~ Every 100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter! Your votes keep this climbing. Thanks!
The light in the lab was sterile white.
Uzumaki Karin sat alone on the sofa, tears streaming down her face.
"Aaaaaah…"
"Boooo-hoooo…"
"Mmmff…"
Suigetsu winced and dug a finger in his ear. He wandered over to Orochimaru. "Lord Orochimaru… aren't you gonna do something about her?"
This racket was killing his eardrums.
"Suigetsu, Karin just needs to vent her grief," Kimimaro said softly, his own eyes heavy with sorrow. "Lord Heshu's departure hurts us all. We just… grieve differently."
Suigetsu's eye twitched. "…And this doesn't get on anyone's nerves?"
Kimimaro shook his head.
Orochimaru, busy at his workbench, didn't even look up. Just a slight shake of his head.
Suigetsu: "…"
Abandoned. He spotted the one person who seemed somewhat normal—Kabuto Yakushi. He sidled over.
"Hey, Kabuto. She's annoying, right? Tell me she's annoying."
Kabuto's mind was a storm. He looked up, his gaze cold and sharp as a scalpel.
"Get lost."
Suigetsu blinked, stunned. His face fell, genuinely wounded.
"What is wrong with this world?!" he cried, and stomped away dramatically.
Orochimaru was a master of reading people. He glanced at Kabuto, who was trying—and failing—to look perfectly composed. His tone was casual, almost conversational.
"You must feel the most adrift right now."
The test tube in Kabuto's hand trembled. His eyes remained fixed on the swirling liquid inside.
Forcing nonchalance.
"Finally had someone to belong to. And now… rootless once more." Orochimaru didn't wait for a reply. He simply went back to his work.
Kabuto stayed silent.
But it was true. Every word had hit its mark.
When the news of Heshu's death had come, the ground beneath Kabuto's feet had vanished. Again. He was back in the void, each step treacherous, unanchored. He felt weightless. A fragile, drifting thing. No, not even that—a tumbleweed had roots to break free from. He had none.
Night fell.
Long after the others had retired, Kabuto left the lab. The pale moonlight washed over him, so stark it seemed to bleach the color from his skin, making him translucent.
He wandered the mountain woods without purpose.
Konoha had never been home. Never would be. Before, the one who provided his roots was there. Now… that root was severed.
Tree branches swayed in the night breeze. Leaves whispered, a dry, rustling chorus.
Kabuto leaned against a tall tree trunk. Below the cliff, the skeleton of the new Konoha was taking shape. He stared, lost in the view.
A sound. In the woods.
His gaze sharpened. He turned, body tensed.
A shadow detached itself from the deeper darkness and stepped forward. The hood of a black cloak fell back.
Kabuto's eyes went wide. Shock melted away, replaced by a slow, creeping smile.
"I knew it," he breathed, the words full of dark relief. "There was no way someone like you could die so easily…"
His lips curled into that familiar, unsettling arc.
"Lord Hokage."
The figure—Tsukimi Heshu—pushed the cloak back fully. "I'm not the Hokage anymore. Don't call me that."
"Understood." Kabuto looked at the familiar face. His heart, that drifting thing, settled. Anchored. "Lord Heshu."
"I need your skills. Come with me."
Heshu's gaze held him.
Kabuto's smile widened, genuine this time. "My pleasure."
That night, the lab's headcount dropped by one.
The next morning.
Karin appeared, eyes puffy and red. "Where's Kabuto? Why isn't he back yet?" They sometimes went out for supplies, sure. But they always returned by dawn. It was nearly noon.
"He's not coming back," Orochimaru stated, not pausing as he organized instruments.
"What? Why?"
No answer. Karin always had 'whys'. Not all of them deserved one.
Kimimaro patted her shoulder gently. "He must have had… business of his own to attend to."
It was a weak comfort, but she accepted it.
Deep in a black rock cavern.
Heshu appeared in a swirl of chakra, Kabuto at his side.
Obito and Zetsu watched them approach.
A smile spread across Obito's masked face. "Welcome back, Heshu."
Heshu lowered his hood and returned the smile.
"And this is?" Obito's eye shifted to Kabuto.
Interesting, Kabuto thought. The relationship between this Akatsuki member and the former Hokage is… nuanced. This is getting more fascinating by the second.
"Kabuto Yakushi." He gave a curt nod to both men.
"He'll be useful later. Very useful," Heshu said to Obito, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
Obito nodded. "If you vouch for him, that's enough." His gaze studied Heshu. The man was alive, yes. But Hanataki was truly dead. He'd killed his own sister, yet showed no sign of it. Perhaps Obito had overestimated their bond. For now, Heshu was a powerful asset. One he needed to keep close, keep… content.
"Only the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails remain," Obito stated.
"We don't need to hunt them," Heshu countered.
"Why not?" Obito and Zetsu focused on him.
"The Five Kage Summit is happening. They'll hide those two where we can't find them. Wasting time on a hide-and-seek game is pointless." Heshu's logic was cold, sharp. "Once the war starts, the Eight and Nine-Tails, as major military assets, will have to take the field. Capturing them then will be trivial."
Obito stared at him for a long moment. Then, a slow chuckle. "True."
"We just need to deliver the declaration. Give the Five Kage time to prepare. Not that it will help them much." A faint, humorless smile touched Heshu's lips.
Kabuto's mind raced. The information in that short exchange was staggering. Tail-beast collection. A major war. The Five Kage Summit.
"You handle the declaration," Heshu said to Obito. "Leave the war to me. Don't worry. The results won't disappoint."
He turned and walked deeper into the cavern, Kabuto following like a shadow.
Obito watched his retreating back, silent.
After the 'death' of the Fifth Hokage, Tsukimi Heshu, a new, sharper fear gripped the shinobi world.
The Five Kage Summit was called.
On the eve of the summit, Konoha was embroiled in its own turmoil—selecting a Sixth Hokage.
"An Uchiha will never be Hokage!"
"Lord Fifth trusted the Uchiha! And how did they repay him?"
"I will not support an Uchiha for the Sixth!"
"But Shisui Uchiha's strength is unmatched! He's the obvious choice!"
"If we're picking by strength, Neji Hyuga is no slouch either!"
"He's too young!"
"Too young? You dare question age? Lord Fifth was the same age when he took office! He led Konoha brilliantly!"
"You compare everyone to Lord Fifth?"
"Not everyone! But Neji was his student!"
"None of them! Lord Jiraiya is in the village! His prestige, power, age, and reputation make him perfect!"
"The question is, does Lord Jiraiya want it?"
"And Lady Tsunade!"
"Lady Tsunade returned to pay her respects! She's a candidate!"
"Exactly! By legacy, she's the Third's student and the Fifth's teacher! By power, she's a Legendary Sannin, the world's greatest medic!"
The meeting room buzzed like a marketplace.
Nara Sōsai, seated at the head, finally spoke. A single, quiet command. "Enough."
He turned to an aide. "Summon Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade."
The room fell silent. Grudgingly. The Fifth had entrusted all authority to Nara Sōsai. No one could challenge that.
In the end, the Sixth Hokage was Tsunade.
It felt less like an inauguration and more like a desperate rescue mission. There was no time for ceremony. Tsunade, with Shizune and Sakura in tow, headed straight for the Summit.
Winter arrived silently.
The world was blanketed in white. An endless expanse of pristine snow.
Sakura and Shizune followed Tsunade, their boots crunching, leaving a trail of deep footprints in the unbroken sheet.
They arrived at the Summit site, hurried. The other four Kage were already seated.
"Lord Hokage."
Tsunade's fame preceded her. They recognized her instantly.
The greetings were brief, tense. They took their seats—massive stone chairs carved with their village symbols—and got down to business. The Eight and Nine-Tails.
"There's no debate. They must be hidden!" The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, frowned, his brow deeply lined.
"Hide them? That's cowardice!" The Fourth Raikage, A, slammed his fist on the arm of his chair. The stone cracked. "A real man fights on the front lines! We take the fight to Akatsuki!"
Ōnoki snorted. "A fool's gambit."
"What did you say?!" A's eyes bulged, his breath steaming in the cold air.
"Doing as you say would be delivering the last two beasts directly to the enemy! Hastening the world's end!" Ōnoki shot him a dismissive look. "Our priority is their security. As long as one beast remains free, we retain our final hope!"
Even the old Tsuchikage was agitated. No one had foreseen this—the Five Great Nations united against a single organization.
"I agree with the Tsuchikage." The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, spoke, his face as stern and unyielding as ever. "Given the current situation, protecting the Nine and Eight-Tails is paramount."
The Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi, nodded. "I concur." Her reasoning aligned with Rasa's.
The Raikage's gaze swung to Tsunade, seeking a final ally.
"I also support the Tsuchikage's proposal." Tsunade met his eyes, her expression serious. "We cannot stake every last chip on a single battle."
A gritted his teeth, then looked down. "…Fine."
"My, my. What a lively gathering."
The voice was wrong. Alien. It slithered into the room.
None of the Kage panicked. But their attention snapped to the center of the floor.
A bizarre, plant-like figure rose from the stone. White and black halves. It looked around.
"Just here to deliver a little reminder," Zetsu said, its smile mocking. "The Shinobi World War… is about to begin."
Tsunade's brow furrowed. "What?"
"Nonsense!" The Raikage moved. A blur of purple lightning. He was before Zetsu in an instant, a massive hand closing around its neck. CRUNCH.
"Raikage, wait!"
Too late.
A tossed the limp form aside like trash. "Are we supposed to believe the words of Akatsuki scum?"
The others paused. "…A fair point."
"Why not believe us?" a new, deeper voice echoed from above. "We've never lied to you people. Not about this."
They looked up.
A cloaked figure stood on the ledge of a high stone pillar.
"I don't listen to Akatsuki trash-talk!" Lightning erupted around A again. He vanished. Reappeared behind the masked man in a blast of speed and fury. "DIE!"
His fist slammed forward.
And passed straight through the man's head.
"Nani?!" A's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A miss?" Rasa murmured.
"No." Tsunade's voice was hard. The man hadn't dodged. The Raikage's attack had phased through him. Like hitting a ghost.
"Save your energy," the masked man—Tobi—said, his voice flat. "Listen first. Your answer will decide things."
He looked at the stunned Raikage.
"Calm down, Raikage!" Ōnoki barked. "Hearing him out costs us nothing!"
"Tch!" A backed off, lightning still crackling around him.
"Now. Will you listen?" Tobi asked.
"Why?" Rasa demanded first. "Why capture the tailed beasts?"
"To proceed with the Eye of the Moon Plan."
"What is this 'plan'?"
"The Uchiha have a stone tablet, passed down for generations. It lies beneath Konoha still. It holds the secrets of the Sage of Six Paths. Without the proper ocular power, you cannot even read it." Tobi's tone was lecturing, almost bored. "With the Sharingan, the Mangekyō, the Rinnegan… the revealed text expands. Do you know why the Sage is worshipped as a god?"
"This is my goal. Akatsuki's goal."
"The Sage once saved the world from a monster. The tailed beasts are fragments of that monster. The collective form of all nine. The entity with the ultimate chakra."
"The Ten-Tails."
He spun the tale. The Ten-Tails. The Sage. The creation of the moon. How much was truth, how much was his and Zetsu's fabrication? Only they knew.
"To control the world with a grand illusion. To create a world without strife, without borders. A world where everything becomes one with me."
"This is my Eye of the Moon Plan."
"Like hell!" A exploded again. "I'll never hand the world over to a madman like you!"
Gaara also spoke, his voice quiet but firm. "Peace built on an illusion is a lie. True peace must be achieved in reality to have meaning. The Fifth Hokage said that once. I still believe it."
Tobi chuckled. A low, ominous sound. "Good. I hope you hold onto that belief until the very end."
His voice dropped, turning icy. "Hand over the Nine and Eight-Tails. Or we go to war."
The word hung in the cold air.
War.
They'd braced for it. But hearing it declared so casually… the weight was immense. It pressed down on the room.
"Since you refuse to yield… I have no choice."
Tobi spread his arms. A declaration.
"The Fourth Shinobi World War."
"I hereby declare it."
───── ⊹ ⊹ ─────
📖 Main story COMPLETED + Bonus Stories ongoing on Patre\on
🔍 Search:p a t r e o n.com/GoldenLong
───── ⊹ ⊹ ─────