Behind him followed the expressionless Uchiha Itachi, Kisame Hoshigaki carrying Samehada over his shoulder, Sasori of the Red Sand hidden within Hiruko, and Future Sasuke with the Kusanagi Sword strapped to his back, his expression complicated.
The moment the group stepped into the office, an indescribable pressure swept through the room like a tangible tidal wave.
The violent Lightning Release chakra surrounding the Fourth Raikage instantly extinguished, as though an invisible hand had seized it by the throat.
Ōnoki nearly fell out of the air, his face filled with shock.
The gold dust spikes floating around Rasa dropped helplessly to the floor with a series of clatters, reverting to ordinary sand.
Everyone's gaze focused on the young man at the front.
And on the figure he was dragging across the floor by the collar like a dead dog.
"That's... Yagura?!"
Ōnoki's pupils contracted violently.
The intelligence reports had already informed them, but seeing the Fourth Mizukage—a Perfect Jinchūriki infamous for his brutality—being dragged around like a rag doll delivered a psychological impact no written report could ever convey.
"Here. A souvenir for you."
Uchiha Kai casually swung his arm.
Yagura flew through the air before crashing onto the office floor with a dull thud, as though he were nothing more than a piece of garbage.
Silence filled the room.
The overwhelming aggression the three Kage had displayed earlier had completely vanished.
In its place remained only deep caution... and a trace of fear they could not conceal.
"So... you're Uchiha Kai?"
The Fourth Raikage's voice sounded somewhat hoarse.
From the young man before him, he could sense an aura far more dangerous and unfathomable than any Tailed Beast.
Kai ignored him completely.
Instead, he walked directly to Hiruzen Sarutobi's desk, picked up an apple, and took a loud bite.
Crunch.
"Mm. Not bad."
Only after saying that did he seem to notice the other people in the room.
Turning around, he swept his gaze across the three Kage as though evaluating merchandise.
"What's all the noise about?"
His tone was calm, yet carried unmistakable superiority.
"The people in Kirigakure were too noisy and wouldn't listen. So I cleaned things up a little. The village belongs to me now."
In just a few casual words, he reduced an event that had shaken the entire shinobi world to something as insignificant as swatting a few flies.
"Any objections?"
The final four words were spoken lightly.
Yet beneath those dark eyes lurked a chilling indifference that made everyone's heart tremble.
"You!"
The Raikage's temper finally exploded.
Roaring, he unleashed another burst of brilliant lightning.
"Brat! You're far too arrogant! Do you really think one person can stand against our three great villages?!"
Lightning Release Armor surged around him as he prepared to attack.
Unfortunately for him—
Someone was faster.
A cold gaze landed upon him.
Future Sasuke merely glanced in his direction.
The purple Rinnegan hidden beneath his bangs shifted slightly.
"Shinra Tensei."
BOOM!!!
An invisible yet irresistible repulsive force erupted instantly.
The Raikage did not even have time to react.
It felt as though he had been struck head-on by a siege battering ram.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was launched backward.
He slammed violently into the wall behind him.
The wall cracked apart instantly, leaving behind a massive human-shaped crater.
One move.
A single glance had severely injured the Fourth Raikage, a man famous throughout the shinobi world for his speed and durability.
Ōnoki and Rasa felt their souls leave their bodies.
Every hair on their bodies stood on end.
They stared at the one-armed man in horror.
That purple eye seemed to contain the power of a god.
Before it, they could not even summon the courage to resist.
"Quiet down."
Kai took another bite of his apple, as though none of this had anything to do with him.
"I like peace and quiet."
After wiping his mouth, his gaze settled once more upon the now-frozen Ōnoki and Rasa.
"From now on, I decide the rules of the shinobi world."
"You can choose to accept them."
"Or... end up like them."
He pointed toward the unconscious Yagura on the floor and the Raikage hanging from the wall.
"I'm planning to establish a brand-new organization."
"One that stands above every hidden village."
"The true center of power."
"Kirigakure is the first to join."
His voice was soft.
Yet every word echoed clearly throughout the room.
"I need more Jinchūriki for some interesting experiments."
"Will you deliver them yourselves?"
"Or should I come collect them personally?"
A naked threat.
An open declaration of war against every major power in the shinobi world.
No attempt at concealment.
No attempt at diplomacy.
Ōnoki and Rasa exchanged glances.
Both saw endless bitterness—and surrender—in the other's eyes.
The era had truly changed.
The age of the Five Kage standing as equals had ended.
And here, inside this small Hokage Office, it had been crushed by a young man named Uchiha Kai through the most tyrannical and unreasonable means imaginable.
Hiruzen Sarutobi watched everything in silence.
He picked up his fallen pipe, relit it, and took a long drag.
Looking at his nominal grandson—the young man who now effectively controlled two Great Shinobi Villages—a complicated smile appeared on his aged face.
Perhaps entrusting Konoha...
And even the entire world...
To him would not be such a bad thing.
At the very least, the new world he created would certainly be... interesting.
The Hokage Office fell into deathly silence.
The air itself seemed to have solidified into lead, pressing heavily upon everyone present.
The massive human-shaped crater in the wall, along with the charred Fourth Raikage embedded within it, formed a terrifying picture that silently proclaimed a single truth—
The era had been forcibly torn apart at this very moment.
Floating in midair, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki trembled slightly.
His aged eyes, which had witnessed countless storms throughout history, now contained unprecedented shock and fear.
He even felt as though his old back had gone completely numb from the impact of that irresistible force.
What kind of power was that?
A single glance.
Just a single glance had sent the Fourth Raikage—renowned for his overwhelming physical strength and speed—flying like an insignificant insect.
This had completely surpassed the realm of ninjutsu.
This was...
The domain of gods.
Rasa's face was paler than the gold dust beneath his feet.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
The Magnet Release Gold Dust he was so proud of had become as fragile as loose sand before that one-armed man.
Even his will to resist had collapsed instantly.
He could clearly sense that if the man desired it, the iron within his blood would be manipulated by an invisible force and tear him apart from the inside out.
Fear.
The purest fear born from the instinct to survive.
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