Five-Shadow Meeting

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly, a solemn expression on his face.

He was well aware of the importance of this meeting, which concerned not only the future of Konoha, but also the peace and stability of the entire ninja world.

"Okay, Minato. You go to the conference room first, I'll be there shortly."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he stood up and straightened his Hokage robe.

He was well aware of the weight of his responsibility and knew that he could not afford to be negligent or negligent in any way.

Upon seeing this, Minato Namikaze bowed slightly, then turned and left the Hokage's office.

.....

Konoha Village Meeting Room

"Hmph! These scum from the Twilight organization! If I catch them, I'll tear them to pieces!"

A, who had just succeeded as the Fourth Raikage, sat arrogantly in the conference room chair. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table and said through gritted teeth.

Beside him was Yukimon, who had already lost the Two-Tails!

As for Killer Bee, since losing the Eight-Tails, the usually positive and optimistic man has fallen into a rare silence, which is why the Fourth Hokage did not bring him out.

"Hmph, those scum attacked our Sand Village first. If I have the chance, I will not hesitate to annihilate them completely!"

Sitting opposite the Fourth Kazekage was Rasa of Sunagakure, who had by then inherited the title of Kazekage.

Beside him was Machi, known for his composure.

"Gentlemen, please calm down..."

"The strength and number of the enemy are currently unknown. Let's focus on confirming the [Tailed Beast Project]..."

The one speaking from the side was a short old man, none other than the Third Tsuchigakure of Iwagakure, Onoki!

Upon hearing this, the fourth-generation Ai glanced at the seemingly kind old man and continued:

"Hmph, it wasn't your Iwagakure village that was attacked, so naturally you're very calm!"

However, before Ōnoki could speak further, Yagura, who was representing Kirigakure and had recently succeeded as the Fourth Mizukage, spoke up to advise:

"Please calm down, everyone. Let's wait for the Hokage to arrive so we can discuss this together."

Compared to Onoki, the Fourth Mizukage, A, looked down on the young Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, even more.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the conference room door was slowly pushed open.

What came into everyone's view was none other than the Third Hokage—Hiruzen Sarutobi!

When everyone saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, they all fell silent, which was unusual for them.

Even the fourth generation Ai, who had just been quite irritable, pouted unhappily but did not speak again.

After entering the conference room, Hiruzen Sarutobi went straight to the head seat.

With his seated, the Five Kage Summit officially began!

"Hokage, may I ask if you have any objections to the results of our initial discussions?"

At the start of the meeting, Rasa went straight to the point and began questioning Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"This matter is of paramount importance, and Konoha cannot shoulder this heavy responsibility alone..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly spoke, responding to Rasa.

"Hmph! Don't think I don't know! Your Konoha's Shisui was the main force behind this attack on the Twilight organization!"

"Is there some other reason behind Hokage's refusal?"

Rasa responded without any politeness, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi with hostility.

"This statement is different..."

"As far as I know, Sasori of the Red Sand from your Sand Village seems to be a key member of the [Twilight] organization..."

"Could this be a play staged by your Sunagakure village itself?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi, with a hint of displeasure, immediately responded to Rasa.

"Heh, who doesn't know that Sasori is a rogue ninja from our Sand Village! Besides, it was our Sand Village that was first attacked and lost its tailed beast!"

Rasa continued speaking, subtly trying to put pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi.

However, just as Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to speak again, the Fourth Hokage, A, slammed his hand on the table and said:

"Enough! What's the point of you two arguing like this?"

The fourth-generation Ai's voice boomed like thunder, causing the entire conference room to tremble.

"The most important thing now is to find those Twilight Organization scum and reclaim our Tailed Beasts, not to blame each other here!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly. He understood the Fourth A's anger and dissatisfaction, but things were far more complicated than they appeared.

"Lord Raikage, you're right. But we must remain calm and not act rashly."

"We currently have no idea of ​​the Twilight Organization's strength. The fact that they were able to attack a village and escape unscathed shows that their strength should not be underestimated..."

"What are your thoughts, Hokage?"

Yagura's voice was calm and composed, his young face revealing an undeniable determination:

"We can't keep arguing here; we must come up with a solution as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi rested his chin on his hand, remained silent for a moment, and finally slowly said:

"I have no objection to your idea of ​​collecting the remaining tailed beasts and hiding them in Konoha Village."

"but!"

"Based on my current assessment, the [Twilight] organization is incredibly powerful, and given the current state of Konoha Village, we are incapable of undertaking this mission..."

"Furthermore, if all the Tailed Beasts are in Konoha, then the next place the Twilight organization attacks will definitely be our Konoha Village!"

"As the Hokage, I must consider the village's well-being!"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent instantly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words make a lot of sense. As the Kage of the village, their first priority should be the safety of the village!

That's why they wanted to place the Tailed Beasts in Konoha, the strongest village in the region.

Firstly, it can protect the tailed beasts, and secondly, it can prevent their village from being attacked by the Twilight organization.

After a moment of contemplation, Onoki slowly spoke:

"I think it's more appropriate to keep the Tailed Beasts in Konoha Village..."

"But in return, our villages must also send powerful ninjas as assistance to help Konoha protect the Tailed Beasts."

"Furthermore, facing such an unknown organization, our villages should take a break and stop the Shinobi World War..."

"Aid?" Fourth Generation Ai frowned. "That's probably not very realistic. Each village has its own defense tasks and internal affairs, so it's difficult to spare manpower for support."

"But this is our best option right now," Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly. "Only by uniting can we fight against the Twilight Organization, our common enemy!"

Ultimately, due to Hiruzen Sarutobi's insistence, the representatives of the five great nations all agreed to the proposal.

They decided to immediately begin preparing aid and dispatch an elite force to collect the tailed beasts, while simultaneously strengthening the defenses of various villages.

After the meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi remained alone in the conference room.

He gazed out the window at the bustling Konoha village, his heart filled with worry and unease.

"Minato, tell me, am I doing the right thing?"