Several days had passed since Sarutobi Hiruzen led the delegation to Kumogakure to establish an alliance treaty, yet there had been no word from them.
Moreover, the Sarutobi and Shimura clans had vanished overnight.
As the news spread, panic instantly swept through the Leaf Village.
The major noble clans were abuzz with discussion, everyone speculating about what could have happened.
Senju Tobirama had quietly resolved the hidden threats posed by the two clans, but the people of Konoha remained completely unaware of this.
They could only assume that some enemy in the shadows had struck, with some even speculating that both clans had been exterminated.
This thought sent a chill through the hearts of every clan in Konoha.
Soon, news arrived from Kumogakure.
The Gold and Silver Brothers, leading an elite force, had staged a coup, killing the Second Raikage before turning their blades on Konoha's alliance delegation.
In the ensuing chaotic battle, Konoha's entire alliance team was wiped out. Ginkaku was slain, while Kinkaku suffered severe injuries and disappeared without a trace.
When the nations of the Ninja World and the major hidden villages learned of this, and discovered that Konoha had dispatched its newly appointed Third Hokage, an uproar ensued.
"Hahaha! Konoha has suffered a heavy loss this time!"
"The new Hokage has fallen! Konoha has taken a massive blow this time!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, I'd really love to see the look on Senju Tobirama's face."
For a time, the entire Ninja World waited to see Konoha become a laughingstock.
Yet Senju Tobirama, the Second Hokage and the mastermind behind it all, paid it no mind.
He continued to oversee all village affairs, supported by the unanimous trust of Konoha's populace.
"Relay my order: Announce to the outside world that Konoha has never appointed a Third Hokage. All previous reports were false information!"
Tobirama's directive quickly spread throughout the nations of the Ninja World, plunging the major hidden villages into heated discussion once more.
The higher-ups of various countries couldn't quite grasp Tobirama's intentions, but they all understood one thing clearly: Tobirama himself had not gone to Kumogakure this time.
Otherwise, he would have been the one to perish.
Although many wished to seize this opportunity to gain some advantage from Konoha, with the Ninja World's strongest individual, Senju Tobirama, still alive and well, no one dared to invite trouble upon themselves.
Inside the Hokage Building of Konoha, the head of the engineering department stood cautiously before Tobirama, hesitating before he spoke.
"Lord Second Hokage... about the stone sculpture of the Third Hokage... should we continue carving it?"
Tobirama, who had been reviewing official documents, looked up at him, his expression grave.
Seeing this, the department head instantly realized his blunder and hurriedly bowed in apology.
"My apologies, Lord Second Hokage! I spoke out of turn! Konoha has not appointed a Third Hokage. I was confused!"
Tobirama waved his hand, signaling for the man to leave.
After finishing the documents at hand, he couldn't help but gaze in the direction of the village, a flicker of light in his eyes.
His own fate had been completely rewritten. Now, it was time to carefully plan for the upcoming Second Group Assembly.
When the World Ranking List opened, where would his world rank?
In the world of the Fifth Hokage Tsunade, the entire Leaf Village stood ready under her orders.
All squads on external missions had been recalled.
"Have all squads returned?"
"Lady Tsunade, they are all back!"
Hearing Shizune's reply, Tsunade let out a slight sigh of relief.
With Konoha now facing the formidable enemy Pain, even she was filled with anxiety.
Although Jiraiya had sent back intelligence, the enemy could attack at any moment.
She wasn't sure if Konoha could hold out until the Second Group Assembly began.
Fortunately, Naruto had already been sent to Mount Myoboku to train in Sage Art, and all Konoha ninja had returned to their posts.
It shouldn't be a problem to hold out until reinforcements arrived.
All she could do now was pray that the Group Assembly would convene as soon as possible.
As for the World Ranking List function, Tsunade had no mind to spare for it.
With the loss of Jiraiya, a top-tier combatant, her world likely wouldn't achieve a good ranking. It was better to pin all her hopes on the Cross-World Mutual Aid Function being activated.
Meanwhile, in Aoki's Hokage world, Minato Namikaze finally received a reply from Jiraiya.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Jiraiya has sent a message back!"
Minato presented the intelligence to Aoki, who took it and read.
The letter stated: Minato, inform Aoki that I have found the Akatsuki here. Its leader is actually one of the three disciples I took in after the Second Shinobi World War. I have already explained your plan and objectives to Yahiko, and they are quite interested. After negotiating with the three of them, they have agreed to return to Konoha with me, bringing the Akatsuki along. Minato, by the time you receive this message, we will already be on our way back to Konoha and will arrive in a few days.
After reading the contents, Aoki couldn't hide his joy—this was incredibly good news.
With the Akatsuki subdued, Konoha's strength would undoubtedly rise to another level.
He was certain that in the upcoming World Ranking List, his world would rank near the top, perhaps even take the number one spot.
The only potential rival was likely the world of the First Hokage, Hashirama.
However, Aoki firmly believed his world would surpass it.
Everything would be revealed once the World Ranking List was activated.
Days passed one after another. Aoki sat in his office, pondering strategies to further strengthen Konoha.
Suddenly, a system prompt echoed in his mind: Chat Group meeting triggered. Would you like to initiate the second Group Assembly?
"Finally, the time has come."
A faint smile curled at the corner of Aoki's lips. Three months had passed in the blink of an eye, and Konoha's reorganization was complete.
Without hesitation, he responded in his mind.
"Initiate!"