Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki-Chapter 755 - 755: During the Summit

The moment the Fourth Raikage opened his mouth, the atmosphere spiked to its limit. Just two blunt, forceful sentences made his stance unmistakable.
Behind him, Darui, C, and Dodai all covered their foreheads at the same time.
"Raikage-sama is being way too aggressive. We should first gauge the other villages' reactions."
"Ah, forget it. Leading the charge is what we Kumo have always done."
Dodai grumbled a little but ultimately accepted the Raikage's approach.
Kazuyama looked over at the Fourth Raikage. The man's eyes were already red after saying just two sentences—his hatred for Akatsukigakure ran bone-deep.
Understandable. His village had been wrecked, and his jinchūriki younger brother had been taken. How could he not be furious?
"Hahaha, the brats from Kumo are still this hot-headed?"
"Not a shred different from years ago."
Ōnoki followed up, teasing the Raikage lightly, earning only a cold snort in return.
"Hmph. Tsuchikage-sama is getting old. Instead of resting in the village, he drags himself to a conference. Must be tiring for you."
"Akatsukigakure's appearance has severely disrupted the balance of the ninja world. And it's not just Kumo who's suffered, right?"
"Mist? Konoha? Sunagakure?"
The Raikage knew going in solo wouldn't be enough, so he immediately began pulling others to his side. Directly calling on them might be crude, but it was better than silence.
"Our Mist Village suffered heavy losses—two jinchūriki were taken."
"Not only that, Akatsukigakure was hiding within the Land of Water for years, using Sharingan dōjutsu to control the previous Mizukage."
"Our hatred for Akatsukigakure is no less than yours, Raikage. That's why I support this Five Kage Summit."
"And on this point, I agree with the Raikage—we should eradicate Akatsukigakure."
"Given their strength and the danger they pose, I also propose the formation of a Ninja Alliance to attack them together."
Though Terumi was the youngest Kage present, her presence was overwhelming—powerful and commanding.
Simply speaking from her seat was enough to draw the attention of the entire hall.
"That's the new Mizukage? So young…"
"She's incredibly strong. I heard she single-handedly subdued all of Mist Village. Even the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen praised her."
"Rumor says she didn't grow up in the Mist Village, but wandered other countries before returning…"
As Terumi spoke, the hall filled with whispers. She had appeared suddenly and risen to Mizukage just as quickly, and hadn't held the position long. The rumors about her were endless.
Terumi didn't care at all—she'd merely opened the conversation.
"I agree with the Mizukage."
"Seconded."
Yahiko and Konan spoke at the same time, firmly supporting her.
Their voices immediately silenced the entire room.
Takigakure and Amegakure—under normal circumstances, neither would have qualified to attend a Five Kage Summit.
The five great villages were the true powers of the ninja world. But that reality had been shattered years ago.
The usually isolated Takigakure suddenly struck at neighboring Amegakure—defeating the Ninja World's Demi-God, Hanzō of the Salamander, and successfully taking over Amegakure entirely.
That alone had shocked all five great nations.
Hanzō's title wasn't self-given—it was earned in battle, acknowledged even by the Five Great Villages.
From that moment onward, no one dared underestimate the combined force of Takigakure and Amegakure.
Which was exactly why they had been invited to this summit.
And unbeknownst to everyone, this was exactly as Kazuyama had planned. Mist Village, Takigakure, and Amegakure were basically one group—whichever one spoke, the other two would support.
"Heh… who would've thought? Young people these days have no fear of war's suffering."
"So eager to start a war already?"
"Even if it's a coalition."
Ōnoki had nothing else to say, so he resorted to mocking them with the weight of his age.
He did want to eliminate Akatsukigakure, but they posed the least threat to Iwa. Before agreeing, he needed to secure more benefits for his village.
"Of course, Iwa will not refuse this war."
"However, I require a compelling reason before deploying my forces."
His bland, emotionless statement plunged the hall into silence again.
Terumi, Yahiko, and Konan all stared daggers at Ōnoki, their expressions full of dissatisfaction toward the stubborn old man.
Seeing their reactions, Kazuyama laughed inwardly.
Technically, he'd raised all three. Yahiko and Konan might've been older when he took them in, but years of influence had made their style more and more like Kazuyama's.
Can't negotiate? Then fight. After fighting, we can negotiate.
Kazuyama: ?? Is that really me?
"Hmph. Tsuchikage-sama is still as profit-driven as ever."
"But this war won't bring anything besides a period of peace."
"Lord Tsuchikage, think this through carefully."
Kazekage Rasa finally spoke, his tone laced with disdain.
Ōnoki slowly turned toward Rasa, a hint of challenge in his eyes.
"Oh? Does the Kazekage have a brilliant solution?"
"Why not share it with us?"
Ōnoki was cunning and experienced—he wouldn't be provoked by a few words. But forcing him to give ground wasn't easy either.
"Everyone, this summit is to discuss Akatsukigakure's threat to the ninja world. Let's stay calm."
"Please, both of you, stand down for now."
As host, Mifune stepped forward to mediate before the tension escalated further.
With his intervention, both Ōnoki and Rasa paused.
"Akatsukigakure has become a severe danger to the safety of the ninja world."
"Lord Tsuchikage, if I recall correctly, the Land of Earth also suffered their attacks. All those disasters that struck your country may very well have been their doing."
"So I sincerely hope you take this summit seriously."
As Mifune addressed Ōnoki, the entire hall remained silent—except for one person: Kazuyama.
He and Chōmei were practically laughing themselves to death.
"Kazuyama, weren't those insect and snake disasters caused by the two of us? How did this old man blame it on Akatsukigakure? Hahaha! They're making Akatsuki take the fall for us?"
"Shh, real heroes don't brag about the past, hahaha! Mifune, Mifune—what a perfect assist! Beautiful!"