No one in the room answered his question.
Instead, absolute, suffocating silence gripped the Hokage's office. Every clan head, official, and Root guard was stunned into paralysis by the sudden, impossible appearance of the Four Hokage. Their minds simply blanked out.
Danzo Shimura shot up from the Hokage's chair, his jaw hanging open so wide it practically hit the floor.
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled, a surprisingly cheerful twinkle in his eye—death had seemingly cured the old monkey of his chronic stress. "Danzo, we meet again. Are you happy to see us?"
Danzo's mouth worked soundlessly, like a fish out of water. He wanted to scream. I think there's a time limit to this reunion! Why now?! If I had a wish, I'd wish you stayed dead for ten thousand years!
But reality was cruel to Danzo. With the founding fathers back in the flesh, his thirty-second reign as Hokage was officially over.
Tobirama Senju stepped forward, his crimson eyes locking onto the massive wooden plaque hanging above the desk. He read the words: The True Path of Shinobi.
He scoffed in absolute disgust. "Why is this garbage hanging here? 'True Path'? Who do you think you are, the heir of the Sage of Six Paths?"
With a flick of his wrist, a burst of water chakra shattered the plaque into splinters. The "True Path Citadel" was instantly decommissioned.
Naturally, the seating arrangements were immediately reorganized. Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, took his rightful place at the main desk, his three successors standing respectfully behind him. Mufasa, the honored guest and Kazekage, casually took the VIP seat to Hashirama's left.
As for Danzo... he awkwardly shuffled to the side, suddenly unsure where he was even allowed to stand in his own office. Hashirama, ever the kind soul, patted a small stool to his right. "Please, sit here."
Danzo sat, looking like a scolded child.
Moments later, the doors burst open again. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi rushed in, having been urgently recalled.
"Grandpa!" Tsunade gasped, tears welling in her eyes.
"Sensei..." Jiraiya and Kakashi murmured, staring at Hiruzen and Minato.
After a heartwarming, chaotic reunion of hugs and tears, the room finally settled down to discuss business.
"Grandpa," Tsunade wiped her eyes, still bewildered. "How are you all here?"
Hashirama smiled warmly, gesturing to the young man sitting beside him. "That is all thanks to this young Kazekage."
Mufasa gave Tsunade a cheeky wink. The ninja world still needs me. It's a good thing I kept these four in the Shinigami's belly for a rainy day.
Tobirama, however, was scowling. "Boy, the Edo Tensei is a forbidden technique I invented. How the hell did a Sand Shinobi learn it?"
Mufasa waved him off dismissively. "Oh dear, Second Uncle, why are you sweating the small stuff at a time like this?"
It was true; Konoha was in a critical state. With the Four Hokages back, the threat of the village being physically destroyed by the Cloud was nullified. However, the political crisis was a nightmare. Their relationships with the Cloud, the other Great Nations, and most importantly, Sunagakure, hung in the balance.
Danzo, desperate to regain control of the narrative, immediately launched a political strike.
"Lord First! Lord Second!" Danzo shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Mufasa. "This Kazekage, Mufasa, didn't just steal our forbidden jutsu! He plundered our village's wealth! He aggressively annexed the Land of Rivers! He even executed the Daimyo of the Wind Nation! He is a tyrant!"
Danzo's voice rose in pitch. "And those factories he built here? He implemented brutal 996 and 007 work schedules! Sweatshops! The villagers are suffering! The thick smoke and car exhaust have polluted our beautiful skies, and the forests are withering away!"
Tobirama crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. "It's true. The air smelled foul on the way in, and the trees looked depressed."
Mufasa slammed his hand on his armrest, rolling his eyes. "Oh, give me a break! I told you to invest in environmental scrubbers, but you cheapskates refused to pay for them! Is that my fault? And what do I have to do with the sweatshops? I just sold you the machines! Your own clan heads run the factories! I threatened to cut off your equipment supply if you didn't improve worker conditions, but you refused!"
"You were interfering in Konoha's internal affairs!" Danzo barked. "You weren't providing us equipment out of the goodness of your heart!"
Mufasa sneered. Put on the Hokage hat for five minutes and suddenly his tongue gets sharp.
The four resurrected Hokages looked at Mufasa, their expressions shifting. They had missed years of geopolitical changes. Hearing Danzo's twisted version, Mufasa sounded like a true villain.
But Tsunade wasn't about to let her friend be slandered.
"Shut up, Danzo!" Tsunade roared, slamming her fist on the table. "You were the one who pushed the hardest to build those factories to line your own pockets! Don't blame Mufasa just because your own investments failed!"
Danzo's face turned purple, then white. "It wasn't a failure! I, Shimura, do not fail! It was... natural disasters! Unforeseen market fluctuations!"
Bullshit, Mufasa thought. If I hadn't rigged the tech to blow, he'd be using my machines to build his army right now. The local clan heads, many of whom owned the factories in question, quickly murmured their agreement with Tsunade, effectively clearing Mufasa of the internal sabotage charges.
But Danzo had a trump card left.
"Regardless," Danzo sneered triumphantly, "the Three Great Villages—Cloud, Rock, and Mist—have already agreed with me. We are forming a Grand Allied Shinobi Force! Together, we will march on the Sand, eliminate this industrial scum Mufasa, and restore the orthodox ninja era!"
Tobirama rubbed his temples, staring at Mufasa. "Damn it, kid. What exactly did you do to piss off the entire world?"
Mufasa shrugged, completely unbothered. "The capable are often burdened with more work. Those who walk ahead of the curve are destined to be misunderstood. If they truly understood my vision, they wouldn't be doing this."
Hashirama smiled, intrigued by the young Kazekage's utter lack of fear. "So, what should we do? Should Konoha join this Allied Shinobi Force?"
"Absolutely not!" Tsunade shouted instantly.
"You stepped down! You have no right to speak!" Danzo snapped.
"I am still the Fifth Hokage! Of course I have a say!" Tsunade shot back, ready to throttle the old man.
Mufasa raised a hand, silencing the room. "Actually, it doesn't really matter to me if it's three villages or four. I just know a lot of good people in Konoha. It would be a shame if we had to go to war and my friends got caught in the crossfire."
The entire room froze.
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi stared at Mufasa with bulging eyes.
Dude, are you out of your mind?! Kakashi: Wow, he's really energetic today.
Jiraiya: The pressure broke his brain. I need to take him to a cabaret. Danzo was ecstatic. Hahaha! He's courting death! Let's see you talk like that in front of the God of Shinobi!
Tobirama narrowed his eyes, a dangerous, icy pressure filling the room. "Young man... you are exceptionally arrogant. You dare disrespect us to our faces?"
Mufasa chuckled lightly. "I'm not disrespecting you. I'm just stating an objective fact."
That calm, factual tone was somehow even more infuriating. Tobirama rolled up his sleeves, his chakra cracking the floorboards. "Hmph. I'll teach you some manners right now."
"Stop, Tobirama."
Hashirama held out an arm, his voice low but carrying absolute authority. He looked at Mufasa, his dark eyes studying the Kazekage. "Haha... young man, you truly have absolute confidence in your abilities."
Mufasa nodded respectfully. "I am not the most talented man, Lord First, but I've picked up a few tricks during my time as Kazekage."
Hashirama's smile faded into the hardened look of a seasoned warlord. "Do you realize that if Konoha joins the Alliance, you will be facing the entire Shinobi World with just one village?"
Mufasa scratched his cheek lazily. "Oh, yeah. That exact scenario is actually Chapter 4 of Suna's National Defense Protocol. Honestly, we've prepared for way worse. We have contingency plans for invasions from the moon, and even extra-terrestrial aliens."
This guy is completely insane! The entire room collectively agreed. Aliens? The moon? He's delusional!
Hashirama remained silent for a long moment. Then, he nodded deeply.
"I can feel your pride, Mufasa. It is genuine. Therefore... Konoha will join the Allied Shinobi Forces. We will meet you on the battlefield!"
Mufasa smiled, his eyes burning with excitement. "Excellent. I've always wanted to test my metal against the legendary True Several Thousand Hands Wood Buddha." If you get isekai'd into Naruto and don't fight the giant Wood Buddha, did you even really live?
Tobirama let out a bark of laughter. "Kid, if nothing else, your sheer guts are commendable!"
"What is there to praise?!" Tsunade slammed the desk, her face pale. "Grandpa, we cannot join the Alliance! If we do, the Sand Village will have absolutely no chance of surviving!"
Danzo rolled his only eye. Could you stop simping for the enemy for five minutes?
Hashirama looked softly at his granddaughter. "Tsunade... even if you wish to protect your friends, you cannot disrespect a warrior's resolve. He has made his choice."
"Thank you, Tsunade," Mufasa said gently. "But I'll be fine."
Hashirama stood up. "Then we are officially enemies, Kazekage. Please leave our village."
"Understood," Mufasa replied, standing as well. "But I separate my debts from my grudges. I did save Konoha today by bringing you back. So, I will be taking all of my Sand Shinobi and merchants with me."
"Granted," Hashirama nodded. "And I give you my word, you will leave our borders safely."
Within an hour, Mufasa had gathered the Suna delegation. Dozens of trucks and buses lined up at the village gates.
Tsunade pulled Mufasa aside, her face fraught with worry. "I thought I was a reckless gambler, but you are out of your mind! I am begging you, don't fight the whole world. My grandfather and the Second... they are monsters."
Mufasa patted her shoulder. "I know they're strong. But I need to know just how strong I am. Only a clash of titans will give me the data I need."
Tsunade sighed in defeat. "You are going to die."
Mufasa grinned. "Wanna bet on it?"
"Absolutely not. No gambling," Tsunade refused instantly, knowing her atrocious luck would practically guarantee his death.
"Shame. I was hoping for a reverse-jinx buff," Mufasa laughed. "Don't worry about me, Tsunade. Worry about your grandpa. I'm gonna beat him until he cries."
Tsunade didn't know whether to laugh or punch him.
Mufasa turned to his people. "Alright everyone! Pack it up! We're rolling out!"
Raimon Goryeo, a prominent Suna merchant, looked back at the village. "Lord Kazekage, what about our factories? Our investments here in Konoha?"
"Leave them," Mufasa said loud enough for the eavesdropping Danzo to hear. "They'll keep them warm for us. Sooner or later, they will pay us back every single ryo they owe us. The Sand Village always collects its debts."
In the distance, Danzo's eyelid twitched violently.
Mufasa climbed into the lead armored truck, and the massive Suna convoy roared to life, driving out of Konoha's gates.
But they didn't get far.
As the convoy cleared the forest, the earth shattered. Lightning descended from the sky, blocking the road. The Four Raikages stood in their path, surrounded by hundreds of heavily armed Cloud Shinobi.
"Mufasa!" the First Raikage roared, electricity arcing off his colossal frame. "You aren't going anywhere! We end the threat to the ninja world right here, right now!"
Mufasa chuckled, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Well, looks like we're having a warm-up match."
But before Mufasa could step out of the truck, four blurs of extreme speed crashed into the earth between the Suna convoy and the Cloud army.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The dust cleared, revealing Konoha's F4: Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato.
Hashirama Senju stood tall, his legendary chakra violently suppressing the Raikages' lightning. His voice boomed across the clearing, echoing with the authority of a god.
"I, Hashirama Senju, gave the Kazekage my word that he would leave safely! If you strike at him now, Raikage, you make a liar out of Konoha! And if you do that... Konoha will fight alongside the Sand!"
Hashirama cracked his knuckles, his eyes narrowing. "Do me the honor of respecting my word. Let him pass."
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Word count: 2076
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