Yes, the Hokage!

“The Hidden Mist Village might be because they feel threatened, but the Hidden Stone Village…” The Third Hokage frowned, “Onoki is most likely stirring things up. He’d love for the Hidden Cloud Village to start a war. You should be careful of this old guy and not fall into his trap.”

It can only be said that the wisdom of the older generation is sometimes very important. Fenglan kept in mind all the key points mentioned by F3.

"In principle, only the current Kage of the five great nations and their two bodyguards are allowed to set foot in the Land of Iron to participate in the meeting." The Third Hokage glanced at Minato. "Minato, who are you planning to bring?"

"Of course it's Fenglan and..."

Minato only mentioned Fenglan's name before he stopped, because he was drunk yesterday and hadn't thought about the Five Kage Summit at all. Fenglan added, "He and Obito are guarding Orochimaru in Takumi Village, so he is the most suitable candidate to be his bodyguard."

"Are you only planning to bring two people?" Xiaochun from the dormitory raised an eyebrow. "Fenglan, you're not the kind of person who follows the rules."

“Of course.” Feng Lan said with a smile, “The reserve team includes Kakashi Hatake, Rin Nohara, Torune Aburame, and Hana Inuzuka from the Inuzuka clan.”

F3 wasn't surprised that the Inuzuka clan was involved, but the Third Hokage frowned: "Just this many people?"

"That's all." Feng Lan nodded. Since they had decided not to actively attack the enemy, there was no need to bring too many people. Minato and Obito's combat power was more than enough, even a little more. The others could focus on their functional roles.

Rin is an essential medical ninja, Kakashi is responsible for protecting her, and the presence of these two will allow Obito to unleash even greater power.

Aburame Torune was in charge of monitoring the insects, making up for the fact that Byakugan wasn't brought along on this mission.

As for Hana Inuzuka, she was naturally in charge of tracking. Although she was known as the Yellow Flash, it was unlikely that anyone would dare to attack her. However, if anyone really tried to do something reckless, it would be her turn to step in and use her ninja dogs and her sense of smell to take down the fleeing soldiers one by one.

Most importantly, these four people do not need to hide outside the Land of Iron like the ambush troops of other villages, but can be carried by Obito's Kamui space.

"Alright then." The Third Hokage didn't press the matter further. "With the Yellow Flash around, no one should be foolish enough to have any ulterior motives. In terms of wits, it's unlikely that you'll be at a disadvantage with me around."

“That’s right.” Minato smiled brightly. “With me and Fenglan here, Konoha will never be underestimated!”

"Hmm." The Third Hokage's eyelids closed slightly, as if he were somewhat tired. "Then, I look forward to your performance."

Both Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu were startled. It felt like... Hiruzen was considering stepping down and giving way to a more capable person.

Shikaku narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly sensing a subtle atmosphere. Could it be that he had made the right bet, and things were going in the best possible direction, with a peaceful handover between the old and new generations?

"Please rest assured, Third Hokage."

Finally, Feng Lan, with his usual smiling expression, brought the brief high-level meeting to a close: "We will not let you down."

Chapter 111 The Land of Iron

After crossing the northern border of the Land of Fire, the terrain gradually rose. The broad-leaved forests on both sides of the road gradually turned into coniferous forests, and ice crystals began to appear in the air. The soles of our shoes crunched over the frozen ground, and our breath began to condense into white mist.

The Land of Iron is a plateau country surrounded by mountains, covered in snow all year round. The climate is cold and resources are scarce. Because of this, the ninjas made a pact long ago not to attack this country that is inhabited only by samurai.

Of course, just as Fenglan said, rules are meant to be broken. During World War II, the Land of Iron briefly clashed with Amegakure, but suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Hanzo of the Salamander. So when he heard Mitokado Homura say that the Land of Iron was not as absolutely neutral as rumored, Fenglan was not too surprised.

After all, whether they are ninjas or samurai, they are all human and have selfish desires.

The core of the Land of Iron is a massive mountain city, with layers upon layers of walls rising up the mountainside. The entrance is an astonishingly large three-sided cave, which from a distance looks like three giant snake heads with their mouths open.

【I see.】

Feng Lan surveyed the barren, desolate snowfield with an impassive expression: "The Land of Iron favors Cloud Village; they're probably relying on aid from there."

Along the way, although we occasionally saw villages, they were like the Inuit people living in the Arctic. Although they had their own unique way of life and culture, they could not escape the constraints of scarcity.

He began to seriously consider the possibility of bringing the Land of Iron under his control, while following Minato through the border checkpoint and into the city.

Although it was a city, its prosperity was far inferior to that of Konoha Village. Before Feng Lan could take a good look around, a burly man with bandages wrapped around his head strode over. To his left was a bald man with one eye blind, and to his right was a middle-aged man who was over two meters tall.

"You must be tired from your long journey, Fourth Hokage. I am Mifune, the Admiral of the Land of Iron." His voice was deep and resonant, like the clanging of metal, and he exuded an air of authority.

"I am Minato Namikaze," Minato greeted kindly. "These two are Feng Lan and Obito Uchiha."

"Please follow me, all three of you." Mifune nodded slightly in greeting. "Please rest here for the night at the inn. The Five Kage Summit will officially begin tomorrow."

"It sounds like we're among the last to arrive," Feng Lan said with a smile.

“Indeed, people from the other four countries arrived a few days ago,” Mifune said calmly.

Wow, you're really impatient!

Feng Lan's eyes flickered slightly. Konoha and Kumogakure were the closest to the Land of Iron, and it was only natural that Sunagakure was eager to come early since it was the core topic of the talks. But she didn't expect Iwagakure and Kirigakure to arrive so early as well.

You should know that I only spent one more day in Konoha, held a high-level meeting, organized some personnel, and deliberately left some loopholes. Yet you, Kirigakure, were able to arrive before me even though you're separated by the sea. That's truly impressive.

"Who are the people from different countries?" he asked, trying to get more information out of them.

“I only know the Kage of each village, and I’m not very familiar with the others. If Advisor Fenglan is interested, you can go and meet them yourself,” Mifune said calmly. “Anyway, this mountain castle is less than half the size of Konoha Village. You’ll all run into each other eventually.”

Wow, that's a bit barbed.

Feng Lan's smile remained unchanged: "Thank you for your guidance, General. I... really need to pay a proper visit to the elites of various countries."

The city was really small, and soon everyone arrived at the inn. Apart from the gentle and kind Minato, even Obito couldn't help but frown slightly, after all, he was a sensitive Uchiha.

Whether it was the leader Mifune, the samurai of the Land of Iron, or even the innkeepers, everyone's manners were impeccable. However, within this near-perfect etiquette lay a lukewarm hostility, like a small thorn stuck in the flesh—difficult to see, but ultimately unsettling.

Just like when you're targeted by a cunning stepmother, you can't find fault with her, but you're still unhappy.

The rooms provided by the Land of Iron certainly can't compare to those in Konoha, but ninjas are never picky people. It's common for them to squat in tree hollows and stuff rations into their hands when they're on a mission, so they naturally won't say much.

Feng Lan casually tossed her luggage into a corner, pulled out a hooded black robe and put it on: "I'm going out for a stroll."

"Where are you going?" Minato immediately looked over.

"Scouting the spot, feeling the line, baiting the hook." Feng Lan's words didn't sound like anything good.

"I'm going too!" Minato jumped up immediately.

“No, you’re too conspicuous, especially with that blond hair.” Feng Lan immediately expressed her disdain. “If you want to come with me, you’ll have to dye that thing green.”

"Hmm..." Minato hesitated for a long time before finally sitting back down in his chair in frustration. "No, Kushina will be angry."

"I was just saying it offhand, and you actually started thinking about it." Feng Lan rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't even take you if I shaved my head."

"Fenglan, you've tricked me again!"

"Lord Fenglan, do you need guards?" Obito asked immediately.

"It's alright. You and Minato both have my Flying Thunder God kunai. This city isn't very big. If we really encounter danger, I can just use Flying Thunder God to run back." Feng Lan smiled. "Go and take care of those guys in the Kamui dimension. They must be quite bored."

"Yes!" Upon hearing that he was to take care of Rin, Obito immediately became excited and accepted the order without hesitation.

So Fenglan calmly pushed open the door and walked out, shutting out Shuimen's complaints. However, just as she stepped out of the inn, she was stopped by the samurai guarding the gate.

"Mr. Fenglan, where are you going?"

"Just wander around and experience the customs and culture of the Iron Kingdom," Feng Lan said with a smile. "Is that not allowed?"

“Of course not.” The samurai immediately shook his head. “But I must remind you that the Land of Iron is a country of samurai. Even if you can use sensory ninjutsu, please do not activate it indiscriminately. This violates our country’s laws, and the worst outcome could be deportation.”

"Oh?" Feng Lan raised an eyebrow. "I understand."

[Interesting. Leader Mifune keeps saying he only knows a few Kage and isn't familiar with the guards, yet he can call out my abilities even from a gatekeeper. Especially his deliberate way of saying it—it's almost like he's reminding me to use my sensory abilities.]

[Who exactly made him say that to me? Mifune? Or some other force leaning towards Kumogakure? Or was he bribed by someone to do it on purpose?]

As Feng Lan thought this, she unceremoniously activated her perception ability and immediately discovered that something was wrong.

There was a warrior hurrying along not far in front of me, I could see him with my eyes, but I couldn't sense him at all!

There are only two possibilities in this situation. First, this guy is also a master of sensory ninjutsu and is using his ability to protect himself from being detected by others, just like Karin in the original work protected herself from being discovered by Nozomi.

The second point, of course, is...

Feng Lan followed silently, but after the other person turned a corner, they suddenly disappeared.

[Hmm, so it really is a White Zetsu.]

A cold glint flashed in his eyes: "This Five Kage Summit is truly rife with undercurrents."

The appearance of White Zetsu in the Land of Iron doesn't mean they're planning to pop up at a crucial moment like in Shippuden. These guys' actual combat strength is average, and it's not realistic for them to assassinate Kage-level powerhouses. So the most likely explanation is that they're contacting someone.

The Hidden Cloud Village, which reveres power and plunders the bloodline limits of other villages, the Hidden Stone Village, which frequently employs the Akatsuki in the original work, and even the impoverished Hidden Sand Village, could all potentially cooperate with the forces behind White Zetsu, provided they can offer sufficient benefits.

It's not impossible that even Kirigakure, which is currently hosting the Battle Royale tournament in the Village of Blood Mist, could be involved. Although Obito, who controlled Yagura, was on their side in the original work, the environment of Kirigakure is naturally conducive to a large number of rogue ninjas engaging in dirty backroom deals with White Zetsu.

[Who could it be?] Feng Lan's eyes darted around, her cupid's pumping as images flashed through her mind, finally settling on Onoki. [Hmm, that old guy is definitely the most suspicious.]

As he walked, lost in thought, he suddenly heard a clear voice behind him: "Fenglan...Advisor?"

"The chief advisor?"

Feng Lan turned around and saw Pakula looking pleasantly surprised: "You've arrived!"

"Ah, I just arrived." Feng Lan waved with a smile. "Luo Sha should have arrived here a while ago, right? Who did you come with?"

Pakura was someone I specifically sent back to deliver a message to Rasa before leaving Amegakure. I'll definitely bring him back this time. I just don't know who the other person will be. Is it Maki, the only Jonin in Sunagakure with a name?

"Lord Kazekage arrived four days ago, and his guards were Granny Chiyo and me."

【Grandma Chiyo…】 Feng Lan narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn’t expected this shrewd and calculating old master to come as well. It seemed that this Five Kage Summit was destined to be turbulent. Sunagakure might not follow the script he had given.

"Speaking of which, since Advisor Fenglan is just strolling around the streets, I suppose you don't have anything important to do. Would you do me the honor of having a drink with me?" Although Pakula had pale skin, she was, after all, from Sunagakure, and spoke without any affectation, carrying the unique boldness of a desert woman.

"What's with this sudden invitation?" Feng Lan shrugged. "I've been in Amegakure for so long, and you've never invited me for a drink before."

“Back then, I was your subordinate, so it was inappropriate for me to overstep my bounds,” Pakura chuckled. “But now, I am able to extend an invitation to you in the name of Pakura of Sunagakure. I wonder if Advisor Fenglan would do me the honor of accepting?”

"Then let's go." Anyway, Bai Jue has already disappeared, and his senses haven't detected anything unusual. Isn't there a saying that taverns are the best place to gather information?

“Great.” Pakula had clearly explored the entire city in the past few days, and waved his hand. “Please follow me.”

This tavern in the Land of Iron, though small, was fully equipped. Thick pieces of firewood burned in the fireplace, the flames crackling and casting long shadows of the three low tables.

Pakula looked at the delicate young woman, but sat down like a man and said, "Bring up all the strongest liquor in the store!"

"Although I think it's unlikely, I still want to ask," Feng Lan said helplessly, "You're not planning to get me drunk and then try to extract information from me, are you?"

"How could that be?"

Pakula smiled as he poured a full glass for both Feng Lan and himself, raising the glass with both hands: "Advisor Feng Lan, this drink is to thank you for saving my life back then..."

Before she could finish speaking, another slightly seductive voice rang out from the side: "What a handsome young man! Would you do me the honor of having a drink with me?"

Feng Lan didn't react at first, until a soft hand landed on her shoulder and she pointed at herself: "Handsome guy, me?"

He looked up, wondering if the person who approached him had poor taste or was simply nearsighted, but what he saw made him laugh: [Who do I have here? It's Mei Terumi.]

Chapter 112: A Battleground?

When Mei Terumi appeared in the later part of Shippuden, she was already a beautiful woman in her thirties who was eager to get married. However, at this point in time, she was still quite young. Her pair of bright green eyes were incredibly lively, darting around on Feng Lan. Her long reddish-brown hair was not yet curled, but tied into a ponytail behind her.