It seemed that Yagura carried far more weight in the third Mizukage's eyes than the outside world had imagined.
Of course, it was also possible that the third Mizukage had already realized that the disastrous defeat was not Yagura's fault.
After all, even they themselves had been utterly dumbfounded and found it hard to believe when they first heard the news of the battle of Rinkai City.
As for the Village Hidden in the Sand's representative, she was also one of Shinichi's old acquaintances, Pakura. As for the bespectacled deputy representative, Shinichi did not recognize him, though he was presumably someone who served as one of the Village Hidden in the Sand's advisors.
In truth, Rasa himself had been extremely reluctant to let Pakura serve as the village's representative, and even less willing to let her have the spotlight.
Unfortunately, the Village Hidden in the Sand was currently in an awkward transitional period, with only a handful of figures who truly carried enough weight: The Kazekage, Rasa himself, Pakura, and the two elders, Ebizō and Chiyo.
As Kazekage, he could not leave lightly, and the two elders were likewise pillars of the village and could not be exposed to any unnecessary risk.
That left Pakura as the only person qualified and presentable enough to attend this conference.
'So uncomfortable!'
Looking at the colorful crowd surrounding her and the incessantly clicking cameras of the reporters, Pakura frowned.
She had never experienced an occasion like this before, standing before such a massive audience, and at that moment she felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles, utterly uncomfortable from head to toe.
The thought that she would soon have to engage in sharp exchanges and maneuver against the other ninja villages under the gaze of all these people made her feel like a monkey being put on display.
She was not the only one who felt uncomfortable.
The people from the Village Hidden in the Stones, Village Hidden in the Cloud, and Village Hidden in the Mist felt equally out of place.
By a ninja's usual conventions, the more important a meeting was, the fewer people should attend it and the stricter its secrecy should be. Only after discussions concluded would information be passed down layer by layer.
Even the Five Kage Summit back then had fewer than twenty people present. It was nothing like this, where negotiations and confrontations took place under the watchful eyes of nearly a thousand spectators, with every move exposed to public scrutiny.
However, they soon had no time to dwell on that.
Because everyone's gaze, without exception, locked firmly onto Konoha's delegation, or more precisely, onto Shinichi Higashino himself.
Even Kitsuchi, the Village Hidden in the Stones' representative, looked curiously toward the famed Shinichi Higashino.
Especially A Yotsuki of the Village Hidden in the Clouds: the moment he saw Shinichi Higashino, his breathing became noticeably heavier, and his fists clenched involuntarily, as if he could not restrain himself and would rush up to fight him at any moment.
Pakura and Yagura likewise fixed cold gazes upon the figure who appeared completely calm and composed.
Yet Shinichi seemed utterly oblivious to those hostile and scrutinizing stares.
He even raised a hand, gently signaling the increasingly vigilant Minato Namikaze beside him to relax. Then, with obvious interest, he casually greeted the reporters and representatives from the various nations present, carrying himself with such ease that it was as though he had returned to his own home.
In the end, none of the representatives from the other ninja villages chose to make a move on the spot.
The fact that Shinichi Higashino could fly was already common knowledge throughout the Shinobi World, not to mention that Minato Namikaze was sitting right beside him.
Even if everyone present joined forces, they had no chance whatsoever of keeping Shinichi Higashino here.
Making a move by force would accomplish nothing except making themselves the laughingstock of the nearly one thousand people present and, afterward, giving Konoha and the outside world grounds to condemn them for breaking the rules.
Thus, under the guidance of the Land of Iron's reception staff, Pakura sat down with a cold expression, A Yotsuki snorted and took his seat, Yagura remained expressionless, while Kitsuchi gave Shinichi a few extra glances.
Beneath the domed ceiling above the round table, the atmosphere became tense.
"Thank you all for traveling such great distances to gather here in the Land of Iron..."
After everyone was seated, Mifune was the first to speak, offering a few customary opening remarks.
However, it was obvious that no one present cared much for such formalities.
Mifune also knew perfectly well that he was not the protagonist of this conference, so after briefly completing the opening procedure, he stopped at the appropriate moment and naturally turned his gaze toward Konoha's delegation.
He intended to let Konoha, the initiator of this conference, deliver the opening remarks.
Unexpectedly, however, Kitsuchi's voice from the Village Hidden in the Stones delegation rang out first.
"After my father read the agreement proposed by Shinichi-sama, he praised it on multiple occasions. In particular, he strongly approved of provisions such as prohibiting attacks on hospitals and forbidding assaults on medical facilities or units transporting medical supplies."
Kitsuchi's voice was steady, and paired with his somewhat honest-looking face, his words sounded exceptionally sincere, as though the Village Hidden in the Stones truly held this agreement in the highest regard.
"Hmph!"
The moment Kitsuchi finished speaking, before Konoha could even respond, A Yotsuki immediately let out a cold snort and took over.
Fixing his eyes directly on the calm-faced Shinichi Higashino, he shouted angrily, "That certainly sounds nice! You really know how to put on an act! You talk about not attacking hospitals and not assaulting medical facilities. Yet, it was you, Shinichi Higashino, who personally led people into Village Hidden in the Cloud and attacked every part of our medical department! Hearing those words come out of your mouth is nothing but the height of hypocrisy!"
Only then did the observing delegates and reporters from the various nations realize what had happened.
Kitsuchi's apparent praise had merely been the opening move, setting the stage for A Yotsuki to launch Village Hidden in the Cloud's attack against Konoha.
The two played off one another flawlessly, showing not the slightest sign that the Village Hidden in the Stones and Village Hidden in the Cloud were still at war.
"That is indeed true. Shinichi-sama's infiltration of Village Hidden in the Cloud and attack on its medical and logistics department does deserve an explanation."
Yagura also spoke up at the proper moment, his voice calm and containing little emotion.
"Furthermore, as far as I know, during Shinichi-sama's infiltration of Village Hidden in the Cloud, he also triggered the Eight-Tails' rampage. That doesn't seem particularly consistent with the agreement's provision prohibiting harm to civilians, does it?"
In reality, it had been Orochimaru who triggered the Eight-Tails' rampage.
But aside from Konoha, none of the other ninja villages knew that on the night Shinichi Battalion infiltrated Village Hidden in the Cloud, the venomous snake Orochimaru had also slipped inside.
As a result, in the eyes of the world, both Blue B's death and the Eight-Tails' rampage were entirely credited to Shinichi Higashino.