The hotel conference hall was dazzling.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the spotless white ceiling, refracting pale light across polished marble floors. Indoor fountains shimmered under LED projections, casting rippling colors across the walls.
At the head of the long table sat Naruto Uzumaki.
On either side stood Tsunade and Mei Terumi, silent but watchful.
Opposite them sat the White-Robed Man.
Beside him—closer to Sakura than anyone liked—sat Uchiha Sarada.
The setting was extravagant.
The mood was not.
White-Robed Man had ordered an absurd amount of food and was eating without restraint.
Naruto spoke evenly.
"You mentioned intelligence. Continue."
White-Robed Man swallowed, glanced at Yue Feng standing respectfully nearby, then replied casually:
"Jigen isn't dead."
The room went still.
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"The man I fought? From Kara?"
White-Robed Man nodded.
"One of our founding purposes was to dismantle Kara. They're scum. Every last one."
Yue Feng stared at the ceiling, innocent and silent.
Tsunade and Mei Terumī coughed faintly to suppress laughter.
Naruto leaned forward slightly.
"How much do you know about Kara?"
"Everything," White-Robed Man replied lazily. "Down to each member's abilities."
The two Kage exchanged glances.
Since Moon appeared, very little time had passed—yet they knew Kara in detail.
That meant they had been operating unseen for years.
White-Robed Man crossed one leg onto the table.
"We weren't fighting Kara. We were leading them by the nose."
He grinned.
Naruto's tone cooled.
"What is your ultimate objective?"
Knock. Knock.
Room service arrived.
White-Robed Man wiped space on the table eagerly and resumed eating.
"Become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki."
The air froze.
Naruto's gaze turned icy.
"You intend to stand against the entire Ninja World?"
White-Robed Man laughed loudly.
"You exhausted everything defeating Jigen. And he wasn't even the real threat."
He wiped sauce from his fingers.
"Isshiki is the true mastermind. The Jigen you defeated wielded only a fragment of his power."
The name landed like a mountain.
Naruto asked quietly,
"Isshiki is Ōtsutsuki?"
"Yes."
Silence.
White-Robed Man continued chewing.
"Yue Feng alone isn't worth this much information. The extra pays for the meal. Don't try poisoning me again."
Tsunade looked away awkwardly.
He kept eating anyway.
"Next," White-Robed Man added casually, "I'll resume capturing the remaining Tailed Beasts."
Sarada's fingers tightened slightly.
Naruto stood.
"That will not happen."
White-Robed Man tilted his head.
"Will you stop me, Hokage?"
The challenge hung in the air.
Naruto asked one more question.
"Is Ten-Tails truly your only goal?"
"If possible," White-Robed Man replied lightly, "another chakra fruit would be nice."
Naruto's chakra stirred faintly.
"I cannot permit that. The price of a chakra fruit is too high."
White-Robed Man rose slowly and grasped Sarada's wrist.
"Two against one again."
The window shattered.
A shard of glass flickered—
And in its place stood Sasuke Uchiha.
"Sasuke!" Sakura breathed.
Sasuke ignored everything else.
His eyes met Naruto's.
Understanding passed between them instantly.
White-Robed Man coughed lightly.
"There's no need to fight. Against two Six Paths-level opponents, I would lose."
Sasuke's fingers brushed Yue Feng—
Amenotejikara activated—
But he was a fraction too slow.
White-Robed Man's expression shifted, suddenly serious.
"You were in greater danger earlier. We stopped it."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"What danger?"
"The Ōtsutsuki aura that flickered during your battle with Jigen. They've begun observing."
He spoke calmly.
"We are the ones secretly shielding this world."
The statement hung absurdly in the air.
"Kaguya will be revived soon," he added.
Focus on conserving your strength."
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
"They're projections."
Naruto extended his perception.
Visually, they stood before him.
But dimensionally—
They were already elsewhere.
White-Robed Man's voice echoed faintly.
"War is coming."
And then—
They vanished.
No chakra trace.
No residue.
Nothing.
Naruto exhaled slowly.
"Can you see through it?"
Sasuke shook his head.
Even with dual Rinnegan—
He had not perceived the transition.
Naruto stared at the space where they stood.
"The Ōtsutsuki presence earlier was real. Kurama sensed it too."
Sakura whispered,
"So another disaster is coming?"
Naruto smiled faintly.
"This time… we may not receive help from the Sage of Six Paths."
The chandeliers continued shining.
The fountains continued flowing.
But beneath the luxury—
War had already begun.
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