Adjacent to Amegakure, within the Land of Fire – Konohagakure.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Several Kage-level powerhouses—representing the pinnacle of strength in the entire shinobi world—had gathered together. At the main seat sat the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. To his left, seated in order, were the Third Raikage A, and the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki.
To his right were the Third Kazekage and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi.
A suffocating tension blanketed the room like a thick cloud of pressure.
Bang!
The Third Raikage A slammed the table violently, his voice sharp with rage:
"Yagura, what the hell do you mean by this!? You've just ascended to power, and you're already encroaching on the resources of my Kumogakure!?"
"Hmph!" Yagura's eyes flashed with disdain as he rebuked directly:
"That's because your subordinates are incompetent, and now you're blaming me!? You're getting senile in your old age—ridiculous!"
"What did you just say!?"
The hot-tempered Raikage shot to his feet. Lightning crackled violently around his fist as he swung it down in a thundering punch.
"You think I'm afraid of you!?"
From behind Yagura surged a blue-green tail—his Tailed Beast's chakra manifesting—as it clashed head-on with the Raikage's furious blow.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave blasted out beneath their feet. The gathered Kage all felt a fierce gust of wind whip through the room, their robes rustling violently.
"As expected of the most perfect Jinchuriki—so young and yet already has such overwhelming strength, daring to go toe-to-toe with the Raikage, known for his brute power!"
"Interesting," thought Onoki inwardly, his eyes narrowing.
Then, with a smirk tugging at his lips, Onoki spoke:
"Picking on someone younger than you—isn't that disgraceful? Mizukage, let me help you out!"
In an instant, the scene nearly spiraled out of control.
In the ten years since the Second Great Ninja War, each nation had been recovering its national strength. However, issues over territory and resources remained a thorn in the side of every leader present.
It tugged at everyone's most sensitive nerves.
Each village sought to seize resources to strengthen itself, striving for the greatest development possible.
Recently, friction between the great villages had only escalated, with clashes occurring frequently—hints of an imminent Third Great Ninja War loomed in the air.
War was on the verge of igniting!
"Sarutobi Hiruzen, is this why you gathered us here—for this chaos?" The Kazekage narrowed his eyes into icy slits, shooting a cold gaze at Hiruzen.
The Hokage before them, wearing his red-and-white robes and the traditional hat, was at the peak of his strength and in his prime.
Hearing the Kazekage's words, the Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage all ceased their actions and turned their gazes to Sarutobi.
The air froze.
"Ahem…" Hiruzen coughed lightly to ease the tension, then steeled his tone and said:
"Everyone, calm down."
"I summoned you all here to discuss the issue of territory and resources—if we don't reach a peaceful solution, the Third Great Ninja War may erupt, bringing immeasurable disaster to every nation."
"At this moment, only stability and peaceful development are the correct path forward. And I have a proposal—"
Suddenly—
The ground shook violently beneath them.
"What is this!?"
Through the window, everyone witnessed a sight they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
A towering Buddha statue pierced the sky—solemn and majestic. But in the next instant, its form shifted into a fearsome war god as it unleashed a thunderous blow—a giant palm crashing down with divine wrath.
BOOM—!!!
Deafening rumbles filled their ears.
Even these Kage-level powerhouses felt their hearts quake as waves of shock surged through them, leaving them unable to calm down.
The Raikage was the first to react, lightning cloaking his body, his voice full of alarm:
"That direction… is where Amegakure is located!?"
"Was this caused by that old poison-user Hanzo?" Onoki rose up, peering into the distance with narrowed eyes.
He frowned:
"Impossible. Hanzo is known for his poison techniques—he couldn't possibly unleash a ninjutsu of such massive scale."
"Did none of you notice? That giant Buddha statue… resembles a certain someone's signature jutsu."
"You mean…"
"Exactly. The First Hokage!"
As soon as the words landed, everyone gasped sharply.
Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage of Konohagakure!
He possessed absolute power capable of subduing Tailed Beasts, and had brought peace to the chaotic world singlehandedly—ending the First Great Ninja War.
He was revered throughout the entire shinobi world as—
"The God of Shinobi!"
"The dead can come back to life!? I don't believe it." Yagura paused, then turned to Hiruzen and questioned sharply:
"Could this be your doing, Hokage?"
"Did you use some secret technique left behind by the First Hokage to target Amegakure?"
"You should know—Amegakure is a valuable foothold. If occupied, it could be used to launch attacks on the Land of Wind or the Land of Earth at any moment."
"Truly devious planning, Hokage. You called us here under the guise of diplomacy, when in reality you're trying to start a war to plunder resources!"
His words were cutting and left Hiruzen no room to explain.
The other Kage were instantly alarmed.
These two events—occurring at the exact same time—were far too suspicious.
They couldn't help but start connecting the dots and forming dangerous conclusions.
This technique—True Several Thousand Hands—Hiruzen recognized it without question.
As the disciple of both the First and Second Hokage, he had spent the most time with them.
The moment that statue appeared, he even briefly suspected Hashirama had returned from the dead. But Hashirama had died from exhaustion after his final battle with Madara.
Hiruzen himself had overseen the funeral.
There was no way he could have been resurrected!
But then—how could this be the True Several Thousand Hands?
Hiruzen's eyes blinked rapidly, and his face grew increasingly pale.
He was just about to speak up and clarify when—
The Raikage, Mizukage, Tsuchikage, and Kazekage all suddenly formed hand seals and dispelled their shadow clones, vanishing on the spot to urgently investigate the situation in Amegakure.
In this high-stakes meeting, they had only sent clones.
In the end, only Sarutobi Hiruzen remained in the massive Hokage's Office.
Utterly alone.
The strength seemed to drain from his body. He slumped into his chair, murmuring over and over:
"It's over… It's all over…"
"What the hell is going on in Amegakure!?"
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