Naruto: I, who fooled the ninja world, was hailed as a savior.

Chapter 221 The Ten Blades, are they people we know?

The brief but powerful announcement dispelled all the noise.

A somber atmosphere spread out, gradually pressing down on everyone's hearts.

A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi broke the brief silence by speaking first.

"Cough cough!"

He cleared his throat and said, "Gentlemen, the successful convening of this Five Kage Summit is a testament to the determination of the five great powers to jointly confront the threat and seek a solution."

"Konoha merely provided an opportunity."

"And everyone's common goal is self-evident."

"Currently, a creature called 'Hollow' is ravaging the entire ninja world, whether it's the Land of Fire, the Land of Water, the Land of Wind, the Land of Earth, or the Land of Lightning..."

“Their ferocious figures have appeared in every corner of the ninja world. They disregard national borders and identities, wantonly devouring the souls of living beings, posing an extremely high threat.”

"What they bring is not only devastation and loss of life, but also the collapse of order. If they are allowed to spread, the foundation of the five great nations and even the entire ninja world will be destroyed."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable determination: "Therefore, in my view, the core theme of this Five Kage Summit is unity!"

"We need to put aside past grievances and prejudices and work together to face this unprecedented crisis that threatens the very foundation of everyone's survival."

At this point, he looked around at the various expressions on the faces of the crowd and continued, "There are three specific objectives."

"First, establish a joint response mechanism, set up a permanent agency, share intelligence, coordinate actions, and ensure a unified, efficient, and timely response to 'virtual' threats."

"Secondly, we should fully share intelligence on 'virtual' entities, including all information such as their characteristics, weaknesses, behavioral patterns, and known types, to break down information barriers and avoid fighting alone."

"Third, formulate coordinated combat strategies and develop joint operational plans for clearing, defense, and rescue against threats of different scales, and integrate the strengths of the five major powers to form a joint force."

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked in the direction of the priestess and nodded, saying, "In addition, we also need to rely on the experience and power of the Land of Demons in suppressing demons to find a way to eradicate 'Hollows'."

It's clear that Hiruzen Sarutobi had a plan in mind, setting the tone for the meeting right from the start.

But if it were that simple to unite the five great nations, there wouldn't have been so many Shinobi World Wars.

"So..." Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to continue explaining the necessity of the alliance.

"Enough! What nonsense are you spouting and being so presumptuous!"

A thunderous roar interrupted Hiruzen Sarutobi's words.

The Fourth Raikage's face twitched, his annoyance and impatience completely evident.

He suddenly raised his muscular arm and slammed his fist hard on the stone table in front of him!

Bang! !

With a deafening roar, a huge fist-shaped dent appeared on the surface of the stone table, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading from the center of the dent.

call!
The five-colored curtains hanging around were suddenly lifted by the airflow, and ten figures appeared simultaneously in front of their respective "shadows".

Maki and Yura stood on either side of Rasa, their hands forming hand seals. Ao, standing in front of Yagura, activated his Byakugan, while Mei Terumi crossed her arms in front of her chest, her chakra surging.

The massive body of Huang Tu blocked Ōnoki's path, while Deidara's raised palm split open, revealing an excited yet dangerous smile.

Darui's lazy gaze sharpened, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes transforming from wooden doll's to vertical pupils, already reaching for Hyuga Kumokawa's face, but Kakashi raised his hand and grabbed his wrist.

The guards of the five Kage assumed their respective stances, and the air inside the shrine seemed to freeze, the atmosphere becoming tense and taut.

However, at this critical moment, when a chaotic battle could break out at any time...

jingle……

A clear, ringing sound, seemingly capable of piercing the soul, echoed through the shrine like a spring dripping onto a jade plate.

The ringtone was ethereal and pure, carrying an indescribable soothing power that instantly calmed everyone's tense nerves.

The string that was about to snap suddenly loosened, and everyone's gaze instinctively turned to what lay behind the layers of gauze curtains.

“This is an important meeting place.” Maitreya’s ethereal and gentle voice clearly reached everyone’s ears. “Please be careful if you behave in a manner that is not polite.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi's face remained expressionless as he addressed Yun Chuan and Kakashi before him: "Yun Chuan, Kakashi, step back."

Kakashi Hatake released the two Yugitos. Hyuga Kumokawa smiled at Yugitos, only to be glared at fiercely by him. The two of them then flashed back behind the curtain.

Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi was the first to speak, the other Kage followed suit and retreated back behind their respective curtains.

"……snort!"

Seeing this, the Fourth Raikage let out a heavy snort, forcefully pulling his fist, which was deeply embedded in the stone table, out of control and sending a spray of stone chips flying. Though not explicitly stated, Darui and Yugito understood and slowly retreated behind the curtain.

"Hmph! Alliance? Sharing? You Konoha people love to spout this nonsense!"

The Fourth Raikage crossed his arms and looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, saying in a deep voice, "We know very well that the earliest appearance of 'Hollows' was in your Konoha!"

"Who knows if this is some kind of trick by Konoha!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the gazes that were sometimes mocking, sometimes scrutinizing, sometimes questioning, and sometimes hostile. He did not argue, but slowly said, "I understand Raikage's concerns."

"Therefore, we will express our sincerity."

After saying that, he raised his hand and gestured to Kakashi Hatake behind him.

Kakashi emerged from behind the curtain, carrying five thick scrolls, and handed them to the other four 'Kage'.

The last scroll was delivered to Maitreya by a guard standing beside the gauze curtain.

"This is all the intelligence we have gathered and compiled about 'Void' after paying a heavy price, through battle and in-depth research."

Hiruzen Sarutobi calmly replied, "This includes a preliminary analysis report on its body structure, energy characteristics, attack patterns, known weaknesses, countermeasures, and Espada-level individuals."

"Konoha is willing to use this intelligence as the cornerstone of cooperation, and as a sign of our sincerity in jointly addressing the threat."

The shrine was completely silent.

The four shadows all focused their gazes on the scroll in their hands.

Luo Sha remained expressionless, but his movements as he turned the scroll were swift and meticulous.

Yagura's face was grave as he quickly flipped through the pages. When he came across the analysis about 'whirlpools', his pupils contracted noticeably, clearly recalling a painful experience.

Onoki slowly picked up the scroll, squinted his eyes, and carefully read it line by line, the cunning smile on his face gradually fading away.

Although the Fourth Raikage expressed his doubts, his actions were swift and decisive. He grabbed the scroll, flipped it open, and quickly scanned it.

When he saw the key passages about "the mask being the core weakness" and "chakra-attached attacks being effective," his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly for a moment.

For a moment, only the sound of turning the scrolls, and the gradually deepening breathing and heartbeat could be heard inside the shrine.

"The 'emptiness' does not appear out of thin air. Its origin is closely related to the soul after human death and the negative emotions that arise in the hearts of living beings."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice, calm and measured, echoed clearly in the silent shrine: "Despair, hatred, fear, greed..."

"These negative emotions are like their nourishment, growing and gathering everywhere in the ninja world. When the soul is separated from the body under the influence of strong negative emotions, it may be distorted and alienated, eventually transforming into 'hollow'."

"Those who possessed great power in life, their souls transformed into 'Hollows' with even more terrifying power. These are the 'Great Hollows,' and even the so-called 'Espada.'"

At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice carried a hint of heaviness: "Regarding the 'Mouryou' anomaly that the priestess mentioned, I believe everyone understands the reason."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's words plunged everyone into silence.

They knew that the appearance of 'Void' was related to the soul, but they did not expect that 'Void' was born from human negative emotions.

They never expected that the power of the 'Espada' was even greater than they knew.

“The Espada, the Hollow Realm, and some inexplicable ‘Master’…” The Fourth Raikage frowned deeply and said in a deep voice, “So this really is the work of some force?!”

If this was done intentionally by a force called 'Void Realm', what is their purpose? Is it simply to destroy the five great nations?
But after that incident, the 'Virtual Realm' seemed to have been inactive for a long time.

"Lord Hokage."

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, Yagura Karatachi suddenly spoke up: "According to the information you provided, the 'Espada' are formed from the souls of those who possessed great power in life."

"Then, combining this with the information we already know, 'Espada No. 4' is your Konoha's Uchiha Fugaku, while 'Espada No. 1' is a member of the Uzumaki clan of Kusagakure."

"So……"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Is it possible that the other 'Espada' were also ninjas we knew before they died?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze froze, and almost simultaneously turned to look at Luo Sha and the red curtain.

The Second of the Ten Espada: White Fang.

The Third of the Ten Blades: Puppet Master.

The characteristics, names, and abilities of these two 'Espada' reminded them of two people almost simultaneously.

(End of this chapter)