DAWN — HIDDEN LEAF VILLAGE
The first rays of sunlight touch Konoha's red rooftops. But inside the village, tension is already stirring behind the scenes.
INTERIOR — KONOHA INTELLIGENCE HQ
Open maps. Crossed-out photographs. Reports in paper and condensed chakra. Root ANBUs finish presenting a dossier to Danzō Shimura.
ANBU (low):
— The readings are clear... his chakra has no end.
— Yesterday, the pattern was fluctuating, but today... it's as if nature itself is bending to him.
DANZŌ (cold):
— He managed to hide it until now.
— A man who only reveals part of his power... is someone who knows exactly what he's doing.
He interlaces his fingers over his cane. His eyes, covered by a bandage, almost narrow.
DANZŌ:
— And that makes him dangerous.
EXTERIOR — SECRET TRAINING FIELD (MORNING)
Jin-Woo stands beneath a pine tree. Several sealed scrolls on the ground. Scattered by Jiraiya and the Leaf's intelligence network.
Panels describing the Akatsuki, images from secret files. Konan. Kisame. Itachi. Deidara. Sasori. Hidan. Kakuzu.
KAKASHI (kneeling beside):
— These are all the known faces.
— But the masked one... Tobi... he's the enigma.
— No one has managed to track him. No one survived to accurately tell what he is.
Jiraiya approaches, eating a dango, looking at Jin-Woo over his shoulder.
JIRAIYA:
— But you almost did, huh?
JIN-WOO:
— One of my shadows followed him. It was Konan, but just a paper clone.
— The trail was cut before it reached him.
— That masked guy... uses different dimensions. If anyone in this world can send me back, it's him.
KAKASHI:
— So you're going after him?
JIN-WOO:
— Yes. But first… the others. Every clue matters.
INTERIOR — HOKAGE TOWER
Tsunade receives updated reports. Shizune beside her, worried. The scroll glows with recent chakra records.
TSUNADE (startled):
— This can't be...
SHIZUNE:
— What is it, Tsunade-sama?
TSUNADE (slowly):
— The detection system… measured Jin-Woo's chakra expanding throughout the village.
— He... From one day to the next... it's living chakra!
She stares out the glass, seeing the village below.
— "Not even my grandfather… with the power of Mokuton and the Senju cells… had anything like this."
— "This man is a walking miracle… or a bomb ready to explode."
Naruto was standing nearby with Sakura...
INTERIOR — NARUTO'S MIND — KURAMA'S CAGE
Kurama, silent, watches with narrowed eyes.
KURAMA (deep):
— ...This human.
— He didn't come from this world.
— But it's more than that… he carries something beyond chakra. A weight... cosmic.
NARUTO (thinking):
— He scared you?
KURAMA:
— Not scared.
— But... he earned my respect.
INTERIOR — ROOT'S SECRET HQ
Silent ANBUs accompany him. Ahead, a container with modified clones. In the center, a forbidden seal being activated.
DANZŌ (dark):
— We can't allow a creature like this to roam free in Konoha.
— The balance of the ninja world was broken with his arrival.
— If Tsunade hesitates, I won't.
He lifts a scroll with the seal: "Kami no Te Project" (Hand of the Gods). A secret technique that should never be used.
DANZŌ (low):
— I'll become something to match him myself.
AFTERNOON IN KONOHA – FOREST INTERIOR TO THE NORTH
The leaves sway slowly. The sky is overcast, and the wind passing through the branches carries something strange. Jin-Woo walks alone among the trees, the system open in his mind, analyzing reports from shadows scattered around the world.
JIN-WOO (thought):
— Nothing yet.
— Every shadow I left on the Akatsuki's trail returned with crumbs... disguised movements, false leads...
— As if they're already anticipating me. I hope Jiraiya and Kakashi bring more truth like they said!
He stops, looks at the status window in front of him. His mana, fully converted into chakra, pulses like a second heart. The shadow count... nearing a million. Yet, the information doesn't flow.
JIN-WOO (sigh):
— Tch... power without direction is useless.
AT THE SAME TIME — EASTERN FOREST OF KONOHA
A Root squad leaps among the branches. Black clothing. Explosive tags. Expressionless masks. And at the front… Danzō, cloaked in a sealed mantle, protected by four concealment jutsus.
DANZŌ (low):
— He's vulnerable. Alone. Far from the village.
— Before Tsunade or Jiraiya interfere… we'll test him.
— If he truly is a threat, he'll be eliminated here.
He raises his hand. The signal is given.
BACK TO JIN-WOO
A whisper passes through the forest. The system alerts. An unusual presence... no, several.
JIN-WOO:
— Too late to hide.
Suddenly, the ground explodes. Containment seals appear from all directions. A four-layer barrier traps him in the center of a circle of ANBUs.
ROOT 01:
— Activate chakra suppression seal!
A black dome covers the forest. The light disappears.
JIN-WOO (calm):
— Seriously...?
From atop the trees, Danzō appears, his eye covered by a bandage starting to glow with Sharingan chakra.
DANZŌ:
— Sung Jin-Woo. Foreigner.
— You represent a risk to the stability of this world.
— You're under judgment by Root.
JIN-WOO:
— This isn't a judgment.
— It's an ambush.
DANZŌ:
— Call it what you like. Show me what you're made of.
Ten Root members leap with blades soaked in poison and forbidden seals. A coordinated, silent, deadly attack.
JIN-WOO (aura shifting):
— I see...
He closes his eyes.
— ...want information?
— I'll leave a message for the entire ninja world to see.
At that moment, the ground trembles. The seal dome shatters like black glass. From the center, shadows rise like living pillars, wielding swords. Igris appears beside him, already in his command mantle. Beru descends from above like a comet, silently crushing two ANBUs.
JIN-WOO (cold):
— ...I am the hunter.
— Not the hunted.
The shadows spread, dominate the field. Danzō retreats, eyes wide.
DANZŌ (thought):
— This... this isn't chakra.
— This is an army.
INTERIOR OF THE VILLAGE, HOKAGE TOWER
Tsunade feels the chakra explosion in the distance. Kakashi and Jiraiya also turn, alarmed.
TSUNADE:
— ...Danzō.
— Damn you. What have you done?