Naruto 458

For use in English by Binktopia ONLY. International translators may be granted permission on request - please PM.

p.1
[Inset] Gaara starts the conversation...!!
[1] I have something to say / so listen
[2] The Five Kages sure have changed / It's a big deal to call yourself a Kage at your age, Kazekage-dono. / It seems that while your old man surely trained you well, / he wasn't able to teach you any manners.
[Title] Discord among the Five Kages!!
[3] I guess you're right... / That's why I'm here as the Kazekage. / Gahahaha... What a cheeky guy!
[4] Tsuchikage-sama, please don't tease him./ If you'd continue, Kazekage-sama...
[5] ...I am a former Jinchuuriki. / Who the hell does that Tsuchikage think he is? / I was held by Akatsuki and came to the brink of death when the Bijuu was extracted. / Quiet
[6] As such, I consider Akatsuki to be an extremely dangerous entity.

p.2
[1] I appealed for cooperation among the five Kages many times, but was ignored / ...except by the previous Hokage. / Since then we've just let the Jinchuuriki be snatched away. Our cooperation comes too late.
[2] Hmph... The fact that the hidden villages of the five great nations allowed the Jinchuuriki to be taken puts us in a bad light among the other nations. / It's a great embarrassment!
[3] It's common sense to try to recover them privately. / There's no way we'd seek cooperation when they were taken!
[4] Appearances... Dignity... / What worthless old-fashioned ideas.
[5] Hmph. This kid...

p.3
[1] Just because the Bijuu were taken doesn't mean we have immediate cause for alarm. / Controlling them will require jutsu, knowledge, and time, after all.
[2] Since the Jinchuuriki and Bijuu grow together, they need to adapt to one another. / Even then, controling them is difficult... It can't be done in an instant... / Isn't that right, Kazekage?
[3] In the first place, the only ones who were able to control them in the true sense of the word / were Uchiha Madara, the first Hokage, Hashirama... / and the fourth Mizukage Yagura. / ...There was also Raikage-dono's younger brother Killer Bee
[4] PIKUN* / However...
* startle
[5] Choujuurou / GATA* / Yeah!
* move

p.4-5
[1] DOKA* / Enough with the useless jabbering!
* boom
[2] ZATSU*
* fwish
[3] BA*
* grab
[4] ZAZA*
* skid
[5] ZAN*
* shing

p.6
[1] This is a conference. I'd like to ask that you all mind your manners.
[2] Fuu, Rune, stand down.
[3] You too, Kankuro, Temari.
[4] Ao, Choujuurou, It's okay. / Understood.
[5] KUI* / Okay......
* shake
[6] ...Hmph! / DOKAN*
* thump
[7] SUTSU...*
* rustle

p.7
[1] ...Leaf! Rock! Sand! Mist! / Akatsuki is composed of missing-nin from your villages! / And that's not all!!
[2] There's evidence that some of you, including your predecessors, / have made use of Akatsuki!!
[3] Made use of them...?
[4] I don't trust you! / I didn't even want to have this conference!
[5] The reason I called this meeting and came here in spite of that / was to find out how trustworthy you halfassed bunch are!!!
[6] What do you mean by, "Made use of them"!?

p.8
[1] You're supposed to be the Kazekage, and yet they haven't told you anything!? / Ask the old timers in your own village! / You guys've used Akatsuki during times of war in the past!
[3] At this point, the great nations have all stabilized... They're switching from military expansion to disarmament. / As the tensions among the nations ease and the threat of war decreases, / the villages which hold the nations' military power become nothing but money-sucking annoyances...
[4] On the other hand, there's a risk to military reduction too. / Just watch if there's a sudden outbreak of war! In that case there'd be the problem of depending on shinobi without real combat experience. / And that would mean losing the war.
[5] One way to eliminate that risk is a group of mercenaries....... / ...So you're saying that's what Akatsuki is.

p.9
[1] While it takes time and money to raise superior shinobi in your own village, / Akatsuki is a professional group of career fighters that is always on duty. / But they'll undertake a war for low pay / and, moreover, deliver excellent results.
[2] Don't say it so defiantly, Tsuchikage! / Hrmph!
[3] The Sand used Akatsuki to destroy Konoha... / They used Orochimaru...! / We don't know for sure whether or not he'd left Akatsuki by that time though.
[4] And with that, the prior Kazekage and Hokage died.
[5] ...And it's hard to shake the feeling that this could all be part of someone's plan.

p.10
[2] ......Old schemer...
[3] The most suspicious is the Hidden Mist!! / You from the Mist have no diplomatic ties... There's even the rumor that it's the birthplace of Akatsuki!!
[5] Since it's come to this, I'll speak plainly... / Is the fifth going to talk about *that*...! / It's come into question whether the previous Mizukage... the fourth, was under some outside influence...
[6] It's possible that influence was Akatsuki, / which is why I didn't want to draw attention to it...
[7] Each and every one of you..!!

p.11
[1] Watch your mouth, Raikage! / Since the beginning of this age of disarmament you've been gathering strength and collecting ninjutsu, not caring how you might appear... / In order to be ready to oppose that strength, we had no choice but to hire Akatsuki, right?
[2] What!? / ......Before you start arguing over your respective positions, / there's something I've been wanting to report to all of you...
[3] What is it!?
[4] Akatsuki's leader is probably Uchiha Madara.
[6] Surely he should be long dead...!?
[7] I don't understand it either... But this is reliable intelligence. / To think he was such a monster...

p.12
[1] Let me give my opinion as the head of a neutral power. / Akatsuki's leader has read the flow of this era.
[2] He stabbed at the gaps in the equilibrium and distrust among the nations and measured the expansion of their strength... / The same goes for this, the Iron Country... / But the disaster has been averted and has become good fortune for us... After all, haven't all five Kages come together, which seldom happens? / What do you think...? Until Akatsuki is dealt with...
[3] Perhaps you should create the world's first ninja alliance among the five great hidden villages?
[4] Alliance!?
[5] ...It's a good idea. / We need a level of cooperation appropriate to the state of emergency. / ...this is going smoothly
[6] It would be best to unify the chain of command. / We need to protect ourselves against further disorder.
[7] So...... / the question is, who do we entrust with authority over the allied forces?

p.13
[1] You will only quarrel amongst yourselves...... / Therefore, from my position at the head of a neutral nation, I would like to suggest / which among you five Kage would be most suitable.
[2] And so Tsunade's era ends...
[3] Naruto...!
[4] That's right... In order to protect Sasuke, / he let his whole body get mangled. But he wouldn't sell out Sasuke, no matter what.
[5] He didn't want to tell you, so you wouldn't worry...
[6] Naruto......
[7] He left to go talk to the Raikage about Sasuke's case... / though it's probably no use...... / How could he do something so reckless? / Even though Kakashi-san was with him-

p.14
[1] It's because Kakashi-sensei believes in Naruto. / Even if it's impossible, I think he wanted to give him the chance.
[3] I was only recently assigned to replace Sasuke in Team Kakashi, / so I don't really understand the team well yet...... / ......I don't understand people's emotions well, either.
[4] ....I can't do that / A guy like me who can't even keep his promises... / ...and I also don't understand what the promise you made with Naruto was...
[6] Naruto... It's my only wish... in life... / Sasuke... Bring Sasuke back...
[7] But.....

p.15
[1] Even I can tell--- / that he truly loves you!!
[2] Because you really like Sasuke...
[4] you're suffering right now, Sakura-chan... / I understand that feeling so well that it hurts...
[5] I'll definitely bring Sasuke back! / It's the most important promise of my life!!
[7] ...Sakura-chan! I- / I'll definitely keep my promise / I'll never go back on my words. / That's my ninja way.

p.16
[1] Sniff... / BOROBORO* / Sniff...
* tremble
[2] Sakura... / Sniff...
[3] It seems like Naruto's always shouldering the burden of his promise with you... / Seemed like he plans to carry it for the rest of his life.
[4] I don't know what you said to Naruto, but...... / I felt that it was like he was...
[5] Bound by the same kind of curse as I am.**
** T/N: Recall that Sai's tongue is sealed
[6] Sasuke's making Naruto suffer...

p.17
[1] But aren't you, too?
[2] Right now, the only Jinchuuriki left is Konoha's kyuubi... / The way he's guided has become the key...
[4] What do you think about entrusting the leadership of the ninja alliance to the Hokage?
[5] What did you say!? / Wha-!?
[Inset] Will the meeting become a scene of carnage...!?