"Old man, are we family or not?"
Kakuzu couldn't help asking.
Arisu raised a brow when he heard that. "Of course we are. You, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, we're all family."
Kakuzu hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. "Then... can you tell me who you really are? You don't seem to be just the First Hokage..."
Hearing that, Arisu also felt it was time to tell Kakuzu his real identity.
"Kakuzu, I am...", As he spoke, Arisu slowly pointed toward the portrait of the Sage of Six Paths worshipped in the shop.
Kakuzu followed the direction of his finger. He froze for a moment, then his expression gradually turned to shock. His pupils trembled as he looked at Arisu in disbelief, as if asking for confirmation...
Arisu glanced outside and slowly revealed his true form.
A peerlessly handsome young man with red lips and white teeth appeared before Kakuzu.
Kakuzu raised a trembling hand. Seeing the Sage of Six Paths standing before him, his lips shook, then he dropped to his knees with a shiver.
"Mortal Kakuzu greets the Sage of Six Paths!"
Kakuzu knelt on the ground, his heart in complete chaos. His excitement couldn't be hidden.
Good heavens, the Sage of Six Paths was actually standing right in front of him!
The faith of the entire ninja world...
The only creator god of the ninja world...
A true god.
And he had been by his side this whole time.
Thinking back to how his old mission had been assassinating the Sage of Six Paths, Kakuzu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Seeing this, Arisu bent down and helped Kakuzu up.
"You don't need to be so formal with me, Kakuzu.", Arisu said with a warm smile.
It could only be said that the thousand-year faith in the Sage of Six Paths was too deeply rooted.
"Thank you, Sage!"
Kakuzu looked at Arisu excitedly. God of Wealth, this was the real God of Wealth.
"You should still call me old man. Remember, keep my identity secret."
With a turn, Arisu changed back into the bearded middle-aged man from before.
Kakuzu nodded hard. Just thinking that he was actually family with the Sage of Six Paths made him feel that maybe one day the Sage would make him the God of Wealth of the ninja world.
———
The internal conflict of the Uchiha clan finally came to an end.
Relying on Izanami, Uchiha Kaede perfectly countered her opponent's Izanagi and ended the brutal clan conflict.
At nearly the same time, friction between Konoha and Kumogakure along the border became more frequent, and war was on the verge of breaking out.
To prevent the situation from worsening further, protect the hard-earned peace between the two nations, and stop another ninja world war from erupting, Uchiha Izuna firmly decided to personally travel to Kumogakure and mediate peace talks.
That day, Uchiha Izuna entered the territory of the Land of Lightning with several direct disciples.
———
Inside Kumogakure, Kinkaku and Ginkaku were secretly plotting.
"That lord hasn't given any orders. Everything is up to us.", Kinkaku said in a low voice.
Ginkaku nodded slightly, his expression serious, "Too bad we have no way to contact that lord ourselves."
"So what do we do next?" Kinkaku looked at Ginkaku.
A cold and crafty smile curved on Ginkaku's lips, "Since nobody's controlling us, this is perfect for fulfilling our wish. I've wanted to take control of all of Kumogakure for a long time."
Kinkaku immediately understood and revealed a strange vicious grin, "Exactly what I wanted too! I just happen to control all of Kumogakure's elite forces."
"In that case... we'll use the day of the peace talks to launch a coup inside the village."
The two quietly schemed as danger stirred beneath the surface.
"But on that day, Konoha's Fourth Hokage will also be there. That person..." Ginkaku suddenly hesitated.
Kinkaku thought for a moment, then his eyes turned fierce. "Dragging Konoha into this will definitely be troublesome. But if that Hokage insists on getting in our way, we'll kill him too!"
———
On the day of the talks, the atmosphere inside the core meeting hall of the Raikage building in Kumogakure was solemn.
Documents covered the long wooden table, listing difficult issues such as border disputes between the two nations, the division of interests among smaller countries, and the handling of border conflicts.
Uchiha Izuna and the Second Raikage sat facing each other.
After several hours of verbal clashes and weighing gains and losses, the discussion always revolved around the peace of both villages and the stability of the ninja world.
Uchiha Izuna clearly analyzed the hidden dangers of war. Using long-term peace as the foundation, he gradually resolved the Second Raikage's concerns one by one.
Every sentence struck at the key point of coexistence and mutual benefit between the two villages, and in the end he completely convinced the ruler of Kumogakure.
When the dust finally settled, Konoha and Kumogakure officially reached reconciliation. They decided to calm all border disputes and work together to maintain regional stability.
"Thank you, Lord Raikage, for seeing the bigger picture. May both villages end all conflict forever. Long live peace."
The sharpness in Uchiha Izuna's eyes faded after the negotiations ended. A genuine smile appeared on his face as he took the initiative to shake the Second Raikage's hand.
"As expected of the grandson of the First Hokage. I truly admire you!"
"Long live peace."
The Second Raikage's expression relaxed as he returned a serious yet warm smile.
Just as the two thought everything was over and the matter had reached a perfect ending...
A furious roar suddenly exploded through the hall.
"Banana Fan: Five Elements Upheaval!!!"
At some unknown moment, Kinkaku had already barged into the meeting hall. Holding the Banana Fan tightly in his hand, he swung it violently, and the five chakra natures of fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth erupted together in chaos.
They fused into a devastating combined attack... and blasted directly toward the two who were shaking hands in peace.
"What?! What are you people from Kumogakure trying to do?!"
Uchiha Izuna's pupils suddenly shrank as his extreme sense of danger instantly sounded the alarm.
The Second Raikage was also completely dumbfounded. He had no idea why Kinkaku and Ginkaku suddenly attacked.
He had never planned to kill Uchiha Izuna at all.
Uchiha Izuna's instincts as one of the Uchiha clan's top experts moved faster than thought itself. His scarlet Sharingan spun rapidly as a translucent silver Susanoo instantly formed.
A heavy skeletal frame spread open violently, firmly shielding both himself and the Second Raikage behind it.
BOOM!!!
An earth-shaking explosion instantly swept through the entire Raikage building.
The hard stone walls exploded apart as rubble and dust flew everywhere. The terrifying shockwave destroyed all the furnishings inside the hall, and the roar echoed across the skies of Kumogakure.
Danzo and Hiruzen Sarutobi, waiting in a nearby room on standby, felt their hearts shake violently. Their expressions changed drastically.
"This is bad! Teacher!"
The two cried out in alarm. They didn't dare delay for even a second as they immediately activated chakra and rushed desperately toward the meeting hall.
When the spreading dust gradually cleared...
Inside the ruined hall...
"Cough cough cough..."
Uchiha Izuna was kneeling heavily on one knee. One hand tightly covered his bleeding eye, while the spiritual body of the Susanoo around him was covered in cracks like a spiderweb.
It was obvious he had forcefully endured a fatal blow and was using the last of his strength to keep himself standing.
As for the Second Raikage, who had just shaken hands and made peace with him moments earlier, he had already been blasted into a charred corpse by the power of the five elements.
He collapsed lifelessly onto the ground, burned into charcoal and sent off to the Pure Land to enjoy himself.
Kinkaku and Ginkaku slowly walked forward with cruel bloodthirsty smiles on their faces.
"Looks like you're pretty tough, Uchiha Izuna..."