Outside the city of Rōran—
At that moment, the massive gate, forged entirely of steel and capable of withstanding the impact of sandstorms, stood wide open.
Fully armed and solemnly dignified army soldiers stood in neat formation atop the city walls.
Each of them gazed steadily into the vast golden sea of sand ahead, without so much as glancing down at the visitors approaching the gates.
At the same time, one hundred army majors stood tall and proud in staggered formation along both sides of the straight road before the gate, maintaining a uniform spacing of five meters between each.
[Clatter—]
That was the sound of white flags adorned with five-ringed crosses fluttering vigorously in the wind.
[Rustle—]
That was the sound of the rolling yellow sands being swept up by the breeze nearby.
Other than that—
The only sound came from the footsteps of Konoha's delegation—Senju Hashirama, Orochimaru, and others—as they made their way forward.
Their gazes swept over the army majors flanking them, flickers of surprise occasionally surfacing in their eyes.
Orochimaru, Nara Shikaku, and the others had seen army majors before.
The main battle brigade stationed in Konohagakure under Lieutenant General Styrles currently had nearly five hundred majors serving as squad leaders at the lowest level.
After previous large-scale engagements with their forces, they had gained a fair understanding of the World Government military's strength across different ranks.
So what surprised them now wasn't the rank—but the sheer number.
They had assumed that troops on par with elite chūnin—or even capable of dueling jōnin—would be relatively scarce, even for the World Government.
And yet here Rōran was, casually fielding a welcoming lineup of one hundred imposing, battle-hardened majors.
Among the group, Sara looked excitedly at the city gates of Rōran.
"We're finally back... I wonder how Sana, Mako, and Sarai have been doing."
Ever since she was 'rescued' by Konohagakure, her experiences had been nothing short of miserable.
She had endured repeated interrogations by both the ANBU and the Root. Eventually, she even lost her will to resist—only to later discover that someone had forcefully read her memories.
Whatever goodwill she had once felt toward Konoha had completely vanished, replaced by resentment and disgust.
Meanwhile—
Standing beside Namikaze Minato, Kushina bore a complicated expression as she looked at Rōran.
She genuinely wished that the Nine-Tails could be extracted from her, so she wouldn't have to live in constant anxiety every day.
And yet, the 'common knowledge' that a Jinchūriki dies when a Tailed Beast is removed left her deeply afraid.
As for the elders and clan heads from the Hyūga, Inuzuka, Akimichi, and other great clans, they approached with hopeful anticipation.
They had already learned that those who had been abducted by Aramaki were still alive and well.
Among them was Hyūga Hiashi, the current head of the Hyūga Clan.
As for his brother, Hyūga Hizashi—no one seemed concerned about him.
But the one whose emotions were most turbulent was none other than the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru.
No one could have known that with every step forward, he felt a profound, almost religious reverence stir within him.
His snake-like vertical pupils were locked dead-on to the World Government flag flying atop the city walls.
"Finally... finally, I can access the knowledge of all worlds. To pursue the secrets of immortality..."
Orochimaru's 'devotion' might appear directed at the World Government on the surface—
—but at its core, it was still driven by his original two obsessions:
All the world's knowledge. Eternal life.
In his eyes, the World Government was the best vessel to realize those dreams.
And lastly, there was the strongest individual present: Senju Hashirama.
He wasn't thinking that deeply.
After all, he was already dead—sooner or later, he'd have to return to the Pure Land.
The main reason he had come along was to support Konoha—and to witness this so-called 'Other World' with his own eyes, along with the other powerhouses of the World Government.
According to Admiral Aokiji, the one currently stationed in the ancient kingdom of Rōran—General Akainu—was supposedly even stronger than him.
"Clan Head!!"
"Ehh!"
"Rōji!!"
Suddenly, two elders of the Hyūga Clan cried out in excitement from within the group.
Moments later, the clan heads of the Inuzuka, Akimichi, and other families followed suit.
They had seen a group of familiar figures standing just inside the city gates—
It was the same elite shinobi force that Aramaki had previously captured.
"Rawawawa!"
"I knew sparing their lives was the right call! You guys better be grateful I didn't kill you back then!"
With hands on his hips, Aramaki burst into loud, boastful laughter at the sight.
He wasn't a fool.
Once this 'Shinobi World' officially joined the World Government, the various ninja clans would inevitably gain a degree of political influence.
That influence might not be worth much to someone destined to become a General in the Army—
—but Aramaki liked the feeling of consolidating power and being praised by others.
Yet to his surprise, no one responded to his declaration.
His expression soured as he thought to himself, "A bunch of clueless fools. You should be clinging to my leg while you still can! When I'm promoted to General, don't come crawling back crying!"
But Aramaki had overlooked one crucial fact—
Even if he had spared those dozen or so lives, how many hundreds, if not thousands, had he killed?
There was no way they could harbor any goodwill toward him.
Now that they had gained a general understanding of how the World Government worked, they knew that while Aramaki held the rank of candidate general, he wasn't a general.
With their political experience, none of them would place a bet so easily.
After a brief exchange of greetings at the gate—
The group was led into the city of Rōran by two officials from the Other Worlds Strategic Committee.
As for Queen Sara, she was politely escorted away by several CP8 agents in black.
She didn't resist—she had long since stopped wanting to be around anyone from Konoha.
Namikaze Minato watched Sara's departing figure with a complicated expression.
He was filled with guilt.
He truly hadn't expected the Third Hokage and Shimura Danzō to resort to such an extreme method—scanning the mind of a queen from another nation.
Before long—
The Konoha group arrived at a spacious hall prepared for the upcoming meeting.
Inside, two long stone tables had already been set in place.
But behind each table stood only five stone chairs.
This meant Konoha had to select five representatives, while the rest would have to sit behind them on wooden benches as observers.
To everyone's surprise, one of Konoha's stone chairs was already occupied—
By a middle-aged man with long graying hair, dressed in a gray robe.
Senju Hashirama, Orochimaru, Nara Shikaku, Hyūga Hiashi, and Uzumaki Kushina all showed signs of confusion.
"You are…?"
The fact that he was seated there meant he had to be from the Shinobi World—or even from Konoha.
But they exchanged glances and realized no one recognized him.
"Hmph."
The man merely glanced at them without emotion, his gaze lingering briefly on Hiashi, before letting out a cold snort and turning his head away in silence.
The Konoha delegation immediately grew agitated.
"Who are you? Why are you sitting there?"
"Representatives of the World Government, we don't know this man!"
[BOOM!]
Just then, a suffocating aura surged through the room—like a volcano erupting overhead, pressing down on them with the weight of an invisible mountain.
Several of the weaker shinobi felt dizzy, their minds shaken. The atmosphere grew instantly subdued.
Hashirama's brows lifted slightly.
Orochimaru licked around his lips with a flick of his tongue.
Minato grew tense, instinctively scanning the surroundings.
As the pressure intensified, a towering crimson figure emerged through the great doorway on the opposite end of the hall.
"The World Government has its reasons for every arrangement."
Though others were present, every shinobi in the room found their gaze instinctively drawn to him.
"Remember your place… you are the losers."
The voice, filled with authority and heavy with discrimination,
instantly silenced the once-boisterous hall.
Many of the shinobi present now wore grim expressions.
Whether in Konohagakure or the entire shinobi world, these individuals were considered prominent figures.
They had expected the World Government to treat them with at least a measure of courtesy, but instead, they were met with blatant disrespect right from the start.
Anger stirred within them, yet there was nothing they could do.
They were forced to suppress their fury and slightly lower their heads, lest their expressions betray them and draw even more unnecessary trouble.
"Bwahaha! Welcome to Rōran, friends from Konoha!"
Just as the atmosphere was growing suffocating and tense, another official who had walked in alongside Sakazuki used his hearty laughter to shatter the stagnant air.
The man looked to be around forty or fifty years old, dressed in a high-end black suit with a blue striped tie.
His jet-black hair and beard were immaculately groomed, and the golden-rimmed glasses perched on his nose exuded the aura of a seasoned senior official.
"Allow me to introduce myself—my name is Molotov Cocktail, currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under the World Government's Propaganda and Governance Institute!"
"And this is General Akainu from Army Headquarters, the one overseeing all military operations in this world."
With a smile, Minister Molotov gestured to the towering Sakazuki beside him.
"And these here are Vice Chairman Bulwer Gabriel of the Other Worlds Strategic Committee, Fukurokuju, the First Kaikage of Umigakure, and Director Ido Connor from the Administrative Department's Education Division."
"From here on, the five of us will engage in this meeting with everyone present."
After speaking, Minister Molotov paused briefly before continuing: "On Konoha's side, I request the following individuals to serve as representatives:
The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama;
The Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru;
Clan Head of the Nara clan, Nara Shikaku;
Clan Head of the Hyūga clan, Hyūga Hiashi;
The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Uzumaki Kushina;
And the head of the Ōtsutsuki clan, Ōtsutsuki Masato."
So it turned out that the choice of representatives wasn't up to them, but rather designated by the World Government.
This left many from Konoha feeling frustrated and stifled, yet they could only accept it in silence.
However, their attention soon shifted to Ōtsutsuki Masato.
"Ōtsutsuki Clan..."
Many exchanged confused glances, only to find the others equally bewildered.
After a moment of recollection, Orochimaru speculated in surprise that this might be the surname of the legendary Sage of Six Paths.
Only Senju Hashirama looked genuinely shocked.
He hadn't expected there to be direct descendants of the Sage still existing in the shinobi world.
But how had he never heard of them while he was alive?
Soon after, most of the shinobi turned their attention to Fukurokuju.
Initially, it was because of his identity—
after all, the name sounded familiar, and once they joined the World Government, they would likely be under the jurisdiction of this Kaikage of Umigakure.
But their attention was quickly seized by the exaggerated height of his skull and his elongated earlobes.
It was simply astonishing—how could a human look like that?
Meanwhile—
Once Hashirama, Orochimaru, and the others had all taken their seats—
[Bang!]
The two men in black who had been standing by the doors closed them simultaneously.
The room fell into complete silence.
"Ahem. It seems that our guests from Konoha are unfamiliar with the background of Ōtsutsuki Masato, so let us begin by discussing the Ōtsutsuki and Hyūga clans,"
Minister Molotov said, speaking into the Den-Den Mushi fitted with a voice amplifier on the table before him.
"Ōtsutsuki Masato, if you would, please introduce yourself."
"Certainly."
Seated at the far left of the stone table on Konoha's side, Ōtsutsuki Masato gave a nod.
His gaze then shifted toward Hyūga Hiashi, who sat at the opposite end—visibly shocked.
He didn't understand how the Ōtsutsuki could be connected to the Hyūga clan.
The Hyūga elders seated behind him looked just as stunned.
However, they quickly noticed that Ōtsutsuki Masato also possessed the Byakugan.
"I won't bother with personal introductions," Masato said coldly. "Instead, I'll explain what the Ōtsutsuki clan is, and what our responsibilities have been over the past thousand years."
He then spoke in a detached, matter-of-fact tone, describing how they had inherited the will of Ōtsutsuki Hamura and had been overseeing the shinobi world from the Moon.
The information left the Konoha delegation utterly dumbfounded.
Even figures like Senju Hashirama, Orochimaru, Nara Shikaku, and Namikaze Minato had their eyes wide open in disbelief.
They had never imagined that the Moon—
something they occasionally glanced at in passing—was home to a clan that constantly monitored them, and frequently debated whether to destroy the shinobi world entirely.
"In short," Masato said plainly, "according to your Hyūga clan's own terminology, we, the Ōtsutsuki on the Moon, are the main family—and you are the branch family. Is that clear?"
"Wh-What?!"
Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Hizashi, and the two Hyūga elders all stared in stunned silence.
The term branch family was far from a pleasant one within the Hyūga clan.
As a branch member himself, Hyūga Hizashi couldn't help but wonder—what did that make them then?
A branch of the branch?
"And so," Minister Molotov added in a calm tone,
"we hope that this branch of the Ōtsutsuki clan, led by Masato, can merge with the Hyūga clan of Konoha. From now on, they should all be known as the Hyūga clan—with no more distinction between main and branch families."
Though his voice was composed,
his words sent shockwaves through both Ōtsutsuki Masato and Hyūga Hiashi.
"No!"
"That's unacceptable!"
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