew something deadly.

Fū, who had been a little slow on the uptake, hurriedly flew in front of Shibuki, mimicking everyone else's stances.

Would they actually start fighting?

Maybe.

But even if they didn't, their job as guards was to look intimidating.

So here they were creating an uncomfortably crowded standoff.

The tension peaked as the Raikage's aura crackled dangerously.

"This is a place for diplomatic discussion," Mifune stated coolly.

It was a simple statement.

But as the moderator representing a neutral nation, his words gave everyone an out.

Minato softly spoke.

"Naruto, Shisui stand down."

Yagura crossed his arms. "Mei, Zabuza return to position."

Gaara's voice was calm. "Temari. Kankuro."

Ōnoki floated back to his seat and tilted his chin toward the balcony, silently instructing his guards to withdraw.

C quietly set Raikage's chair upright again.

A said nothing, merely dropping into it with a scowl.

One by one, the guards retreated to their designated spots.

Even Fū, after a bit of prodding from Shibuki, returned to her seat still looking confused about what had just happened.

Mifune nodded. "Please, continue."

Raikage brief silence followed before Minato spoke.

"Tsuchikage, Raikage at this point, debating past decisions is pointless."

He glanced around the table.

"Let's be honest every village has done things they aren't proud of. Some were for their village's benefit, others for personal gain. And sometimes… the consequences were never intentional."

His expression softened.

"But we didn't come here to argue over the past, We're here because of Akatsuki.

Iwa and Kumo want their Tailed Beasts back. Kiri, Suna, and Konoha want to eliminate a threat that could strike at any moment, For now, our goals align."

"So rather than wasting time blaming each other, why don't we focus on the matter at hand?"

His reasoning was sound.

If he had suggested forgiving past grievances, that would've been an insult.

But suggesting they set them aside for now?

That, they could accept.

"Hmph." Raikage exhaled sharply through his nose, arms crossed but he didn't argue.

Ōnoki knew Minato was right.

But he wasn't about to let words sway him so easily.

"Hmph. Nice speech, young man. But words alone won't solve anything; tell me, what can Konoha contribute?"

Minato wasn't bothered by the challenge.

He had planned to share information from the start.

"Actually," he began, "not long ago, two Akatsuki members infiltrated the Land of Fire and were intercepted by our scouting team.

One was captured alive.

The other was killed."

"WHAT?!"

The entire room reacted instantly.

A live prisoner meant intel.

But—

"Are you serious?!" Raikage narrowed his eyes. "Your 'scouting team' managed to defeat an Akatsuki team and take one alive?"

He immediately thought of Pain and felt sceptical.

Minato nodded. "They had… unique abilities. And our reinforcements arrived in time."

Raikage demanded, "Who exactly did you capture?"

"The one we captured is named Hidan a rogue ninja from the Land of Hot Water. His ability is…"

As Minato began explaining, the guards on the balcony listened closely.

Most were shocked by the bizarre abilities of Hidan and Kakuzu.

Naruto, however…

Was very distracted.

His mind wandered.

How do I get Shisui to seduce Mei?

I mean, she's single. He's single. Age difference? Meh. She's probably rich…

Hmm... No, wait—that feels weird.

He was pulled from his thoughts when someone poked his arm.

Turning, he found Fū blinking at him.

"Naruto, what are they talking about?" she whispered.

Naruto blinked.

"…You don't know?"

Fū scratched her head. "I think our leader mentioned it once… but I fell asleep after the first few minutes. Hehehehe."

Naruto: "…"

----

Don't forget to drop some Power Stones!

For early access to advanced chapters on p@treon.

P@treon/iamxeno

Thank you so much for your support and for reading!