High above the Rain Village, the wind howled softly against the tower.
Nagato sat alone at its peak, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon. His expression was calm, but beneath it, something restless stirred—like a storm waiting to break.
"…Still not back yet?"
The quiet words were carried away by the wind.
Over the past two years, Nagato had witnessed everything.
After joining the Red Sun Society, he had seen its influence expand at an almost terrifying pace. The Land of Fire had fallen completely under its control—not through war, but through something far more subtle. Power had shifted so quietly that even the daimyo had become little more than a puppet, unable to resist the current sweeping beneath him.
And most importantly—
Nagato had seen peace.
Not the fragile illusion he once chased.
But something real.
Something tangible.
For a moment, he had believed his dream had finally been realized.
That the endless cycle of hatred had truly come to an end.
But that illusion didn't last.
Because Nagato understood something others didn't.
Beneath that calm surface—
The undercurrents were violent.
Konoha had become too strong.
Too dominant.
Every other village felt it.
And though the past two years had passed in silence, Nagato knew the truth.
They were preparing.
All of them.
Building strength.
Waiting.
Waiting for the moment they could break free from Konoha's control.
No one wanted to bow their head.
Not a single nation.
Not a single village.
"This is just the calm before the storm…"
Nagato's fingers curled slightly.
A cold light flickered in his eyes.
The only reason war hadn't broken out yet—
Was fear.
Fear of one person.
Uzumaki Naruto.
But Nagato knew something even more dangerous.
Naruto had been gone for two years.
If not for the occasional appearance of his shadow clones within Konoha…
The world would have already erupted into chaos.
"…Only complete unification can end this."
His resolve hardened.
Now that his body had fully recovered, the power of the Rinnegan flowed through him once more—complete, unrestrained.
For two years, he hadn't wasted a single moment.
Training.
Understanding.
Growing.
But more than anything—
He had come to understand the Red Sun Society itself.
Its true goal.
Unification.
Compared to the old Akatsuki…
It was on an entirely different level.
Akatsuki had struggled to gather even ten fighters at the level of a Kage.
The Red Sun Society?
Twenty wouldn't even be difficult.
And that wasn't even considering wealth.
Akatsuki had survived on missions and bounties.
The Red Sun Society controlled trade routes, industries, and entire economic systems.
Money didn't flow—
It flooded.
Power.
Wealth.
Influence.
They had everything.
In Nagato's eyes, they already possessed enough strength to crush the entire ninja world.
And yet—
They waited.
Because without Naruto—
They couldn't act.
Nagato let out a slow breath, his voice dropping into something almost dangerous.
"…I really want to drop a Shinra Tensei on someone right now."
Far away, in a luxurious office deep within the Land of Fire—
Yakushi Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Are this month's reports finalized, Konan?"
Across from him, Konan closed the documents neatly.
"All verified. No discrepancies."
Kabuto chuckled softly.
"Of course not. They've been reviewed dozens of times…"
His voice trailed off slightly.
Konan glanced at him but said nothing.
She understood.
Even after two years—
Naruto's presence still lingered over everything.
Like an invisible force guiding the world forward.
A man who could build a system so complete that it continued to thrive without him…
Was rare.
Extremely rare.
In the Hidden Mist—
Lightning cracked through the air.
Ringo Ameyuri swung her blade violently, arcs of electricity tearing through the ground beneath her.
"Damn it…!"
Her subordinates stood at a distance, exchanging uneasy glances.
"Lady Ringo… are you alright?"
"…I'm fine."
But no one believed her.
In the Hidden Sand—
Pakura stood atop a high dune, the wind tugging at her hair as she gazed toward the distant horizon—toward Konoha.
"Sensei… what are you looking at?" her student asked curiously.
Pakura didn't answer immediately.
"…Nothing."
Nearby, Gaara stood quietly.
Still.
Composed.
The madness that once defined him had long since vanished, replaced by a calm that felt almost unnatural.
Across the entire ninja world—
A single emotion lingered.
Waiting.
Back in Konoha—
Inside the headquarters of the Red Sun Society—
Tsunade lounged lazily on a sofa, one arm draped over the backrest.
"You people are insane… even controlling the daimyo?"
In the corner, Jiraiya didn't even bother responding. He was too busy watching television, laughing loudly without a shred of dignity.
At the head of the room—
Uchiha Shisui sat calmly, reviewing documents with unwavering focus.
Steady.
Unshakable.
Tsunade sighed.
"…Being in charge looks exhausting."
Then, after a pause, she muttered softly—
"Unifying the ninja world… I didn't think Naruto would go this far."
At first, she had resisted.
After all—
If the world unified, Konoha itself would lose its meaning.
Everything Hashirama had built…
Would become history.
But over time—
She accepted it.
Because Naruto…
Was simply that kind of person.
Then—
A phone rang.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Then another.
And another.
Jiraiya, Shisui, and Tsunade all picked up at the same time.
"…What?"
Silence followed.
Then—
The same message echoed through each call.
"Hokage-sama's clone… has disappeared."
Not destroyed.
Not exhausted.
Dismissed.
On purpose.
For a moment—
No one spoke.
Then suddenly—
Jiraiya slammed his hand against his thigh and burst into laughter.
"That brat finally decided to come back!"
A smile spread across Tsunade's face.
Shisui exhaled slowly, tension leaving his shoulders.
Relief.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
In an instant, a message spread across the entire ninja world.
"The leader has returned. All members report to headquarters."
Rain Village.
Mist Village.
Sand Village.
Xinghai Chamber of Commerce.
Nagato.
Kabuto.
Konan.
Ringo.
Pakura.
Every one of them froze.
Then—
They looked up.
Their eyes lit with unmistakable intensity.
He was back.
Their leader.
Their pillar.
Their king.
Has returned.
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