"You want to revive them?"
Naruto's gaze was sharp. Connecting Madara's revival with Itachi's new Rinnegan, he instantly understood what the Uchiha was thinking. He had seen the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu with his own eyes, after all.
Itachi lowered his eyes and spoke softly, "If I can bring them back, maybe… I can earn Sasuke's forgiveness?" It was a thought that had only occurred to him after he'd witnessed Madara's revival firsthand.
Naruto shook his head. "If you're going to do this," he said in a deep voice, "you should ask Sasuke what he thinks first..."
He left one thought unspoken. If Fugaku and Mikoto were brought back only to learn that their new lives had been paid for with their eldest son's sacrifice, would they even want to live again?
"Alright." Naruto patted Itachi's arm. "So, besides Madara and Black Zetsu, you've captured every other member of Akatsuki, right?"
"Do you want to see Obito, Lord Hokage?"
"No." Naruto shook his head. "When you get back to Konoha, let Kakashi-sensei and my parents be the ones to see him."
The young Hokage didn't stay long. He had come mainly to treat Itachi and get intel on the Akatsuki. Instead, he learned that a much bigger problem—Madara Uchiha—had been revived. Now he had to return and figure out how to deal with it.
In reality, what other way was there? He'd have to rely on himself, wouldn't he?
Even a blind Madara could likely ravage Konoha's other ninja, let alone one who had just obtained the Rinnegan. The "Dancer of the Battlefield" certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve.
But besides the trouble of Madara, there was also some good news.
Itachi had captured nearly every member of the Akatsuki. Only Kisame and Konan remained, and they were now under Itachi's protection. This presented a huge opportunity for Konoha—a chance to interfere in the Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain, a strategic chokepoint between the lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind, had always been a major battlefield in past Ninja World Wars. Whichever village won could use its terrain to invade another great nation.
After returning to Konoha, Naruto simply issued an order. He dispatched a joint force of ninja from the Mist, Sand, and Konoha—all skilled in Water Style—and ordered them to advance on the Land of Rain.
No matter what, the ninja world had to be unified.
In the Hokage's office, when Homura Mitokado received the notice for the meeting, he was calmly sipping tea. The moment he heard Konoha was going to war with the Land of Rain, he spat it all out.
Koharu Utatane disapproved of such an unjust move. "This could trigger a new Ninja World War! The Stone Village will surely protest and threaten us with war, won't they?"
"Really?" Naruto was scribbling furiously at his desk. Without looking up, he said, "Then just tell the Stone Village that the Fourth Ninja World War has begun."
"..."
For some reason, Koharu felt a chilling mix of coolness, ridicule, and carelessness in the young Hokage's tone.
This was a Ninja World War! Why was their Hokage talking about starting a World War so casually? The Stone Village was one of the top three military powers in the ninja world. To put it bluntly, while the Mist and Sand had been the shame of the Five Great Villages for years, the Stone was different. The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, had been a diligent leader. He was known for dispatching thousands of ninja in wartime and had even used his numerical advantage to take down the Third Raikage.
Supporting her frail body, Koharu stood and said, her voice trembling, "Lord Fifth, I disagree with your order. You are still young. You haven't realized the cruelty and bloodshed of a Ninja World War..."
"Your opinion is not important."
Naruto dropped his pen, handing the order he'd just written to an ANBU. Then he turned to the others. "Does anyone else have a different opinion?"
"Lord Fifth!"
"Granny Koharu..." Naruto sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead. "How many ninja villages do I have to conquer before you'll recognize my strength?"
Koharu was speechless. What kind of ridiculous statement was that?
"Naruto," Tsunade frowned. "Our occupations of the Wind, Water, Rice, and Waterfall countries have always had necessary reasons..."
Though she admitted to herself that some of those reasons weren't exactly solid. For example, conquering the Land of Wind was justified because the Fifth Kazekage provoked them first—that was passable. But Konoha's occupation of the other countries was basically a case of them being bored and overextending their reach.
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, looking bored. "So, is the reason this time to 'mediate' the civil war in the Land of Rain?"
Mei Terumi said nothing.
Naruto shook his head. "I received news yesterday that the civil war in the Rain ended not long ago. Master Jiraiya, I'm sorry to say… only Konan survived."
"Konan?" Jiraiya's expression soured.
"We'll talk about this later." Naruto looked at his teacher's confused face and shook his head slightly. "The reason we're attacking the Land of Rain this time is the Akatsuki. We are issuing an order to the entire ninja world: Konoha will begin a large-scale operation to encircle and destroy the Akatsuki, at any cost. Most of its members have been captured, but the mastermind, Madara Uchiha, is still at large. As long as Madara is not captured or killed, our pursuit will never stop."
"Madara Uchiha?"
"Madara Uchiha?"
The listless mood in the office instantly vanished, replaced by sharp attention. That name was a powerful stimulus for any Konoha ninja. It was the reconciliation between Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage that led to the founding of Konoha. And it was Madara's betrayal that led to the First Hokage's early death.
He was Konoha's first rogue ninja, and the strongest in its history.
Tsunade's shock faded as reason returned. "If I remember correctly, my great-grandfather killed Madara years ago. Naruto, are you sure this isn't just an excuse you made up to continue the war?"
"No," Naruto explained in a deep voice. "Don't worry, Madara Uchiha will show himself soon. Now that he's recovered his peak strength, he won't stay hidden for long."
The young Hokage's guess was spot on. The problem was, while Madara wanted to capture the Tailed Beasts, he had no way to start. The One-Tail's jinchuriki was still in Konoha.
-----
In a dark cave, Madara Uchiha sat before a fire, tearing meat from the leg of a wild boar. A tall shadow loomed over him, covering the cave walls.
Madara's expression was cold. "The Demonic Statue is still in this state. In other words, in over ten years, you haven't captured a single Tailed Beast?"
"That brings us to Konoha's Fifth Hokage..." Black Zetsu began to fill Madara in on the current state of the ninja world, his voice dripping with its usual sinister tone. "The Fifth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki, is only thirteen. He's hailed as the strongest Hokage, the new God of Shinobi, and the person most likely to one day rule the ninja world..."
Bonus:
Madara Uchiha: Tell me the story of this Fifth Hokage.
Black Zetsu: It is said that at his birth, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky. The gods themselves watched over him, and even the raging Nine-Tails celebrated his arrival...
Madara Uchiha: ...Can you speak human?
Black Zetsu: Obito stuck three explosive tags on him, and he didn't die. The kid survived the Nine-Tails' rampage and even had it sealed inside him...
Madara Uchiha: Continue.
Black Zetsu: All of Konoha has watched him grow. Everyone is in awe of his power. Commoners dare not approach him, and even other ninja are careful what they say around him.
Madara Uchiha: Speak human!
Black Zetsu: The kid has the Nine-Tails sealed in him, so he was never very popular...
Madara Uchiha: ...Are you trying to tell me a story or just confuse me! I can't make sense of what you're saying!
Black Zetsu: You're the one who asked for the story.