Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 476 Innuendo

The Tsuchikage's words greatly displeased Temari and Kankuro behind the veil. Kankuro even bared his teeth, but Gaara remained unmoved and even retorted.

"Yes, that's why I'm sitting here as the Kazekage."

Onoki chuckled, clearly understanding Gaara's subtext. This Kazekage, even before taking office, had orchestrated a "three-way peace negotiation" that caused immense headaches for the Land of Earth. After assuming office, he stirred up considerable trouble within Sunagakure. Having narrowly escaped death this time, he even used the opportunity to promote many ninjas who supported the rescue efforts, effectively purging the entire Sunagakure leadership. Such a young and accomplished Kazekage certainly had the right to say such a thing.

But Onoki was the Tsuchikage, and he wouldn't do anything to gloat over others. As the oldest Kage present, he commented, "What an arrogant fellow."

"We've all come here to solve a problem. Since Lord Tsuchikage can't say anything useful, please keep quiet and show your manners." The Hokage, sitting in the middle, couldn't stand it anymore. He was one of only two young Kage present and an ally of Sunagakure, so it was reasonable for him to speak up for the Kazekage.

However... Naruto himself sighed and rubbed his forehead in Sasuke's mental space. Although he could teach Sasuke what to say in different situations, he couldn't control his own mouth. Sasuke's meaning was very clear and straightforward, practically screaming "You have no manners either!"

Onoki was naturally very annoyed, but wouldn't saying something useless just confirm his lack of manners? He already felt an itch to touch that blond hair, and now that face made him even more repulsive.

However, the Hokage ignored him and instead glanced at Mifune across from him. The temporary host seemed not to understand what he was supposed to do and was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the Hokage was looking at him.

"Alright, Sasuke. Lord Mifune has no experience, so I'll have to trouble you to take charge."

"Ha, I didn't expect anything from him anyway."

"Please continue, Lord Kazekage."

Faced with the Hokage's standard diplomatic smile, Gaara felt as if he had seen another side of Naruto. He composed himself, summarized the lesson he had just learned from being interrupted, and slightly changed his way of speaking.

“I am a Jinchūriki, and I was imprisoned by Akatsuki. They almost took all my Tailed Beasts. Thanks to the great help of the Hokage and Konoha, I was able to be rescued in time. The lives of Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki are bound together. Taking away a Tailed Beast means death. I am someone who almost died, which is why I think Akatsuki’s existence is very dangerous.”

"I made requests to the Five Kage many times, but they ignored me except for the former Hokage. By the time they realized they needed to join forces after all the Jinchuriki from each country had been taken away, it was already too late."

At this moment, Onoki, who considered himself a senior figure, sneered again, saying, "The five great ninja villages couldn't recover their Jinchūriki after being taken from them, setting an example for other countries—it's an utter disgrace! Secretly recovering them is the norm. It's impossible to seek help from other countries right after they're taken." So, Sunagakure lost its Kazekage and then had to seek help from Konoha? This is utterly shameless; they even dared to use themselves as an example, shamelessly uttering things that should be forgotten.

Gaara is a young man after all; so-called propriety and face are not even within his scope of consideration. Pragmatism is the only truth!

"An extremely boring and pedantic idea."

Perhaps fearing that the two would start arguing, Mizukage Mei Terumi took the initiative to smooth things over, saying, "Putting aside whether this is old-fashioned or not, as the Mizukage, I admit that we are indeed too passive. But even if the Tailed Beast is taken away, it cannot be regarded as a threat immediately. Controlling the Tailed Beast requires technology, knowledge, and time."

These words struck a chord with Onoki, who added, "Jinchūriki need to grow and adapt to the Tailed Beast, but even so, it is still very difficult to control them."

"I apologize for being a little too talkative, isn't that right, Lord Kazekage?"

"The enemy has figured out this mentality, which is why they dare to act recklessly. They are confident that they can collect most of the tailed beasts before the five great nations can react." This time, the Hokage's words were truly weighty. He did not refer to the enemy as an organization, but as "he".

"Just one more thing, how many countries still have Jinchūriki who haven't met their tragic end?"

The Raikage, sitting next to the Tsuchikage, was suddenly provoked by those words. He abruptly raised his hand and slammed it onto the table. This action could be considered the biggest threat on the field, and the already tense atmosphere exploded, engulfing the guards standing outside the field.

"Stop rambling on!"

Beneath the deafening crash of the tabletop shattering, a cacophony of sounds followed: weapons being drawn, curtains trembling, metal clashing, scrolls unfurling. As the dust settled after that punch, the scene suddenly became incredibly crowded. The guards stood in the center, facing each other with apparent tension, yet none actually stood where the Shadow was seated, and none approached their own or another nation's Shadow.

Only one of the Hokage's guards did not participate in the commotion. The area in front of the Hokage's seat was empty, and his guard seemed not to think that such a trivial matter could threaten the Hokage's safety.

Neji actually wanted to rush out, but Izuma suddenly grabbed him, and the force was so strong that even this taijutsu-type ninja couldn't break free for a moment. Once the stalemate was established, going out would only add fuel to the fire, so he could only anxiously look at the Hokage through the bottom of the flag.

Mifune sighed, finally remembering his duty, and said, "This is a place for discussion, so please be careful not to do anything impolite."

The large group of people finally retreated under the Kage's command. During this time, Onoki glanced at the curtain behind the Hokage a few times and gave one of his guards, Akatsuchi, a look, telling him to keep a close eye on the Hokage's guards.

Are the guards who didn't show up at a time like this negligent in their duties, or were they specifically instructed to do so? Or do they have such great faith in the Hokage's strength that they don't consider him a threat?

Only after order was restored in the meeting room did Mifune say, "Please continue the discussion."

After a long period of silence, Raikage Ai finally erupted. His eyes flashed fiercely as he looked at every Kage present. Although he had a fiery temper, he possessed the mind of a competent leader and immediately laid out his evidence.

"Konoha, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure—Akatsuki was formed by rogue ninja from your villages. Not only that, I've also discovered that some of you, including the former village chief, have used Akatsuki!"

"Used?" Gaara looked slightly surprised. The "Akatsuki" that almost killed him had actually worked for the Five Ninja Villages?

Ai continued, "I don't trust you, and I don't want to negotiate with you. The reason I summoned the Five Kage here is to hold you accountable!"