"Next is the Nine-Tails. That blond brat has the Nine-Tails too. Let's deal with him first!"
Everyone in the Akatsuki instantly locked their eyes on Naruto, their killing intent overflowing.
Naruto's face changed at once.
The Nine-Tails' chakra he had finally managed to gather had just been completely swallowed by the Preta Path. His body was empty now, with nothing left except exhaustion.
Yukio stood beside Naruto. His face also showed a trace of panic. Gritting his teeth, he was about to open Karma's portal and take Naruto away first.
Just then...
Space suddenly twisted, and a figure wearing a new mask appeared out of nowhere.
Uchiha Obito stood above them and said coldly, "Naruto... and that Arisu's son... take them both."
The moment he finished speaking, he was about to make his move.
A figure dropped from the sky.
BOOM!!!
The huge impact sent dust flying everywhere, and the ground cracked like a spiderweb.
As the dust slowly settled, Arisu walked out, casually brushing the dirt off his clothes. His expression was as calm as if he had only gone for a walk.
"Father!!!"
"Uncle Arisu!!!"
Yukio and Naruto's eyes lit up at the same time. Their voices were filled with excitement and hope.
Behind the mask, Uchiha Obito's pupils suddenly shrank in shock.
The Six Paths of Pain also turned to look at Obito with questioning eyes.
'Didn't you say you'd deal with Arisu yourself?'
"Y-You?! Weren't you trapped in my other dimension?!", Obito asked, his voice shaking.
Arisu smiled faintly.
"I already told you. Your Uchiha Madara is nothing more than a child in front of me. Now, this attack on Konoha... is over."
As soon as he finished speaking, Arisu took a fighting stance, and chakra began flowing from his body.
Obito reacted almost instantly and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Arisu is here! Run!!"
The moment he finished, he immediately activated Kamui without the slightest hesitation. His body quickly twisted and disappeared into the swirling space.
The Six Paths of Pain and Konan exchanged a glance. Without saying a word, they immediately retreated, taking the sealed Gaara with them.
Kakuzu, Tobi, White Zetsu, and Uchiha Itachi also turned and fled without any hesitation.
Sasori, Kisame, Deidara, and Hidan stood where they were with ugly expressions.
"Damn... everyone in the organization ran?"
Deidara gritted his teeth.
Kisame pulled at the corner of his mouth, while Samehada trembled uneasily on his shoulder.
Sasori and Hidan also knew that staying meant certain death. The four looked at each other, then quickly used their own jutsu and fled in different directions.
In an instant, the Akatsuki, who had been so imposing just moments ago, scattered like frightened birds.
Arisu stood where he was, watching them disappear into the distance. The corner of his mouth twitched, but he made no move to chase them.
Meanwhile, in an alley among Konoha's ruins, Sasuke lay on the cold stone ground. His body was covered in dust and small scrapes.
Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. His head still throbbed as if it had been smashed by a heavy hammer.
"Damn it..."
Uchiha Sasuke pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes. He could still feel the overwhelming mental pressure left inside his mind, like a needle stabbing into his nerves.
He only remembered the last thing he saw...
Uchiha Itachi had simply glanced at him. He had done nothing else, yet Sasuke had immediately lost consciousness.
"Is this all I've got?!"
Sasuke suddenly clenched his teeth. His hands gripped the ground so tightly that his knuckles turned white, while his eyes were blood red.
"Against Uchiha Itachi... I couldn't do anything! I wasn't even qualified to interfere!!"
Everything that had happened today had dealt him a huge blow.
He couldn't even step onto the battlefield of people his own age.
Even Naruto had already left him far behind.
Anger, unwillingness, and humiliation burned inside his chest like fire.
"I have to become stronger... I have to become stronger!!"
Uchiha Sasuke's face twisted fiercely. He bit down so hard it seemed his teeth would bleed. His voice echoed softly through the empty alley like the growl of a wild beast.
The attack on Konoha had finally come to an end, but the whole village was still covered by a heavy shadow.
Because Minato Namikaze had severely overused his chakra and suffered serious injuries, he was lying in the hospital receiving emergency treatment and could not attend the meeting.
The temporary meeting hall was brightly lit, and the atmosphere was especially heavy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado were all present.
They had originally been under house arrest, but because they had helped protect the village during this crisis, Arisu had specially allowed them to attend the meeting and voice their opinions.
Danzo was the first to break the silence.
"The position of Hokage is now vacant. The village is facing an unprecedented crisis. Someone with enough strength and prestige must temporarily take over as Hokage to steady everyone's hearts."
"I recommend... Arisu!"
Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado nodded almost immediately.
"We also support recommending Arisu."
Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke at once.
"I agree as well."
The heads of Konoha's major ninja clans also voiced their support one after another. The Hyuga, Sarutobi, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka... every major clan unanimously supported Arisu.
Not a single person objected. The entire meeting hall was filled with voices of agreement.
Sitting in the main seat, Arisu rubbed his forehead with one hand. His face was full of helplessness and exhaustion.
"...Looks like I really can't get away from it this time."
Including this time, this was already the third time he had taken the Hokage's seat.
He had thought he would finally have an easier life, but fate kept pushing him back into this position.
Everyone in the meeting hall looked at him, waiting for his answer.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Arisu slowly lowered his hand, looked around at everyone present, and finally let out a quiet sigh.
"I understand. I'll temporarily serve as Acting Hokage. I accept.", Arisu announced.
As soon as he finished speaking, quiet sighs of relief spread throughout the meeting hall.
At Konoha's hardest moment, it seemed the village finally had a new pillar to rely on.
Since Arisu had done a good job as Acting Hokage before, everyone had always wanted him to take the position.
———
Late that night, Arisu returned home wearing the Hokage robe.
Tsunade had already been waiting at the entrance for quite a while.
"So, you're Hokage again?"
Tsunade looked at Arisu with a teasing smile.
Arisu tugged at the Hokage robe and sighed helplessly.
"They're really making my life difficult..."
"Come on. Isn't being Hokage good enough? With your ability, you should be the Daimyo instead."
Tsunade gave Arisu a kiss.
Then she said, "Oh, right. That kid from the Uchiha clan came. He said he wants to see you."
Arisu raised an eyebrow. He had already sensed it.
"Alright."
Arisu walked into the living room and saw Sasuke and Yukio sitting on the sofa waiting for him.
"So, it's Sasuke. You wanted to see me alone?"
Arisu slowly took off his Hokage hat and placed it on the table.
Uchiha Sasuke took a deep breath, then made a bold decision.
"Lord Hokage, I want to become your student!"