Land of Fire.
A massive "meteorite" plummeted from the sky, crashing into the forests of the Fire Country with earth-shaking force. The impact sent tremors across the entire continent.
A shockwave rippled outward like expanding rings, uprooting trees and vegetation in every direction. From that impact site, the destruction spread farther and farther outward.
Hidden Leaf Village – Hokage's Office.
As acting Hokage, Hatake Kakashi was buried in paperwork, handling the daily affairs of the country as usual.
The great "collective transmigration" had initially caused chaos and fear, but with time, people had grown accustomed to their new life. And with the five great nations now unified under Senju Haruto's leadership, the resource struggles of the past had largely vanished.
Under Kakashi's management, water from the Leaf and Cloud had even been diverted to support the Stone and Sand villages. Meanwhile, in the former Land of Water, he had developed a new tourism project—a waterpark.
It was a concept he had picked up while studying the Marvel universe: using entertainment as an economic engine.
At first, advisors like Homura and Koharu had strongly resisted Kakashi's sweeping reforms. But with the scope of governance now stretching from a single village to the entire continent, even they could not keep up with the workload.
And as Kakashi grew increasingly decisive, his plans had pushed forward smoothly.
Just as he was preparing to launch his next initiative, however—
The entire Hokage's office shook violently.
The sensation was so sudden and overwhelming, it reminded Kakashi of a Tailed Beast Bomb from the Ten-Tails.
"What was that?!"
Kakashi shot to his feet, channeling chakra to his legs to keep steady. Scrolls and papers spilled across the floor. If not for the sturdiness of the building itself, the office might have collapsed.
Thankfully, the tremors didn't last long. Soon, silence returned.
Several ANBU operatives burst inside. Yet they, too, had no idea what had just happened.
The only certainty was that the shockwave had originated from the forests of the Fire Country—and in the process, more than half of the Hidden Leaf Village's buildings had been destroyed.
"Let's go."
Kakashi thought quickly. He may have only been the acting Hokage, but responsibility for the country fell on his shoulders.
His mind ran through possibilities. The shinobi world had been unified. Black Zetsu, the mastermind behind countless schemes, was sealed.
But not all of the Akatsuki's rogue members had been captured. Among them was one particularly dangerous figure—a man obsessed with the "art" of explosions.
Deidara.
Kakashi inhaled deeply, assigning some ANBU to alert Jiraiya and the others, while the rest followed him directly.
After a swift journey, Kakashi and his squad reached the epicenter.
"This is…"
The Fire Country's great forest had been half-destroyed. Trees lay snapped and scattered across the ground, devastation stretching as far as the eye could see.
If someone had claimed that Senju Haruto had fought the Ten-Tails here moments ago, Kakashi would have believed them.
But aside from the wreckage, there was nothing.
"Yo, isn't that Kakashi? …Hm."
A familiar voice drifted from above.
Kakashi's hand flew to his forehead protector, lifting it to reveal the Sharingan hidden beneath.
"As I thought. Deidara."
Hovering above him was none other than the Akatsuki defector himself.
Kakashi didn't hesitate. He judged instantly that Deidara was responsible—and with a sharp stomp, he entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
The ground cracked beneath him as his body blurred forward like a bolt of lightning, straight toward the airborne bomber.
Deidara blinked in confusion.
He had only come because he had sensed the earth's "cry of pain," thinking someone was experimenting with explosive art. He hadn't expected to run straight into Kakashi.
Though still a rogue, Deidara was no fool. He knew about the unification of the shinobi world, and that Kakashi now served as acting Hokage.
Forced onto the defensive, he dodged, tossing clay bombs to block Kakashi's advance.
"Oi! I didn't come here to fight you, hm!"
With no choice, Deidara abandoned his clay bird and plummeted toward the ground.
But the moment he landed—
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
A man in a green jumpsuit struck him with a powerful kick.
Thud!
Deidara was sent flying, crashing into the dirt and tumbling across the ground.
When he looked up, his situation had gone from bad to worse. One after another, powerful shinobi emerged from the shadows:
Uchiha Itachi.
Jiraiya.
Tsunade.
Zabuza.
Uchiha Izumi.
And more.
They had him surrounded.
"Deidara. What are you doing here?" Itachi asked coolly, greeting him almost casually.
But the words were nothing more than a distraction.
As Deidara began to explain himself, Itachi's left eye shifted, revealing the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. In an instant, the illusion of Tsukuyomi ensnared him.
Within moments, Itachi had grasped the truth.
This disaster was not Deidara's doing.
"It wasn't him."
Itachi shared the information with the others, dismissing the possibility of a natural disaster as well. A simple earthquake would never have produced destruction on this scale.
From the scene, it was clear—something had detonated here, something with the force to wipe out everything in its path.
"In any case, we should contact Senju Haruto," Zabuza said grimly. "This reeks of something beyond what Kakashi alone can handle."
Kakashi hesitated. He knew Haruto was out gathering intelligence on this new world. Though Haruto wasn't in the Fire Country, the matters he was dealing with were far more critical and complex.
If possible, Kakashi didn't want to disturb him over every incident.
"I think we should—"
Before he could finish, a fiery ring flared open in the sky above them.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He had seen this before—a magical circle that opened spatial gateways.
He didn't fully understand magic, but he knew one thing: these portals only appeared when Senju Haruto himself arrived.
And sure enough—
That familiar, overwhelming presence descended from above. The man who had long since surpassed even the Sage of Six Paths.
Senju Haruto.
"Hmm?"
Hovering above the ruined forest, Haruto looked down in mild surprise.
Why were so many of Konoha's famed shinobi gathered here?
And by Itachi's feet—
…was that Deidara?
What in the world was going on?
...
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