Naruto's Plea

Synopsis
Naruto tries to convince the Fourth Raikage to veto the execution order on Sasuke Uchiha, claiming that Sasuke is his friend and that killing him would pit Konoha in a war against Kumogakure. As Naruto gets on his knees and begs, Yamato reminds him that Kumo owes them for the Byakugan incident, in which Hinata was kidnapped by a Kumo-nin under the Raikage's orders and Hizashi Hyūga had to be sacrificed as a result. However, the Raikage merely dictates that shinobi should be powerful and headstrong, instead of bowing their head and begging. Stating that the Akatsuki are criminals that deserve to be hunted, the Raikage and his squad continue on the way to the Five Kage Summit.

Once all five Kage convene at the Land of Iron, they begin their discourse, where the Raikage declares that he does not trust any of the other Kage because they have used the Akatsuki as mercenaries in the past, shocking Gaara. He explains to Gaara that while Orochimaru may not have been a member during the Konoha Crush, he did kill both the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage, and that Iwagakure and Kirigakure have often enlisted the Akatsuki's services, with rumours swirling that Kiri is home to the Akatsuki. The Third Tsuchikage explains that in a time of disarmament where suspicious between shinobi nations still persist, it is cheaper and much more effective to hire the Akatsuki to fight for them and that he had no regrets or qualms about it, while the Fifth Mizukage reveals that Yagura Karatachi, the Fourth Mizukage, had actually been controlled by a member of the Akatsuki.

Gaara discloses to the other leaders that he was once a jinchūriki, and that the former Fifth Hokage of Konoha was the only one to provide any assistance. The Third Tsuchikage justifies their lack of involvement by citing that the abduction of jinchūriki is an embarrassing matter that should be dealt privately and internally, and that despite the Akatsuki's collection of tailed beasts, not even the jinchūriki can fully control them, citing Gaara as an example. However, Danzō divulges that there have been people who have managed to gain full control over the tailed beasts, namely Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Yagura, the former Mizukage, and Killer B, the Raikage's brother. To the utter shock of the other leaders, he reveals that Madara himself is the leader of the Akatsuki.

With Madara being announced as the leader, the other Kage realise the seriousness of the situation and the action that must follow. Mifune, the general of the Land of Iron, declares himself the presiding neutral party and proposes that all five hidden villages convene as one to form the Allied Shinobi Forces as a response to the Akatsuki threat, and that Danzō, the leader of the village that houses the last remaining jinchūriki, should be the leader of the allied forces.