"Sorry to have kept you waiting. It's unbelievable that such a thing happened," Nagasawa said with an apologetic look as he and Minato returned to the highest floor of the venue.
The sincere gaze and serious expression on Nagasawa's face might have convinced the Fourth Raikage and the other Kage hadn't Nagasawa exuded the aura that made it hard for them to breathe.
"Assistant Nagasawa, there's no need for you to apologize. It's not Konoha's fault; it's that darn attacker. Us Kumogakure despises cowards like the one that brings that monster," the Fourth Raikage stammered.
Ōnoki rolled his eyes when he heard the Fourth Raikage's words. He didn't expect a guy like the Fourth Raikage to give in so quickly.
Sensing the disdainful looks from Ōnoki and Rasa, the Fourth Raikage's face turned even grimmer. He didn't do this because he wanted to; Nagasawa was simply too strong to mess around with.
Nagasawa was treating them differently, releasing his pressure mainly on him rather than Ōnoki or Rasa.
As for how the Fourth Raikage knew, it was simple.
Setting Ōnoki aside as the Fourth Raikage had no idea which one was stronger between him and Ōnoki, the Fourth Raikage was certain that Rasa was not as strong as him. If Rasa seemed fine, why did he struggle to withstand the pressure? The only answer was that Nagasawa was mainly targeting him.
At this moment, the Fourth Raikage surprisingly decided to admit defeat. Nothing good had happened since his first encounter with Nagasawa. Since he knew he wouldn't win against Nagasawa, then so be it.
If Nagasawa knew the Fourth Raikage's thoughts at this moment, he might have mixed feelings. After all, forcing a Kage from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages to admit defeat was quite an achievement.
However, even if he knew, Nagasawa would still do the same.
Judging from the original plot, Kumogakure was known for stirring up trouble.
Kidnapping Kushina, kidnapping a Hyuga Clan and pressured them.
Especially the Kushina kidnapping case. Although Nagasawa knew that Minato would eventually come to her rescue and changing the course of events in this world might lead to unforeseen consequences, this was no longer the original Naruto universe anyway.
So, after that, Nagasawa encouraged Kushina to move near Minato's house. After all, she was not short on money.
Minato had Sensory abilities, making it not so easy for Kumogakure to kidnap Kushina.
Now that he had the power, Nagasawa wanted to teach Kumogakure, which had bothered him before, a lesson.
"Yes, that attacker is despicable. For the sake of friendship between the Land of Wind and Land of Fire, and for the friendship between Sunagakure and Konoha, Sunagakure will humbly provide 200 million ryo by purchasing your Tags to assist Konoha," Rasa quickly said after thinking for a moment.
Although Sunagakure was relatively poor, Tags were equivalent to military equipment. Saving money elsewhere meant they could spend more in this area.
Of course, Rasa was able to contribute so much because he hadn't just sit around idly these days. He contacted wealthy merchants and influential figures from the Land of Wind who was interested in Konoha's new Tags and received a substantial amount of money.
Since they were buying something, it sounded more sincere. Konoha had been attacked, and he was supporting them by purchasing Tags.
Upon seeing Nagasawa's strength, Rasa felt that, as long as Nagasawa was alive, Sunagakure would always be an ally of Konoha, willing to cooperate and help each other.
Upon hearing Rasa's words, Onoki was slightly stunned, then quickly said, "In that case, Iwagakure will follow suit and spend 300 million ryo for the Tags to assist Konoha."
Although he wasn't the first to speak, he responded quickly.
The Fourth Raikage looked at Rasa and Onoki with a contemptuous gaze, especially at Rasa.
He felt that Rasa was really shameless for come up with such words. Wasn't it just an attempt to get on Konoha's good side and purchase the new Tags that Nagasawa developed?
"Cough, cough." The Fourth Raikage cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "For the friendship between the Land of Lightning and the Land of Fire, and for the friendship between Kumogakure and Konoha, Kumogakure is willing to contribute 320 million ryo to Konoha in the form of purchasing Tags for Konoha's speedy recovery."
Rasa reciprocated the Fourth Raikage's disdainful gaze with an even more contemptuous look as the Fourth Raikage copied what he did!
Upon witnessing the Kages offering hundreds of millions for Konoha's aid, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked somewhat surprised. If he hadn't been present the whole time, one might have thought that Konoha had suffered significant losses. The Fourth Raikage even wished for Konoha's speedy recovery.
Nagasawa didn't find it surprising and sat back down. Even if he hadn't taken this approach, the three Great Shinobi Countries would still spend a lot of money to buy Tags to ensure their village didn't fall behind in ninja tools.
However, he found it amusing to do it this way, and the result indeed turned out interesting.
"It's a pity that Kirigakure didn't join this time; they missed out on so many good things," Onoki suddenly brought up Kirigakure's absence for some reason.
"Actually, we initially planned to invite Kirigakure, but considering the current chaotic situation there, we decided to cancel the invitation," Hiruzen Sarutobi said while stroking his beard.
"What's happening in Kirigakure?" Rasa curiously asked.
If Kirigakure had come, and the Fourth Mizukage had also attended, this Chunin Exam would truly be unprecedented, almost like another Five Kage Summit. It might even lead to a major event in redefining the world.
As Kirigakure was located in the Land of Water, a country that was compsed of vast islands, the other Four Great Shinobi Countries rarely paid attention to Kirigakure's situation. The Land of Water also barely had any conflict of interests with the other Great Shinobi Countries.
"It seems that there's internal turmoil due to the policies of the Fourth Mizukage. Many of their Shinobi have left, including two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen," Onoki replied.
This information wasn't hard to come by, as Kirigakure had labeled them as S-rank Missing-nin and issued a wanted order.
At this level, on top of exceptional strength, they also held many of Kirigakure's secrets. Therefore, once they went rogue, Kirigakure would immediately issue a reward for their capture and dispatch Anbu to hunt them down, preventing Kirigakure's information from leaking.
"That sounds pretty bad," Rasa felt that Kirigakure was quite in a pickle.
Back when the Third Kazekage disappeared for unknown reasons, Sunagakure faced a crisis with no clear leadership, almost plunging into internal turmoil. Luckily, Rasa, with his strength and being the disciple of the Third Kazekage, eventually rightfully inherited the position of Kazekage.
Considering that Kirigakure was falling into internal strife at this timing, worst-case scenario, there might be only Four Great Shinobi Countries remained.
"As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kirigakure is quite disappointing," Nagasawa also joined the conversation, expressing his criticism of Kirigakure.
No one opposed his opinion; be it the Fourth Kazekage, the Third Tsuchikage, or the Fourth Raikage, they all showed signs of agreement.
It was not because Nagasawa was too strong, but Kirigakure was indeed not doing well.
"Sigh." Nagasawa suddenly sighed and then looked at Rasa.
Seeing Nagasawa's eyes, Rasa felt a cold sweat on his forehead. He wondered why Nagasawa sighed and then looked at him. Did he do something to offend Nagasawa?
"Why the sigh, Nagasawa?" Rasa forced himself to calm down and then asked.
Nagasawa had a sorrowful expression and said, "Looking back, our ancestors once gathered for the sake of world peace. They set aside their differences, formed an alliance, and worked together to maintain peace. Since then, the war-torn ninja world finally stabilized.
Yet now, we, the descendants, have failed to inherit the will of our ancestors. The world frequently plunges into wars, as if we're back to our ancestors' era. This saddens me."
The Fourth Kazekage sweated profusely while cursing in his heart. Their ancestors set aside their differences to form an alliance for world peace? It was simply because Konoha was too strong, and they were afraid of getting beaten up.
Although he hadn't personally experienced it, he had heard it from the Third Kazekage. Of course, the Third Kazekage didn't attend the Five Kage Summit himself; he heard it from the Second Kazekage.
However, Rasa dared not speak his mind because saying it out loud would be detrimental to him. As someone who managed Sunagakure's finances meticulously, even with the village's budget diminishing every year, Rasa wasn't foolish. He knew that Nagasawa probably wouldn't cause trouble.
But he couldn't say anything back. Considering the strength Nagasawa displayed earlier, Sunagakure was not strong enough to stop him. If Nagasawa decided to turn against them now, the three Kage might not be able to return.
"It's not your fault. There are too many ambitious opportunists with evil purposes in the world. They're the cause of this situation," Rasa said.
"Perhaps, but as the strongest of the Five Great Ninja Villages, our faults are greater. Despite having the most resources and the strongest Shinobi, we failed to maintain peace," Nagasawa said, glancing at Rasa again.
Rasa wiped the sweat off his forehead; if he didn't wipe it now, it would drip onto the ground. He wouldn't be able to brush it off either as Nagasawa was pressuring him.
"In that case, why don't you organize another Five Kage Summit? Following the example of our ancestors, everyone can work together for the peace." Rasa said while gritting his teeth.
Nagasawa nodded approvingly. "Indeed, it's time to hold another Five Kage Summit. It's been too long," Onoki agreed.
It seemed that Nagasawa wasn't as bad as he thought. Perhaps Nagasawa was a great ninja who aspired for peace like Hashirama Senju. Onoki thought that if he could return to that era, it might not be so bad. At least, he could enjoy his retirement without worrying about Konoha attacking and he would have to personally lead Iwagakure into battle as Iwagakure lacked capable Shinobi, only to die in the end.
Some said that dying in battle was a Shinobi's wish, but Onoki disagreed. If someone said that in front of him, he would make sure they knew the power of his Earth Release: Added-Weight Rock Technique.
If one could live normally, why choose death? Of course, if living meant enduring humiliation, then death might be better.
Onoki's ideal life was to sit leisurely in the courtyard, occasionally visit the mountains to enjoy the scenery, or go to the lake for fishing..
Dying in the battlefield was out of the question for him. If Iwagakure faced a crisis, he would stand at the front, but it didn't mean he found it romantic or something to yearn for.
"How about we hold it after the Chunin Exams end? We can notify Kirigakure in advance," the Fourth Raikage suggested.
Opposing to Five Kage Summit was impossible. He might be reckless, but he was not foolish. He wouldn't even try defying Nagasawa at this point.
"The Five Kage Summit... It would be a great thing if we could replicate the achievements of our ancestors," Minato expressed a joyful smile.
Minato was not like Hashirama in some ways, but compared to war, he did prefer peace, especially after having children.
Hearing Minato speak, the Fourth Raikage instinctively looked at him and had a strange feeling.
Why was Minato the Hokage?
Just now, Nagasawa kept talking about convening the Five Kage Summit, and the Fourth Raikage subconsciously considered Nagasawa as the Hokage. Now, he realized that Nagasawa was actually the Hokage's Assistant.
Then the question arose: compared to Minato, Nagasawa seemed more like the Hokage. He was also the one that took down the Ultimate Summoning Beast, while Minato was maintaining the barrier. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
'Could it be that these two did not get along?' The Fourth Raikage instantly imagined a drama of power struggle between Minato and Nagasawa.
When he was thinking about whether this could be used against Konoha, he inadvertently made eye contact with Nagasawa. The Fourth Raikage instantly cast away his wild thoughts, and even adjusted his sitting posture.
'Forget it, Nagasawa is too strong. Minato Namikaze won't be able to make any waves.' The Fourth Raikage ultimately decided not to mess around.
"Perhaps in a few decades or centuries, we will also be considered great ancestors by our grandchildren," Nagasawa smiled at Minato.
"I hope so. I will continue to strive towards that goal," Minato felt full of enthusiasm.
Seeing this scene, the Fourth Raikage felt even more certain that there was no such a thing as power struggle between the two. Minato Namikaze didn't look like a Hokage in front of Nagasawa.
"You've done well. If you can successfully accomplish it, it will be an achievement similar to that of the First Hokage," the Third Hokage said with a cheerful smile.
In that case, maybe he could bask in the glory too. After all, it was him who personally appointed Minato as a Hokage.
"Since Minato and everyone else agree, it's settled. Send someone to the Land of Water to notify the Mizukage to participate in the Five Kage Summit," Nagasawa finally said.
For Konoha's smooth development in the future, he wanted the world to remain peaceful.