"Has another half year passed already?"
Aoki pushed the documents in front of him aside and couldn't help but look out the window. He gazed at the present-day Konoha, which was no longer just a Hidden Village—it had become the capital of the Land of Fire, its urban scale far surpassing that of the former capital. The title "Land of Fire" was now merely a formality.
All affairs were decided by Hokage Aoki's orders. Konoha had essentially become the Land of Fire itself. Though the lands outside the city still bore the name of the Land of Fire, the true center of power lay entirely within Konoha.
"Hokage-sama, all documents have been processed. Please review them."
Just as Aoki was lost in thought, a voice brought him back to reality. The one handing over the documents was Pakura. Since the Sand Hidden Village surrendered and became Konoha's Wind Division, she had been serving there. After nearly half a year of integration, matters of the Wind Division still required timely reporting. Aoki kept Pakura by his side precisely for this purpose.
As for Rasa, why keep a grown man around? And that old woman Chiyo was even less worthy of his attention. After all, life should be pleasing to the eye, and Pakura's appearance and figure happened to suit his tastes perfectly.
Aoki took the documents, casually flipped through a few pages, and nodded in approval. Now that everything was running smoothly, there were no particularly troublesome matters.
"Well done, Pakura. I should go teach my foolish disciples."
Hearing Aoki's words, Pakura rolled her eyes helplessly. She truly disagreed with Aoki's assessment of Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha. Those two children possessed talent that could be called heaven-defying; even Pakura felt envious upon seeing them. Yet in Aoki's words, they were "foolish disciples"—it was far too pretentious.
Soon, Aoki arrived at the training ground, where Shisui Uchiha and the others were already waiting. Besides Shisui and Itachi, there was also a girl standing beside them—Hyuga Hinata, a genius carefully selected by the Hyuga clan.
Aoki naturally accepted the genius sent by the Hyuga clan with pleasure. This was both a means to consolidate his rule and a gesture of importance toward the Hyuga clan. When Hinata learned she could become Aoki's disciple, she was overjoyed. From that day on, she followed Aoki closely as his student.
Having such a beautiful companion by his side all day long brought Aoki great satisfaction. With Aoki's arrival, the training for the three officially began.
The World of the First Hokage
"Brother, the problems with those small countries are too many. The daimyo of various nations have all reported that other major powers have been pressuring them! It won't be long before they likely collapse." Tobirama bowed and reported.
Listening to Tobirama's words, the First Hokage Senju Hashirama waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about those daimyo. Right now, the most important thing is to conquer all the surrounding small countries. In the past half year, we've already taken the Land of Grass, the Land of Rain, and the Land of Waterfalls. We're still far from the plan we set half a year ago."
Hashirama spoke slowly, while Tobirama sighed helplessly. He unfolded the map and pointed to several small countries already marked on it. "Brother, with your strength, conquering these small nations would naturally be as easy as turning over your hand. But according to your plan, we must fully integrate these small countries into the Land of Fire, making them true territory—that is the most difficult part. Just controlling these three nations has taken us half a year. Continuing the campaign would only increase risks without proportional gains."
Hashirama was also filled with helplessness. He had originally thought conquering these small nations would be effortless, but unexpected complications arose during the process. If not for Tobirama's assistance, they might not have fully controlled these three countries even after half a year.
With half a year already gone, Hashirama reluctantly gave up on continuing the campaign. Pressing forward now was unrealistic; it was better to shift focus to developing Konoha's various affairs.
"I wonder if I can take first place this time."
The World of the Second Hokage
Half a year had passed since the last gathering.
Over these months, the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, personally led the army in active campaigns. Compared to the First Hokage Hashirama, Tobirama had always been decisive. As the Second Hokage, he considered matters more maturely and comprehensively. Enhancing Konoha's national power had long become his obsession. Having failed to rank in the top three at the last gathering, this time he was determined to achieve his goal.
Seeing that the Land of Grass was already within his grasp, Tobirama did not hesitate. He personally led the army in launching the final assault.
"Hurry! Take the Land of Grass as quickly as possible! Anyone who resists, kill them without mercy!"
The World of the Fourth Hokage
Minato, holding power in Konoha, emulated Aoki's approach and began attacking the surrounding small nations. However, the results were far from expected. In half a year, he only managed to conquer the Land of Grass.
Minato looked at Konoha as it was now and sighed helplessly. Taking only one small nation in half a year—he feared that Konoha in other worlds had already completed their campaigns.
Fortunately, his wife had been pregnant during these six months and was about to give birth. Minato's focus gradually shifted away from developing Konoha. After all, he was about to become a father for the first time, and this overwhelming joy had already surpassed everything else.
The World of the Fifth Hokage Tsunade
Half a year flew by, and with the Hokage Gathering approaching, Tsunade grew increasingly anxious. During these six months, Konoha had been steadily developing, but one problem remained unresolved—Danzo was still alive.
In the previous world, Sarutobi Hiruzen had died, and Asuma Sarutobi was also gone. Tsunade had momentarily forgotten about the hidden threat of Danzo. Over the past half year, Tsunade had never seen Danzo. He lived in seclusion, and his condescending attitude filled her with disgust. Moreover, the thought that beneath his bandages lay cells from her grandfather stirred a surge of hatred within her.
She had already gathered evidence and was determined to make Danzo pay this time. Tsunade ordered Kakashi to summon all Jonin, ready to act at any moment.
The World of Tsunade from the Path of the Ninja
Over the past six months, Tsunade's actions proceeded exceptionally smoothly. She successively campaigned against the surrounding small nations without encountering any significant resistance. Looking at the expanded territory in her hands, a sudden wave of joy surged in Tsunade's heart. She felt that her world would surely take first place this time.
But just as Tsunade was contemplating how to shine at the Hokage Gathering, Shizune poured cold water on her enthusiasm, reminding her of the massive debt still unpaid and the mountains of paperwork piled up in her office waiting to be handled.
Everything in this world was inverted. The originally gentle Shizune was exceptionally fierce here.
A fleeting shadow of worry crossed Tsunade's face, yet she firmly believed that everything she had done to strengthen Konoha was worth it.
Parallel World of Infinite Tsukuyomi · The World of the Sixth Hokage
Over the past six months, Obito had not slacked off in the slightest. Not only did he focus on strengthening Konoha, but he was also determined to bring true peace to the Ninja World. Obito immediately launched wars against the surrounding minor nations. On the battlefield in the Land of Grass, his forces once again encountered fierce resistance.
As the Hokage, Obito personally went to the front lines. Harnessing the power of his Mangekyo Sharingan, he unleashed a devastating Fire Release, incinerating all the enemies on the battlefield. Obito was in high spirits, confident that this time he would surely rank among the top three, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Fourth Hokage Gathering.
All the Hokage worlds were making their final preparations for the gathering. Meanwhile, Aoki, who had just finished guiding his three disciples in their training, suddenly heard a familiar prompt in his mind—
Ding! The Fourth Chat Group Gathering is about to commence.
A sharp glint instantly flashed in Aoki's eyes. Six months had passed; he wondered if he could maintain his position at the top. But before that, it was still necessary to recruit new members as per tradition.
Aoki couldn't help but feel full of anticipation. Would there be two or three newcomers this time? If there were three, the World Traversal function would be unlocked.
Aoki waited expectantly for the gathering to begin. Soon, the prompt for the gathering's commencement arrived again, along with a query about inviting new members. Without hesitation, Aoki responded, "Invite!"
The chat group began automatically screening eligible newcomers. Moments later, the group invitation was successful.
[Parallel World] Konoha's First Hokage, Madara Uchiha, has joined the group chat.