As the venue for the third round of the joint Chunin Exams, the largest open-air stadium built during the Fourth Hokage's era in Konoha, the people inside looked up, only to find that the sky was no longer visible.
A colossal, earth-yellow beast had fully revealed its form.
The audience fell into a dead silence.
Ordinary people were completely dumbfounded.
It was fortunate that the creature hadn't yet expanded to its full size; otherwise, the initial movement alone would have caused catastrophic casualties in the stands.
After a brief moment of silence, an uproar of screams and exclamations erupted among the audience.
Not everyone seated here was a resident of Konoha.
In the shinobi world, only in places like ninja villages were people periodically trained on how to take shelter in emergencies. For outsiders, however, even when inside a ninja village with a well-developed evacuation system, their first reaction to an unforeseen crisis was still one of sheer panic, like startled small animals.
Fortunately, to prevent chaos due to overcrowding, Konoha had already stationed numerous ninjas throughout the venue. Thanks to this, the disorder had not yet escalated into a full-blown disaster.
But that ever-expanding beast would soon bring real chaos to the stadium. Normally, that would be the case.
"So that's the plan…" Masashi looked down at Shukaku below. The moment the anomaly occurred, he had been prepared and immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport Naruto away to the competitors' resting area.
With Anko there, she would ensure the young ones evacuated safely.
Thankfully, due to the angle, the spectators below couldn't see Shukaku's eyes.
Those were Sharingan.
Obito… You really don't care how ridiculously large a tailed beast's eyeballs are, do you?!
Releasing the sand platform beneath his feet, he activated the Light-Weight Rock Technique and flew above the rapidly forming Shukaku.
Suspended high in the air, he had a feeling and instinctively glanced toward the viewing platform.
All the Kage were there, watching in his direction.
"Not a single decent person among them…" he muttered before making his move.
In the sky, a massive net woven from chakra chains unfurled and instantly enveloped Shukaku below.
This sealing technique, originally developed by the Uzumaki clan, had been used so many times that it was hard not to suspect it was specifically created to subdue tailed beasts.
As soon as the chains secured their target, he clenched his fingers tightly, completely restraining the still-"developing" Shukaku before activating his jutsu.
In an instant, the One-Tail vanished from the stadium.
At the same time, feedback from a destroyed shadow clone reached Masashi's mind. Processing the information, his gaze grew colder. Without hesitation, he turned and flew directly toward the viewing platform.
Below, the evacuating crowd was momentarily stunned by Shukaku's sudden disappearance. But after a brief pause, they continued moving, the Konoha ninjas in the arena took advantage of the moment to speed up the evacuation.
As for the mid-level platform where the daimyōs of various nations were seated, Hiruzen and his old comrades were present. Aside from Obito, enemy ninjas wouldn't dare target the daimyōs, so there was little concern.
Masashi trusted his village's capabilities in this regard. Ignoring the commotion below, he flew at top speed to the viewing platform and landed.
When he arrived, the people who had been sitting there were now enveloped in an eerie atmosphere.
Ōnoki remained in his seat, sipping his drink with a slurping sound. Fumiki and his subordinates were nowhere to be seen. Yagura remained seated, still smiling amicably, exuding an unsettling friendliness.
Minato and Rasa hadn't made any moves yet, but their standoff was clear.
As Masashi landed, the people finally shifted their gaze toward him as if they had only just noticed him.
"The jinchūriki of Suna has fallen under a genjutsu," Masashi stated bluntly. "Just like that night."
Minato immediately understood.
"Rasa, care to explain why your jinchūriki was participating in the Chunin Exams?"
"Though he is a jinchūriki, he is also a Suna ninja, and my son. I allowed him to participate in the Exams. There's nothing unusual about that," Rasa replied.
Though his internal judgment was already tilting, he wasn't about to stop observing just yet. Judging by his words alone, there didn't seem to be a major issue.
After all, when Kushina participated in the Chunin Exams, she was a jinchūriki too, though she hadn't gone to another village for the exams.
"So, are you saying you were unaware of Shukaku losing control?"
"Of course. By the way, where exactly did you take Gaara?" Rasa's gaze sharpened. "Is Konoha planning to use this as a pretext to wage war against Suna?"
"The war has already begun," Masashi replied. "Gaara is likely with the Iwa ninjas now. Assuming Iwa hasn't broken the alliance, he's probably already fighting their ninjas as we speak."
At that moment, everyone's attention turned toward Ōnoki. Facing these looks, he calmly set down his drink.
"So, Konoha has already clashed with our ninjas?" he asked.
"As per the defense protocols, any unregistered and threatening entity appearing outside the high walls will be subject to indiscriminate attacks in that area," Masashi replied. "After all, there are quite a few ninjas hiding in those forests."
"Heh..." Ōnoki let out a cold chuckle. "Since war has started, let's fight, then."
"You've truly decided to break the alliance, then?" Minato said with a tinge of regret. "That's quite a pity."
"Drop the act, Minato. You understand the true nature of this alliance better than I do."
"I see. No wonder you deliberately sent such weak candidates to the exams this time," Minato nodded.
Ōnoki's face immediately darkened.
Who the hell deliberately arranged that?! Iwa had sent strong genin as examinees, okay?! Fine, whatever. Iwa never measured heroes by their ability to fight one-on-one anyway!
"It's not an unknown outcome, if your real body had come, you would certainly die here," Masashi stated politely, though his words were far from friendly. "Without you, Iwa will crumble like a house with its support beam removed. What a shame… one of the Five Great Ninja Villages is about to disappear."
"Stop boasting, kid," Ōnoki stood up. "Since when have the Uchiha ever seen anyone as an ally? It was the same decades ago."
Did he really have no clue why Madara beat the crap out of both him and his teacher back then?
"The Uchiha simply prefer solving problems in the most straightforward way possible. Speaking of which..." Masashi shifted his gaze to Yagura. "What's your play in all this?"
"Masashi, long time no see. This is the first time we've spoken since I arrived in Konoha," Yagura said with a smile. "I hope you understand, I don't appreciate being scrutinized by Sharingan or Byakugan."
The Yagura standing before Masashi, like Ōnoki, was merely a clone.
Needless to say, their real bodies were with their main forces.
"We're friends of sorts, so I won't lie to you," Yagura continued. "I'll put it this way, you'll understand. Right now, Kiri has too many ninjas. And as the Mizukage, it's my responsibility to deal with that."
"I can understand your reasoning," Masashi nodded.
Yagura's words confirmed his suspicions.
Kiri had maintained its alliance with Konoha to escape its internal predicament, but breaking the alliance served the same purpose, Kiri had reached a point where war was inevitable. There was no need for blame. The fact that their alliance had lasted this long showed that Yagura was not some deceitful traitor.
"It's good that you understand," Yagura said. "Since we are now enemies, there's no need for pleasantries. Of course, this is a matter between ninjas. Kiri will not launch an attack immediately, we will allow ample time for the villagers to evacuate."
Masashi smiled slightly but didn't respond.
So, this time, Iwa was taking the lead as the vanguard. As for Kumo? Even though their representatives had already left, there was no need to ask.
Right now, Konoha was Kumo's biggest creditor. If they eliminated their debtor, they wouldn't have to repay anything.
If Kumo didn't think this way, if they didn't act on this, they might as well have lost their minds.
For a village that thrived on high-risk military gambles, the involvement of both Iwa and Kiri meant they would absolutely join in.
"But it seems your plans have also been disrupted," Masashi suddenly remarked. "Making Shukaku rampage with genjutsu wasn't part of the original strategy, was it?"
As soon as he said this, both Ōnoki and Yagura's expressions changed.
Ōnoki looked visibly frustrated, as if he was holding back the urge to shout, What kind of joke of a jinchūriki is this?!
Yagura, on the other hand, gave a wry smile. He really wasn't in a position to criticize Gaara's weakness, after all, he himself had fallen for the same trick before.
Minato's expression turned cold and serious, his gaze falling upon Rasa. Unlike the others, Rasa's real body was actually here.
"It's not too late to turn back."
"Turn back?" Rasa finally spoke. "You seem to be mistaken. I did not come here for war. One reason I'm here is to broaden the horizons of my village's young ninjas. The other, my true purpose, is to renegotiate our treaty."
Everyone, including Masashi, was stunned.
"Masashi, I told you about this before, didn't I? You haven't forgotten, have you?" Rasa said seriously, his expression carrying the unspoken threat: If you dare say you forgot, I'll camp out in Konoha and refuse to leave.
But… Masashi had forgotten. He was ridiculously busy every day and had just assumed Rasa was up to something shady. How could he have remembered?
"Of course not, but you know how busy the Hokage has been," Masashi replied. "If you don't believe me, he is right here, ask him yourself. Didn't I tell you we needed to bring the Third Hokage in for this discussion?"
How bizarre, since when was the Fourth Kazekage a goodwill ambassador for Konoha?
Minato, unlike Masashi, wasn't burdened by preconceived notions. Hearing Masashi's words, he suddenly had a moment of realization.
"Ah, this one's on me. Ever since the daimyōs arrived, the Third Hokage has had no time at all. I haven't even had a chance to speak to him about it," Minato admitted, feigning a regretful sigh like a true master of diplomacy. "So, does this mean you still intend to maintain your alliance with Konoha?"
"Why wouldn't I? Konoha is full of talent, while our resources are dwindling. What reason would I have not to strengthen our ties?"
"Rasa, are you insane?" Ōnoki said coldly. "Do you really want to see Suna perish under you?"
"I've tolerated you for long enough," Rasa's eyes flashed with killing intent. "Anyone who lays a hand on Gaara is an enemy of Suna!"
Ōnoki snapped, "Who even touched your useless jinchūriki? If he hadn't lost control just now, I wouldn't have even realized he was a jinchūriki!"
Masashi looked left, then right, and decided to leave.
Both Ōnoki and Yagura were just clones, but Rasa was treating this like it was real. Meanwhile, Minato could handle things here just fine, especially since Masashi had already sensed Kushina's chakra racing toward them.
Everyone knew that the real Third Hokage was actually four people, the previous members of the Konoha Council. And the real Fourth Hokage came as a package deal, husband and wife.
Just like Kumo had its infamous A-B Combo, Minato and Kushina were strongest when fighting together.
More importantly, Masashi had sensed Nagato's chakra heading toward the Uchiha clan district.
If he was planning to summon the Gedo Mazo over there, things were about to get interesting.
"Hokage-sama, I'll be off, then."
"Mm, go," Minato nodded, feeling reassured now that he had sensed his wife's chakra as well. "I'm counting on you to coordinate with the ANBU and the Police Force."
Masashi gave a nod and vanished with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Ōnoki and Yagura's clones exchanged a glance before dissolving their jutsu.
One turned back into a rock. The other splashed into a puddle of water. Their subordinates did the same.
"You must have figured it out long ago, right?" Rasa asked, watching Minato's unchanged expression. "You hide it well."
"Of course. Everything has already been arranged. Masashi has helped me a great deal," Minato replied freely. "To be honest, I thought you were planning to betray the alliance, so I had my attention on you the whole time."
"Seems like I misled you, then." Rasa raised a hand, and a wave of golden sand flew in from outside the stands, forming a makeshift seat.
He leaped onto it, then turned to Minato.
"As the Kazekage, I formally ask you: Will Konoha agree to revise the old treaty so that our alliance may continue?"
"As the Hokage, I promise you this, so long as Suna fulfills its duties as an ally."
"Then it's settled," Rasa nodded. "Our ninjas will fight alongside Konoha. First, I'll retrieve Gaara."
"Understood. Be careful."
Watching Rasa fly away, Minato didn't let his guard down. He turned to the ANBU beside him.
"Where is the Third Hokage? Have the daimyōs been safely evacuated?"
Just as the ANBU was about to answer, a flash of lightning burst from his chest.
A hand pierced through him.
"You should be more concerned about yourself," a voice said. "By now, the Third Hokage should already be meeting his favorite student."
The ANBU's corpse fell to the ground, revealing the figure standing in his place.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tobiyama Hizō. And today, in order to become the Raikage, I'll be borrowing your head."
Minato drew his kunai and looked toward the sky outside the stands.
The sky was a deep blue, but on the distant horizon, wisps of smoke had begun to rise, swirling upward and gradually staining the sky in shades of black and gray.
Looking back down, the once-crowded spectator seats were now completely empty. The wind howled, making the scene feel desolate.
The joint Chunin Exams, this was the end of them.
In the end, still a target of all… Masashi, your judgment of bad situations is always so accurate.
His gaze returned to the young man before him.
The one who called himself Hizō stood motionless, his expression unreadable. At his feet lay a slain Konoha ANBU member. He simply stood there, staring at Minato.
Those Sharingan eyes, Minato could see that the familiar color he once knew was completely gone.
"Hizō…" he murmured the name, then softly asked, "Does this name carry any special meaning?"
"It is just a name, a codename for myself. Nothing more."
"Is that so…" Minato's expression grew complicated. "You… remind me of a former student. He was a good kid. I had high hopes that he would become Hokage one day."
"You must be mistaken. I am from Kumo. What I aspire to become is the Raikage."
"What a weak excuse… Do you really want to be Raikage?"
Minato buried the last trace of regret and sorrow in his heart. He was a Konoha ninja, and, above all, the Hokage.
"Even if you possess the Sharingan, taking my head won't be an easy task."
"I am no child. I won't give you the chance to support anyone else." Obito's face remained emotionless.
Did he not look enough like a final boss right now?
"What's wrong? Weren't you here to take my head?" Minato chuckled.
"Priorities matter. Ideally, killing you immediately would be the best outcome for me. That being said… are you trying to stall for time? If so, that suits me just fine."
In Obito's eyes, outside the stadium, a massive chakra presence was beginning to surge.
A fully unleashed Uzumaki jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, this was on a different level entirely.
Yes, you couldn't mention the Uzumaki clan or the Nine-Tails separately. They had to be mentioned together.
In the next instant, a furious voice echoed so loudly that both men could hear it clearly.
"You bastard! What do you think you're trying to do to my husband!? And you, Minato! How could you not tell me about something this big!?"
Obito and Minato's expressions changed at the same time.
BOOM!!!
With a thunderous roar, the uppermost layer of the stands was torn open by a tremendous force from outside. As the rooftop was blown away, a figure shrouded in Nine-Tails chakra was revealed, Kushina.
At the same time as she flung the roof away, her chakra-empowered fox claw slammed downward toward the two men below.
An explosion and shockwave erupted simultaneously. The enormous stands were utterly obliterated by Kushina's single strike. Minato appeared beside her, supported by one of her chakra tails as they landed in the battle arena below.
Wrapped in Lightning Style Armour, Obito also emerged from the falling debris, glancing at the two of them before descending alongside the rain of rubble. The collapsing remains of the stands lost momentum as they scattered across the terraced seating. In the end, only a fraction of the debris actually reached the arena floor.
He stood in the battlefield, facing Minato and Kushina from afar.
For a moment, fragments of old memories surfaced in his mind, only for him to crush them down instantly.
"Lightning Body Flicker!" Kushina had always despised Kumo ninjas more than anything. In this, she and Masashi were in perfect agreement.
Minato opened his mouth slightly but ultimately remained silent. There was no way he could say it. That this person was Obito.
Among the students in his team, Kushina had always been more invested in them than he was, especially Obito.
Back then, Kakashi was recognized as the village's top prodigy, while Obito, who was always trying to compete with him, was often criticized and ridiculed.
According to Masashi, this was the worst part of Konoha's culture, a surface symptom of the village's darker side. Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha was the only one filled with idle gossips and nobodies who thrived on mocking others' failures.
They were nothing themselves, yet they took pleasure in stepping on others the moment they stumbled, eager to prove their own worth through petty words.
To deal with such useless, idle chatterboxes, Masashi had a straightforward suggestion, crack down on them. Consider them a security issue, round them all up, and put them to work. If there was a war, send them straight to the front lines.
Freedom of speech should never be confused with freedom to spread malice. If words could wound, then there had to be a cost.
Minato had always thought Masashi's views on this were far too extreme.
Though, interestingly, Obito himself had once expressed a similar opinion in the past.
"Kushina, I'm counting on you."
"Got it. Let's beat him to a pulp!"
Kushina activated the secret technique passed down through generations in the Uzumaki clan, the "Give it to me now" technique. The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode was activated, and the Nine-Tails' purified chakra surged into Minato's body in a roaring stream.
The primary element of chakra was stamina. Her husband was excellent in every way, except for his stamina, which was rather average. Thankfully, he made up for it with his intelligence and versatility. Otherwise, he wouldn't have even qualified to be the Hokage.
A tailed beast cloak slowly began to manifest around Minato.
"The sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan truly live up to their name." Obito's mind drifted for a brief moment. "But I came prepared to fight both of you to the death. Don't mistake me for someone who drifts through life aimlessly."
As he spoke, he finished forming his hand seals and pressed his palms together.
With a loud crash, two coffins burst out from the ground in front of him. Their surfaces were worn and weathered, as if they had been buried for ages before being freshly unearthed.
Minato, who had barely completed forming his tailed beast cloak, watched in disbelief.
Even Kushina was momentarily stunned.
"That jutsu isn't…"
"Edo Tensei… You even mastered this technique…" Minato's last shred of pity for Obito was extinguished. "Do you even realize what you're doing!?"
"I understand perfectly. The ancestors who built this village were incredibly powerful, far beyond the current Five Kage." Obito's voice was cold. "A foe like that is the only one worthy of facing you as the Hokage."
He placed his hands on the coffins, which creaked loudly in response.
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in Konoha, a similar event was unfolding.
The once-bustling commercial district was now deserted, with all the civilians having evacuated. Standing alone in the middle of the empty street was Hiruzen.
Across from him stood a large crowd.
Leading a group of Kumo ninjas, Fumiki glared fiercely at the Third Hokage.
But they weren't the real threat. The true menace stood at the front, Orochimaru.
At his side, two coffins had already risen.
"Hiruzen, you've grown old."
The transformed Enma, now in the form of the Adamantine Staff, sighed in the hands of Hiruzen.
"If I'm old, then so are you."
"Are you two done talking?" Fumiki's eyes burned with ambition. The old man before him was known as the "God of Shinobi," He had been the leader of Konoha long before he was even born. If he could take this man's head, he would surpass those two.
And with that head, he would challenge the current Fourth Raikage and reclaim the glory of the Third Raikage.
However, his words went unanswered.
Hiruzen saw only Orochimaru, and Orochimaru saw only him.
"Sensei, just as Enma said, you've grown old." the Sannin licked his lips. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long. You must be happy, right? After all, you always said I was the student who inherited all of your ninjutsu. Now, I've proven it."
"Hey! Are you two seriously ignoring me?" Fumiki was growing irritated. "You relics of the past shouldn't be so arrogant."
At last, Orochimaru and Hiruzen's gazes shifted to him.
"Sensei, if you want to relive the joy of fighting side by side as teacher and student, I'd be happy to oblige. I have a lot to discuss with you."
"Orochimaru, what do you mean?"
"Fumiki, if you don't shut up, I might just kill you." Orochimaru smirked. "Ah, but wait… You don't even know who's inside these coffins, do you?"
With a sinister grin, he clapped his hands against the coffins.
Creak…
The sound was grating on the ears. Then, with a heavy crash, the lids of the coffins fell to the ground.
Hiruzen finally saw who was inside. His wrinkled face, now covered in age spots, froze in shock.
"You… What have you done…?"
"Surprised, Sensei? You probably assumed I would summon the First and Second Hokage, didn't you? That wouldn't do." Orochimaru chuckled. "You always used to say you had another teacher, didn't you?"
Seeing his old mentor's expression, an overwhelming pleasure filled Orochimaru's heart.
The usual eerie composure and detached air he carried were gone. Before his former teacher, Orochimaru had no reservations about showing his truest self.
"This figure was truly remarkable. He must have taken exceptional countermeasures in his lifetime. Before this, no matter how many times I attempted to summon him, I couldn't bring him back. He was nothing like the others."
As Orochimaru spoke in a teasing tone, two figures clad in armor slowly stepped out from the coffins.