Time flew by, and soon, it was the official Five Kage Summit day.

The scheduled time was 9 a.m., and the venue was a newly constructed conference room beneath the Hokage Rock specifically for the summit.

Although the meeting was set for 9 a.m., as the host, they couldn’t arrive precisely on time. So, Nagasawa and Minato arrived at the conference room at 8:40 a.m.

The conference room was in a vintage style, with wooden floors and retro decorations and furnishings. There weren’t many miscellaneous items in the room, but to commemorate the first Five Kage Summit, portraits of the first Five Kage were hung on the walls to signify the inheritance of their will. Since the summit was initially convened by Hashirama, a statue of Hashirama overseeing the meeting table was placed at the far end of the room.

The table was centrally located, slightly towards the interior, and was a large round table surrounded by six wooden chairs. Usually, five chairs would correspond to the Five Kage, while their guards would not have seats. However, due to Nagasawa’s significant role, he sat at the table alongside the Kage.

Nagazawa was open to this arrangement, stating that if any other Kage found it unreasonable, they could voice their concerns. Konoha would consider them seriously since they were reasonable people.

Unfortunately, no one opposed this arrangement. The other Kage recognised Nagasawa’s contributions and agreed that it was appropriate for him to sit with them at the table.

Minato took the main seat, with Nagasawa on his right, while Kakashi, who was accompanying them as a guard, stood behind them.

Seated in the chair, Minato looked around, noticing the portraits of the previous kage on the walls and the statue of Hashirama.

"If future generations hold another Five Kage Summit, I wonder if our portraits will be hung on the walls like this," Minato mused.

Reflecting on the past few years, it all seemed like a dream.

He had always aspired to become Hokage but never imagined he would achieve it at such a young age. Although he had many achievements, he wasn’t the only one who made significant contributions during the war. Orochimaru and Jiraiya had equal accomplishments, having fought for Konoha since the Second Shinobi World War and gaining considerable fame. Jiraiya was Minato’s teacher, and Orochimaru was his senior.

Minato knew that being Hokage wasn’t just about strength and contributions but also about seniority and trust. Even with his confidence, he couldn’t guarantee when he would become Hokage. Orochimaru and Jiraiya were the leading contenders, followed by Tsunade.

But reality was full of surprises. Ultimately, he became Hokage, one of the youngest to hold the title. With his dream realised, Minato had numerous ambitions to strengthen Konoha, knowing it would be a long-term endeavour.

Unlike previous transitions where the new Hokage took over after the predecessor’s death, Minato became Hokage while the Third Hokage was still alive, creating unique challenges regarding power and trust.

Moreover, Konoha had just experienced the devastating Third Shinobi World War, suffering significant damage. Konoha’s situation was chaotic, like a tangled ball of string with no clear starting point, making it difficult to know where to begin.

Despite his grand aspirations, Minato knew the immediate priority was stabilising and restoring the village. He estimated that optimistically, it would take three to four years, or possibly six years, if things were more complicated, and even then, it might still need to be resolved entirely. To this end, he invited his old friend Nagasawa to help him.

Everything was initially expected, but things started to change rapidly. With the creation of a new department, the unique taijutsu training program for the new department showed excellent results. They managed to ease tensions between the Uchiha and Konoha, training several strong ninjas.

Internal conflicts were resolved step by step, and Minato truly gained the power of a hokage. Following this were reforms in the medical and educational sectors and economic improvements.

The key to all these changes was Nagasawa’s overwhelming strength. His undeniable power ensured the other four nations participated in the Five Kage Summit. No one knew Nagasawa’s strength, but everyone understood that he was on par with legendary figures like Hashirama and Madara. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

What Minato had initially thought would take years was accomplished much faster and more thoroughly, restoring Konoha to its former glory.

"This indeed feels like a dream," Minato said.

"Not necessarily," Nagasawa replied with a smile.

"Hm?" Minato looked at Nagasawa in confusion.

"If we are the ones holding the next Five Kage Summit, there’s no need to hang our own portraits," Nagasawa explained.

In his view, the Five Kage Summit was just a meeting to gather everyone together. With Konoha’s current momentum, this was the only village that could compete with them. They could meet whenever they wanted, and no one would dare refuse.

The so-called Five Kage Summit gathered the five most vital ninja villages to establish rules for the ninja world. Nagasawa would choose that route if future issues could be resolved through meetings. His real opponents were those in the distant stars.

After all, the people of the ninja world were fellow inhabitants of the same planet. The alien beings like the Otsutsuki clan were a different matter, often threatening the very existence of their planet.

"Lord Hokage, Advisor Nagasawa," Onoki greeted with a smile as he entered, followed by an Iwa Jonin. Due to the suddenness of the summit, the guards were selected from those already in Konoha for the Chunin Exams. Usually, guards would be their most trusted and powerful disciples or the next candidate for Kage.

Onoki couldn’t have his son come from Iwa just to guard him, knowing that if Nagasawa had ill intentions, bringing his son would make no difference.

"Hokage, Advisor Nagasawa," Onoki greeted.

Minato and Nagasawa responded in kind.

Onoki took the seat to Minato’s left, placing his Tsuchikage hat on the table. The Jonin accompanying him stood behind him.

Everyone was dressed formally for the occasion. Minato wore his Hokage robes and hat.

After Onoki, Rasa quickly arrived with his guard, Baki. Rasa, who had decided to follow Konoha’s lead, greeted Minato and Nagasawa before sitting next to Onoki.

Five minutes later, Raikage entered the conference room, quickly sitting next to Rasa. He was relieved he wasn’t late or would have had to sit next to Nagasawa.

It wasn’t that Raikage was afraid of Nagasawa but that it made him uncomfortable.

Yagura was the last to arrive. Despite arriving slightly early, seeing he was the last one annoyed him, especially since he had to sit next to Nagasawa.

Yagura’s guard was Mei Terumi, the captain of the squad sent by Kirigakure to Konoha. Entering the conference room, seeing the five people seated, Mei Terumi’s expression became serious, and she straightened her posture.

The people seated at the round table were the most influential figures in the world, and they could decide the peace of the ninja world.

Mei Terumi carefully observed the people at the table.

Due to Kirigakure’s isolation policy, their ninjas rarely left the village, and foreign ninjas seldom entered. Besides their own Mizukage, Mei Terumi had only heard about the other Kage.

’That burly figure and those muscles must belong to the Raikage of Kumogakure. He looks like he could punch a Jonin to death with one hit.’

’The small body and old age must be the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure. Though old, he’s still formidable.’

’The dazzling blonde hair and sunny smile, wearing the Hokage’s robes, he must be the Fourth Hokage, known as the Yellow Flash.’

’Wait, why are there six people?’ Mei Terumi realised, surprised, that six people were at the table.

The Kage’s hats on the table made it easy to identify the Kage. Mei Terumi’s eyes landed on the man between the Mizukage and Hokage, the only one without a hat in front of him, with dark hair and a familiar, handsome face.

Noticing Mei Terumi’s gaze, Nagasawa gave her a friendly smile.

Mei Terumi: ??

She suddenly recognised him as the "foodie friend" she met while wandering the streets at night, who tricked her into eating the overly sweet dango.

"You..." Mei Terumi started to speak.

Since the Kage had just gathered, everyone was quiet, making Mei Terumi’s voice noticeable.

All eyes turned to her, including those of the five Kage, causing Mei Terumi to sweat nervously. She couldn’t continue speaking and became unsure whether to say anything.

"Is there something you need?" Nagasawa asked, breaking the silence.

"No, nothing. Sorry for the interruption," Mei Terumi replied, following Nagasawa’s lead.

With no further issues, the Kage looked away, and Mei Terumi breathed a sigh of relief, giving Nagasawa a grateful look. She forgave him for tricking her into eating the overly sweet dango.

But now, she was intensely curious about Nagasawa’s identity, given that he could sit with the Five Kage.

"Let’s get started," Minato said, drawing everyone’s attention.

As the host, I thought it was appropriate for Minato to start the meeting.

"Our predecessors held the first Five Kage Summit to bring peace to the ninja world, and today, Konoha convenes this summit to follow in their footsteps, ending the wars and restoring peace."

"The wars have indeed been too frequent. Peace is what the people desire. I support the Hokage’s idea and wish for peace," Onoki said first.

’Old fox, quick to speak,’ Rasa thought, maintaining a neutral expression but cursing internally.

"You’re right, Tsuchikage. War has left the ninja world scarred. I support the Hokage’s idea and want peace," Rasa said, following suit. He had no choice but to agree. Defying Konoha and Nagasawa would be suicidal.

The Raikage, who had become used to the situation, also said, "I agree with Tsuchikage and Kazekage. The ninja world needs peace. Kumogakure yearns for peace."

Raikage saw no point in resisting if the other Kage agreed. It was better to join the winning side.

Wide-eyed in disbelief, Yagura felt like questioning the other Kage’s caution, wondering why they seemed to agree so quickly.

"Heroes think alike. Kirigakure also agrees with the Hokage’s idea..."