The cheerful mood after the sparring match vanished almost instantly.
Naruto and Longmen exchanged a glance.
Neither of them doubted the feeling.
Someone was watching.
And there was only one person likely to be bold enough to monitor a healthy Rinnegan wielder inside Konoha's sphere of influence.
The masked man.
Obito.
The forest grew quiet.
Even the birds had stopped singing.
Konan stepped forward, her expression solemn.
"Can you pinpoint his location?"
Longmen slowly closed his eyes.
The Rinnegan's perception spread outward.
For several moments, he remained completely still.
Then he opened his eyes again.
"He already left."
Naruto clicked his tongue.
"Fast as always."
That ability was troublesome.
Even knowing Obito's identity and many of his secrets, actually catching him remained difficult.
Space-time ninjutsu ranked among the most troublesome abilities in the shinobi world.
Sasuke crossed his arms.
"So what now?"
Naruto's grin returned.
"We keep preparing."
"That's it?"
Sasuke frowned.
"That's it."
Naruto shrugged.
"If he's scared enough to watch from a distance instead of attacking directly, that means we're doing something right."
Longmen chuckled softly.
There was logic in that.
The old Akatsuki leader understood Obito's personality well enough.
If everything were proceeding according to plan, Obito would be confident.
The fact that he was observing instead of acting suggested uncertainty.
And uncertainty was dangerous for someone who relied on controlling every variable.
Several hours later.
Deep beneath the earth.
Inside a hidden underground chamber.
Obito stood before a stone wall covered in maps and intelligence reports.
White Zetsu had returned.
Black Zetsu remained partially merged with the ground nearby.
The atmosphere was grim.
"They've become stronger than expected," White Zetsu reported.
"The red-haired one fought Naruto directly."
"And?"
White Zetsu hesitated.
"They appeared evenly matched."
Silence.
Black Zetsu's expression darkened further.
That was not good news.
Not good at all.
A healthy Nagato had already exceeded their calculations.
If Naruto could also contend with him comfortably, then the situation was rapidly becoming dangerous.
Obito remained calm.
Too calm.
"Naruto."
His voice was low.
"Everything keeps leading back to him."
The Nine-Tails.
Nagato.
Jiraiya.
Konoha.
Every disruption in their plans seemed connected to the same person.
Black Zetsu spoke for the first time.
"Then perhaps he should be removed."
Obito remained silent.
Removing Naruto sounded simple.
In reality, it was anything but.
A direct assault on Konoha now would be reckless.
Not only was Naruto present, but Longmen was there as well.
Jiraiya.
Tsunade.
Kakashi.
And several other powerful shinobi.
Even Obito wasn't arrogant enough to charge into that situation blindly.
"No."
He finally shook his head.
"We wait."
White Zetsu blinked.
"Wait for what?"
A cold smile appeared beneath the mask.
"The Five Kage."
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage Tower.
Tsunade stared at the intelligence report in her hands.
Then she sighed.
Again.
Another invitation.
Another request for a Five Kage Summit.
The Fourth Raikage remained determined to unite the great nations against the Akatsuki.
The irony was almost painful.
The former leader of the Akatsuki was currently living peacefully inside Konoha.
Tsunade rubbed her forehead.
Across the room, Shizune stood quietly.
"What will you do?"
Tsunade thought for a moment.
Then she looked toward the village outside her window.
"Attend."
Shizune blinked.
"You've changed your mind?"
"I have."
Tsunade leaned back in her chair.
"The world is already changing."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"And I'd rather be at the table when it happens."
That evening.
Naruto sat atop the Hokage Monument.
The setting sun painted the sky orange and gold.
Hinata sat beside him.
For a while, neither spoke.
The peaceful silence was comfortable.
Eventually, Hinata glanced toward him.
"You seem worried."
Naruto smiled faintly.
"A little."
"About the masked man?"
"Partly."
He looked toward the horizon.
His expression became thoughtful.
"In the past, I thought strength alone could solve everything."
Hinata listened quietly.
"But the stronger I become, the more I realize how complicated things are."
Defeating enemies was easy.
Changing the world was much harder.
Longmen had realized it.
Jiraiya had spent his entire life searching for an answer.
Even Tsunade struggled with it.
Peace wasn't something that could simply be punched into existence.
It required something greater.
Something lasting.
Hinata smiled softly.
"But you're still going to try."
Naruto looked at her.
Then he laughed.
"Of course."
That answer didn't surprise her at all.
Because it was Naruto.
No matter how impossible the goal seemed, he would always move forward.
The last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the horizon.
Night slowly descended over Konoha.
Far away, unseen by anyone, clouds gathered above the world.
Political tensions.
Ancient conspiracies.
The Akatsuki.
The tailed beasts.
The masked man.
Every thread was slowly converging.
And before long, the entire shinobi world would be drawn into the storm.
-----------------------------------------
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