In another world—far from New York, far from anything resembling normalcy—the Hidden Leaf Village was on edge.
Inside the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat behind his desk, a thick book resting in his hands. His usual calm had hardened into something more serious.
In front of him, several operatives restrained a young man wearing plain glasses.
Kabuto Yakushi.
Or what was left of him.
His eyes were unfocused, his body limp, as if his mind had been scooped out and left somewhere else. A scar-faced interrogator stood beside him, one hand pressed against Kabuto's head, extracting memories with practiced precision.
After several long minutes, the interrogator pulled back and exhaled.
"It's confirmed, Lord Hokage," he said. "Everything matches what's written in the Book of Prophecy. Kabuto was planted here by Orochimaru. The plan to destroy the village… it's real."
Hiruzen took a slow drag from his pipe, the smoke curling upward as his thoughts darkened.
"I see."
His gaze dropped to the book again.
A record of the future. Wars. Catastrophes. Secrets that should never have been uncovered, all laid bare in ink.
"Call an emergency meeting," he said at last. "All senior ninja, the council, command staff. We don't have the luxury of waiting anymore."
The interrogator hesitated. "And Kabuto?"
Hiruzen looked at the unconscious young man.
"In the future, he becomes far more dangerous," he said quietly. "But right now, he's not there yet."
A pause.
"Lock him away. Maximum security. We'll decide what to do with him later."
—
Half an hour later, the village's leadership had assembled.
Each of them held a copy of the same book.
No one looked surprised.
The Book of Prophecy had already spread beyond containment. It had started in civilian towns, picked up speed like wildfire, and by the time the Hidden Leaf realized what was happening, it was already everywhere.
Most of the people in the room had read it.
Now they were forced to confront it.
The contents were staggering.
Ancient powers. The Ten-Tails. A war that would engulf the entire world.
And at the center of it all—again and again—the Hidden Leaf.
Hiruzen set his pipe aside. "You've all read it. We've confirmed enough to treat it as reliable."
He scanned the room.
"Now that you know what's coming… what do we do?"
Shikaku Nara spoke first, his tone measured.
"We start by removing key threats early. Capture Kabuto. Eliminate Orochimaru. Without them, a lot of what's described—especially the reanimation techniques and large-scale war—becomes much harder to execute."
He paused, then added, "There's another angle."
Everyone looked at him.
"Madara Uchiha."
A ripple of tension passed through the room.
Shikaku continued, "That resurrection method—right now, it's not fully developed. And the knowledge of it is limited."
He leaned forward slightly.
"If we act first… we can control it."
The room fell silent.
"Explain," someone said.
"We summon him ourselves," Shikaku said. "Using a weaker version of the technique. Then we seal him permanently."
Understanding dawned.
"If his soul is already bound under our control," Shikaku went on, "no one else can bring him back. No one else can use him."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then heads began to nod.
It was a brutal solution.
But it was effective.
Hiruzen allowed himself a faint smile. "That's exactly the kind of thinking we need."
He straightened. "With this book, the future isn't hidden anymore. We know our enemies, their abilities, their plans. That gives us an advantage—if we're careful."
Kakashi Hatake spoke up next. "Naruto and Sasuke need protection. If things spiral out of control… they're our best chance."
Danzo Shimura cut in immediately. "Naruto, yes. He should be trained properly. But Sasuke—he's a risk."
The room shifted.
Several people exchanged glances.
Given what the book revealed about the Uchiha massacre, Danzo's stance didn't exactly inspire confidence.
Hiruzen raised a hand, cutting off any argument before it could start.
"We'll assign protection to both of them," he said firmly. "After the Chunin Exams, Naruto will begin specialized training. Sasuke's situation… we'll reassess."
Then, after a brief pause, he added, "There's one more matter."
The room stilled again.
"Noah Vale."
That name alone was enough.
The Book of Prophecy hadn't said much about him directly. But what little it did include painted a picture that was… unsettling.
Shikaku exhaled quietly. "We should avoid provoking him. At all costs."
Several others nodded.
"Agreed," someone said. "If even half of what's implied is true… we're not equipped to deal with him."
Before anyone could add more, a masked operative appeared in the room, dropping to one knee.
"Lord Hokage. We've just received confirmation."
A beat.
"Noah Vale has arrived in the village."
Silence.
Heavy. Immediate.
"…Where?" Hiruzen asked.
"With Sasuke Uchiha."
That didn't help.
If anything, it made things worse.
Around the table, tension spiked. Some of the younger operatives stiffened. Others looked away, visibly uneasy.
Hiruzen cleared his throat, forcing calm back into the room.
"Stay here," he said. "Don't panic. I'll handle this."
He stood and made his way out.
—
Elsewhere in the village, Noah Vale stood casually in the open street, as if he belonged there.
Sasuke faced him, arms crossed.
"So," Noah said, glancing around, "how badly have things gone off-script?"
Sasuke didn't hesitate. "Pretty badly."
He gestured vaguely. "After your book got out, the Fourth Kazekage never made it here. Disappeared on the way. Everyone already knows he was killed and replaced by Orochimaru."
Noah let out a quiet laugh. "That'll do it."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Honestly? Compared to everything else, you're the bigger problem."
Noah raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You've read what you wrote, right?" Sasuke said flatly. "You know how it makes you look."
Noah actually chuckled at that.
"I might've… gotten carried away," he admitted. "Once I started writing, things escalated."
That was putting it lightly.
What began as a straightforward account of events had slowly twisted into something far more chaotic. Subtle edits here and there. Implications layered into the narrative. Enough to completely shift how certain parts of the story felt.
The result?
A version of history that was technically accurate… but wildly distorted in tone.
And now the entire world was reacting to it.
Noah seemed entirely unbothered.
If anything, he looked amused.
And that, more than anything else, made Sasuke uneasy.