Yes, the Hokage

"Oh, Raikage-sama, everything needs evidence. We're not that close, so I'll sue you for defamation if you talk nonsense." Feng Lan spread his hands. "The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was captured by the Akatsuki and is currently imprisoned in Sunagakure. That's common knowledge. What does it have to do with Konoha?"

"Publicly recognized my foot!"

"Raikage, calm down!" Onoki had to emphasize his point. "That's not the most important thing right now!"

"Advisor Fenglan." He glanced at Fenglan, his aura surging, "Please don't joke about this. All nations are hoping to find out the whereabouts of those three Edo Tensei Kage. If Konoha conceals this information..."

"I know, I know, he'll become the target of everyone's criticism." Feng Lan laughed nonchalantly. "First of all, after the Third Kazekage finished talking with the Fourth Kazekage, he had already lost his usefulness, so I quickly released him from his restraints and invited him back to paradise."

"Hmm..." Although it sounded reasonable, Onoki did not believe it rashly, but to be honest, the important thing was not the Third Kazekage.

"Then, what about the First Hokage and the Second Hokage?"

"He went to travel the ninja world."

"you!"

"It's true," Feng Lan said calmly. "I asked... to be precise, those two heard that Uchiha Madara was still alive, so they went to find that guy's whereabouts themselves."

This isn't entirely a lie. While the two reanimated clones are still in Amegakure, Fenglan plans to have them cause trouble for Madara later, preventing him from interfering in Konoha and creating a safe environment for Kushina to give birth.

"You keep talking about Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Madara, but is there any evidence that he's still alive?" Mentioning old Madara triggered Onoki's PTSD again.

"Hmph, that's a question for our Raikage." So Feng Lan naturally turned his attention to the Raikage, "You openly led a non-Kumoku ninja... sorry, he can't even be considered a ninja or even human, to infiltrate the Five Kage Summit. You must have a very close cooperative relationship with him. Please explain yourself."

This statement successfully shifted everyone's attention temporarily from Konoha to Kumogakure.

Raikage's face twitched a few times: "Feng Lan, stop with your sarcastic remarks. I'm telling you, that guy came specifically to deal with your Konoha!"

"So you brought him in?" Feng Lan blurted out, "Is he your father?"

"You!" The Raikage almost choked on his saliva, and it took him a lot of effort to control his emotions. "That guy showed me evidence that your Konoha used the Impure World Reincarnation technique, saying that it could help me gain an advantage at the Five Kage Summit. In order to get my brother back, I naturally brought him here."

"Apart from that, neither I nor Yunyin know anything about this guy!"

"Hmm...that's just one side of the story." Feng Lan tilted her head. "Lord Raikage, where's the evidence?"

"There's no evidence. Believe it or not, it's up to you!"

Clearly, the Raikage had been forced into a very unfavorable position. Even Mifune said in a deep voice, "Lord Raikage, your actions this time are a complete disregard for the rules of the Land of Iron..."

"And then?" Feng Lan picked at her ear. "Just a meaningless remark and that's it? Shouldn't he be locked up and sentenced to three or five thousand years?"

"Alright, Advisor Fenglan, Raikage is indeed in the wrong in this matter." Only Onoki could mediate. "However, given his personality, if he says he doesn't know, then he really doesn't know. On the contrary, you, Advisor, immediately recognized the monster's name, as if you know it very well. Can you reveal some information?"

"Lord Tsuchikage, it seems we're no longer in the stage where Konoha is being condemned." Feng Lan then reverted to his smiling tiger form. "I do have information about that guy, but is it too cheap to just say it out loud? You are all Kage, who reign supreme over all ninjas. You should understand the value of a key piece of information."

"I wonder what Advisor Fenglan wants?" Yagura's calm eyes also looked over. "Given Konoha's abundance of resources, it seems they don't need to ask anything from us."

Clearly, at this point, Yagura had temporarily set aside matters concerning the ninja swords and began to take sides. Konoha's actions were far too aggressive, causing him to instinctively feel a sense of crisis.

The weakest village, Sunagakure, has already become a lackey of Konoha. If I don't do something soon, Kirigakure will probably be next.

"If Konoha monopolizes the intelligence, then Kirigakure will not need to abide by its unilateral promises." This is clearly a prelude to the fact that if Konoha is forced to sign any unequal treaties later, it can simply tear them up.

"It's not that I want to ask you for anything." But how could Feng Lan let him get away with it? He smiled and said, "I just want to tell you that this information is very important. It is because of it that I have had to trouble the first and second generation masters to travel around. Alas... As a junior, how could I not wish that the two masters could return to the Pure Land as soon as possible and no longer have to worry about these worldly affairs?"

This utterly hypocritical statement boils down to one thing: if you want to hear my information, you can't interfere with the affairs of the First and Second Hokage, who were reanimated.

“That’s impossible,” Onoki immediately refused. “Those two lords are legendary figures; it’s best to return to the legends.”

The implication is that I'm afraid Konoha will use these two guys to fight me. They are already incredibly strong, and now they're in the Edo Tensei state, immortal and with unlimited chakra. If they really start an endless assassination campaign, who can withstand it?

"You can rest assured about that. Those two lords have no intention of interfering in the affairs of the younger generation; they are only targeting Uchiha Madara." Feng Lan first reassured them, which was indeed something that the First and Second Hokage had expressed to her.

Their assistance to Fenglan was limited to capturing the Eight-Tailed Fox; they would no longer interfere in matters inside or outside the village afterward. Simply put, they were prepared to trust the wisdom of future generations.

However, no one believed his truth. Feng Lan understood this, as the Edo Tensei Twin Shadows were truly terrifying, like a nuclear bomb pointed at your head. If it wasn't neutralized, it would be impossible to eat or sleep in peace.

“Three months.” He gave his bottom line. “Those two lords must investigate Madara Uchiha for at least three months. After three months, Konoha will publicly release them from the Impure World Reincarnation. If Konoha fails to fulfill this promise by then, the four great nations can join forces to launch a trial against Konoha.”

The two sages of Mount Myōboku initially estimated that Kotoamatsukami's absolute control over Orochimaru would last for six months. There are currently three months left, and Orochimaru must die in three months, which will be the opportunity to undo the Impure World Reanimation of the First and Second Hokage.

In Feng Lan's heart, he never really planned to rely on those two to conquer the entire ninja world. It was enough to squeeze the value out of them to the maximum. Three months later, Naruto was born.

"Hokage-sama." Onoki's gaze first fell on Minato, because from Fenglan's perspective, he was not qualified to make such a promise. "What is your opinion?"

To be honest, Minato was completely bewildered by Feng Lan's words, but he still firmly stated, "Feng Lan's opinion is my opinion."

After exchanging glances for a moment, everyone nodded.

"Well, speaking of this matter, we have to mention another rogue ninja from Konoha, namely Shimura Danzo."

While the group hesitated, Feng Lan had already prepared the lie. Since Orochimaru had taken the blame for the previous one, then this even heavier burden should definitely be taken by Danzo, the scapegoat. As mentioned earlier, if you find that someone in this world has done something bad and you can't find out who the culprit is, don't doubt it, the culprit must be Danzo.

Zhang Mazi once said that the dead are more useful than the living.

In Fenglan's opinion, Danzo's contributions to Konoha after his death were greater than those during his lifetime.

Chapter 123 Five Kage Summit: Clash

"Before we officially begin, let me ask you something..." Feng Lan's gaze swept around, "You all should know what kind of person Danzo is, right?"

He looked around. Good, no one shook their head. It seems our Lord Danzo is indeed renowned.

"Danzo's betrayal wasn't exposed all at once. It was through my continuous monitoring and pressure that the old guy revealed many flaws in various aspects, which ultimately forced him to flee."

Feng Lan's gaze swept over everyone present again: "I believe that there are definitely more than just the Raikage among those present who are related to him. That old guy has gone completely mad in order to become the Hokage. He is completely unscrupulous and would even sell off most of the village without hesitation."

"Therefore, in the ongoing investigation of Danzo, I also obtained a lot of information. After communicating with the First and Second Hokage in Edo Tensei, I finally came to a shocking conclusion—Uchiha Madara is very likely still alive and is secretly cooperating with Danzo to bring Konoha back under their control."

After saying that, he selectively released part of his previous conversation with Tobirama, partly to gain the trust of the group and partly to intimidate them.

As the saying goes, the highest level of lying is nine parts truth and one part falsehood. What Feng Lan is saying now is all true, but the source is not Danzo but what he himself, a transmigrator, knows. But it is precisely this little bit of falsehood that makes it the easiest for people to believe, because Lord Danzo has a great reputation.

"I see, the Mangekyou Sharingan... can it be amplified by the First Hokage's cells?" Onoki immediately realized, his bright old eyes looking at Obito.

The others also reacted one after another, their gazes towards Obito filled with fear and killing intent. This Uchiha brat was too terrifying and too troublesome. If they really clashed with Konoha in the future, he would be the biggest hidden danger.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Everyone was wary of Obito's strength, and they were also digesting the shocking news that Madara Uchiha might still be alive, or even operating in secret. There was also the fact that while Black and White Zetsu weren't strong in direct combat, their infiltration and disguise abilities were extremely troublesome...

One thing after another weighed on the Kage, casting a shadow over their already low spirits caused by the Impure World Reincarnation.

After intimidating the assembled heroes, Feng Lan clapped his hands: "In short, after discovering that Uchiha Madara might still be alive, the First and Second Hokage naturally couldn't sit still, so they bid me farewell and personally went to travel the ninja world to investigate. This was for everyone's good, you should..."

His gaze lingered on Onoki: "I don't want that legendary guy to reappear in the world, do I?"

The usually calm Onoki's expression shifted dramatically, and his cheek twitched violently.

Fenglan directly presented the fact that Madara might be alive to the Five Kage, and casually mentioned that the First and Second Hokage had already investigated the matter. In this way, Konoha had already transformed from the party being questioned into the responsible initiator.

"We're already doing it" is much more proactive than "We need to discuss it." If the other four Kage oppose Konoha's handling of the Edo Tensei twins, it's tantamount to opposing the threat of confronting Madara. This is a way of morally shutting down their arguments.

"Oh, by the way," he added, "if our intelligence is correct, one of Madara Uchiha's goals should be to capture the nine tailed beasts... Back in the village, that old man Danzo made his eyes on Kushina more than once, right, Minato?"

Minato nodded slowly with a grim face, because what Feng Lan said was true. From his perspective, Danzo had indeed targeted Kushina several times, but he didn't expect the reason to be here.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became even uglier. Jinchuriki are the core reason why the five great nations are great nations. Madara's attempt to take away their tailed beasts is tantamount to depriving them of the opportunity to sit at the table and eat!

"Whether it's Madara Uchiha, Danzo Shimura, or Orochimaru, they're all ninjas of Konoha!" The Raikage, having run out of tables to smash, slapped his thigh in anger. "Konoha must take responsibility!"

"Isn't Konoha already taking responsibility?" Feng Lan retorted sarcastically. "If it weren't for tracking down Uchiha Madara, do you think I wouldn't have directly asked those two Kage to take action and wreak havoc on your Kumogakure, rendering you unable to pose any threat anymore!"

The Raikage's cheek twitched violently. Even someone as arrogant as him wouldn't dare say he wasn't afraid of the Edo Tensei Twins.

The Kage were all lost in thought once again. It was clear that Feng Lan was expressing the idea that if Konoha wanted the Edo Tensei twins to take responsibility, they had to stay longer.

Finally, Onoki slowly spoke up: "Our affairs are naturally to be handled by us. We won't trouble our ancestors from the Warring States period. Even if Madara Uchiha is really alive now, he must be so old that he doesn't have a single tooth left. Do you think we can't deal with him?"

Although Feng Lan spoke eloquently and provided evidence of Black Zetsu's inhuman appearance, Madara's threat remained vague, while Hashirama's threat was blatant. As long as the two reanimated figures did not return to the Pure Land, they would be terrified even in their sleep.

“Well…” Feng Lan smiled slightly, “it’s not that Konoha is irresponsible, but rather that it was your own choice.”

The implication is that if anyone gets messed with by Madara in the future, they shouldn't use that as a reason to demand anything from Konoha.

Thus, the first phase of the Five Kage Summit came to a temporary close. Ōnoki had launched the first attack, and even as Fuuran brought it to a close, they hadn't actually discussed anything serious.

The group sat there for another five minutes, not because they had nothing to say, but because they were digesting this earth-shattering news. Edo Tensei, Madara... each of these was a major event that could shake the ninja world. Even if all they could do now was wait, they had to make many preparations in advance so that they wouldn't be left without any ability to resist when disaster truly struck.

Ultimately, aside from Konoha, Sunagakure was the first to adjust their thinking. After all, they had known about the existence of the Edo Tensei Twins for a long time, and now that they were Konoha's subordinates, they didn't need to worry about that kind of threat.

"So, what's next..."

Raikage, who had been sitting like a lackey, stood up: "Lord Raikage, it's time to talk about what Kumogakure did during the Third Shinobi World War."

The Raikage's face twitched. In matters of war responsibility, it is usually the victorious nation that sits on the shoulders of the defeated nation. However, looking at the results of previous Shinobi World Wars, each village suffered heavy casualties and was unable to continue, so it can basically be considered a draw. Therefore, no one has ever been able to hold anyone accountable.

But today, Yunyin has set a precedent.

Faced with Luo Sha's questioning, his mind went completely blank, and he couldn't think of anything to say in a short time.

This isn't because the Raikage suddenly became stupid, but because he was forced into a state of mental instability by multiple pressures—his brother's safety, the diplomatic disadvantage of the Five Kage Summit, the sudden exposure of Black Zetsu's identity, and being repeatedly silenced by Feng Lan. When a person is continuously suppressed, they will indeed make increasingly passive responses until they are speechless.

With Feng Lan's repeated assertive statements, he has been forced from being a "victim whose brother was captured" to being the defendant in the dock, questioning "Why did you bring a non-human creature to the meeting?" His diplomatic predicament has reached its peak. The more he wants to save his brother, the more anxious he appears, and the more easily he is led by others.

This confirms Fenglan's previous judgment—as long as Killer Bee is alive, the Raikage is someone she can control.

When Luo Sha stood up, his voice was not loud. Among the five Kage present, he had the least seniority, the weakest national strength, and the least illustrious military record—but at this moment, the way he stood up drew everyone's attention.

It wasn't because of his imposing manner, but because he chose the perfect moment to speak.

The Raikage has just been repeatedly beaten by MapleStory using Black Zetsu and Madara, and is at the lowest point in terms of diplomatic credibility. The threat of the two Edo Tensei has just been suppressed, but Onoki and the others are not as quick to digest this matter as Sunagakure. Rasa chose to speak during the brief silence of everyone, like a boxer throwing a punch the moment his opponent takes a breath.

"The Third Shinobi World War?" The Raikage suddenly raised his head, his eyes still bloodshot. "What right does your Sunagakure have to talk to me about the Third Shinobi World War? Where were you when the war was going to happen?"

“We are being ambushed by Kumogakure.” Rasa’s voice remained calm. “Fourth Raikage, when your father was in office, he took advantage of the fact that Sunagakure was undefended due to the disappearance of the Third Kazekage and launched a surprise attack. In that battle, Sunagakure lost nearly a hundred ninjas, seven border outposts were destroyed, and three villages have not yet fully recovered.”

He paused for a moment, his fingers gently tracing the tabletop.

“Konoha can testify.” He glanced at Minato. “Konoha’s border troops recorded a large-scale mobilization of Kumogakure at the time. Hokage, am I right?”

Minato nodded slightly: "That is indeed the case."

The Raikage clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking: "That's war! That's what war is..."

“That’s how war is, but there needs to be a reckoning after the war ends.” Rasa interrupted him. “Kumakuya took the initiative to start the war during the Third Shinobi World War, causing irreversible damage to Sunagakure. Now Sunagakure is willing to put aside its hatred and negotiate with Kumogakure, but it needs an explanation.”

What kind of explanation do you want?

“Three things.” Luo Sha held up three fingers.

"First, the Hidden Cloud Village publicly admitted that the military action against the Hidden Sand Village in the Third Shinobi World War was a deliberate provocation rather than a border friction, because we do not even share a border."

The Raikage's lips twitched slightly: "Impossible."

“Secondly,” Rasa ignored his refusal and continued, “Kumakuha will compensate Sunagakure for all losses incurred during this period, including but not limited to: ninja compensation, village reconstruction costs, and material losses, totaling… 80 billion ryo.”

Onoki and Yagura frowned slightly at the same time. The currency unit in the original Naruto world is "ryo". There is a clear reference that a bowl of ramen without any toppings costs about 60 ryo. Kakashi and others' C-rank mission in the Land of Waves is rewarded with 30 ryo, and Asuma's underground bounty is 3500 million ryo.

Based on this calculation, 10 billion ryo would probably be enough to support the expenditure of a local war. According to the information that Feng Lan gleaned while writing the script last night and chatting with Pakura, 80 billion ryo is the total income of Sunagakure for five whole years. This is also the reason why Chiyo was tempted to kill him. Perhaps Pakura did not have the intention to reveal information about Sunagakure, but someone like Feng Lan can deduce a lot of things from just a few words.

This amount is a heavy blow even for the Hidden Cloud Village. It seems that this young Kazekage is really planning to rely on Konoha to extort a large sum of money.

Chapter 124 Showing Off Will Make You Fly!

"Are you crazy?!" Raikage suddenly stood up. "Eight hundred billion?! Why don't you just rob someone...?"

“Lord Raikage,” Rasa said coldly, standing behind the table, “your brother is in my hands.”

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Lei Ying's head. He opened his mouth, lightning crackling on his shoulders, but he couldn't utter a single word.

If it were when the Five Kage Summit had just begun, he would still have the leverage to negotiate, but after Black Zetsu was exposed, Kumogakure had become a country that didn't even abide by the rules of the Five Kage Summit, leaving him with no room for negotiation or maneuvering.

The atmosphere quieted down again. Feng Lan maintained his smiling expression, but his narrowed eyes were actually scanning the surroundings. He noticed that Onoki's eyes were moving rapidly, as if he was calculating something. Yagura's posture did not change, but Mei Terumi took a half step forward the moment the Raikage stood up. Mifune's hand was on the hilt of his sword, but he did not draw it. At least on the surface, he was still maintaining a mask of absolute neutrality.

"The amount is negotiable..." Raikage finally managed to squeeze out these words, his voice hoarse.

“Okay.” Luo Sha nodded. “If we switch to supplies, the total price can be reduced by 30%.”

"How do you want to compensate me?" Lei Ying slowly sat down, the chair making a dull thud.

Rasa leaned forward slightly and said, word by word, "Food, medicine, steel, timber, cloth... Sunagakure lacks everything. As long as you can provide these supplies, Sunagakure will acknowledge that Kumogakure has remorse for the crimes committed during the Third Shinobi World War."

The Raikage stared at him for a long time. He probably never imagined that the person who always took advantage of others would one day be the one being taken advantage of, especially by the weakest member of the Sand Village.

But Killer Bee was still in the enemy's hands, and all his confidence was taken away.

"...The specific categories and quantities need to be discussed in detail, and we cannot provide such a large quantity all at once; it will have to be done in stages and batches."

“Of course we need to talk.” Luo Sha leaned back in his chair. “But that’s only the second thing.”

"There's a third item?"

“The third thing,” Rasa glanced at Fenglan, “is that Sunagakure and Konoha have established a trade route, but this route currently only extends to the border of the Land of Fire. I hope it can be extended further… through the Land of Fire and into the Land of Lightning.”