Game of Shadows by Adrian King1

Chapter 129

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor The Gamer. I own nothing, really.

Cover Art: Kissuli.

Chapter 129

[Onoki]

He looked at the scroll in front of him, set on the table amongst other papers that detailed completely different things. Onoki wondered though, in the midst of going over its content, did the other Kages in the room get similar messages? Chances were that they did, not only because it'd made perfect sense, considering what the thing said, but also because of the frowns and overall thoughtful expressions around the room of the Summit.

Maybe it wasn't completely accurate to say that he was thinking over the contents of the message though. It was more that he was thinking over something that'd he'd often gone over, the past and the future. This time though, he did so taking into consideration a new variant, as he'd been doing as of late.

Eiji Satou had had that effect on the world.

'Peace,' Onoki thought, somewhat in awe as he scanned the room around him once more. For once, there was silence in it, nobody was arguing or discussing or anything of the sort. Everyone was going over what they'd been informed of, certainly. That wasn't what was important to Onoki at that moment though. 'To think that peace finally seems attainable.'

Despite the rather rocky start they'd had, despite all the fights that almost broke out between several of their peers, the five of them were reaching it. Agreements were hashed out, concessions were made, grudges were put aside. It was like a dream come true. And Onoki knew exactly why that was, because there was a common enemy and someone willing to set them straight if they were too stubborn.

Akatsuki and Eiji Satou.

'Terrorists and a child, that's what the world needed to reach peace,' Onoki mused incredulously, leaning back on his chair. It was disappointing, so very disappointing, but it was what it was. It was better peace achieved with less than ideal circumstances than no peace at all.

He was worried though, because the fact was that this new era was brought by the prodigiously powerful boy. Onoki wondered, then, if the peace would last without Satou around to enforce it. If Akatsuki dealt with him, not only would they all be left with the terrorists to take care of, but they'd be left without the impartial party to help preserve peace.

Although, he had to admit, Eiji Satou was proving to be a monster. One not unlike those he was often compared to. Onoki had been reluctant to truly admit to himself this fact, mostly because the boy wouldn't have been the first nor the last to be compared to geniuses of the past and the present. Now though, after he'd dealt with S ranked ninja after S ranked ninja? After he'd apparently taken out the Monster of the Hidden Mist and the Clan Killer.

The legend of Eiji Satou was already reaching everywhere. Spreading fear and awe in equal parts and bringing even better prospects to Konoha and in a somewhat lesser part Suna for having helped the Squad in the past and likely in the future, if the thing with the Kazekage's sister was anything to go by. Even Kirigakure was benefitting from this, just for the fact that Satou carried one of their swords and they seemed to support this.

This was making all of them wonder if they should more actively get involved on that team. If only for the good publicity it seemed to be gaining with the general public and, more importantly, the Daimyos. Those latter ones could, by themselves, affect the income of a village dramatically. That had been exactly what happened to Suna, after all.

So, Onoki, the Tsuchikage, found himself wishing well upon a ninja of Konoha. He could see, with some luck and good decisions, the entire world thriving if they could survive the global threat, Iwagakure and the Land of Earth included. That not only meant better circumstances for his people, but a better position for his successor to take over, whoever they might end up being. The fact that it would likely be his own granddaughter only made him more eager to give her an easy time to get used to things.