I, The New Hokage of Konoha - Chapter 219
“In the Land of Iron, as a rare neutral nation in the ninja world, much like the Land of Demons, although it shares its borders with the Land of Fire, it has fortunately remained untouched in several major ninja wars and has enjoyed peace to this day.
However, underestimating this nation that has truly forgotten about war would undoubtedly be a grave mistake.
Unlike the Land of Demons, which is irreplaceable due to the priestess lineage, leading to the permanent neutrality recognized by the ninja nations, the Land of Iron’s position is purely due to its vast army of thousands of samurai warriors as support.
Since the appearance of chakra, traditional professions such as samurai, monks, and priestesses, though still existing today, have long been replaced by ninjas and have fallen out of the mainstream.
However, remnants of the old era have still refused to fade away.
The Land of Iron is a product of such remnants.
As the only nation without ninjas today, a land with a constant military force of samurai, the Land of Iron is undoubtedly the holy land and paradise in the hearts of all samurai in the ninja world.
Furthermore, the Land of Iron Samurai has not remained stuck in the past but has followed the times, practising chakra and mastering the art of the samurai sword, forging a path distinct from that of the ninja.
Although in terms of individual strength, samurai who practice chakra tend to fare poorly against the agile and versatile ninja, the sheer number of samurai in the Land of Iron speaks for itself. Unless absolutely necessary, the Five Great Nations have no interest in provoking such a major troublemaker.
The Land of Iron is very pragmatic, fully aware that ninjas are today’s dominant force. It has simply remained in its own nation for decades without ambitions, taking on the role of preserving the samurai tradition as its duty.
However, the winds of change in the ninja world are fast and unpredictable.
Perhaps no one could have anticipated that the Land of Iron, which has always been a neutral nation, would now actively step into the current turmoil.
Huff… Huff…
The Fourth Raikage, who had just set foot on the Land of Iron’s territory, raised the ordinary straw hat that had been concealing his face and looked around with his sharp tiger-like eyes, contemplatively remarking, “I wonder what old man Ohnoki did to persuade Samahada to agree to hold the Four Kage Summit at his place. Quite unexpected.”
“More precisely, it’s an unexpected delight,” Darui, the Raikage’s guardian, interjected.
The Four Kage Summit is of great significance, and for the sake of secrecy, only two guardians accompany the Kage from each of the Four Great Ninja Villages.
As someone who escaped from the Wood Release jutsu of Konohagakure during the Fourth Great Ninja War and later managed to lead a group of Cloud Shinobi to escape pursuit from Konohagakure singlehandedly, Darui had naturally distinguished himself and became a high-priority candidate for A’s successor.
He was brought along to participate in the Four Kage Summit this time.
Like the Five Kage Summit convened by Hashirama Senju years ago, the guardians who could accompany the Kage were exceptional individuals. Ohnoki’s decision to host the summit in the Land of Iron undoubtedly indicated some expectations he had of Darui.
Accompanying Darui was also C, known as the Left Hand of the Fourth Raikage.
Now it was his turn to speak, and he nodded in agreement, saying, “The fact that the previously neutral Land of Iron is willing to host the Four Kage Summit, which is clearly aimed at the Land of Fire, indicates that the Land of Iron also has intentions to participate.”
“That old man Samahada has always remained strictly neutral. I wonder what the Land of Fire did to make him so eager to get involved,” chuckled the Fourth Raikage, Ei.
Regardless, the addition of the Land of Iron, a powerful nation, was undoubtedly excellent news for the Four Nations.
Ai, who had been quite concerned about the situation, felt considerably relieved now.
“Let’s go; don’t keep our old friends waiting.”
Ai waved his large hand, leading Darui and C deeper into the Land of Iron.
Soon, guided by the Land of Iron’s reception personnel, who had been waiting for a long time, the Raikage and his entourage headed towards the meeting location.
At the same time, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, who had taken over the position five years ago and had yet to marry despite being pursued, along with her companions Chojuro and Ao; the Third Tsuchikage, Ohnoki, accompanied by Kurotsuchi and another trusted aide; and the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, along with his son, Kankuro, were all proceeding towards the designated meeting point at the agreed-upon time.
In addition, a group of uninvited guests had secretly joined in.
From this point on, excluding the participants from Konohagakure, the Four Kage Summit was about to begin.
…
“Is this the place where the Four Kage Summit is being held? It’s utterly lacking in the artistic sense! I don’t even have the inspiration to detonate anything.”
Entering the Four Kage Summit chamber first, Deidara shook his head mockingly, seeing nothing more than a round table and flags of Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning on the walls.
Before coming, he had imagined that a grandiose location would be prepared for such a prestigious event that could ignite his artistic sense.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointment!
“Deidara, behave yourself!”
At his words, Onoki’s eyelids twitched vigorously, warning sternly.
God knows how many of his own beard hairs he had plucked out over the years to endure Deidara’s so-called “art.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Iwagakure was in dire straits and Deidara was genuinely gifted, he would have banished this unfilial disciple with his Dust Release long ago.
Bringing him here this time was also a way to let him broaden his horizons and, hopefully, keep him from being as unruly as usual.
But now, seeing Deidara’s complete lack of remorse, Onoki couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
Going any further would only leave him mentally exhausted.
As he watched Deidara, who had quickly returned to his playful and smiling demeanour, Onoki couldn’t help but sigh deeply in his heart.
A mature and enticing female voice echoed in the meeting room: “Tsuchikage, it’s been a while, but you still look as charismatic as ever.”
With her words, accompanied by a fragrant breeze, the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, walked in with her companions, Chojuro and Ao, wearing a smile as charming as ever.
Seeing her, Onoki greeted her warmly: “It’s nothing compared to you, Mizukage-sama. You still have at least a dozen more years of greatness in you.”
Although the Mist and Rock Ninja had their past conflicts, with Konohag
Akure’s threat, Mei Terumi and Onoki, who understood the bigger picture, had silently put aside their differences and engaged in friendly conversation.
After a round of pleasantries, Mei Terumi shifted her attention to Onoki’s guards.
The tall, blond young man was quite unfamiliar, but her gaze lingered on him.
“Who’s this handsome young man? He’s quite good-looking,” she playfully greeted Deidara.
Mei Terumi had developed a growing interest in handsome men over the years, especially since she hadn’t found a suitable partner yet. Such comments had become her usual banter.
However, she was addressing Deidara.
Unlike other men, he was solely dedicated to pursuing his art, completely uninterested in anything else.
Women?
They only disrupted his explosion-making pace.
Having Deidara by his side for these years, thanks to his financial support and resources, accelerated his artistic progress. But some of Deidara’s quirks were hard to handle.
Seeing Mei Terumi’s attention, Deidara, who was aware of his own peculiarities, immediately employed the most effective method he knew to deal with women other than explosions.
“Old woman! Don’t bother me. I have no interest in you at all!” Deidara declared with a raised chin, full of disdain.
Instantly!
The meeting room filled with shock. Chojuro and Ao wore worried expressions, while Mei Terumi’s face swiftly changed from sunny to cloudy. She lowered her head and muttered to herself, “Old… old… old… old woman?”
Starting with a quiet, almost disbelieving self-repetition, her voice gradually grew louder. Finally, in the end, she could no longer contain her intense anger and blurted out, “Damn it, you Iwagakure brat! How dare you call me an ‘old woman’! Prepare to die!”
Fortunately, at this moment, the already anticipated Chojuro and Ao hurriedly restrained the agitated Mei Terumi and tried to calm her down.
“Don’t, Mizukage-sama!”
“Mizukage-sama, please calm down…”
At this moment, the Four Kage Summit chamber became exceptionally lively.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Onoki, who regretted bringing Deidara here, suppressed his thoughts of filial piety and shouted at his disciple, “Deidara, what nonsense are you spouting? Quickly apologize to Mizukage-sama!”
“What nonsense? I didn’t say anything wrong!” Deidara wore a look of grievance.
For him, a fourteen-year-old, it was simply that the nearly thirty-year-old Mei Terumi was an old woman!
Seeing Deidara unrepentant, Onoki, who had suppressed his desire to disown him, could only let out a deep sigh in his heart.
Now, the Four Kage Summit was set to begin, and if it failed to yield the desired results, Deidara would undoubtedly claim the “credit”!
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