Double-transformation: I, Sakura Haruno! Will crush the pirates!

The three people present were all experienced Jonin, and they could tell from this clue that someone was hoarding this kind of resource on a large scale.

Generally, before the outbreak of war, the first items to experience dramatic price fluctuations are food and precious metals, followed by various weapons metals and firewood, charcoal, and coal, and finally daily necessities.

Then the entire country completed the transformation from a civilian economy to a wartime economy, unleashing enormous production capacity to be invested in the war.

"Is the Land of Iron going to war? No... their grain prices haven't fluctuated much."

Asuma's chopsticks, which were reaching for food, stopped on the menu, with the prices of the dishes right below them. "So, is there a country near the Land of Iron preparing for war?"

"So the price of cotton-padded coats has been driven up, which can only mean one thing!"

Sakura smiled and looked around at the two people around her, then spoke along with them.

"The battlefield is in a place as cold as the Land of Iron!" *3

Kakashi, ignoring the alcohol, pulled a map from his ninja tool bag.

Using the Land of Iron as the horizontal axis, an arc traversing the latitudes was drawn to search for regions further north.

Finally, a large circle was drawn in a vast territory, at a higher latitude than the Land of Iron, with a colder climate.

"The Land of Frost! A buffer zone between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning!"

Kakashi put the pen away, biting the cap, and then pushed the map in front of Sakura and Asuma with his other hand.

"As expected, it's one of these two companies. No wonder Mifune rushed to convene a meeting to discuss things. Is he trying to avoid war?"

Asuma had also heard about the Land of Earth's troops being stationed in the Land of Waterfall.

These two families are old rivals with a long history of grudges, and the current Tsuchikage, Onoki, even has a record of sending ninjas to ambush and kill the Third Raikage.

With the Akatsuki organization seizing the tailed beasts from various villages and disrupting the balance of power among the major nations, it's no surprise that various ambitious individuals are taking action.

The talks in the Land of Iron, ostensibly to discuss the recapture of the Tailed Beasts, were in reality an attempt by the Land of Iron, as a permanently neutral country, to mediate.

If they fail, the Fourth Shinobi World War will be inevitable.

"I'm afraid... that Iwagakure and Kumogakure don't really want to go to war!"

Sakura toyed with the flawless porcelain wine glass in her hand, her gaze somewhat meaningful.

"How could that be? If those two don't fight, then who else could they fight...?"

In an instant, Asuma's leisurely expression vanished, replaced by a chilling aura.

Kakashi, looking equally embarrassed, drew a vertical line in the center of the Land of Frost, which stretched straight to the northern border of the Land of Fire.

"This is really...a terrible situation."

Kakashi threw the pen on the table, closed his eyes, and covered his forehead.

"In short, we'll deal with whatever comes our way!"

Sakura put down her cup and placed the bill on the izakaya table.

Accompanied by two guards, he pushed open the door and stepped into the wind and snow.

.

.

Three days later, in the central building of the capital city of the Land of Iron.

Sakura, still wearing her light pink oversized trench coat, raised her hand to shield herself from the heavy snowflakes that were constantly being blown by the wind.

The three walked into the building, handed the invitations to the guards for inspection, and were then led by the guards to the top of the building.

Here, the other four Kage had already arrived, waiting only for Sakura, the last one to arrive late.

"Hmph, isn't it Tsunade? Is Konoha about to start its decline?" Onoki leaned back in his chair, speaking with an air of seniority.

"Don't worry, we have the strength to crush an entire Land of Earth."

Sakura smiled sweetly, shook the snow off her trench coat, and hung it behind the chair.

"They're not even Kage, is this how Konoha treats the other four countries?"

The Fourth Raikage may seem like a reckless brute, but he is actually very shrewd.

While criticizing Konoha, they also dragged the other four countries into the mess.

"I am not a shadow, simply because I don't want to. Understand?"

Emerald eyes opened in everyone's hearts, and a silent thunder roared, sweeping across the void.

The fiery will that forged its spirit impacted reality, causing cracks to appear in the walls and the ground.

'What a terrifying aura!!!'

The other four shadows and their guards all narrowed their eyes and sighed inwardly.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the samurai even drew their blades.

"Everyone! Please give me some face!"

Sitting in the middle, Mifune, displaying his courage, spoke loudly.

He then turned to Sakura and said, "Acting Hokage, please calm down!"

"I, Mifune, will recognize your status as an executor of Konoha. What do you think?"

The girl lowered her emerald eyes, and her aura vanished instantly, as if nothing had happened.

Mifune wiped the cold sweat from his brow and stood up to announce.

"Then, let's begin—the Five Kage Summit!"

Chapter 299 An Unpleasant Meeting

"That freak has actually become this strong?"

Behind the drawn curtain, Kuroko's beautifully arched legs were propped up on a wooden table as she bit her nails in frustration. "At this rate, when will my revenge ever be successful?"

Huang Tu, standing next to her, frowned and made a face, reaching out to steady her chair to prevent her from falling.

"Decided!"

Hei Tu turned around and slumped onto the chair. "Huang Tu, wait for me, come with me. We'll find a sack, put it over her, and beat her up!"

"Stop! Do you want to start a war?"

Huang Tu grabbed Hei Tu by the collar and lifted him up like a kitten.

They covered her mouth and led her away from the center of the venue.

At the round table, Gaara, with his hands supporting his chin, spoke first, noticing the tense atmosphere, "Since no one else is going to speak, I'll start."

As a Jinchūriki, I once had my Tailed Beast stolen by Akatsuki, and I know how dangerous they are. Therefore, I hope that all nations can unite to jointly address the challenge posed by this terrorist organization. So…”

Gaara hadn't finished speaking when a voice interrupted him.

"Ah, but as far as I know, their leader Pain has been killed by Konoha."

Onoki chuckled dismissively, raising his chin towards the Land of Fire. "For a great nation to have its Jinchūriki taken away is a great disgrace."

Instead of seizing this excellent opportunity to reclaim it secretly, they're thinking of relying on the power of another country. Has Sunagakure lost its capacity to be a great power?

"Etiquette, authority... Great powers always cling to these things, which is why they are so easily defeated by Akatsuki."

Gaara lowered his hands and leaned forward to look at Onoki.

"If we're talking about shame, then it's only because Lord Tsuchikage hasn't forgotten that his village lost two tailed beasts, even after Sunagakure and Konoha jointly revealed the Akatsuki's operation to you."

Onoki choked on his words, his nose turning red, and cursed inwardly at Han and Rōshi, the two jinchūriki who wouldn't listen to his orders.

"Hmph, you sharp-tongued brat!"

But now that the matter was settled, he could only snort coldly and turn his head away.

"From Shuiying's perspective, we are indeed too passive."

Mei Terumi picked up where Gaara left off, saying, "But even if the Tailed Beast is taken away, we can't immediately see it as a threat. After all, controlling a Tailed Beast requires skill, knowledge, and time."

As the discussion about the Tailed Beasts deepened, the Raikage's fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged on his forehead, and finally, his uncontrollable anger was unleashed in a burst of rage.

"Enough, stop babbling on!"

Raikage raised his fist and slammed it hard on the wooden tabletop.

The resulting shockwaves and dust obscured the figures of the various ninja village shadow guards, allowing them to rush into the venue and stand in front of their respective shadow figures.

"Gentlemen, this is a place for negotiations, not a battlefield."

Seeing that the situation was becoming tense again, Mifune had no choice but to step in and mediate.

"Kakashi, Asuma, step back!"

Sakura glanced at the two people holding kunai and standing in front of her, then casually gave a thumbs-up and pointed behind her.

The other guards, under the instructions of their respective shadows, retreated to their positions at the rear.

"Konoha, Iwa, Suna, Kirigakure, and Akatsuki are all composed of rogue ninja from your villages!"

The Fourth Raikage became increasingly agitated as he spoke, eventually bursting into a tirade of profanities, "Not only that, I've also discovered that some of you bastards hired Akatsuki during the war!"

The destruction of half a ninja village, the betrayal of the most trusted retainer, and the disappearance of the younger brother who was a Jinchuriki.

All of this tormented him for a long time, and when he discovered that the Akatsuki organization, this enormous monster, was actually raised by several other major powers, he became even more furious.

“I think there might be a Kage or a former Kage among those present who joined Akatsuki, which is why the information about the Jinchuriki of each village was leaked.” As he spoke, A’s gaze swept back and forth between Sakura and Onoki, the implication of which was self-evident.

"It seems that Lord Raikage already knows?" Mei Terumi sighed softly.

Ai: "???"

"We launched a coup before, and only after defeating the Fourth Mizukage did we realize that he was being controlled by the Akatsuki, which led to the leak of the information that the Land of Lightning had shared with us. We are truly sorry."

Ai looked at Mei Terumi, who had stood up and bowed, and hesitated to speak.

Dude? Can't you even read the air?

This is targeting Konoha and Iwagakure, why is Kirigakure jumping out to take the blame?

Is it because they think they have too much money at home and are eager to offer compensation?

Upon hearing this, Onoki, who was standing nearby, naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by.

The veiled sarcasm directed at the Hidden Cloud Village was used to feed the Akatsuki intelligence bit by bit.

The group then started arguing, creating chaos in the meeting room.

Sakura watched the people bickering with amusement, then leaned back in her chair and yawned.

During the argument, Onoki caught a glimpse of this scene and immediately became furious.

Everyone else is analyzing the Akatsuki and offering advice, so why can Konoha be so carefree?

Oh right, their tailed beast wasn't lost!

"Speaking of which, I haven't heard of any opinion from the Hokage's acting director on this matter yet~" Onoki's smile gradually became subtle as he drew out the words.

"After all, of the five great nations, only your tailed beast is still safe and sound, and you don't have any experience in dealing with the Akatsuki to share with everyone?"

Upon hearing this, the argument among the other figures ceased, and they stared intently at the pink-haired girl.

Why? With all the tailed beasts of the four great nations lost, why did Konoha manage to hold on?

Even the leader of the Akatsuki organization was killed by you. The immense wealth and prestige have all been bestowed upon Konoha. Is there something fishy going on here?

"Experience? Of course, it's enough to be powerful enough to wipe out any invading enemy!"

Sakura's pleased gaze swept over the group of Kage, a smile playing on her lips as she sighed softly, "Ah, sometimes I really envy your village for having so many tailed beasts to manage, unlike Konoha which only has one, giving you plenty of defensive strength~"

Kakashi, who was watching the show from the high platform, turned his head away and pulled down his headband. Asuma choked on his own smoke and covered his mouth tightly.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence, with the village figures and guards frozen in place.

Shouting and yelling makes one seem like a clown, while remaining silent seems to confirm one's reputation as a good-for-nothing.

"Gentlemen, now is not the time for accountability."

Seeing that the talks were about to fall apart, Mifune coughed and stepped forward to offer everyone a way out.

"With the tailed beasts stolen and the balance of power disrupted, peace is about to be swallowed by the vortex of war. I believe none of us want to see this happen, right?"

"That's hard to say."