The capital of the Land of Fire.
Flames and thick smoke rose high from within the Daimyo's Mansion, visible even from dozens of miles away.
Millions of civilians in the capital of the Land of Fire were filled with immense panic and unrest. Just a day earlier, news of defeat on the frontlines had arrived. Now, the Daimyo's Mansion was under an unknown attack—making the domestic situation even worse.
Privately, many citizens whispered among themselves, blaming it all on the Daimyo.
Because when the Daimyo suddenly announced his intention to deploy a massive army to destroy Konoha, it sparked great outrage across the country.
After all, there was no hatred between ordinary civilians of the Land of Fire and the ninja of Konoha—in fact, the two were quite close.
Over the past thirty years, Konoha ninja had accepted countless external missions and consistently served the people well, maintaining an excellent reputation.
Although recently, under pressure from the Daimyo's administration, Konoha could no longer accept missions,
after successful reforms, the village made major progress in areas like medicine, agriculture, education, and tourism—all of which positively impacted the lives of common citizens.
Every day, large numbers of people traveled to Konoha for medical treatment, sightseeing, study, and business.
The civilians grew distant from the Daimyo's Mansion while drawing closer to Konoha.
Given this context, the Daimyo's reckless decision to wage war against Konoha—despite widespread opposition—was controversial from the start and faced significant resistance.
On the battlefield, surprisingly, it wasn't Konoha ninja killing the enemy soldiers—it was the general personally appointed by the Daimyo himself, the self-proclaimed Protective God.
How bitterly ironic.
This proved to be the final straw that ended the Daimyo's reign.
On the day of the defeat, uprisings erupted across the Land of Fire. Enraged soldiers rushed toward the capital from all corners of the country, determined to overthrow the Daimyo's government.
Shortly after Heiyan's departure, multiple rebel armies stormed into the Daimyo's Mansion one after another.
Soon, word of the Daimyo's death spread throughout the capital, quickly flying like wings to every corner of the Land of Fire and beyond its borders.
At the ruined site of the Daimyo's Mansion, the rebel forces turned against each other, battling once again for power.
For a time, flames raged across the city as shouts and screams rang out through the streets.
Meanwhile,
in Konoha Village, at Konoha Hospital.
In a VIP ward at Konoha Hospital.
"This time, the village survived thanks to you both. You are heroes of Konoha."
Hiruzen Sarutobi visited the ward, sincerely consoling Fugaku Uchiha and Hiashi Hyuga, who lay in bed recovering.
"We only did our duty. The real hero… was Heiyan."
Fugaku said somberly.
"Pity Heiyan won't live to see this victory…" Hiashi murmured, eyes dimmed.
Hearing these words, Hiruzen let out a long sigh, equally burdened with grief.
For a moment, silence fell over the ward, heavy and oppressive.
After a pause,
"We can't keep being passive like this."
"Let's march straight into Mist and use my River of Three Paths alongside Hiashi's Eight Gates Formation once again. We should wipe out Madara Uchiha in one decisive strike to avenge Heiyan!"
Fugaku proposed solemnly and resolutely after some contemplation.
"But Fugaku, your eyes haven't recovered yet. If you use the ultimate reversal of the River of Three Paths one more time, you could go blind."
Hiashi frowned as he looked at Fugaku, suddenly saying, "Therefore, let me go alone! That way, even if we fail, only I will die."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was about to persuade both men when a voice rang out from outside the door.
"Don't be reckless!"
Tsunade strode in wearing a white lab coat. She scolded Hiashi, "Compared to Fugaku, your condition is clearly worse! You can barely get out of bed right now—stop trying to play hero and just stay put properly!"
Her words left Hiashi Hyuga flushed with embarrassment.
Indeed, even without considering the side effects of opening the Death Gate, Hiashi had suffered serious physical damage from activating the first seven gates. Such injuries wouldn't heal quickly.
After lecturing Hiashi, Tsunade took out the genuine blazing war fan she had seized from Madara and placed it upright beside Fugaku's hospital bed, reminding him to recuperate properly.
As for herself, although her Sage Transformation healing ability had helped recover some injuries, she was actually still forcing herself—getting up from her bed and acting perfectly fine despite not being fully healed.
Tsunade wasn't acting this way out of stubbornness, but because the war had left countless Konoha ninja and civilians injured, swamping Konoha Hospital with patients.
As Director of the Medical Department, she needed to stand up at this moment, treating the wounded and coordinating overall efforts—even if it meant pushing her own body to its limits.
She was a woman of unshakable strength.
To completely dissuade these two, Tsunade once again warned them gravely:
"Heiyan once warned me that among Madara Uchiha's Rinnegan abilities, the most powerful technique was called [Outer Path—Edo Tensei]... It was this ability that defeated Heiyan at the Land of Iron.
If used by Madara's original body, the technique's power would be even greater. Even if Hiashi opens the Death Gate, victory isn't guaranteed.
Now, if we act recklessly, we might waste the precious time Heiyan bought with his life and end up completely annihilated at Mist Village.
Even if we kill Madara in mutual destruction, it would still be a loss for us, considering how little time he had left to begin with."
"Tsunade is right."
Hiruzen Sarutobi also agreed, "Right now our top priority is stabilizing the village situation, healing all the injured, and carrying out post-war reconstruction work. Since Madara lost his clone, he won't be able to make any major moves in the short term, so there's no immediate need to worry. What you two need to do now is focus on recovering—don't concern yourselves with anything else."
After hearing this, Fugaku and Hiashi pondered briefly before finally nodded in agreement.
"Hokage-sama."
At that moment, Sakumo Hatake rushed in and respectfully reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "A message just came from the Daimyo's Mansion. The Daimyo wants to have a video call with you to discuss peace talks with Konoha."
"Peace talks?"
"Even now, the Daimyo still dares to mention 'peace talks'? It's too late for words," Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly.
"Let's take the call and hear what the Daimyo has to say. Understanding his rhetoric will help us prepare a better response," Tsunade suggested calmly, adjusting her golden-rimmed glasses.
Coming back to his senses, Hiruzen nodded in agreement with Tsunade's suggestion.
Sakumo Hatake then opened his laptop and established a video connection with the Daimyo's Mansion.
What they saw next was the mansion engulfed in flames, reduced to ruins, with rebel armies fighting chaotically everywhere.
"This..."
Everyone stared in shock, glancing at each other. They hadn't expected the Daimyo's Mansion to fall before Konoha could launch its counterattack.
With this situation, those peace talks are obviously pointless now.
"Third, we cannot allow another Daimyo's Mansion to emerge. We must seize control," Tsunade reminded firmly after seeing the footage.
"You're absolutely right, Tsunade. I'll organize a team immediately and lead a squad of ninja straight to the capital city of the Land of Fire to suppress all rebellions and take over the Daimyo's Mansion!" Hiruzen declared firmly as he slammed his fist on the table. "From today onward, Konoha will take over the Land of Fire, creating a brand-new era that belongs equally to both ninjas and ordinary citizens!"
But before he could act,
Clack, clack!
A sudden sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor outside.
The door creaked open.
The hospital room door swung open, revealing Jiraiya standing at the entrance. Spotting the Third and Tsunade inside, he called out joyfully:
"Third, Tsunade, great! You're both here. I have good news — Great Toad Sage Gamamaru from Mount Myoboku himself has come to visit our Hidden Leaf!"
After stepping inside, Jiraiya moved aside and motioned respectfully toward the doorway.
"Cough, cough."
With a couple of coughs, an orange-colored giant toad entered through the doorway. This toad wore an academic cap on its head, had prayer beads around its neck, and leaned on a cane for support.
Gamamaru had entered the room.
It seemed like he must have used some technique to shrink his body down to roughly human size. Even so, he was still over two meters tall, making the nearly two-meter-tall Jiraiya appear like a child beside him.
Accompanying Gamamaru were his two senior elder attendants — Sages Fukasaku and Shima.
"My greetings, Third Hokage. At last, we finally meet," Gamamaru greeted slowly and deliberately upon entering the room.
"Distinguished Great Toad Sage, you... why did you come to Hidden Leaf?" Hiruzen slightly bowed forward. Though surprised and puzzled by Gamamaru's unexpected visit, he still showed full respect outwardly, adopting a humble posture toward his guest.
After all, compared to Konoha, Mount Myoboku — as one of the three sacred locations — not only possessed historical depth and strength surpassing Konoha but also held unique prestige.
Gamamaru served as Mount Myoboku's supreme leader. It was said that he lived over a thousand years and even shared connections with the Sage of Six Paths.
Facing such a living legend of the world of shinobi, anyone would naturally feel profound reverence.
"Oh, I had no intention of getting involved in worldly matters. But the world of shinobi is falling into chaos, and even the Daimyo's Mansion has been destroyed. If I don't act now, countless lives could be lost forever."
Gamamaru sighed as he spoke these words.
"The Great Toad Sage has come to help Konoha through this crisis," Jiraiya quickly added beside him.
However, despite Gamamaru's saintly appearance filled with compassion, not everyone was convinced.
"Hmph. Talk about hypocrisy."
Tsunade scoffed coldly. "Where were you when Konoha faced its greatest dangers? You never lifted a finger before, yet suddenly appear now pretending to help—aren't you just here to snatch the fruits of victory?"
Her words shocked everyone present.
Among Konoha's group, Hiruzen and others stared at Tsunade in disbelief, astonished that she dared openly confront Gamamaru.
From Mount Myōboku's side, Fukasaku and Shima already felt visibly uncomfortable. They knew deep down that Great Elder's intentions matched Tsunade's accusation word for word.
"Tsunade, what are you saying!"
Startled, Jiraiya immediately jumped to Gamamaru's defense. "The Great Toad Sage desires nothing and has long renounced worldly concerns. He traveled here without hesitation—he truly wants to help Konoha!"
"Hehe, it's alright,"
Suddenly, Gamamaru smiled warmly and kindly.
He gazed affectionately at Tsunade before saying in mild surprise:
"So you're Tsunade from the Senju Clan—you've awakened the Sage Transformation! No wonder you're descended from the Sage of Six Paths. Speaking of which, the Sage and I were sworn brothers—we studied Sage Arts together in our youth!"
"What did you say?"
Tsunade blinked in shock. Not only her, but everyone else in the room was stunned by this unexpected revelation.
Is the Senju Clan a descendant of the Sage of Six Paths? Gamamaru and the Sage were sworn brothers?
"Great Toad Sage," Hiashi couldn't help himself, "are you telling us the truth?"
"Of course," Gamamaru replied. "Those were passionate days full of fire. Even today, I miss the feeling of saving the world alongside my brother. My brother—the Sage of Six Paths—I usually call him by his name: Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki."
Gamamaru gazed out the window into the distance, clearly lost in pleasant memories.
Then he turned toward Fugaku and Hiashi, smiling kindly while revealing an ancient secret:
"In fact, both The Uchiha Clan and Senju Clan descend from Hagoromo. The Hyūga Clan and The Kaguya Clan of Mist trace their lineage to Hamura, Hagoromo's younger brother. Actually, whether it's you Tsunade, or you Fugaku, or you Hiashi—all three of you carry bloodlines ultimately originating from the very ancestor of the ninja world herself—Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, mother of Hagoromo and Hamura."
The gathered crowd listened in awe.
Fugaku and Hiashi exchanged glances. They both realized—Gamamaru's words perfectly aligned with inscriptions left on the Uchiha Clan's stone tablet by the Sage of Six Paths.
In other words, Gamamaru hadn't lied. Chances were high that he really was the Sage's brother.
Just as everyone was still reeling from the previous revelation, Gamamaru dropped an even heavier bombshell with a grave expression:
"I must also tell you some unfortunate news. Kaguya Otsutsuki isn't from this planet at all—she's an invader from another world. She once attempted to destroy humanity and kill every last person on Earth, but fortunately, I, together with Hagoromo and Hamura, managed to stop her and seal away her power.
But now, after centuries of peace, danger looms over the world of shinobi once again...
In my prophetic dream, I saw that one day not too distant in the future, Kaguya Otsutsuki will return and bring disaster to mankind once more. Even worse, other members of the Otsutsuki clan will arrive on this planet as well, bringing doom that could wipe out our entire world!"
The information hit like a thunderclap, leaving everyone reeling. Every person in the room stood there with mouths agape, their expressions frozen in stunned disbelief, unable to fully process what they had just heard.
After a long silence, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally asked solemnly, "Venerable Great Toad Sage, what must we do to save the world of shinobi?"
Hiruzen carefully questioned Gamamaru. He didn't know if everything Gamamaru said was true, but if the immortal sage had come in person, there had to be a way to deal with it.
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