"Naruto! Naruto!"
"Are you even listening?"
Naruto snapped back to his senses and looked at the man in front of him.
"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?"
Kakashi sighed and rubbed his temple. Clearly, Naruto hadn't heard a word he'd just said.
"I said that when the time comes, even we may have to protect Naruto-sama."
Naruto blinked. "Isn't it just a meeting? Why would we need to protect the Hokage?"
Kakashi gave him a flat look.
"This isn't an ordinary visit. If Shigure makes a move against Naruto-sama, who here could stop him?"
Naruto fell silent.
"If we refuse the meeting, we risk provoking Kirigakure," Kakashi continued. "That could give the Hidden Mist a legitimate excuse to escalate things."
He looked up at the sky, his visible eye distant.
"It almost feels like we've returned to the era of the Shinobi World Wars."
Naruto stiffened.
"Every step has to be calculated. One wrong move… and the Fourth Shinobi World War won't be the last."
The term Shinobi World War had always felt distant to Naruto—something from textbooks and Iruka-sensei's lectures. A brutal chapter of history.
But now?
Were they really standing on the edge of something like that again?
His thoughts drifted back to the Academy days.
Iruka-sensei once asked the class what they thought about war.
Sasuke had shown a strange anticipation.
Shigure had been indifferent. War or peace—it didn't matter to him.
Naruto had said he hoped war would never come. Too many innocent people would suffer.
Iruka praised Naruto. He reprimanded Sasuke. And he didn't know what to say about Shigure.
Back then, Naruto hadn't understood Sasuke's expression.
Now… he did.
For Sasuke, war might have meant release. An outlet for hatred. For vengeance. After the Uchiha clan's massacre, perhaps chaos felt easier than peace.
As for Shigure… at the time, his talent hadn't yet fully awakened. Whether it was war or peace, it changed nothing for him.
Naruto let out a quiet breath.
Things had changed too quickly.
In the blink of an eye—
Shigure, once an abandoned shinobi of Konoha, had become a name that made the entire shinobi world tremble.
Sasuke now bore the title of missing-nin and had chosen to stand by Shigure's side.
And yet… after Naruto returned to Konoha, no one seriously talked about bringing Sasuke back.
It was as if the village had already let him go.
An Uchiha leaving Konoha.
Perhaps, in some people's eyes, that was for the best.
Naruto clenched his fists slightly.
"When is the meeting?" he asked.
Kakashi thought for a moment. "Tomorrow."
"At noon. The Sixth Mizukage of Kirigakure will personally arrive."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
The Sixth Mizukage.
Shigure.
—
Deep within a hidden cavern.
Orochimaru received the same report.
"The Sixth Mizukage has left Kirigakure once again. His destination is Konoha."
Nearby, Uchiha Madara stood beside a stone bed where Uchiha Obito lay unconscious.
Since Obito lacked a close blood relative with an awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, obtaining the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan through conventional means was nearly impossible.
They had resorted to experimentation.
One pair of Sharingan after another had been transplanted into Obito's body.
Seventeen pairs so far.
None had resonated with his chakra.
The plan was simple in theory: find a compatible Mangekyō Sharingan, evolve it into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, stabilize the strain on his vision, and further harmonize with the implanted Hashirama cells. Only then would there be a chance to awaken the Rinnegan.
But theory and reality were not the same.
Perhaps this path was doomed from the start.
Still, neither Madara nor Obito was willing to abandon it so easily.
Madara finished inspecting Obito's condition and turned toward Orochimaru.
"Konoha…" he muttered.
"What is that boy planning?"
Orochimaru's lips curved faintly.
"Perhaps he intends to seize the last remaining tailed beast—the Nine-Tails."
"Or perhaps…" his golden eyes gleamed, "…he plans to remove the title of 'overlord' from Konoha and crown Kirigakure as the new hegemon of the shinobi world."
Madara chuckled.
"A thirteen-year-old brat… on the verge of replacing Konoha as the dominant power of the shinobi world."
His eyes darkened.
"How terrifying."
Thinking back on it now, Madara had to admit—
At Shigure's age, no one in history had achieved what he had.
No one.
Only now did Madara begin to understand how Obito had been driven into ruin by that boy.
Shigure wasn't merely talented.
He was a monster.
"At a time like this… Kirigakure should be empty," Madara suddenly said.
Orochimaru shook his head slowly.
"No… not at all."
"There are still many capable shinobi in the Hidden Mist. And after the previous attacks, knowing Shigure's personality…"
"He would never leave without precautions."
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed.
"If he already knows Obito is alive, then this departure could very well be bait."
"A trap."
Madara frowned.
The possibility was far from small.
"He deliberately left an opening… to lure you out."
Kirigakure possessed multiple tailed beasts, and both Orochimaru and Obito had every reason to take the risk.
If they appeared, Shigure could seize the opportunity to obtain the Impure World Reincarnation (Edo Tensei) from Orochimaru.
If they didn't—
He could simply acquire it from Konoha instead.
Either way, the outcome benefited him.
The only question was: who would make the first move?
Yet days passed.
Shigure had already left Kirigakure, but the village remained calm. No infiltration. No disturbances. No sign of Orochimaru or Obito.
At the same time, Shigure had released over twenty thousand white pigeons across the shinobi world, spreading them as reconnaissance units.
Not a single trace of Orochimaru was found.
Ten minutes remained before they reached the Valley of the End.
Shigure glanced at the sky.
No signal from the pigeons.
Kirigakure was still secure.
It seemed Orochimaru and Obito would not appear.
Or perhaps—
Had the two turned on each other somewhere?
It wasn't impossible.
If that were the case, there was little Shigure could do.
"Lord Mizukage, we're almost there."
Hizuki's voice came from outside.
Shigure nodded. "Then we'll begin."
Hizuki gave a short nod and glanced at Zabuza and the others.
Kisame stepped forward, hands already forming seals.
"Water Release…"
The river below suddenly roared.
A massive torrent erupted upward from beneath, spiraling violently as it surged upstream toward the Valley of the End.
Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
—
Above the waterfall at the Valley of the End.
Konoha's shinobi were already in position.
The thunderous roar of rushing water echoed through the valley.
They turned—
And saw a tidal current climbing against gravity itself, tearing upstream with unstoppable force.
For a moment, even seasoned jonin were stunned.
This time, Konoha had deployed a formidable lineup.
Hatake Kakashi.
Yūhi Kurenai.
Mitarashi Anko.
Sarutobi Asuma.
Might Guy.
Gekkō Hayate.
From the Nara Clan—Nara Shikaku.
From the Yamanaka Clan—Yamanaka Inoichi.
From the Akimichi Clan—Akimichi Chōza.
Shinobi of the Aburame Clan. The Inuzuka Clan. The Hyūga Clan. The Sarutobi Clan.
And among the younger generation—
Uzumaki Naruto.
Haruno Sakura.
Uchiha Sasuke.
Nara Shikamaru.
Yamanaka Ino.
Akimichi Chōji.
Hyūga Neji.
Rock Lee.
Tenten.
Konoha had not taken this meeting lightly.
They had assembled enough strength to intimidate an entire village.
At least—
That had been the intention.
But as the towering wall of water surged closer, roaring like a living beast, expressions across the Konoha forces darkened.
This…was only their arrival.
(End of Chapter)
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